“I know, but I miss him. I wanted him to stay with us, I - I kept hoping he would change his mind.” Rick wept, nuzzling his face against Sev’s chest, as if trying to hide his tears in the folds of the man’s robes. “I don’t want to believe he’s gone….I won’t ever see him again. I’ll never be able to hear his laugh again, or let him talk me into some stupid prank….never be able to blame him when Hamish chases after us for turning his hair blue….”
“That is enough, Rick. I know you do not want to hear this, but he is gone. You need to accept it, you need to grieve and then you need to go on with life. I know it is not easy, believe me, I know better than most.” Sev explained, pausing to wipe a few stray tears off of his own cheeks as he realized that he had just quoted the exact words Dumbledore had spoken to him so many years ago. And, to be honest, he would also miss Roel, he hadn’t spent nearly the time with him as he did Rick, but the few conversations they had had been both amusing and enlightening. “Do you want me to take you back to the others?” Sev asked gently.
“No, I ….I can’t even look at them. If I had been there, if they had given me the choice….he might be alive now.” Rick explained, “I love them, Sev. They are my family and I would kill or die for them, but I just can’t stand the sight of them right now.”
Snape nodded his head, it was Rick’s pain speaking and he knew it. But there was certainly no point in forcing the issue. “Very well, but at least get up off the floor,” he insisted as he rose to his feet. Once again, a feeling of mild shock went through him as Rick stood with him, adhering to him like a child clings to its mother. Sev’s brow knit in confusion and uncertainty as he wondered what to do with Rick, the sofa would probably be his best option, but it was in Catri’s sitting room and the bed was closer. However, he wasn’t sure if he could deal with Rick holding onto him like this on her bed, it was just a bit ‘too’ intimate for his comfort.
Severus tried to manoeuvre Rick into the sitting room, but after only a few steps, he realized that Rick would never make it that far without collapsing. Trying to push down the knot that was quickly growing in his stomach, Sev pivoted Rick onto the bed, hoping that he would be able to extract himself from the vampyre’s embrace and bring Cash or one of the others to him instead. However, that too proved impossible as Rick’s arms closed tightly around him once more. The only thing that stopped Sev from running away from the entire situation was Rick inconsolable sobs that had never truly ceased. Sighing with resignation, Sev allowed Rick to hold onto him, resting his head against his chest, staining his once immaculately white shirt a strange shade of scarlet as Sev stroked his hair, speaking softly to him in the hopes of easing Rick’s torment….…..
Hamish’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he silently signalled for Cash to look into the room. They had gone searching for Rick as soon as he ran from the haven, fearful that he would do something rash in his grief. But never in his life did he expect to see the scene before him. Snape was not only being kind toward Rick, he was almost being ’sweet’ to him. Allowing the Gangrel to weep freely as he comforted him, speaking to him in silky tones as he stroked his hair.
“Pinch me and tell me this is all some strange dream.” Hamish begged as Cash leaned against him, a look of vague shock mixed with amusement on his face.
“Sorry, Hash, but it looks like Snape has a bit more going for him than I thought.” he smirked, “There might just be hope for the bugger yet, especially if Orpha has her way.”
“And I ‘always’ have my way.” Orpha’s voice whispered, startling the men who all but fell backwards as she peered into the room. “I thought he didn’t like to be touched?” she asked, looking expectantly at Cash.
“Aside from our little girl, he doesn’t. Believe me, I’m as surprised over this as anyone. I know Rick’s made some real divots in the wizard’s armour, but I had no idea he had gotten him to open up so much.”
Orpha raised an eyebrow as she turned her eyes back to the two men. Poor Rick was still sobbing away like a baby, and oddly enough, the longer they held onto each other, the more comfortable the wizard seemed to be with the situation. Perhaps things were not as cut and dried as they appeared upon her first inspection, after all, how many people could look into the weeping eyes of a vampyre and not scamper away in fright. It took a great deal of courage to do what he was doing, and even more heart. “He needs to meet the clan, Cash. You must realize this…” she watched as Cash’s shoulders slumped.
“He’s not meant for her, Orpha. She doesn’t love him the way she does Sirius, you’ve seen them…”
“Yes, Cash, I have seen them, the entire clan has seen them. And we do so love Sirius,” she smiled, “However, it seems terribly unfair not to give this man a chance to prove himself. After all, did any of us think he was capable of such compassion prior to this moment?” she asked knowingly.
