“Would you be so sweet and tell me what you are doing?”
“Could anyone throw ou’ tha fairy princess, please?”, Severus moaned when he had raised his head another annoyed time for pleading at the other portraits. “Too much o’ poof in ’ere.”
“Oh Severus, what have I done to you this time?”
“I’m tryin’ ter concentrate.”
“To me it looks more as though you were praying. Have you at last found a god that seems trustworthy?”
“Shu’ yer trap!”, Severus barked, but Dumbledore only sighed and readjusted the glittering pink garland on his hat he had received for Christmas from a friend on the third floor.
“Never learning manners, is he?”, Phyllida Spore wailed and fled, with a shrill shriek, from a bowl of Sugar Mice that was thrown against her canvas. “Totally mad!”, she dropped before jumping out of the portrait that was closest to the door on her straight way, on which she almost knocked over three of her companions that complained equally loud.
“Dear Severus, has Igor still not persuaded you to keep your hands off mice?”, Dumbledore smirked at his own fingernails.
“Wan’ some?”, Severus summoned a handful from the floor as he already stood anyway and held up his fist demonstratively, all considerations about Sybill’s words Draco had told him days before or the message from Luna blown away lastly.
“Ah no, thank you. I am well supplied.”, Dumbledore lifted a bowl in his portrait that was eternally refilling with Sherbet Lemon.
Much to everyone’s fortune and Severus’ grand relief, Phineas jumped in right then with the best news he had brought within months, though he did well to use a word that could indeed dim the brightness of his message. But Severus didn’t really care. It was what he had hoped for. The moment had finally come for his very own late Christmas present and after he took the chance to snap at the old man’s portrait another time and push him aside fiercely, he left the office with the sword in hand, completely relaxed at the beautiful ringing sound the slamming of the door caused in his ears.
No more windows. Not after that awkward moment with Draco. Before he flew past the Gargoyle, he became invisible and he rushed through the castle, leaving all his anger in the corridors behind. Flying past a group of students who startled at the unseen move that made their fresh writing on the wall change from red Dumbledore’s Army – Think different, join NOW! to bright neon pink Dumblewhore’s Arms – Think pink, get a HUG!, he left the building through an arch, out into the night and Disapparated as soon as he passed the magical barrier.
Once he stood on the silent grounds and the cold, dark dead of the night sunk in on him, he knew he was right. Not far away, there was a shield. He felt it. But more, he felt something he had almost forgotten what it was like. Longer than half a year. He was home. They definitely were somewhere around here, he only needed to find the edge of the shield and wait. The feeling was so strong he didn’t even have to put on his winter cloak or – a scarf. It warmed him from inside.
Frozen leaves under his clean shoes, those trailed over the ground as silent as a cat’s paws in the moonless, starless darkness. But his eyes were used to such and the flight in the castle had given them a sort of warm-up. Then he nearly stumbled over a trunk he had missed nevertheless. Though a closer look showed him it was – a person. Wrapped tight in many layers of clothing, the figure was lying on the ground. By the quiet muttering the young man gave himself so as to not fall asleep and die in the cold, he recognised him and helped him by simply kneeling down without a sound and stroking a hand once over his head. Ron rushed up in shock, with his wand held out, but naturally didn’t discover the source of the touch.
“Homenum Revelio.”, he whispered, but Severus knew to resist.
Leaving Ron there with his blood boiling and warming the youngster again, he made it further towards the shield, eventually stopped by his right foot skidding away. With a suppressed gasp, he cursed himself for his confidence in his actually lacking eyesight. Fortunately the frozen surface of the pond hadn’t given in. A short combining glance at the ice later and the sword in his hand, he walked across the firm glaze which quietly cracked open in a circle where he meant it to. Utter self-hate about his cruelty towards his son swamping him, he dropped the artefact in and watched it sink to the ground, where it landed gently and shimmering. Repaired with another wave of his hand, he left that ice as though it had never been touched and walked on, drawing neared to the shield until his feet turned on their own without being noticed by him at first. But he knew the nature of such enchantments far too well, and as though Hermione had mentally spoken an exception, he could make out the tent in some distance.
