Chapters 121-130

More Things in Heaven and Earth

Severus stopped in front of Ron. Her friend paled and glanced at Hermione in a frantic, silent plea for help.

‘Sadly ‘everyone’ wasn’t in the rose garden on Tuesday night,’ Severus hissed. He straightened and turned his back on Ron, who visibly wilted in his chair. ‘It was an Inferius. It talked. And it showed remnants of intelligence.’

Harry cleared his throat. ‘Err…Severus, do you recall what it said?’

Severus nodded. Two flicks of his wand produced a pensieve-projector and a silver screen. Hermione paled. He hadn’t warned her about that. He’d show his memories of the attack to the Order.

oooOooo

‘Have you finally decided if you’re going to faint?’

Severus’ smooth voice penetrated the rushing sound that filled her ears. It was an effort to turn her head and glare at him, but she managed. ‘Give me a moment,’ she whispered. ‘Still need to think about it.’

The shock of being pulled against his side in public was almost enough to clear her head. The Pepper-Up Potion that was gruffly thrust into her shaking hands did the rest.

With another flick of Severus’ wand the projector and the screen disappeared again. ‘I hope you enjoyed the show. There will be no repeat performance.’

Harry patted his bandaged arm. ‘I should hope not—I doubt that I can wield my wand with my mouth.’

‘That would be…quite…an awkward posture,’ Snape said, quirking an eyebrow. ‘But as they say, to each his own.’

Ginny choked on her pumpkin juice.

‘Severus,’ Hermione hissed. ‘This is supposed to be an Order meeting!’

Black eyebrows raised, Snape tilted his head. ‘Oh, really? Dear me, I never noticed.’

Ron snorted. But Minerva had had enough.

‘Back on topic, children, or I’ll wash out your mouths with soap. And that includes you, Severus. Does anyone have anything useful to contribute?’

‘Those insults are bizarre,’ Hestia Jones said. ‘What could have caused them?’

‘Well, “vox vulgata” or “linguam confundo” work quite well on living persons,’ Ginny offered.

‘As Ron and Percy can testify,’ Hermione whispered.

‘He sounded like a parrot trained to insult everyone,’ Lois suggested. She’d been invited to attend because of Alina’s involvement. ‘Or like those jar-’ She frowned and glanced at Ron. ‘Those furry little creatures you showed me in the Forbidden Forest that day.’

‘Jarveys?’

Lois nodded. Severus frowned, but kept silent.

‘Okay,’ Harry said. ‘We know there are spells to manipulate the language of living persons. Maybe someone adapted a spell like that so it works on Inferi.’

‘If it was an Inferius,’ Sturgis put in. ‘What if it was a zombie?’

Snape shook his head. ‘No. I would have known that at once. Also, once speech has been restored to zombies by the bell known as Dyrim, they speak the way they did in life. Although I remember Mr. Creevey as an annoying student, I cannot recall that his conduct was ever disrespectful. It was a spell, or a combination of a spell and something else. But whatever it was, it obviously didn’t work; Creevey’s speech was mostly incoherent. I also doubt that whoever raised him intended Creevey to warn us.’

‘Another thing that bothers me,’ Sturgis added. ‘The whole thing makes no sense. If they wanted a speaking puppet, why not use the Imperius?’

‘Maybe because you can fight the Imperius off?’ Hermione suggested. ‘And normally an Inferius is a mindless creature, reduced to the purpose given to it by its master.’

‘But not in Colin’s case. He didn’t seem to have a purpose—except for attacking you, Hermione. Then there’s that warning. And I think he recognised you, Professor Snape,’ Draco said.

‘It might—’ Neville stopped and blushed. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to interrupt.’

Snape rolled his eyes. But his next words surprised everyone. ‘Go on, Mr. Longbottom. We’re collecting ideas. If you have something to contribute, we’re all ears.’

‘Oh. Err…’ Shocked, Neville cleared his throat. ‘Maybe how the real Colin peeked through had nothing to do with the original spell. Maybe it was the day. And err…the Samhain feast that Miss Flamel and I set out in the rose garden. According to the old legends, the Veil between the Life and Death grows thin on Samhain, thin enough for the dead to pass through. And if they eat from a food put out for them by those who knew them, they regain speech, and even the power of touch.’

‘Gobbledygook,’ protested Podmore. ‘That’s nonsense. Just like that drivel about the Peverells and how they tricked Death personified.’

Severus snorted. Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

‘What?’ Sturgis asked belligerently. ‘Do you honestly believe that crap? Come on, boy. You’re supposed to be an Auror now.’

‘Well,’ Harry said carefully. ‘Albus Dumbledore believed that the Peverell brothers were merely extremely talented wizards who created the items known as the ‘Deathly Hallows’.’

‘Albus Dumbledore,’ Severus retorted, his voice bitter, ‘believed many things. Some of them only because he wanted to believe them.’

‘Snape, you can’t possibly support this nonsense!’

‘As you must be aware, Podmore, I have quite a reputation for supporting…nonsense.’ Severus’ eyes glittered darkly. ‘Concerning the Hallows, we know at least some facts that support this particular nonsense. The Hallows exist. And while it would be appealing to believe that the Resurrection Stone is merely a tool created by a man, I can tell you that it is made of the same stone as the Nine Gates of Death.’

‘Not only that,’ Hermione murmured, as she remembered something. ‘There are trees growing at the river. I saw them. They had no leaves, and I don’t know what kind they were. But I remember seeing them, how their dark branches stirred in the mists above me.’

She twisted her fingers together, so it wouldn’t be quite as obvious that her hands were shaking.

‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,’ Lois quoted with a soft voice. ‘Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.’

‘Indeed,’ Severus sighed.