“Point taken.” Cash agreed, a glum look on his face……
“Herminone?” Ginny yelled out as they entered the common room. “What are you doing back so early? I thought we would be the only ones here.”
Hermione greeted Ginny with a large hug and smiled at the boys as Crookshanks leapt from her lap. “I arrive an hour ago, Professor Dumbledore asked my parents to leave me come back a little early. He hasn’t told me why though, how about you, why did you come back so early?”
Fred smirked, “Didn’t you hear? Da’s running for Fudge’s old job. Seems the old blokes been missing for weeks now.”
“Along with several other notable members of the Ministry” Percy interrupted. “I thought you would have read about it in the Daily Prophet.”
Hermione shook her head. “They haven’t really mentioned a lot about it, just that Minister Fudge and several other key members of the Ministry have been unreachable for comment.” she lowered her voice and added, “Do you think you-know-who got them?”
George snorted as he flopped down on the couch nearest the fire. “Nope. But Fred and I have a pretty good idea what ‘did’ happen to them.” he grinned as he saw the looks on everyone’s faces. “Yep, don’t forget, we were there when they attacked. Do you remember Ginny? Raul asked you to watch over Lupin and took Fred and I with him…..we saw the whole thing.”
“Saw ‘what’ exactly?” Hermione asked, uncertain if she could believe them or not. She stood in front of George, her hands balled into fists that she was resting against her hips as she waited impatiently for a reply.
“Why, the death eaters who attacked the school of course.” Fred chimed in. “Nearly got ourselves killed we did. Must have been at least a score of them, maybe more.”
“Don’t be an idiot, Fred” Percy snapped, “we don’t even have proof that you-know-who is alive, much less back. And I know what father thinks, but I’m not sure that I agree with him, there is just no proof.”
“Moron,” George spat as he took a seat next to his brother. Looking up at Hermione, he winked as he continued, “You know, I have serious doubts at to whether or not he’s actually a Weasley. The only one of us who doesn’t play Quidditch, only one with no sense of humour….do you think the owl dropped him off at the wrong house by mistake?” he asked, smirking as Percy hmpft’d and Fred grinned.
“No, really, exactly what happened, and how does it involve your father campaigning for Minister?” Hermione pushed.
Ron shrugged his shoulders as he took over for his brothers. “I know the day after the Yule ball, after most of the students left, a group of death eaters got in. Attacked Harry, Sirius and Cash, according to Harry they almost died, but MacLeod showed up and went bloody mad, started killing people left and right. Fred and George ended up in the infirmary, and next thing I know, Harry, Sirius and Remus are gone.”
“Gone? But wasn’t Harry supposed to go with Miss MacLeod for the holidays? Is he alright?” Hermione gasped.
“Oh, Harry’s fine, so is Cat” Ginny chirped. “We haven’t actually ‘seen’ Sirius, but Harry says he’s looking really good; smiling all the time, going for long walks with Cat,” she got a wide grin on her face as she added, “and ‘kissing’ her all the time. Harry’s sure they’ll be married soon. But I don’t know, if she does….well, it will break Snape’s heart.”
“Snape doesn’t have a heart to break.” George corrected her as he stretched, yawning widely. “And that still doesn’t explain why Dumbledore told the Prophet that Da was running against Malfoy.”
Hermione sighed deeply, “That I saw, I was hoping someone would be brave enough to run against him, but I never thought it would be your father.” she stated, giving Ron a worried glance as she saw all of them go a little paler. “But if its Dumbledore’s idea, then he ‘must’ have a plan, right?”
“I hope so” Ron sighed, “Da’s on his way to talk to him now. He wanted us to come back to the school today. I think he’s worried that Malfoy will try something at our house.”…….
“Professor”
Severus blinked sleepily as he tried to wake, someone was calling his name, but he didn’t recognize the voice. Trying to sit up, he hesitated as he felt a heavy weight on his chest, looking down he realized with a gasp that it was Rick. They must have fallen asleep somewhere between all the tears last night. Sev smirked good naturedly as he saw a light flashing on Rick’s face, reflecting off of the silver ring Rick always wore on his left pinky. How strange this was for Sev, to be the one comforting someone, and even more, how odd to feel a sense of satisfaction from it.
“Professor”
The voice again…. Knitting his brow, Severus looked up, tensing as he saw a woman’s face staring down at him. But before he could reach for his wand or even ask her who she was, he felt her place a gentle finger over his lips. She gave a strange smile, as if this simple act had somehow given her a great deal of pleasure, it was then that it struck him, she was a vampyre, just like Rick.