His heart leapt. Leaning to it, the boy had fallen asleep. As if he had felt that he was being watched, he jerked up from his doze and looked around, robbing his eyes behind the shimmering glasses. Seeing him stretching his thighs and scratching his neck filled Severus heart with such warmth he feared he would burst into comforting flames. Harry raised his hand to look at it, whether it was of boredom or the simple need to see something at all, he didn’t want to know. He was forced back to reality and his task and did a silent step behind a tree, where he pulled his wand from his sleeve.
Blinding himself a little, the doe took shape and by the change of his feeling, he knew he had done enough to gain Harry’s attention. Just slowly, he let her step out. No time for fear. The rest of the world was scared enough. They both were scared enough. This moment was theirs, however, and theirs alone, as he heard him call, watched him follow the gentle being of pure happiness. Their belated Christmas. The almost safe, almost calm eye in the centre of the devouring dark storm.
~~#~~
Hogwarts was emptied. Almost emptied. In the Great Hall, at dim light, the Carrow twins sat alone at the round table. Almost alone, but basically, they were. Between them, swallowing down his grins with every spoon of extremely delicious chocolate and spearmint cream, Severus Snape in an old silver embroidered black dress robe of his he had not even needed to alter much to fit him, and the purple scarf knotted, against his chest, with the ends hanging in equal length. The rest of the small round was a number of Slytherins that had remained in the castle over Christmas. Opposite to him, Draco, doing pretty much the same with some yoghurt. They held a conversation of occasional eye contact in the quiet, swallowing a little heavier every time one of the twins gave the unusual scarf a sideglance, even after weeks and their first encounter in mid September.
“I’ll be going now.”, Draco said flatly when he had emptied his bowl and left the hall through the open main door; Severus followed as he was done as well, but without a word.
It was no news to anyone that they were getting along well, so it didn’t surprise the people at the table that they walked upstairs together. Out of earshot, Severus quickly turned for a hidden shortcut and Draco slipped in with him, onto the staircase in the narrow tunnel, where they couldn’t avoid having a short, quiet laugh, the light at the tip of Draco’s wand quivering a bit. But he had something on his mind and the thought of telling it hurt, yet he had to. Nevertheless he waited for Severus’ smile to fade as well.
“Mum wrote me a letter.”, he said, his lips curling. “They’re back at the Manor.”
“Gonadh.”, Severus mumbled and scratched his tickling neck under the scarf, gazing at the stone steps below.
“And she wrote something about Harry nearly having escaped at the Lovegoods’ yesterday.”, that made his head zoom back up with a look Draco had neither ever seen on him, nor could construe. “Any idea why he could have gone there? Don’t reckon he wanted to visit Luna?”
“She isn’t there.”
“Er – ”
“They have taken her from the train.”
“What?”, Draco muttered.
“Didn’t you get the message she sent out on Saturday?”
“Did – did she?”, the boy gargled.
“Yes. Neville overwrote it though with wishes of good luck and then another message to put up more graffiti. I assume, he didn’t want anyone worried. They brought her to some cellar, but she had no idea where it could be. It was rather hard to decipher. She must have sent it wandless, logically.”
“Shit.”, Draco couldn’t hold himself and leant back against the cold wall. “Why – ”
“It seems, Xenophilius wrote a little too openly. There is no way it was her own mistake. She is far too good. The message was only bits, however. Fight on train, close caught, cellar somewhere, no light. I don’t think she got hurt, but we should watch out for information on the wireless. If there really was a fight on the train, it will soon run on Potterwatch. Speaking of which, where are the others?”
“Didn’t you catch that?”, the girl’s voice made them jump. “Strike! Whoohoo!”, Ginevra cheered above them with her arms in the air, but quiet. “Finally got to repay, Sir.”
“Oh shame – I have been beaten.”
“What was that with the train?”
“That can wait until the party’s over.”, Draco sighed.
“Party?”, Severus startled.
