{"id":157,"date":"2008-04-20T22:00:29","date_gmt":"2008-04-20T21:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/juno-magic.fancrone.net\/blog\/the-apprentice-and-the-necromancer\/part-21\/"},"modified":"2011-01-27T09:46:53","modified_gmt":"2011-01-27T08:46:53","slug":"chapters-201-210","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/juno-magic.fancrone.net\/blog\/junofanfic\/hp-fanfic\/the-apprentice-and-the-necromancer\/chapters-201-210","title":{"rendered":"Chapters 201-210"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The Apprentice and the Necromancer by JunoMagic
\n Part 21, Chapters 201-210<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

So Long, Thanks to the Fish<\/h3>\n

Draco scattered a few flakes of fish food over the water in a corner of the fish tank. Predictably, the lobalug removed itself from its lair, drifted towards the surface and began gobbling up the flakes.<\/p>\n

Quickly Draco reached into the water at the other end and stuck his hand inside the little gate, all the while keeping his wand trained on the lobalug with the other hand.<\/p>\n

One wrong move, and you’re filet,<\/em> he thought full of smug satisfaction. There! Something. It felt like a pebble. A lonely little stone on the gravelly floor of the aquarium. With a sharp, jagged edge and way too smooth for an ordinary rock. His fingers curled around it.<\/p>\n

He’d almost pulled his hand out of the water again, when the lobalug noticed that there was something amiss in his estuary.<\/p>\n

From one second to the next, Draco felt as if his hand was enveloped by fire. Screaming, he jerked back. But his arm wouldn’t move. His hand felt like so much lead. Searing, scorching, liquid<\/em> lead flowing through his veins, burning its way up to his shoulder and his heart. He stumbled, helplessly clutching at his left arm. A choked cry constricted his throat.<\/p>\n

I should have gotten that expert after all,<\/em> he thought before he blindly lurched backwards, his arm pulling the fish tank over the edge of the shelf.<\/p>\n

Water splashed over his body, drenching his robes, but it didn’t put out the fire that was screaming through his arm. Flailing in agony, he fell over backwards and hit the floor with a thump. Instinctively, his right hand curled around the part of his body that hurt most\u00e2\u20ac\u201dhis left arm and left hand, which was still curled around a small black pebble.<\/p>\n

Just a second later, the fish tank crashed down on Draco’s chest.<\/p>\n

oooOooo<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThat’s the most stupid way to die I’ve ever heard of,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Hermione sobbed. She dashed at her eyes with the heels of her hands, but the tears just kept streaming down her cheeks. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThat bloody idiot! He never listened in Care of Magical Creatures! Whatever possessed him? He should have called for help! He should have simply pushed the bloody tank over and emptied it, lobalug and all! Why did he have to go and stick his stupid hand into that fish tank? Why? Why?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

With every question, her voice grew shriller, until her last \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWhy?<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 turned into a helpless, wordless wail, with her face buried at Severus’ chest.<\/p>\n

Severus held her, staring dumbly at the fire that was still tinged with the green echo of a Floo call. Draco, dead?<\/em><\/p>\n

He hugged his wife, held her as she clutched him and cried for a young man she’d barely come to call friend, while he\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6Severus remembered Draco\u00e2\u20ac\u201das a\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwell<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u201da bright little\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbrat.<\/em><\/p>\n

Yes, Draco had been a brat. But he’d also been a child, and one of his own<\/em>, one of his little snakes. As such, Severus had known him, had known him well, his talents and weaknesses, his dreams. Both the good ones and the bad ones.<\/p>\n

Draco’s worst nightmare had been a door. Just a door. A heavy, closed door. In Malfoy Manor, down in the cellar. The room his father disappeared into with his mother when she’d displeased her husband. A room Draco never entered.<\/p>\n

Severus had known when the boy fell in love for the first time. A little Hufflepuff girl of all people had caught the boy’s fancy. Draco hadn’t dared to breathe a word\u00e2\u20ac\u201dto anyone. In the following months his behaviour, especially towards girls, and most especially<\/em> towards Gryffindor girls, had been more atrocious than ever.<\/p>\n

But Severus had noticed. And for the first time he’d entertained any hope that Draco might turn out more than merely his father’s son.<\/p>\n

During the last year, Severus had come to believe that this hope may have been justified, that Dumbledore had been right after all, that maybe the nightmare of the Astronomy Tower had been worthwhile, that this one soul<\/em> had been saved.<\/p>\n

Separated from his parents\u00e2\u20ac\u201dmost of all from the influence of his father\u00e2\u20ac\u201dDraco had suddenly begun to grow up. All on his own.<\/em><\/p>\n

Severus closed his eyes. The soft weeping of his wife echoed in his ears.<\/p>\n

Draco.<\/em> He’d come to like<\/em> the vision of the man that had started to shine up within the boy. Who would have been a friend, had he lived. Who’d shown the promise to grow up a calm, intelligent man, with a wry humour and a sense of self-worth tempered by acknowledgement of his weaknesses.<\/p>\n

Draco.<\/em> The damn idiot<\/em> who’d still been so desperate to prove himself to his friends that he’d never stopped to bloody<\/em> think about what he was doing\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

oooOooo<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI am very sorry for your loss,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Severus said slowly.<\/p>\n

The acting Minister of Magic had asked him to meet her the day before her nephew’s funeral.<\/p>\n

Now he stood in her office, facing a witch bitter with too much grief. Her posture was rigid, dressed in stern black robes her appearance was strangely similar to his own. For a moment the harsh lines in her face deepened, then softened again into an expression of weariness and regret.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThank you,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Andromeda said. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHe shouldn’t have attempted to simply scoop the Stone out from behind the lobalug. Every school child knows that lobalugs are dangerous and that the XXX classification has more to do with diplomatic relations with the merpeople than with how dangerous lobalug poison really is.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Severus sighed, but remained silent. Every school child except Draco, who’d thought that being taught by a half-giant was beneath him.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWe’ll miss him, Teddy and I,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Andromeda stated softly. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcIn spite of all our arguments, I did love my nephew. He would have grown up to be a fine man, I’m sure of it.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Then she took a deep breath. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcBut I did not ask you to meet me here to accept your condolences, Severus.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Times Have Changed\u00e2\u20ac\u201dAnd May Change Again<\/h3>\n

Andromeda put a small, square box on the table top. It looked like the boxes the Ministry presented the Orders of Merlin in. She flipped open the lid. On red velvet lay a black pebble. Its jagged edge showed where the original stone had been broken in two.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMinistry curse breakers as well as an outside expert from Gringotts have verified that the leeching curse is indeed anchored to the stone. But they have not been able to break or modify it. The Gringotts expert\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Severus just raised an eyebrow. If they’d called in a goblin, why couldn’t they just say so?<\/p>\n