“Professor, Aunt Orpha asked me to wake you and Rick, its nearly time to say goodbye to Roel.” Frowning with concern, she looked down at Rick, tenderly brushing his hair from his face before looking back to Sev. “I hate to wake him, but I’m sure he’d want to be there.”
“Yes, he would never forgive himself if he weren’t.” Sev agreed, gently jostling Rick in an attempt to wake him. “You may need to help me…..uhm….”
“Desiree, or Des if you prefer.” she smiled, almost in shock over the change that had come over the professor since the first time she had seen him. She had thought him very cold, harsh, perhaps even cruel, but seeing him now, like this….well, this was a refreshingly different side of the wizard. “I’m sorry one of the other Gangrels didn’t come to help you with their brother, but needless to say, none of them is feeling particularly….”
“No, I understand.” Severus interrupted “although, to be honest, I did expect Cash to come earlier. As much as he and I do ‘not’ see eye to eye, I do find it…’concerning’ that he never came looking for Rick.”
“Oh, but he did, he and Hamish both. But as he obviously wanted to stay with you, neither of them felt it wise to force him to return to the haven. Bless Rick, he’s such a sweet man, but his emotions do tend to run a bit wild.” Des stated as she placed a tender kiss on Rick’s cheek, causing him to sigh deeply and cuddle even closer to Sev. “Sorry, didn’t mean for him to do that.” Des said, quickly lowering her face so the wizard wouldn’t see the large grin that was playing over her lips. She didn’t mean to find it funny, but the sudden look of unease and concern on the man’s face was simply hysterical.
“Please, let us wake him before he does something that I may have to hex him for.” Sev deadpanned, squirming uncomfortably under Rick’s form.
“Hmm, well talking to him and shaking him doesn’t work” Des stated, taking her time as she enjoyed the scene before her. “Let me try something…..this tends to work with most men.” she suggested, grinning wickedly as she ran her hand down his chest, not bothering to stop when she hit his waist. She smiled expectantly as Rick moaned softly in his sleep and Severus’s eyes grew large. “Just wait for it, I’m sure he remembers who he fell asleep with.” she grinned.
As if on cue, Rick’s eyes suddenly popped open as he yelled and fell out of the bed. Only to turn bright red as he heard Des’s laughter and saw Sev’s rather surprised face. “Surely you did ‘not’ think that was me.” Sev said emphatically, making sure Rick realized it was NOT a question.
Hanging his head, Rick sighed as he stood up, “Desiree, I’m going to have to kill you for that, you do know this.”
“So you say, but better have tried and failed” Des teased as she reached her arms around him, pressing herself against his back as she hugged him tightly. “How are you holding up? Gonna make it through this?”
Rick froze, he had almost hoped it had all been a bad dream, that Roel was still alive, that they had never come to Hogwarts. “Is it time? Have I been gone that long?” Rick whispered, his knees growing weak as Des called out his name. Just as he felt himself plunging towards the floor, he felt two pair of arms encircling him, both Des and Sev were at his side trying to steady him. He heard Des’s high, slightly frantic voice and Sev’s deep, silky voice as well, but he couldn’t make out what either of them were saying. It felt as if he were underwater, none of his senses were clear anymore, nothing made sense.
He was brought back to the here and now by a hard smack to the cheek and the sound of a woman’s gasp. Blinking quickly, Rick looked up to see Sev’s face only inches from his own. “Rick? Rick, stand up and stop this nonsense immediately.” his words were harsh, but the tone in his voice and the look in his eyes spoke only of concern.
“I’m….I’m fine” Rick stammered, feeling Severus’s arm wrap around him as he stood up once more. “I…it….Des?”
“I’m right here, hun. What do you need?” Des asked, flying to his side immediately.
“How long have I…..it should take nearly a day……I can’t have been gone…”
“Shhh, you weren’t,” Des insisted, “you were only asleep about three hours. Orpha is here, she took care of it, and …..well, lets face it, there wasn’t much left of him, was there?” Des sighed as she saw Rick fight off the urge to pass out again. “Come on, hun. I’ll take you to them, Cash and Hash asked me to bring you.” She knit her brow in confusion and surprise as she saw Rick grab the professor’s hand, squeezing it tightly.