“New Year’s Eve Party up in the Room of Requirement. Everyone’s invited. Everyone but current Slytherins, former Slytherins and general Pure-Blood-Sorting supporters. Being supposedly completely cured, I was allowed to take part, but only under the guidance of my Head of House, of course, and he’s permitted entrance since he offered to smuggle the booze in.”
“Incredible!”, Severus moaned with a chuckle. “Why am I never invited to parties? I mean, I’d positively dehydrate, but still!”
“That’s because you don’t like parties,”, Draco noted.
“Oh yes – there was something.”, the moan stepped aside for a murmur of similar seriousness. “Right then, go to your beloved party. I’ll be up on the Astronomy Tower, hanging myself.”
“Need a rope?”, Draco snickered when he squeezed himself past an unnoticed blushing Ginevra.
“No, thank you, I learned to conjure such even before I attended Hogwarts.”, Severus sighed. “After all, I had a father as well, who loved to be tied to chairs.”
“Will you come back as a ghost?”, asked Draco when they followed him.
“Am I not already one of them?”
“Ghosts are transparent, Sir. Are you transparent?”, Ginevra giggled, regretting it eventually when he made himself invisible as he went further ahead. “Oh f-”
“Go at me like this again and I take back my wish that I want you to become Harry’s wife.”
“You were serious on that one, Sir?”
“Certainly. Since, due to widely known circumstances, you cannot be my little sister, I thought I should just go for the hope of a daughter-in-law.”
“Er – he’s drunk, right?”, Ginevra turned to Draco while climbing upstairs.
“He never drinks. I thought, you knew that by now. And he said it not even a minute ago.”
“Still – ”
“No. He’s upset. Just doesn’t want to show it for his own and our welfare – and the unfavourable surrounding. Nothing to be destroyed, you see?”
“Is he?”
“And in spite of your inability to see me due to my ghostly state, I am still here.”
“You can’t be dead enough.”, Draco stopped him when they left the hidden staircase and he became visible in the light of the boy’s wand again. “You’ll always be with me, no matter how far away you are.”, Severus turned around, his eyes shining far bluer than Draco’s were inherently.
“If an ocean was between?”
“If universes were between.”
Some seconds passed for Severus to actually understand that Draco meant it. Seconds in which he only gazed at him in the wand-light, his lips not fully closed. Ginevra looked from one to the other, trying to understand as well. Without noticing, Severus swallowed and curled his lips, his eyebrows narrowing in sorrow, wondering whether he could actually ever leave Draco on his own, whether that child could survive longer than a minute in a world without him.
It had never occurred to him that there might be anyone who needed a father more than Harry did, but there actually was someone, standing right in front of him. Knowing that he had to do that especially now, though he had planned to do it anyway, he pulled Draco in his arms, held him close in the most comforting embrace he could give him at the moment. And when Draco returned it, everything was confirmed.
He felt guilty. Could he really tell him what he had meant to tell? Wasn’t it a little too irreverent now? But – could it hurt? At least he hoped, it wouldn’t. So he whispered into his ear.
“If you need a place to go, take my old office. It shall open for you at the touch of your hand. Your hand only; apart from mine; for now. And if you search for something to be on the safe side, you will quite likely find it in the second lowest drawer.”
When they slid apart, he placed a caring kiss on his cheek and patted the other softly, trying to give him a smile that didn’t show his concern.
“Alright.”, Draco whispered looking him in the eyes. “Are you really going up the Astronomy Tower?”
“No.”, Severus sighed. “Not tonight. Too many memories.”, it brought him an agreeing nod. “Happy New Year, Draco. Try to start it pleasantly.”, they went for another short hug.
“You too. Happy New Year.”
“Oh, I assume, I will. Thank you.”
“Why? What will you be doing?”
“I will be going to my very own party.”, Severus winked.
“Don’t play me for a fool,”
“If you think I am,”, he meant, studying Ginevra for a moment.