Andromeda’s lips thinned. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe goblin<\/em> was able to tell us that the Stone will reach the limit of its capacity within a month. He also suggested that the only solution may be to reunite the Stone with its other half. So it seems you and Harry will indeed have to go back beyond the Veil.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI am glad that your experts<\/em> find themselves in agreement with those who get to do the dirty deeds,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 he sneered, though the goblin’s assessment that they still had a few weeks to go until the Stones would blow up did afford him some much needed reassurance.<\/p>\n

The Minister of Magic fixed him with a cold stare. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHarry has informed me that you are now the Owner of the Elder Wand?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThat seems to be the case, yes.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 He didn’t quite trust the silver-screened contraption that Ollivander’s niece called a ‘wand scanner’.<\/em> But Legilimency had assured him that she had spoken truthfully, when she swore that the scanner could not be manipulated.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcSo you will use the Elder Wand to re-join the Stones and to separate Dumbledore’s soul from curse?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcJust as Dumbledore intended me to.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 He’d meant his words to be a calm statement of facts, but somehow they had a sinister ring in his ears.<\/p>\n

Andromeda snorted. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcRest assured, Snape: souls are beyond the Wizengamot’s jurisdiction. No matter what you do to Dumbledore, you don’t have to worry about another trial upon your return. Very well. The Ministry will keep the Elder Wand and the Resurrection Stone in a secure vault at Gringotts until you have brewed that potion\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThe Sempiternal Solution.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThe Sempiternal Solution<\/em> again and are ready to return beyond the Veil. The Ministry offers you the use of the Death Chamber again. Healers will be ready, anticipating your return. We will also dispatch a guard of Aurors to accompany your wife to the White Horse at Uffington.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Severus frowned at that. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWhy such safety measures all of a sudden?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI still don’t share your suspicions, Severus,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Andromeda announced.<\/p>\n

But?<\/em> He knew there was a ‘but’.<\/em> Still unspoken, it was already present in the room, in the uneasiness that darkened the Minister’s eyes and the tightness of her shoulders.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHowever,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 she continued, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI have taken it upon myself to follow up the message from the Vatican that welcomed me to this office and extended the most cordial greetings of the Pope. It seemed only polite to inquire about the committee that worked so successfully with the late Secretary of the Registry Office. I encountered a strange reluctance to put me into contact with the chairman of that committee. As if they were literally unable to even remember his name, much less his phone number.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcA Memory Charm?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcOr just the inefficiency of a Muggle organisation? You know how administrative machineries work.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 But the tightness of her lips betrayed that she did not truly believe her own excuses.<\/p>\n

Severus remained silent. In his experience, only few people could endure that. Most felt compelled to fill the void that silence created between two persons. Normally he would have thought that Andromeda was one of those few\u00e2\u20ac\u201dunlike Hermione or Andromeda’s late daughter. But today Andromeda was grieving, and she was troubled.<\/p>\n

The silence stretched and lengthened to the point where he began to search for a family likeness in Andromeda’s face, a hint, a shadow of her nephew\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6When he was about to close his eyes in defeat, he was finally rewarded for his patience.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcSeverus, have you any idea what it would mean if you were right?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

When he still didn’t speak, she glared at him. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcYou must be aware of the fact that my Oath of Office forbids me from spelling out certain details. So would you kindly open your mouth, Snape?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThe treaties have long since been regarded as nothing but historical documents, words on paper, nothing more,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 he said softly. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcYet they are what they always were: binding magical contracts.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcYes,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 she breathed.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcAnd we\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 He hesitated, going over the details of the treaties with the Inquisition again in his mind.<\/p>\n

To keep the magical world absolutely secret and strictly separate from the Muggle world. Not to permit marriage between witches and wizards and Muggles. Never to appraise a Muggle-born of the existence of the magical world. Only to accept Muggle-borns into the magical world if they managed to enter it on their own<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dc\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwe have broken them.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcBut it was understood,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Andromeda whispered, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcthat times have changed. That things are different today. The Inquisition was disbanded long ago. Diplomatic relations with the Vatican have been good\u00e2\u20ac\u201dneutral, at least, and sometimes even amicable\u00e2\u20ac\u201dfor many years now.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMaybe times are changing again,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Severus observed bitterly. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThe involvement of magic-wielding Muggles dressed in robes\u00e2\u20ac\u201drobes the likes of which can customarily be found among members of Muggle churches\u00e2\u20ac\u201dcertainly points in that direction.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI hope you are wrong, Severus,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Andromeda said. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcNevertheless you should be even more careful than before when you return beyond the Veil. You don’t know who else may be there. And while I will send Aurors to guard Hermione\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6If you are right\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dc\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthat may not be enough,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 he concluded wearily. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI know.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 He rose to his feet. The audience was over. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThank you, Andromeda.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

She nodded. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI shall see you at the funeral.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Cry of a White Peacock<\/h3>\n

The funeral took place at Malfoy Manor.<\/p>\n

At the back of the park, between giant cedars and weeping willows, framed by orderly arrangements of yew bushes, stood a row of mausoleums. They were all built of white marble flecked with silvery veins. But most of the crypts were grey with age. Out of the corners of her eyes Hermione thought that she spotted cracks in fa\u00c3\u00a7ades of the older tombs. The angels that adorned them slumped drunkenly against their columns. Lichens and mosses clung to the crevices of their carefully carved locks.<\/p>\n

But Draco’s tomb was new. It blazed in the icy January sunshine. To its left and to its right new yew trees had been planted. They looked as scrawny and out of place as the crypt they framed.<\/p>\n

Hermione gripped Severus’ arm harder. Her heart was beating too quickly and she felt strangely short of breath ever since they had passed the wrought iron gates and started walking up the drive towards the manor house. Turning left instead of continuing towards it had granted her some relief, but faced with the row of the mausoleums, the palpitations increased again, making her knees feel weak and her stomach queasy.<\/p>\n

Severus did not look at her, but he put an arm around her underneath her cloak, pulling her closer to his side. He knew what had happened the last time she’d had the pleasure to visit Malfoy Manor.<\/p>\n

In fact, he’d suggested that she stay home\u00e2\u20ac\u201dno one expected her to attend the funeral, after all. Only very few people would attend the funeral at all. If she went or not would go unnoticed and unremarked upon.<\/p>\n

But she would hear none of it. Draco had become a friend.<\/p>\n

She’d missed the funerals of her friends after the war, because she lay unconscious in a darkened room at St. Mungo’s fighting the poison of Severus’ blood and Nagini’s venom. Today she was healthy and strong, so where else would she be but here, bidding her friend goodbye?<\/p>\n

Severus had scowled at her, but he hadn’t argued.<\/p>\n

Thus, they were here, along with a small group of relatives, friends and enemies that had come to see Draco off.<\/p>\n

oooOooo<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcLucius, Narcissa\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Severus indicated the hint of a bow. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI am truly sorry for your loss.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 For a moment it seemed as if he wanted to add something. But then he just shook his head ever so slightly and dropped his gaze. It was too late for words.<\/p>\n