Looking into the wizard’s eyes, Des immediately understood that Rick had formed some sort of bond with the man, and he apparently wanted him at his side for this. “Professor, you are welcome to join us, of course. We need to pay our respects and say our last farewells to Roel.” she explained quickly, hoping he would understand how important this was to his friend.
“Rick, sit down for a moment, you cannot go looking like this.” Severus sighed, feeling more and more like a father to the man with each passing moment. He quickly cast a cleansing spell on both of them, removing the blood stains Rick’s tears had left behind. “Des? See if you can find Catri’s hairbrush, I think it was on the dresser. Perhaps you can work on his hair while I attempt to straighten out the rest of him.”
Within minutes Des and Severus had Rick looking presentable, but still the Gangrel was reluctant to go anywhere without the professor at his side. “Severus, please…I know you would rather not, but please..” Rick whispered.
“I do not wish to intrude, Rick. I am not one of you,” he reminded the vampyre, “I hardly belong at such a sacred ceremony.”
“Please…” Rick whispered, his eyes brimming with crimson tears. “I need your strength, Sev, I can’t go through this alone.”
Rick was right, he would rather not go, but one look at Rick’s eyes, and he could hardly refuse him. Sighing deeply, Sev looked to Des, but seeing her nod her head he realized he had no real choice. “Very well, but I will stay to the back. It is not my place to be there.” he warned sternly. Seeing Rick nod in agreement, Severus wrapped the man in his cloak as he and Des escorted him to the top of the astronomy tower….
“So, Remus, are you going to go with Kitty and the others? The sunshine might do you some good.” Tris offered as she cuddled against him. It had been another long night, but at least this time they hadn’t lost anyone here, although unless her senses were off, they had lost Roel.
“I can’t Tris, at least not now, the full moon will be here in a few days. I’m not safe, I’ll have to go back to school, hopefully Severus will have made the wolfsbane potion for me.” he added glumly, having no wish to return to the school without his friends. He knew he would have to though, he had his classes to prepare for and of course there was his curse. “I wonder if I should have Albus remind him, he may not think I’m coming back, but I’m sure once he does it will be fifty questions before he hands it over.” he sighed.
“He wouldn’t withhold it from you? Would he?” Tris asked, an angry edge to her voice.
“No, no… he is far too professional to do anything like that. He and I have many personal differences, but I would trust him with my life were this is concerned.” Remus assured her. “I just dread all the questions I’m sure he’ll ask me about Kitty and Sirius, and everything else….. To bad he isn’t still married, it would make everyone’s life a lot simpler.” he added, a lop sided grin on his face.
“Kitty told me a little about that….gotta luv arranged marriages, huh?” she smirked, “Its no wonder she did what she did to avoid one of her own. I don’t blame her at all.”
“Yours was arranged, I assume?” Remus asked softly.
“The first one, yes, but after I died…Well, it wasn’t really binding afterwards, was it?” she grinned, taking a small sip from Remus’s glass of wine. “He didn’t want to stay with me, and I didn’t want him to stay period. So it was all good, as the saying goes.” she smirked as he laughed at her, only to cuddle against him once more. “I don’t know what I’m going to do when you’re gone, Remus. I’ve really gotten used to curling up with you…”
Remus smiled as he kissed her hair, “You could always come back with me, I’m sure Cash wouldn’t mind the company either. But before we get all comfortable, and I completely lose my train of thought, I need to ask you something about Kitty.”
“Kitty? I thought you pretty much knew all there was to know about her.” Tris teased.
“Honestly, so did I, but I was listening to everything that was being said tonight. If what I heard is true, there is NO reason Sirius should be alive. If that thing almost killed Bruid, how did Sirius manage to pull through, especially since I distinctively heard Siobhan mentioning how long he had gone without breathing.”
“And your point would be?” Tris asked hesitantly.
“My point is two fold; One, is that really Sirius who came back to her; heart, mind and soul, is it him?” Remus asked, “Two, if it is, how did she manage that, Tris?”
“It is him, Remus, we would have felt it immediately if someone else had gotten a hold of his body. It would have caused some of us to become ungodly sick…and yes, I can be certain, it has happened before.” she said softly, her eyes becoming haunted as she shivered. She smiled as she felt Remus’s arms wrap tightly around her, giving her comfort and warmth. “As for how she did it? I honestly don’t know, but she’s much more powerful than any of us realize. She just doesn’t seem to use her power to its fullest, but I don’t know if that is by happenstance or by design.”……
“Where were you and what did you say about more MacLeods coming?” Hermione asked, her jaw hanging open as she stared at Ginny.