“Yes?”, she asked – and startled. “Whow!”, he had stepped over to her and taken her into his arms as well, if only for about three seconds. “Happy New Year, Sir!”, the girl aspirated.
“Happy New Year, Ginevra.”
“A little strange.”, Draco considered.
“What is strange?”
“There’s still half an hour to go and we’re acting like the bell rang.”
“Anything wrong about it?”
“Well – ”
“And it is five and a half hours for me.”
“Er – ”
“Enough for getting some awkward presents. Good night,”, he smiled at both of them and vanished down the corridor in fog.
“Five and a half? Where the hell’s he going?”, Ginevra chuckled.
“No idea. But I s’ppose, we should go upstairs or we’d miss the best.”
“Says you. Have you ever been to a Hogmanay Party?”
“No.”
~~#~~
Brown and greyish blue eyes were directed at a light blue ceiling in the shine of a chandelier. Next to Draco’s head, on top of a chest of drawers, stood a small wooden casket, open, having been more than half empty already when he had found it thanks to the hint. But now, it was a tiny bit emptier – though the minds in the bed were filled with thoughts to a bursting point. Below, stood two trays with empty dishes.
“That were some worthy Sickles,”, Hannah aspirated dreamily, tearing Draco from his thoughts.
“Yeah. Really worthy.”
“Thank you.”
“’Twas just breakfast.”
“I meant the night.”
“Oh – yes. Thank you too.”, Draco smiled and they kissed, rather tired again.
“I know it’s a horrible thing to ask, but does he have a wife? I’ve seen a ring, but on the wrong – ”
“No.”
“A girlfriend?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Well, at least he had before summer.”
“What happened?”
“If I’m not brutally mistaken, she went – on the run.”
“Oh. That’s sad.”
“It is. But I think, they’re still in contact, in a secure way.”
“Good. Um Draco?”
“Yes?”
“Any idea what time it is?”
“No. Does it matter?”
“Well, I just remembered that gigantic clock they had up there and wondered. I mean, I don’t mind spending eternity here with you, but at one point, I would really like to thank him.”
“Okay, then we should find out, shouldn’t we?”
“Alright.”
It nevertheless took them estimated thirty minutes to get ready and leave the rooms almost like they had found them. As expected, the castle was completely deserted and only a soft winter’s light filled the halls. Every single being in any portrait of the Grand Tower was vast asleep as though a spell had been cast over the ancient building. It hadn’t been that peaceful since summer. Naturally, the Gargoyle statue was woken with protest as well, but accepted the answer Draco provided. Carefully he pushed down the handle of the office door that appeared to be unlocked – for him, he guessed. Inside the tower office, the same general slumber greeted them. But it was clear, there had been a big feast. On various portraits the background setting was arranged in strange ways and garlands were hanging in the most horrific directions. He wondered which portraits in the castle had so many garlands that they had been able to move such masses in here.
The couple tiptoed towards the desk and past the empty bird stand, to the right staircase. Just when Hannah placed a foot on the lowest step, a very quiet voice made them jerk. His hat as decorated as the majority of the other portraits, Dumbledore blinked at them, obviously not fully able to see them with his tired painted eyes.
“If I was you, I would not want to disturb him. He returned approximately half an hour ago and hissed at me that I shouldn’t shout at him. In fact, I merely whispered.”
“What time is it?”, Draco asked.
“Quarter to ten. There was some glitter on his face, as well as in his hair. I have no idea how it came to that, and I don’t reckon he knew it was there even, but there was enough evidence that at whichever party he had celebrated the start of this new year, he had attended it for at least six hours.”
“Er – ”
“Well, he mumbled something like `I had that for the last six hours,´ so – and he seemed to be glad that his feet could still carry him to something like a bed. If I am not mistaken about his habits from many years in the past, he had been dancing nearly all those six hours long.”
“Who would hold a Hogmanay Party that goes on for six hours?”, Hannah frowned.
“He has not named anyone in particular, but it seemed, for him it was a little too light in here for his favour. He meant it was only four in the morning.”
“I thought he doesn’t drink – ”, she turned to Draco.