Hermione clung to his arm. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI\u00e2\u20ac\u201dI\u00e2\u20ac\u201dam\u00e2\u20ac\u201dMy condolences, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 she stuttered.<\/p>\n

Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy had changed.<\/p>\n

Had they always been so small?<\/em><\/p>\n

Though small was perhaps not the right word; they were both tall. But today both of them stood bowed and bent, their shoulders slumping under a weight they couldn’t begin to carry. Narcissa’s hair had faded to a dirty off-white, that unfortunate colour old, blond hair sometimes acquires before turning truly white with age. Lucius appeared brittle and broken. His cane was no longer a toy of amour propre, but a necessary support.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHe was a friend,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Hermione whispered. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI’m really sorry.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Lucius looked at her then for the first time. He did not say anything, but his pale eyes blinked repeatedly, watery in the cool winter-sun.<\/p>\n

oooOooo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Andromeda held the funerary speech, while Teddy squirmed in her arms. She spoke of a gifted young man who had repented the mistakes of his past and had been looking to a golden future as an upstanding citizen of the wizarding world. Of a nephew she’d been hoping to be proud of. Of a ministry employee who’d done his best to get his job done.<\/p>\n

Little Teddy fidgeted in her arms, his hair changing from black to silver to blond. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy huddled arm in arm in the shadow of the mausoleum. On the other side of the table where Draco’s body was laid out, a rare ray of sunlight bathed Hannah Abbott’s pale face in golden light, emphasizing her red-rimmed, swollen eyes. And Hermione stood in a daze.<\/p>\n

She tried to remember Draco the way the Minister of Magic described him.<\/p>\n

But she couldn’t.<\/p>\n

She remembered his pinched, pale face, the way his eyes narrowed when he was about to say something especially spiteful, years before, when they were still at Hogwarts and knew nothing of the war. The painful way her fist had connected with his jaw that one time near Hagrid’s hut.<\/p>\n

The way he’d changed in the last years.<\/p>\n

Hermione couldn’t quite pinpoint the change. It was everything and nothing, just as it was with Harry, who was now walking up to Andromeda to stand beside her behind the table where Draco lay dead and forever silent under the green shroud of velvet lined with silver.<\/p>\n

She stared at the slim silhouette under the cloth. It didn’t seem possible that Draco’s body could be lying there. True, he’d been slender. But he’d been tall, too, and energetic, full of life.<\/p>\n

It just didn’t seem possible that he was really lying there, that thin, frail shape hidden by the funerary shroud.<\/p>\n

When Harry cleared his throat, a mournful cry cut off his words.<\/p>\n

All eyes turned to the right of the tomb, where a white peacock appeared. In carefully considered steps the bird ambled forwards, then hesitated, straightened his long neck and crooned.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMeeeow, meeow,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 the white peacock cried. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMeeow!\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\n<\/param><\/param><\/param><\/embed><\/object>\n<\/p>\n


<\/p>\n

oooOooo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Later Hermione couldn’t remember a word of Harry’s speech. But the meowing cries of the peacock echoed in her ears. And whenever she closed her eyes, she saw the white flames springing up from the green cloth that covered Draco’s body.<\/p>\n

She curled up at Severus’ side and buried her face in his familiar, comforting scentand listened to the soothing rhythm of his heart.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcPoor Hannah,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 she murmured. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcPoor Draco.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

But what she really thought was: I’d never survive if it was you under that shroud. If I was left and you were gone.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Bereft<\/h3>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWhere are you going?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcLondon\u00e2\u20ac\u201dMuggle London, that is,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Hermione replied, buttoning her duffle coat. She was reaching for her scarf, when she realised that Severus hadn’t moved but still stood in front of her, arms crossed in a forbidding manner.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWhat’s the matter?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 she asked. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI thought you don’t need me this afternoon?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 She frowned. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcOr did something come up and you need me after all?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 She hoped this was not the case. Tomorrow they would start brewing the Sempiternal Solution again and that meant three days of hard work with barely a break.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI don’t think that is a good idea, Hermione.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

She heaved a sigh. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI promise I’ll be careful, Severus. I won’t duck into any dark alleys. Or do anything foolish. I’m not Harry, after all.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Her smile felt foreign on her face.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI need to get away,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 she admitted. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI need some time in the real world\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 She rolled her eyes at his scowl. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc\u00e2\u20ac\u201dI know very well that our world is real<\/em>! But I do need a break! I want to spend a few hours browsing in a real bookshop. I want to see that new exhibition at the Tate and then meet with Lois for coffee. I promise I’ll be careful. I’ll stay far away from St. Paul’s and all other churches. I’ll keep my wand at the ready all the time. I just\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Her voice trailed off. She had to rid herself of the daze that threatened to grip her with a brisk shake of her head before she could hurry on, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI need to remember that there’s a world <\/em>out there. Somewhere.<\/em> Isn’t that what you meant in Chartres?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Severus’ scowl deepened. Hermione knew that he was only worried about her and she was very much aware that he had good reason to be concerned, but\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6during the days since Draco’s funeral, she’d started feeling as if the walls of Hogwarts were pressing closer and closer around her, choking her, cutting off the very air she needed to breathe. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcPlease,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 she begged. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI won’t stay long. I’ll be back for dinner.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Severus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcVery well. I do<\/em> understand, Hermione. Just please, be very careful. We need to start brewing tomorrow, and we can’t risk more delays.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI know,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 she whispered. Her voice sounded oddly strained. She grabbed her purse and her bonnet and fled from the dungeons.<\/p>\n

oooOooo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Severus listened to Hermione’s fading footsteps. Then he allowed himself another sigh and left the room, too, heading for his private laboratory.<\/p>\n

If they wanted to begin brewing a second batch of the Sempiternal Solution tomorrow, there was still a lot to do. Thankfully. It was better to work. Much better. If his hands and mind were busy, his thoughts had less opportunity to dwell on\u00e2\u20ac\u201dhe sighed and leant on the long oak table.<\/p>\n

He stared down at his hands, the long fingers. The burn from yesterday’s Advanced Potions class on his left index finger was already fading, although he’d forgotten to reapply the Burn Salve this morning. He needed to cut his nails.<\/p>\n

His throat grew painfully tight. He tried to swallow, but it hurt too much as his muscles cramped around the old injury.<\/p>\n

Draco was not the first of his students who had died. He would not be the last. During the first and the second rising of Voldemort many Hogwarts students of all four Houses had died; and during the so-called Final Battle most of the dead had been students from Slytherin House. He should be\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6no, not used<\/em> to losing one of his own, of course not! But surely one more death shouldn’t hit him that<\/em> hard!<\/p>\n