“I told you before, Hermione, I went to Edinburgh-sa’ mheadhon with Cat and her niece, Sara. And she told me she’s coming back to school with Harry, and so are some of her cousins. That’s were Sara showed me these Peace Planets. I can’t believe Cat got you one as well, aren’t they wonderful?” Ginny gushed, “I haven’t taken mine off except to shower. Do you think their magic actually works? Do you think they can really bring peace to the world?”
“No as long as you-know-who is around.” Ron commented, pushing Crookshanks away from him as he tried to play chess with his brother. “Hey, Hermione, I think something’s wrong with your cat, since when does he like me?”
“Honestly, Ron” Hermione sighed, “he just wants out is all. And if you would have been nicer to Crookshanks to begin with, Pettigrew would be in Azkaban and Sirius would be free.” she reminded him crossly as she opened the portrait for the cat. “Oh, hello Neville.”
“ ‘lo” Neville practically whispered, “what is everyone doing here? I didn’t think anyone would be here until day after tomorrow?”
Fred shrugged, “Our parent’s sent us back early, they just couldn’t put up with Percy a moment longer. They actually sent him with us so they wouldn‘t have to listen to him.”
“And what are you doing back so early, Neville?” Ginny asked, “Did your Gran drive you nutters?” she giggled.
“Always” Neville sighed, “but I came back to help Professor Sprout, she said Miss MacLeod had been helping her, but that she wasn’t expected back for some time yet.”
“Really? What about her classes, who is going to teach them?” Hermione asked.
“Sod the classes, when is Harry coming back? We have games to play, and we can’t do it without a seeker.” George insisted, turning an accusing eye to Ron. “Well?”
“Oh yes, we mustn’t do anything as stupid as put our education above a ‘game’.” Hermione stated snarkishly.
“Glad you understand the importance of situation.” Fred countered, grinning as Hermione rolled her eyes…..
Des smiled tenderly at the professor, amazed that a mortal not of Clan MacLeod could be so accepting of their kind. Perhaps there really was hope for some sort of union between their worlds after all. Looking around, she saw that a few others were realizing this as well, many of them with looks of undisguised shock. First and foremost of them was Hamish, who would keep looking over only to shake his head with befuddlement.
Seeing Raul standing alone in a darkened corner, Des quickly slipped to his side, placing her hand in his as he smiled softly at her. “A penny for your thoughts.” she whispered as she gave him a gentle kiss.
“I’m to tired to think,” Raul sighed, “right now, I prefer to stay in the shadows, just watching.”
“That doesn’t sound particularly healthy.” Des sighed, “Is it all Roel or is there more?”
“More, much, much, much more.” Raul grimaced. But how could he tell her? How could he tell anyone? He felt as if he were an outsider in his own clan, Prince Daithi had not even responded to his request to send more Gangrel, and someone, quite possible someone in this very room, was a spy. “I think they are about to start.” he said flatly as he slowly emerged from the shadows, waiting for Des to follow him…..
Severus winced as Rick hand wrapped tightly around his own, threatening to break his fingers as Rick squeezed it, apparently in the attempt to stop his tears. “Rick, please…” Severus whispered as he extracted his hand, shaking his quickly numbing fingers back to life. “They are starting, I see Hamish and Angus with bagpipes, you need to join them” seeing the uncertainty in Rick’s eye, Severus reassured him once more. “I promise you, I will be here, waiting quietly.”
“I wish you would come up with the rest of us.” Rick softly pleaded, “I don’t want to go through this alone.”
“You are hardly alone, Rick. Look around you, they are all your friends. And ‘I’ am not one of you, I do not belong here” he stated, pointing his hands downward to emphasize his point. “I most certainly do not belong ‘there’, please, go to your ‘brothers‘ and grieve with them. I do not want you to have to live with regret for not…..” Severus paused, his mouth going dry as his regrets suddenly sprung up in his own mind.
“Would it truly help you if I stood by your side for this?” Sev asked softly, knowing the answer as soon as he saw the look of gratitude in Rick’s blue eyes….
Hamish and Angus looked sadly at each other as they placed the chanters into their mouths. Wordlessly, they counted down, filling the bladders full of air as the droning strains of Amazing Grace slowly rose into the chilly morning air. The sky was covered with steel grey clouds, the hint of a winter storm in the air as Orpha and Cash raised their voices, singing in unison. Severus could only guess they were singing in Gaelic, not that the words mattered, even without ‘knowing’ the words, the meaning was plain enough.