“Oh he doesn’t.”, Dumbledore meant. “But, as I said, it might have been the afterglow of too many spins, and he noted that he would never ever go to New York again, at least not with `those tards´ – whoever they may be.”, the old man sighed and slid back into a posture that did not really look comfortable, but for him it appeared to be.
“New York?”, Draco murmured.
“New York.”
Dumbledore yawned widely and both could see that he had been painted with very detailed teeth and tongue. Hannah frowned equally stretched, her mouth forming the city’s name silently.
“If you excuse me, please, my party has not been less exhausting.”
~~#~~
New Year’s resolutions were commonly known to be put up in vain. But those of a certain pair of twins were nothing to be joking with. That made it almost impossible for the crystals to keep up. The points they took off, were only hours; if not minutes; later coincidentally mentioned in front of the other teachers, who did not hear it and therefore awarded these numbers for absolutely justified reasons without possible connection, the most cunning one being `smiling in times of war´.
However, as retarded the Carrows were in cases, unfortunately they seemed to catch some things. By the arrival of Luna’s short coin-message of still being imprisoned but fine in first week of February, almost no student hadn’t been put in detention at least once a week. Those unlucky due to the Carrows’ lack of dealing with them all, were forced to scream their lungs out in other teachers’ offices while trying not to laugh in between, or had to spend it at the borders of the forest with the gruesome beast Rubeus Hagrid and were therefore unable to enjoy the utter pleasure of actually being tortured all the way up to the Hospital Wing for saving transporting time when there was no space left for being chained up in the Dungeons.
Desperate attempts of avoiding being sighted by the siblings at any other times than meals, the still mandatory walk after lunch or worst, classes, had resulted in the only substance smearing the castle walls being hints of blood where skin hadn’t resisted enough – or materials that were spread by one who couldn’t be punished: Peeves. While the DA members had stopped being active apart from taking care of one another, the Poltergeist had considered himself responsible for fighting the reign of agony with his very own reign of chaos.
So it happened that it was the Chief Troublemaker who made it once again impossible for the two to attend one of those rainy, windy walks in the second week of March. For some mysterious phenomenon that had happened until the groups’ return to the Viaduct Courtyard under the guidance of various different Patronuses, only the Slytherins were soaking wet. All but one seventh-year, who walked in their last row. Having returned to the shelter of the yard, the guards of light vanished – and with them the weary smile of a silent watcher up between the thick walls around the Great Hall’s roof, turning a golden ring around the finger it stuck on.
Secretly he hoped for her to appear behind him like she had any time he had watched the walk from up there. But she wouldn’t. Optimism had been torn from the middle of the rebellion, like a burning cannonball hitting a dry forest. Since it had become clear to everyone that Luna wouldn’t return, Neville had given up telling that she had probably only stayed at home a little longer. Then there had already been the message on the wireless. Information about both attacks had leaked at last. He had played with the thought of going looking for her and freeing her under disguise, but he was needed at Hogwarts. Every day, every hour, nearly every minute. It felt to him as though he hadn’t slept since the beginning of the year and he looked down, over the edge, resisting the urge to let gravity work. Then gravity did work.
Gravity had worked so abruptly that he actually nearly fell from his place. Students and teachers alike were storming for the arches, looking in the direction where also he had heard the rumbling come from. Soaked from two weeks of almost constant raining, the soil on an area close to the shore of the Black Lake had given in and pulled trees with it. Worse, it was not only a small stripe of trees, the cave-in spanned for approximately a furlong, increasing. The shape and direction couldn’t have been more obvious: the tunnel had collapsed, and was still collapsing slowly.
When he realised what his heart was doing, Severus wasn’t so sure anymore if it was beating so fast that he couldn’t tell the beats apart, or whether it had stopped completely. The only relief was the time. No one had been in the tunnel. No one – the horrible thought crawling up his spine ate up all the relief. Hastily he rummaged for his broom, made himself invisible and flew down to Hogsmeade at full speed, thick raindrops dashing into his face. But there were other times to worry about getting wet. The barrier let him through and he sped towards the Hog’s Head.