But it did. It did.<\/em><\/p>\n

He turned around and buried his face in his hands.<\/p>\n

At long last he took a deep, shuddering breath and let his hands sink to his sides. He rotated his cramped, painfully stiff shoulders. He had to go and spend some time with his students now. Many had known and liked Draco; the atmosphere in Slytherin House was subdued this weekend, and spirits were low.<\/p>\n

He straightened up and carefully fixed his customary scowl on his face, a thin fa\u00c3\u00a7ade of strength. He could only hope that it would serve to reassure the distraught children.<\/p>\n

oooOooo<\/strong><\/p>\n

In her office, the headmistress sat in front of her desk on one of the visitors’ chairs. She was staring at the painting on the wall; its still, unmoving, garish colours, the barely distinguishable silhouette of a familiar figure.<\/p>\n

Her cup of tea had long since gone cold.<\/p>\n

Albus’ death; Severus’ burden. The attempt to save a young man’s soul from the guilt of murder. Now the young man was dead, too, his soul fled beyond the Veil.<\/em><\/p>\n

A sense of futility spread through Minerva. For the first time she felt not merely exhausted. She felt old.<\/em><\/p>\n

Outside the castle, the January drizzle was turning into snow.<\/p>\n

oooOooo<\/strong><\/p>\n

A downpour had emptied Diagon Alley and filled the Leaky Cauldron to bursting. Not a chair remained unclaimed and no Impervious Charm was strong enough to keep the windows from fogging with the humidity that was steaming up from damp robes, cloaks and hair in the guestroom.<\/p>\n

Hannah’s body seemed to consist solely of hurting feet and ringing ears. She was weary to her bones. If she’d had more than a moment to stand still, she would have been swaying on her feet.<\/p>\n

Still, no matter how tired she was, at night, alone in her bed, she could find no sleep. She’d bury her face in the linens and inhale the lingering remnants of Draco’s eau de toilette.<\/p>\n

But with each passing day, his scent faded.<\/p>\n

Soon she would be unable to detect it. And once she’d change the sheets the next time, it would be gone completely.<\/p>\n

Hannah concentrated, cast a Charm that allowed her to juggle twelve bottles of Butterbeer without spilling a drop and hurried back to the guestroom.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Angels and Other Creatures<\/h3>\n

Hermione said goodbye to Lois and decided that she still had enough time to nip into the big Waterstones at Piccadilly Circus before making her way to the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley, from where she could safely Apparate to Hogwarts.<\/p>\n

In the shop she’d intended to while away her time in front of the shelves with the latest romance novels, distracting herself from grim reality with the blurbs of insipid bodice-rippers.<\/p>\n

But soon she found herself sidetracked to a corner she’d rarely even noticed during her increasingly irregular visits in the last few years: self-help books.<\/p>\n

Everything from A like ‘Amen\u00e2\u20ac\u201dPraying is Healing’ to Z like ‘The Deep Peace of Zen’.<\/p>\n

And then: ‘Grief: Your New Beginning’.<\/p>\n

Hermione snorted. How could grief equal a new beginning? Except as the beginning of life without Draco. And who’d have thought that she’d ever regret having to live without Draco Malfoy underfoot!<\/em><\/p>\n

As far as she could see, the only silver lining this week was that Draco’s death and funeral had kept Severus from suspecting that anything was off concerning his ‘acquisition’ of the Ownership of the Elder Wand by beating Percy Weasley at chess.<\/p>\n

Her fingers drifted over the shiny, colourful spines of the paperbacks arrayed in front of her, so different from the leather bound tomes of the wizarding world.<\/p>\n

‘Angels of Grace.’<\/p>\n

\"AnShe hesitated. Angels<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6She remembered faces almost lost in the twilight of a cathedral\u00e2\u20ac\u201dhalf sad, half smiling. And stony wings, jutting straight from the shoulders of the statues. In real life, those wings would never support a body in the air. Not even with magic.<\/p>\n

But angels<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Hermione sank down on her heels, the book clasped tightly. She recalled the comfort of her mother’s voice, whispering a child’s evening prayer, an almost faded childhood memory:<\/p>\n

\n

Angels bless and angels keep<\/em><\/p>\n

Angels guard me while I sleep<\/em><\/p>\n

Bless my heart and bless my home<\/em><\/p>\n

Bless my spirit as I roam<\/em><\/p>\n

Guide and guard me through the night<\/em><\/p>\n

and wake me with the morning’s light.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

She leafed through the book. So many angels: an angel of love, an angel of safekeeping, even an angel of risk. How she needed an angel now! And Severus even more\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6Hermione closed her eyes, trying to banish thoughts of the Sempiternal Solution, the Death Chamber and the Veil.<\/p>\n

Her world had ghouls, gnomes and goblins. And many winged creatures, too: pixies, fairies, hippogriffs, pegasi and thestrals, to name but a few.<\/p>\n

But no angels.<\/em><\/p>\n

And if Severus was right with his suspicions, angels and everything associated with them brought no comfort and no blessing to her world, but instead dread, death and torture.<\/p>\n

She shuddered and thrust the book so quickly back onto the shelf that one of her wands slipped from its sheath inside her sleeve and fell clattering to the ground. She cursed under her breath and hastily retrieved it, looking around in panic as she straightened up and almost collided with a man who’d somehow approached unnoticed.<\/p>\n

He gave her a strange smile. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI usually keep the chopsticks, too, when we go for Chinese food. I always plan to practice using them. But somehow I never do.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Hermione’s cheeks were burning. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcOh\u00e2\u20ac\u201derr<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwell, I\u00e2\u20ac\u201dI do that, too\u00e2\u20ac\u201dkeep them, that is\u00e2\u20ac\u201dobviously. Umm<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6I guess practice makes perfect.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 She awkwardly cleared her throat.<\/p>\n

The man regarded her thoughtfully through heavily lidded, cold grey eyes. He was dressed in black, with a tight white collar, a style almost as severe as her husband’s.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcAn interesting book,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 he said, nodding at the paperback Hermione had just put back. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcFew people believe in angels anymore. Though they should, they should. For angels wield the wrath of the Lord and they lead the repenting sinners to the gates of the kingdom of God and into the fold of the heavenly veil.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Hermione shivered under the man’s icy gaze. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcYes. Uh.<\/em> My mother prayed with me an angel prayer when I was little,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 she blurted, her heart racing. He was just a man! And only a Muggle to boot. Why in Merlin’s and Nimue’s name did he scare her so much?<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcIn that case, there is hope for you,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 he announced.<\/p>\n