The ceremony was a simple affair, yet it filled Sev with awe. The pure honesty of emotions was something he, quite plainly, was unfamiliar with. Although he had to admit, the sight of so many grown men openly weeping for their fallen companion made him feel more than slightly uneasy. He imagined this is what most of the population had felt like when Voldemort was at his peak of power; death lurked around every corner, so many people lost their parents, children, lovers - no one had been safe. Closing his eyes, Severus held back his own tears as he felt Rick leaning on him, sobbing once more as Orpha lifted up the limestone disc, wailing eerily as an unnatural wind swooped down upon them, lifting the sooty ashes into the air.
Severus could almost swear he heard Roel’s laughter as the ashes danced in the wind, rising higher and higher as the sun vainly tried to break through the clouds. Feeling the weight of Rick’s grief, Severus hushed him softly, barely even flinching as the vampyre wrapped his arms around him in a brotherly embrace. With barely a thought, Severus returned the hug, surprising himself as much as anyone else. …….
Orpha’s crystalline eyes stared into the sky, smiling softly as the echo of Roel’s joyful laughter rode away on the gust of wind that would carry him to his ancestors. Her eyes surveyed those surrounding her, Angus and Hamish were consoling themselves with their music, Raul and Des were hovering near the stairs, and Cash was staring almost manically at something. Following his line of sight, Orpha smirked as she saw what had caused such a look of shock on Cash. It seemed that Rick was once again taking comfort in the presence of the professor, to the point of nearly squeezing the man to death.
Shaking her head with quite bemusement, Orpha walked towards Cash. “I take it this is quite the role reversal?” she noted Cash’s wordless reply as they both lingered several yards away, watching Rick and Severus intently. Orpha had to admit it, Kitty could certainly pick them; the wizard was quite impressive, both physically and magically. Unlike Sirius, this wizard cut an imposing figure, one that spoke of power and prestige. But by the gods, he did so look like Sebastian, she had to wonder if there had been any truth to Serenity’s constant insistence of a twin sister, one who had been separated from her by an attack by raiding wizards, anxious for seers to aid their political ends. “Oh dear, it seems Des is heading toward them. How do you think he’ll respond, I’m told he doesn’t care for being touched.” Her question was answered by the immediate tensing of the professor’s body as Des flung her arms around them.
“Toss it,” Cash responded, shrugging his shoulders, “if you are dead set on him joining the clan, he’ll bloody well have to get used to it, won’t he?” he smirked as he took Orpha by the hand, pulling her to where Rick and Snape stood….
Just as Sev had gotten used to the feeling of Rick’s tight squeeze, he felt another pair of arms around them as Des came over, adding her arms to theirs. He felt a momentary panic flow through him as he realized who had joined them; after all, he knew he could trust Rick, but what did he know of this woman or her intentions? Just as he made a move to break free of both sets of arms, he felt two more wrap around them. Looking up, he was shocked beyond thought to see Cash and Orpha on either side of he and Rick wrapping them all in a collective embrace.
His body was all but shuddering with confusion and alarm, he never cared to have anyone touching him, save a precious few who he truly felt he could trust, and unnecessary to say, that did not include relative strangers with vampyric tendencies. He squirmed uncomfortably as he tried to escape the cell of limbs,- needless to say he had NEVER been in such an uneasy situation in his entire life - he wanted to run away, he wanted to apparate back to his own room, to be alone, to be safe. To lose himself in the damp, dark shadows were he had spent most of his life, taking comfort in his solitude and his anger.
But that was impossible now….. Catri and Rick had done something to him, he couldn’t say exactly what, but some part, deep within him had changed. If only he knew if the change was for the better. He tried once more to writhe his way out of the tangle of flesh, only to hear the muffled sounds of Rick’s sobs. He lifted his head to see Orpha craning her neck and placing a gentle kiss on Rick’s cheek, almost as if she were trying to kiss his tears away.
mother
It was the only thought that had gone through Sev’s mind as he watched the tenderness and concern Orpha was raining down upon Rick. A sick feeling surged in his gut as thousand of images of his own mother flashed through his mind’s eye. All of her love and affection, the way she had always been there to comfort and protect him, the advice she had given him, the hole she had left in his life when his father killed her….