Mud splattered in all directions when his shoes touched ground before he had even stopped flying and he crashed the door open. Several heads turned. There was only a small number of guests, but one looked shabbier than the other and each of them was searching the doorway and its surrounding for the newcomer. When he came up from the cellar with a crate of beer in hands, miry footsteps formed on the floor and a big wet spot loomed at the wall. Noticing the open door, Aberforth put down the crate earlier than he had planned to and withdrew his wand from his belt. But the mud spread towards him and he found himself dragged back to where he had come from. The door shut itself when they reached the topmost stair and he studied the prints on those as they went down. At the foot, he finally got to see who had nobbled him.
Remains of the rain were dripping from his straight hair, his hooked nose and his now heavy clothes. The look Aberforth was presented with was a million miles away from happiness. Paralysed, he studied the sallow face for about a minute before he swallowed and asked the clichéd question.
“What the hell happened?”, he aspirated, but Severus’ breath was dawdling and he only managed to gargle the words that painted immediate shock on Aberforth’s face.
“Tunnel. Collapsed. At tha lake.”
“You – you’re kidding me!”, Severus shook his head.
“No. Saw it ’appen.”
“Shit. But I – I haven’t heard anything – ”
“It’s tha upper par’s. No way ye could’ve ’eard tha’ in tha’ weather an’ wit’ tha wind blowin’ up ter tha castle.”
“And – ”, just slowly the old man sat down at the table they stood by, “Any – any students – ”
“No’ tha’ I know.”, Severus moaned and joined him, not letting go of his broom. “They’ve been on tha walk. I ’ope no fool’s been in ’ere. ’Twas one o’ tha previously existin’ par’s as far as I could make ou’.”
“And now?”
“Well,”, a limp chuckle escaped him, “Now we’re back in November.”
“I’ll help ’em rebuild it.”
“No.”, Severus countered quickly. “Ev’rythin’s unstable. I should’ve never permitted tha’. I knew tha dangers, bu’ le’ ’em do. I risked too many lives already. If tha rain ’olds ou’, ’alf tha tunnel will be flooded be termorrow. ’T’s too dangerous.”
“You want anything? Tea?”
“No, thank ye. I’ll better ge’ back up an’ find Ginevra. Go’ ter know whether sum’one’s missin’.”, he stood up and wanted to leave already, but Aberforth stopped him
“Alright. Take a bath, will you. Something warm. Don’t catch a cold, you hear me?”
But Severus was on his broom already, waiving him and becoming invisible when he flew upstairs. Again heads turned on the door that opened for him and shut behind. What had been minor before, was now actually feeling pleasant. He somehow enjoined the rain. It was ice cold, but like taking a shower. Flying along the lake, he surveyed the scale of the devastation. The movement had stopped for now, still it looked more fatal than it had done from above. Trees had fallen in almost all directions and some cracked as though they had been nothing but toothpicks.
There, in the Entrance Hall, students were just departing for their afternoon lessons, discussing under their breath. Unmistakably, a certain group stayed a little longer. He flew in through the open oaken gates and sat down a little further away, counting, like Ginevra and Neville did, while he packed his broom without having to look.
“Where’s Xander?”, Draco moaned.
“I’m here!”, whimpered the second-year Ravenclaw and brandished with his entire arm.
“Okay. Seems, we’re compl– ”
“Well, well, well. What have we got here.”, her sneer echoed down the otherwise empty marble staircase from where she came, her hair messed up and her clothes partly torn. “Quite a large group of students, hmm? Unwilling to go to class? Oh, no, no, no. You’re going nowhere else either.”
They had attempted to flee in various possible directions, but she encircled them all with a ring of flames, floating in average hip height.
“Not so fast, little bootlicker.”, a wand soared across and she caught it before the spell could be cast. “No one is going to disarm me here, espec– ”
The wand flew back down, along with her own, which mysteriously met with the powerful magical fire. It fell to the floor halfway from there where it burnt while the other was caught skilfully at the closed gilded doors. The looks he received would have been troubling, but if he was honest, he didn’t bother at the moment, although that carelessness alarmed some sense in him.