Hermione almost sighed with relief: Just a religious zealot. <\/em><\/p>\n

Thank heaven,<\/em> she thought, and the irony was not lost on her.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcUh,<\/em> it was nice talking to you, sir, but I really have to run.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 She spun around and hurried away, trying to ignore the strange itch between her shoulder blades that made her wonder if the Muggle was watching her go.<\/p>\n

oooOooo<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the Ministry of Magic, Harry Potter was staying far longer at work than he had to once more. He felt hollow and exhausted, but being with Ginny somehow only made him feel worse. She was so damn fierce and determined to keep going. Not exactly as if nothing had happened, but rather in spite of it all<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u201dcome hell or high water, no matter if it rained cats and dogs or horned toads and dragon tongues. Actually, he admired that. Really.<\/em> He’d always known that Ginny was far stronger than he was.<\/p>\n

But right now her very fortitude was wearing him down. Still, he really should get going now. It was time to go home.<\/p>\n

Late on a Saturday afternoon, the Ministry was all but deserted, except for the Unspeakables and the team of Aurors that was on the weekend shift. And the Minister of Magic, he assumed. Shacklebolt had practically lived in the Ministry, and Andromeda was working no less hard. Little Teddy was spending more time at the Burrow these days than in his own home.<\/p>\n

Harry stopped walking and groaned. Somehow he’d done what he always did at the end of a long day, when he had a lot on his mind. He’d bypassed the fireplaces of the Floo-network and kept going.<\/p>\n

And now he was standing in front of Draco’s old office.<\/p>\n

With a deep sigh, he opened the door.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMagic is Might\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u201dRedux<\/h3>\n

The office was all cleaned up. Not that Draco had ever really inhabited the room. He’d never brought any personal objects to work. There were no framed certificates of his OWLs or NEWTs, no pictures of his parents, aunt or little Teddy. Harry knew from visiting Andromeda that Draco had been the same there, too. His room had always been immaculate. But there’d been nothing in it to indicate that it was Draco<\/em> who lived there. He wondered if Draco had been any different around Hannah.<\/p>\n

Hannah.<\/em> He really should go and visit her. She’d looked horrible at the funeral. And when he’d dropped in for a quick breakfast last week, she’d gone positively green just looking at his ham and eggs. Obviously, she was taking Draco’s death hard.<\/p>\n

He sighed. But who wasn’t? <\/em><\/p>\n

Harry slumped down on the chair, crossed his arms on the desk. He rested his forehead on his arms.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcOh, fuck, Draco,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 he mumbled. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHow in hell shall I cope in this madhouse with you gone? I’m hopeless at politics!\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

He blinked back tears, though he didn’t really know why: no one was here to witness his maudlin behaviour after all.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI wouldn’t precisely call you ‘hopeless’.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Draco’s voice sounded wry. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcAnd it looks like I’ll be around to help you cope. Now stop that whinging, Potter. It’s grating on my nerves.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Harry jerked up his head and gasped at the silvery silhouette perched on the corner of the desk.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcOh, really, Potter,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Draco drawled. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHave you never seen a ghost before?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

oooOooo<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWhen did you plan to mention your encounter with that Muggle?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Hermione startled and stared at her husband. Once more Severus stood in the doorway, scowl fixed, arms crossed.<\/p>\n

She sat at her desk, a pile of essays long since graded in front of her. She’d been staring at Barret Cruddace’s essay about the Swelling Solution as if it held all the answers. Yet he’d barely scraped an A.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHow do you know about that?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, she asked. Aurors,<\/em> she thought and felt very foolish all of a sudden. I bet all of us have a secret body guard assigned to watch our every step. That’s why he gave in so easily when I wanted to go to London<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcUnspeakables, actually,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Severus said, suddenly relaxing his posture and stepping closer to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcIf my suspicions are even remotely correct, this is not a job that Aurors can do anymore.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcIt was a priest, wasn’t it?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcYes.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcDid the Unspeakables discover anything? Was he a part of that committee Umbridge was working with?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 She leant her head back against him. When she looked up at him, it was a strange angle: she only saw his chin and nose, framed by lank, black hair.<\/p>\n

He shook his head. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcNo. But that doesn’t mean anything. They must expect us to search for them. They’d make sure there is nothing to be found.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Hermione closed her eyes. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcIf the Church is responsible for all of this, do you think it’s official?<\/em> I mean\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 She opened her eyes again. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6today, with all those political efforts to include very diverse groups into a multicultural, global society\u00e2\u20ac\u201dif they tried to hunt us down\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthere are so many Muggle relatives of witches and wizards\u00e2\u20ac\u201ddon’t you think, if they went public\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6don’t you think that maybe Muggles\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6people<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6might come to accept us?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 She gave a small laugh, half bitter, half hysterical, as she imagined what would follow: \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThe magically challenged. <\/em>Would we qualify for an anti-discrimination programme subsidised by the government?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Severus moved away and sat down on the other side of the desk. For a long moment he remained silent. He stared at her intently, as if he was assessing her frame of mind, while he trailed his right index-finger over his thin lips.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcJust answer two questions, Hermione. The first: what is magic?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth only to snap it shut again. Such questions made her nervous, especially when he was asking them. Open-ended questions, where all answers could be wrong and right at the same time. Her heart pounded a little, as she mulled over the question. She wanted to give a good answer; the intelligent, insightful answer he obviously expected of her. At the same time she felt stunned. Such a simple question, and she couldn’t remember ever discussing it in class. Of course, philosophy of magic was bread and butter for the Unspeakables, so there might be a reason for this omission in the Hogwarts curriculum.<\/p>\n

A talent. A very special talent.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWe always knew that you had some very special talents.<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 <\/em>In retrospect she noticed how strained her father’s cheerfulness had been when he said that\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand what the look he exchanged with her mother really meant: \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThank God, it’s only special talents. She’s not really<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6different. She’s not<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6handicapped.<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Hermione recalled what Lois had told her of Alina’s Muggle diagnosis. ADHD. Special talents indeed.<\/p>\n

And an article she’d read: \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWhile it is a common misconception that humans only use 10 percent or less of their brain, mysteries persist and we still don’t know exactly what the human brain is capable of<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcOne man’s ‘magic’ is another man’s engineering,<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 her father had become fond of quoting whenever she talked about magic at home. He had maintained that it was not so much a talent, or a different set of physical laws, but rather a different perspective, a unique and exceptional approach how to work with the laws of physics.<\/p>\n

She shook her head. Valid aspects, certainly. But her reply should define the very core <\/em>of magic, not different aspects in relation to physiology, or physics or\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Politics.<\/em> The witch-hunts of the Middle Ages. The International Statute of Secrecy. The Pacta. Grindelwald’s slogan of ‘Magic is might’.<\/em> Voldemort.<\/p>\n

Hermione took a deep breath and met her husband’s black gaze.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcPower,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMagic is power.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Second Question<\/h3>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcAnd now the second question: what issue lies at the heart of conflicts and wars, Muggle or magical? Recent history will suffice.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Hermione frowned, then counted down the obvious list in her mind. The first and the second World War. Korea. Vietnam. The Falklands War. The Persian Gulf War. Grindelwald. Voldemort.<\/p>\n