Tears sprung to his eyes as he felt Orpha stand on her toes, planting a soft, comforting kiss on his cheek, just as she had to Rick only moments before. All of which was only exacerbated by feeling Cash’s strong hands on his face, as he gently pushed he and Rick against his chest, hugging them as if he were their father, the sort of father he had always wished he would have had. …..
Lucius sneered as the cloaked figure moved silently towards Voldemort, kneeling before the dark lord, obviously too stupid to realize what a foul mood he was in. “So, my wayward spy returns.” Voldemort hissed, his wheezy, high pitched voice echoing off the walls of what should have been his childhood home. “And why have you been absent for so long a time? Did you think to abandon your Lord and Master?
The cloaked figure shifted uncomfortably, this was not the reception he had expected; after all, he had told them all that the news over the school holiday would be all but nonexistent “Forgive me my lord, but I have only just returned to the school myself.” He cringed as he felt the dark wizard’s reptilian eyes boring into him, as if he were somehow ‘reading’ him to determine if this was, in fact, the truth.
“Then I would surmise that you must have important news for me. Perhaps of the Sidhe and Potter?” Voldemort replied, phrasing it as more of a demand than a question.
“Y-yes, my lord. Another one of the Gangrels is dead, I heard the vampyres wailing over him as I made my way to you.” the man stated, “They are now five in number, as the other woman has not yet returned. And I trust you are well aware of Dumbledore’s rather ‘interesting’ power play concerning Weasley.” the spy paused as he heard Lucius snort disdainfully. “I am hoping to discover more regarding his plans shortly as the Weasley children have been returned to the school this morning.”
“And what of Potter?” Voldemort asked, a hungry look in his eyes.
“Potter is still with the Sidhe, they will not be returning with the rest of the students.” the spy fell backwards as Voldemort’s attack caught him off guard. Apparently the wizard did NOT want to hear that Potter was still out of his reach. “My lord, please, let me continue.” the man begged, rising unsteadily to his feet as a lock of ginger hair slipped below the shadow of his hood. Hastily pushing the wayward strand back under his covering, he continued quickly, hoping to head off another attack with what he felt confident was useful information.
‘I overheard the lead Gangrel talking to his second. They seem positive that MacLeod is with child, Snape’s child…” he let himself relax slightly as he saw the look of intrigue in the dark wizard’s face. “They also mentioned that several Sidhe children will be returning with her and Potter. Forgive me, my lord, but no specific date for their return has been mentioned yet.”
“This child of hers…..is it a son or a daughter?” Voldemort snapped, all but licking his lips as the fruit of so many years worth of work dangled tantalizingly in front of him. So many years of waiting, of laying the perfect groundwork for just this situation to occur.
“No one seems to know. They seem to be assuming she conceived the child only a few weeks ago at most. Hamish mentioned it was still to early to ’check her belly’ for the proof.” the spy reported, bowing lowly as he waited for any further questions.
Voldemort paced the well-worn rug, running a skeletal finger along the mantle piece as he mentally went over his options. He had to orchestrate his plans perfectly, he needed both Potter and the Sidhe’s daughter to claim his ultimate triumph, ‘true’ immortality, not the wretched half-life he was currently tolerating. His eyes flickered with malignant delight as he thought of having a new body, one that was young and strong; one that he would possess completely, regaining ALL of his powers, not just the mere portion that he made due with now. “Does Snape know?”
“My lord?”
“Snape. Does he know?” Voldemort repeated, turning to reveal a fiendishly depraved grin. “He will find her and bring her back to this world for us….and of course, Potter will tag along with her.”…….
Cat smiled as she looked down to see Sirius’s head resting against her, she hated to wake him up, but both Aunt Orpha and Duncan had already popped their heads in her room to see if he was up to breakfast, although why she couldn’t just make him a tray and bring it up was beyond her understanding. After all, that’s what she did when any of the clan was sick or injured.
“Because he needs to move, my dearest child.” Merlin whispered as he bent over, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. “You know the venom from that tree makes the blood thick, he needs to move so his blood is forced to flow freely. He is far from healed, and we both know that as well.”
“I know, god father, I know. I just can’t …..it felt as if I were preparing him for the grave when I was dressing his wounds.” She shuddered deeply as she relived that experience. “I have no words to describe the pain and emptiness that I felt.”