“Oops,”, he gave her a mock wail.
“What the – ”
“It seems, you are suffering from a slight security problem. This is quite a number of students you are trying to deal with here, without a wand even. Has it not occurred to you that one of them might overpower you eventually? Why don’t you let me take care of that, hmm?”, two elegant swings of his own wand later, the strangely still burning fire was gone and replaced by a glassy cupola that wouldn’t allow them to move away likely, nor send any spell outside. “Go and take a shower.”, he murmured.
“Sure. To match you?”, Alecto laughed angrily, studying him from top to bottom, obviously having missed that it had been him to summon both wands.
“Don’t I look better than you now?”, he countered. “Or do you want me to conjure you a mirror so you can marvel at your breathtaking beauty?”
“And you think, you can deal with them better than I.”, she huffed.
“So that has slipped your notice as well, I see. I just did. And this is the fifth time already in one school year that you lost a wand. Of course I have no doubt that you can afford another. Still, if I was you, I would indeed start to question myself; whether I’d got the sort of qualities the Dark Lord is seeking to have in his inner circle.”
“You repugnant – ”
“Mind your tongue.”, Severus warned her not only verbally, but without any visible move that had caused it, she appeared to have nearly swallowed said part of her body. “Unless you wish to have another thing back in common with your brother.”, clearly understanding what he was referring to and coughing, panic drifted into her face. “Believe me, should any of you two speak a single word against me or Draco ever again, when I am done with you, you wish you had had the influence to convince the Lord of replacing me with Bellatrix. Now, shouldn’t you be in a classroom?”
As if she had been confunded, she turned on the spot and hurried upstairs. With a deep snort, Severus directed his look from her to her wand of which was not much left than smouldering bits of ash and the Dragon heartstrings that remained practically untouched by the fire. He simply left the misery on the floor, gave the shield a vanishing sweep and marched towards the group, leaving stains of water all over the stone tiles. The students divided for him, lowering their heads slightly anxious, and he gave Draco back his wand, whereby he additionally closed the boy’s fingers around it, their eyes connected but both their expression blank.
“You do good taking care of that.”, Severus whispered stiffly over the sound of the rain echoing in. “And you lot,”, he shortly paused, his eyes flicking around, “Off to your classes, before I change my mind and bind you to those pillars out there until the sky is blue again.”
Though a little hesitantly, they started moving, most of them upwards. Severus indicated to Draco to follow them with a gentle nod and finally let go of his hand when the boy turned for the main stairs. Severus’ chin dropped and, with his eyes closed, he inhaled the fresh air that came in from the yard. He already wanted to turn for the Dungeons when a voice stopped him.
“Where have you been, Sir?”, first his head, then the rest of his body spun around. “Don’t say you’ve been outside, because I’m not daft.”
“I – merely wanted to check – whether Aberforth hadn’t been in the tunnel.”, he barely raised his voice. “You are certain, that there is no one missing?”, Ginevra nodded, sad, but confident when he pushed his black wand up under his sleeves.
“You better change your clothes and dry your hair, Sir. Otherwise you’d catch a cold.”, he only gave a single chuckle into space, the smirk fading as fast as it had appeared and Ginevra’s attention was drawn by a simple movement of his hand that made the huge front gate close.
“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.”
The sigh that left him couldn’t fully convince himself. Furthermore, the light that rushed through the closed oaken wood blew away all their thoughts about the tunnel. Panic-stricken, the lion spun its head and panted its lungs out with a voice Severus had heard coming from his own mouth many times in the past.