She exhaled in a rush.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcPower,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Hermione whispered.<\/p>\n

Again, Severus nodded. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcTrust me, Hermione, it’s better if our worlds remain apart. Magic\u00e2\u20ac\u201dpeople<\/em> with magic\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwould become nothing but tools of power for the mighty. Weapons to be controlled and used. Can you imagine what that would mean? For you, for Harry, for Alina? Do you think that anyone, any child with magical powers would be allowed to lead a normal life?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 He shook his head. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcNo\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe Pacta and the Statute of Secrecy may have many faults, but the initial idea of those treaties has been a saving grace for both our worlds.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcAs for your initial question: If my suspicions are true, do I think that we face an official ‘crusade’<\/em> of the Church?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 He shrugged. Then he wearily pinched the bridge of his nose. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI cannot tell. All we have are more or less vague suspicions. But a concerted effort does not seem very likely, in my opinion. The involvement of Umbridge and the Death Eaters\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcSo you do think that the killings and the curse and the Church-wizards are connected somehow?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI haven’t survived this long by believing in coincidence,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 he replied dryly. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcBut yes, I do think that the events of the last two years are more or less connected. However, here’s the catch: I cannot truly see the Church cooperating ‘officially’<\/em> with Death Eaters; or even unofficially, to be honest. The Muggle world has gained as much as the wizarding world from the success of the d\u00c3\u00a9tente since the implementation of the Pacta and the Statute. And the Church is very much aware of the fact. Or why do you think the congregation was re-named in 1908?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcTimes have changed, is that what you want to say?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Hermione asked.<\/p>\n

Severus looked weary and worried. She wondered how long he’d been thinking about all of this. How long it had weighed on his mind. How long he’d kept silent about his suspicions. At least since November, when he’d given her the rare copies of the Pacta to read. Had he hoped that she’d come to the same conclusions? Had he been waiting for her to\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6She mentally shook herself and forced herself to concentrate on the topic of their conversation. She could meditate over her intellectual shortcomings later. All right. So times had changed. But taking into account recent events and Severus’ suspicions, what did that mean?<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcBut times may change again,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 she ventured. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcA d\u00c3\u00a9tente may unravel. A truce may be broken.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Severus exhaled deeply. Leaning forward, he propped his elbows on his knees and covered his face with his palms. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcYes, indeed. That’s exactly what I told Andromeda. The Inquisition may today be called ‘Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’,<\/em> and Pope John Paul II. may have established an official symposium to examine the history of the Inquisition. But this does not mean that the Church suddenly embraces magic as a god-given gift. The old adage of ‘thou shalt not suffer a witch to live’<\/em> will never be forgotten in certain circles.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 He looked up again. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHowever, all things considered, I believe it is more than likely that we are dealing with a group of vigilantes. Much like the Order of the Phoenix, maybe?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 He gave her a mirthless smile.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcBut\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Hermione hesitated. She wanted to say that the Order was different. But was it? It was certainly not part of the establishment. Or even remotely legal. Though that might change, now that Andromeda was Minister of Magic.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcBut\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 She fell silent. Then she shook her head and squared her shoulders, probably in typical Gryffindor fashion. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcBut they are Muggles.<\/em> I mean, they may have a couple of renegade wizards on their side. But when it comes down to it, they’re just Muggles. We’ll manage.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWill we?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Severus asked, his tone biting. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcAnd just how well, pray-tell, do you think the average wizard will manage to duck solid projectiles travelling faster than the speed of sound and penetrating soft, unprotected bodies? You don’t need magic to kill a wizard.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Hermione gulped. She’d never given a thought to Muggle fire-arms. Severus was right. Which wizard would even recognize a pistol as a weapon? And who’d be quick enough to duck, to cast ‘Protego’ <\/em>between firing and impact. If that was even possible.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcIs it possible at all?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 she asked. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcTo duck, I mean.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Severus gave her a long look. Then he inclined his head. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcIt is. That is\u00e2\u20ac\u201dI did it. Once. Harry might manage.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 He scowled. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcEven if it’s just because he’s meant to be a pain in my arse for all eternity.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

oooOooo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harry stared at Draco’s translucent face.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcDraco?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 he croaked. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHow? Why?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Draco rolled his eyes. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcDoes the phrase \u00e2\u20ac\u0153unfinished business<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d mean anything to you? It was kind of a bummer to lie there with a damn fish tank crushing my ribs in and breathing my last, when I didn’t even know if I’d really found the second half of the Resurrection Stone.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Draco fidgeted. It made him rise a few inches above the tabletop before he sank back down into a perfect simile of his customary posture of boredom and nonchalance, complete with picking at his not quite visible nails.<\/p>\n

Harry swallowed hard. He didn’t want to imagine how it had been, to lie there with the lobalug’s venom coursing through Draco’s veins, his ribs crushed by the damn fish tank. Hermione had been right. What a stupid way to die. Obviously, Draco\u00e2\u20ac\u201dor Draco’s soul\u00e2\u20ac\u201dhad agreed.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcGosh,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Harry gasped. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI’m really sorry, Draco. But I hope you don’t mind me saying that, I’m also terribly glad. To have you back, you know?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Bright New World<\/h3>\n

Hermione held Hannah while she sobbed. But no one could hold Draco.<\/p>\n

oooOooo<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcShhh, Hannah, shhh, it’s all right. I’ve got you. It’s okay. Shhh…\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Hannah’s breath was hot against Hermione’s neck. Her robe was quite damp at her shoulder, and her back was beginning to cramp. Hermione hugged Hannah and fervently wished that there was anything she could do.<\/p>\n

Nothing was all right. And it would never be okay. <\/em>Her feeble words of comfort sounded hollow in her ears. Draco shouldn’t have died in the first place. And he shouldn’t have come back in the second place; doomed to dwell in the Ministry of Magic for all eternity.<\/p>\n

All right, so Severus and Draco had discovered that Draco could already roam Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley freely. And questioning the members of the Headless Hunt and the ghosts at Hogwarts had yielded information which led them to assume that\u00e2\u20ac\u201das time passed\u00e2\u20ac\u201dDraco would be able to venture further abroad. After five hundred or six hundred years, he’d probably be able to attend anniversary celebrations at Hogwarts and to holiday in Majorca.<\/p>\n

But for the time being it looked like the Ministry of Magic had a new model employee: one who didn’t need sleep, luncheon breaks, holidays or pay. Though Hermione would see to it that he got all three: luncheon breaks, holidays and pay. Ghost or not, Draco should have some rights!<\/p>\n

In the living room Hermione heard Severus talking to Draco at his most soothing; his silky voice an audible embrace for the distraught ghost.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcNo,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Hannah wailed. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcNothing is all right. Draco? Draco? Do you hear me? Draco?!\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcYes, love?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Draco’s voice sounded as translucent as his body, with nothing of his new figure’s silvery shimmer.<\/p>\n