Merlin nodded as he sat on the edge of her bed. “I was here, my dear, I saw, I felt….” he sighed, changing the subject before the look in his god daughter’s eyes made him cry too. “He needs to go somewhere warm, Kitty, the cold……its dangerous to him. Orpha is making some arrangements as we speak. Please, do not fight her on any of this, she has your best interests at heart….”
“Is Harry coming with us?” she interrupted.
“Harry? Your son? Of course, why wouldn’t he?”
“Then I won’t fight her.” Cat promised, “As much as I love Sirius, Harry is my first and last concern. I refuse to abandon him, he’s my son, he goes where I go.”
Merlin smiled warmly as he nodded his head. “I daresay he would agree with you. And heaven help us, he is every bit as determined as you are.” he rose from the bed, gently stroking Sirius’s face as he did. “Wake him up and make him walk around, have him go to breakfast if he’s strong enough. It will do him and the rest of the clan a great deal of good……not to mention the children, they were so worried over him.”
“They were worried about him?” she replied sarcastically as Merlin faded away, presumable to Orpha’s side. “It’s a good thing they weren’t up here to see what you ‘really’ looked like” she added as she stroked Sirius’s hair, hoping to wake him up gently…….
“Aunt Orpha! You’re finally back” Luke commented as he jumped up from his chair. “Duncan and I have been discussing a few things, we need to talk to you before you talk to Kitty or Sirius.”
“Not now, Luke, please. I’m very tired, and a bit confounded as well.” she took the hand Luke offered her as he guided her to the chair he had just vacated. “It appears there is MUCH more to this professor of hers than I had originally thought. He is every bit as qualified to be her concubine as Sirius is.”
“But, Aunt Orpha,” Duncan piped up, “she doesn’t want a concubine, she wants a husband. And we all want Sirius.”
“But you haven’t even met this other one yet. You really shouldn’t be so hasty in your decisions.” Orpha countered, chastising him gently.
“I saw him lurking in the shadows when I went to the school to gather Cash. He didn’t even have the decency or manners to introduce himself.” Duncan insisted. “Considering what he did to our sister, you would think he would’ve had the sense to …..”
“You are being unfair, Duncan. He knew you were upset, I would say that was obvious to anyone in the haven. And as I remember, I had to scold you there as well” she added, raising an eyebrow as if in warning.
Sensing that the situation could only deteriorate, Luke quickly interrupted with his request. “Well, then I am sure you have already decided to do what Duncan and I were about to ask you to do. So I guess we’ll just let you to it.” he blurted out, grabbing Duncan by the hand, yanking him to his feet as he pulled him towards the door.
“WAIT!” Orpha bellowed, “Get yourselves back here and tell me what this is about. What have I decided to do?”
Luke elbowed Duncan sharply, indicating to him that he should keep his mouth shut. “Well, we need to know, don’t we? And if you are sending Kitty and Sirius to Dia….we need to know what her condition is ’now’, right? I thought you were planning to check her belly before she left…..you know…confirm, deny ….whatever…” ………..
“Are you sure you are up to this?” Cat asked as she helped Sirius with his robes, “You know you don’t have to dress for breakfast, everyone here knows what you’ve been through, a dressing gown would be just fine.”
Sirius sneered at Cat’s words, “Gra, only women and crazy old men wear ‘dressing gowns’, and I am neither….yet.” he gasped as a stabbing pain went across his back. “Ow…Cat…a little help…”
“That’s it, you’re eating up here, I am not going to make you do this. If they are so worried they can visit you up here.” she insisted as she tried to remove his robes.
“Gra”
She closed her eyes and sighed as she felt his hand on hers, stopping her from undoing the closures of his clothes. “You’re not strong enough to do this, Siri.” she insisted.
“I’m a lot stronger than you know.” he insisted “Besides, you and I both saw the look in Calli’s eyes, she’s blaming herself for this. I know you told her not to, I heard Harry talking to her too before they realized I was awake. I need them to see me up and around, to give them hope that I’m actually going to make it.”
“You ‘are’ going to make it, Sirius” Cat insisted as she kissed him softly. “I won’t let you go. I lost you once…..nearly twice.” she fell silent as he pressed her head against his chest. Hearing the strong beat of his heart, she smiled tenderly, carefully wrapping her arms around him to give him a gentle hug. Only to sigh as she heard a soft knocking on her bedroom door.
“Hello……Mum, are you up?” Harry asked softly as he opened the door, making sure to keep his eyes shut, just in case.