“They’re after me! Dean Disapparated with Griphook! Left Gornuk somewhere behind! Ted’s dead! They got me bound! I’m running but it’s all just trees here! God! Why do they have to be so fast! Don’t think I’ll – ”
Like a sandcastle the bluish white lion suddenly crumpled into feeble green lights that vanished. Some seconds passed. Seconds in which both tried to realise what had just happened. Confused but more and more aware of what it had meant, Ginevra startled when Severus gasped into his hand and her head turned from where the lion had disappeared, at him. Tears were already running over his fingers and he sank to his knees, nearly suffocating from the attempt to muffle his crying with his hand. He couldn’t anymore. His head slid down, his forehead resting in his palm. The still dripping bundles of his hair slid for his face’s cover. Unable, unwilling to pull himself together, he wept bitterly.
No sound came from her. Silently, Ginevra cried with him, eventually kneeling down by his side. He was cold and completely soaked, but she didn’t care. Even more, it encouraged her to warm him, to lay her arms around him, comfort him. Footsteps came from above and she sought for their source. Shocked, she wanted to signal him that someone was coming, but he was strangely half transparent. So were her arms. A light bulb stopped right in front of her face, turned bright red and flashed. By that moment, he had done his best to deaden his crying again. The woman came to halt only two feet away, her flustered look down on the light.
“Miss Weasley? Where by all means are you? This is not – oh! There you are!”, he had wrangled himself from her grip and she was forced to see that she had become visible again. “But why are you sitting on the floor here?”, McGonagall continued moaning and the tracker dissolved. “Are you crying? Since when can you – who is – ”, her teacher had spotted the stains building a slow track on the floor. “Who else is here?”, Ginevra’s look followed them as well – he went for the Dungeons. “Miss Weasley?”, she had pushed herself up and meant to walk after him.
“It’s Harry!”, Ginevra hissed her desperate lie, not really fond of the thought of staying there while he went away.
“H- oh my goodness! But – ”
“Under his cloak! He’s injured!”
“But then why – ”, McGonagall aspirated, but was cut off again.
“I’ll do that. I’ll have to get something for him from the Potions classroom.”, Ginevra whimpered demanding and ran. “He’s got hit on the mouth too. That’s why he doesn’t say anything. Go back to class, Madam. Invent something why I’m gone. Please!”
There was no sign of him, but the torches were lit all the way down to his former office, so did the stains. Tears dried, Ginevra sped through the long corridor, the cold blue burning in her eyes. Arrived, she slid to halt and found the door standing ajar. Careful she pushed it, stepped into the dark and closed it behind. A lighting flick of her wand let a whiter shine fill the office than the light outside was. Immediately her eyes found the open shelf-door in the otherwise empty room. She swallowed hard and approached it, her hands trembling.
The light of her wand fell in when she reached it, on the dark wooden bed with its white clothing. On the floor laid a massive pile of black fabric, a white shirt on top and a clean pair of shoes dropped by it equally careless. His wet hair was spread on the pillow and he had pulled the blanket up to it. In spite of the light that her wand created being dim, she could clearly see him shaking.
Still in that light, she cautiously walked closer, but he didn’t look up. Not when she slipped out of her own shoes, not when her cloak slid to the floor, not when she took off her vest and tie and threw them down as well. Not when the blouse and trousers followed, and not even when she sat down, lifted the blanket and crawled in. He only chuckled a little louder and slightly winced when her arm glided under his and across his cold, bare chest. Her hand on his heart, the light went out. Instead, a soft stream of warm air blew over the pillow. Cuddled to his back, she dried his hair.
Unsure whether it was the touch; the feeling of someone close; or the warmth against his head – or both, she felt and heard his breath calming. Not bothering that her right arm was squeezed into a strange position, she did her best to warm him and got the rightness of it confirmed soon: his hands moved over her left and pulled it closer. After a while, the slim but strong fingers wrapped hers.
“Nice lie.”, he whispered.
“Thanks.”, she whispered back.
“Why are you doing that.”
“You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. That’s the way it works in a family.”
“Family?”
“I don’t fully know how, and I can understand if I’m not supposed to know or tell anyone a thing either, but I know. If we’re still alive by the end of the war, there’s a two hundred percent chance I’ll become Harry’s wife. And I think I’m in good hands with my future father-in-law as well. So yes, family.”
~~#~~