Hannah drew away from Hermione just a bit, wiping her running nose and wet eyes on the sleeve of her robe like a little girl. And like a small child, she did not let go of Hermione, but clung to her, even as she turned to face Draco, with new tears streaming down her face. As if Hermione was the last anchor in Hannah’s world, a world that had completely come adrift.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcIt’s a boy,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Hannah choked out. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI know you were hoping for a girl, but I had the Charm performed only two days ago, and it’s a boy, and oh, Merlin, Draco, how can we get married if you’re a ghost?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

oooOooo<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was late at night (or rather very early in the morning) when Severus and Hermione left Hannah and Draco at last.<\/p>\n

Severus had plied Hannah with the strongest calming draught that pregnant women could ingest without ill effects. Draco would stay with her\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbut not touch her. His touch felt like icy fog in his new incarnation, a sensation that upset his former fianc\u00c3\u00a9e very much. And so much agitation wouldn’t be good for the baby. Draco was under strict instructions to run\u00e2\u20ac\u201dno, to float<\/em> and summon the ghost of Daisy Dodderidge at the Leaky Cauldron around the corner if Hannah experienced any untoward symptoms.<\/p>\n

Although not far from Diagon Alley, St. Mungo’s had proved to be out of reach for Draco.<\/p>\n

Not so for Daisy. She had died in the middle of the 16th century and returned to haunt her daughter\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhose proficiency at the preparation of the Leaky Couldron’s famous split pea soup the late Daisy Dodderidge apparently hadn’t put much faith in. By January 2001 there were few places on earth that Daisy’s ghost couldn’t reach if she put her mind to it.<\/p>\n

With these arrangements in place, Severus and Hermione felt\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6not exactly reassured, but at the very least resigned to grant Hannah and Draco the privacy both of them desired.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI still wish they’d have allowed Harry or you or me to stay for the night\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Hermione muttered. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI didn’t like Hannah’s colour at all when we left, and I’m not a healer!\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Severus sighed. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcExactly. You’re not a healer. And they do need time to come to terms with\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHow do<\/em> you come to terms with something like that?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Hermione asked, when they stopped around the corner from Hannah’s apartment, getting ready to Apparate back to Hogwarts. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHas something like that ever happened before?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcSomething like what?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Severus bit out. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThat someone who was killed by a fish tank and\/or a fish came back as a ghost? I don’t know. But weirder deaths in history have yielded ghosts; just look at Nearly Headless Nick back home at Hogwarts.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Hermione sighed and simply put her arms around Severus, drawing him close to her.<\/p>\n

If anything, the news that Draco had returned as a ghost had been harder on Severus than to hear that Draco had died in the first place. Hermione hugged her husband as tightly as she could.<\/p>\n

Diagon Alley was cold and dark and damp on this January night. Severus’ robes smelled more of wet wool than of his arousing, personal scent. But she felt how he shuddered beneath the layers of fabric that shielded him from the world. And she was shivering, too, although it was far warmer in London than in Scotland.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcAt least he’ll get to see his son,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 she whispered.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcAnd<\/em> how his fianc\u00c3\u00a9e eventually marries another,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Severus retorted. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHow the woman he loved and desired finds love and release in another man’s arms.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

He inhaled sharply. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcSometimes I loathe the wizarding world,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Severus admitted bitterly.<\/p>\n

Hermione thought of her parents and their new daughter. Of all the friends she had lost and the ones she might lose yet.<\/p>\n

Oh yes, the Muggle world was dangerous, too: there were car accidents and crime. You could be robbed, raped and killed in any dark alley in London.<\/p>\n

But still\u00e2\u20ac\u201dsometimes it seemed the safer, softer, brighter world of the two.<\/p>\n

A world that knew nothing of ghosts, Inferi and Dementors. A world, in which evil witches were the stuff of fairy tales and baked in ovens until they couldn’t harm anyone anymore.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Arithmantic Procrastination<\/h3>\n

Suddenly a thought occurred to Hermione and she pulled away from her husband.<\/p>\n

For a moment she studied his profile: frowning brow, aquiline nose, stubborn chin, all outlined by the sputtering gas lanterns of Diagon Alley. She knew Severus was upset. But in the dim light it was difficult to make out his expression. Not at all how he would look like in the neon light of the street lamps near the house where she’d grown up. Instead her surroundings appeared far removed from the 21st century. In a competition of settings for a remake of ‘Oliver Twist’, Diagon Alley would have won in a blink, all dingy and dirty and downtrodden.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcCould you\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 She inhaled deeply\u00e2\u20ac\u201dhesitated\u00e2\u20ac\u201dexhaled. Halted. Forced herself to continue: \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcCould you bind and banish Draco? Take him beyond the Veil? I\u00e2\u20ac\u201dI take it\u00e2\u20ac\u201dfrom\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwell, Harry asked Nearly Headless Nick about death, and\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

She couldn’t continue.<\/p>\n

Severus had already laid his hands around her waist in preparation for the Apparition. Now he let them slide away and drop to his sides. He heaved a weary sigh. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcYou couldn’t have waited with that conclusion until we were home, could you?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Hermione shivered in the nightly breeze. The already faint flames of the street light above them flickered in the wind, darkening their corner of Diagon Alley even more.<\/p>\n

His eyes were bleaker than the night that surrounded them.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcYes,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 he said at last. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI could. I can.\u00e2\u20ac\u201dAnd I will,<\/em> when<\/em> Draco asks me to.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

oooOooo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hermione held the pensieve gingerly in her cupped hands, much like the chalice of the gods of old or the holy grail of the Christian God.<\/p>\n

Why call it ‘Sempiternal Solution’ <\/em>if it did not, in fact, last<\/em> for all eternity?<\/p>\n

But the scanner of Genevieve Ollivander had revealed only mere remnants of magical power clinging to their wands that could be attributed to the Sempiternal Solution.<\/p>\n

The conclusion was, of course, that the potion had worn off after the wands had been dragged beyond the Veil and back.<\/p>\n

In other words, they had to brew another batch of Sempiternal Solution. If Hermione wanted Severus back with her in order to make new<\/em> memories, she would have to let go of three more memories of him that were precious to her now.<\/p>\n

She pushed the pensieve away and raised her head to stare out of the window over the surface of the lake. The last glitter of sunlight was rapidly fading from the water, leaving it black like ink and very still in this cold winter night.<\/p>\n

Hermione knew she was stalling.<\/p>\n

But she couldn’t help it. That’s silly, she told herself. After all, I know now that I’ll get the memories back.<\/p>\n

Yes, she would get them back. Pale, faded copies of what was now fresh and vibrant in her mind. But they’d still be there. Not gone. Not lost. Just faded, as if they’d been with her for years and years and years, as if other memories surpassed these.<\/p>\n

And ‘lost’ was the wrong word anyway. Because without the Sempiternal Solution and the spell that connected their wands and turned Severus’ wand into a key, Severus and Harry would not return from beyond the Veil.<\/p>\n

But still. Now, here and now, she had to pick thoughts, words, feelings and touches that were fresh and new and good and dear.<\/p>\n

She sighed and picked up her pen\u00e2\u20ac\u201da plain Muggle biro\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand nice Moleskine notebook that Harry had given her for Christmas.<\/p>\n

Absentmindedly, she began to doodle.<\/p>\n

A smiley.<\/p>\n

A silly heart with H & S inside, complete with a clumsy swirl.<\/p>\n

A skull.<\/p>\n

What do I know? she wondered. Automatically, her pen moved to jot down a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc#1\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n

Escaped Death Eaters had started killing Muggle- borns. And Muggles. She shuddered when she thought of what had happened to Severus’ erstwhile neighbours. Pretty much right after the battle. No surprise there. No one in their right mind would ever expect the likes of Fenrir Greyback to turn into tame lap-dogs.<\/p>\n

Umbridge had been demoted once more. And Shacklebolt had shunted that job as liason between the wizarding world and that Church committee off to Umbridge and no doubt had a good laugh about it.<\/p>\n

Dumbledore’s grave had been blown up and the Elder Wand had disappeared.<\/p>\n

She had been attacked after the concert and had seen the Dark Mark burn again upon a Death Eater’s arm.<\/p>\n

More people had been killed. The Ministry had come up with that brilliant ploy of using the protective tattoo on Muggle-born witches and wizards.<\/p>\n

Umbridge and\u00e2\u20ac\u201dor\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe strange Necromancers had somehow sabotaged the spell that infused the tattoos. But in consequence Dumbledore’s portrait had frozen and that had alerted the Order. Then she and Severus had discovered that the tattoos were leeching their magic off into the Realm of Death.<\/p>\n

At the same time the attacks on Muggle-borns had ceased. Draco and Percy had searched the Ministry for hints. Umbridge had killed Shacklebolt. Someone had killed Umbridge.<\/p>\n

#2: Somehow that doesn’t add up. It just doesn’t make sense in one neat equation.<\/p>\n

Hermione stared at what she had written.<\/p>\n

Yes, that’s what I’m after<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u201done neat equation that explains everything.<\/em><\/p>\n

You rarely get what you want in this world, she admonished herself. She frowned. Equation. Damn.<\/em> I’ve been forgetting not only the basics of Muggle algebra, but of wizarding Arithmancy.<\/p>\n

I’m looking at an equation. In Muggle algebra that means two <\/em>sides joined by the equals sign, and of course the basic Arithmantic equation asks for no less than three equal sides.<\/p>\n

So:<\/em> What had Umbridge wanted?<\/p>\n

That was easy: if possible, to kill all Muggles. If that was not possible, to kill all Muggle-borns and all other Half-breeds. If that was not possible, keep them from\u00e2\u20ac\u201d<\/p>\n

Hermione’s heart was beating faster and her throat was suddenly quite unaccountably dry.<\/p>\n

If that was not possible, to keep them from\u00e2\u20ac\u201d<\/p>\n

From<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u201d<\/p>\n

Breeding? From growing up, marrying, from having magically gifted children?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A Blissful Happy Smile, Lightly Expended<\/h3>\n

Yes, Hermione thought. Umbridge had been that evil. That woman had wanted to kill. She had craved power. And she would hurt you simply because she could.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hermione shuddered at the thought of the letters cut into the back of Harry’s hand. He might have gone a little over the top with those bright tattoos, but she could understand how he didn’t want to live with the message Umbridge’s quill had bequeathed to him for the rest of his life.<\/p>\n

But what about those strange Necromancers? If Severus was right, if they were connected with the Church, what was their agenda, their side of the equation?<\/p>\n

Hermione leant back in her chair. What do I know about the Church? she mused. Firmly, she shut up the voices in her mind that screamed ‘not enough, not enough’.<\/p>\n

Originally, they wanted to kill all witches and wizards. It was a simple as that.<\/p>\n

A thought hit her. If they couldn’t do that, what would they<\/em> settle for? For taking out all half-breeds, only in reverse? To keep bad blood from spreading? Hermione shuddered. To keep magic<\/em> from spreading. Wasn’t that what the treaties and the Statute of Secrecy had been all about? To contain magic. To keep magical people and magic segregated.<\/p>\n

She stared at the big Arithmantic equals sign she’d drawn and redrawn while she was thinking. The third side of the equation.<\/p>\n

That would be them. <\/em>The Order. Harry. Severus. Dumbledore. Death.<\/em><\/p>\n

And I,<\/em> she whispered, feeling cold and scared.<\/p>\n

In a daze, she drew the pensieve to her breast and raised her wand to her temple.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6how she’d kissed Severus, right after he’d come back, how his lips had been so cold, and how she’d cried when she’d felt his breath on her cheek, so haltingly, so soft, but<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u201doh my God!<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u201dso alive<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6how she’d held him when they’d left Draco and Hannah<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u201dnot just because it was such a recent memory, but because it felt so REAL to her, not beautiful, not important, not at all romantic, but<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u201dreal<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u201dsolid<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6taking his hand in the theatre during the ballet<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Her wand fell from her hand, a wooden tattoo on the table.<\/p>\n

Now she only remembered that this had once been one of her best, one of her most vital <\/em>and beautiful memories. The sounds, the sights, the touch of his hand\u00e2\u20ac\u201dshe was almost certain that there had been<\/em> his hand involved somehow\u00e2\u20ac\u201dall of that was gone.<\/p>\n

What remained was an acute sense of loss and swirling silvery shades in the pensieve.<\/p>\n

oooOooo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Severus Snape suppressed a sigh. It had been difficult to choose the memories for the potion the first time around. And though he didn’t regret gifting their pale shadows to Hermione, he still regretted their loss. Yes: he was that selfish.<\/p>\n

He’d written down their content\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6and still, when he read his account of the memories he’d lost, he could only shake his head in a bemused fashion. These <\/em>memories had been a part of him? Such an essential part that he’d chosen them as ingredients for this potion?<\/p>\n

And yet, he knew<\/em> they had been. He had written down how and why he had chosen which memories. He had described them in detail: their facts, but also the emotions they had caused within him.<\/p>\n

But to read those accounts\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6it was almost like reading a story, or poetry\u00e2\u20ac\u201dfanciful flights of imagination that seemed to have no or little connection with his real life. Still\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6there were other <\/em>memories that supported what he’d written. That told him every word was true. How she\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Severus was aware that he was stalling. Choosing those first three memories had been hard. This time, making the choice was almost unbearable. Memories of Hermione. He shook his head. He hadn’t realised his head and heart held so many of them, or held them dear. Even the earliest ones, those that ought to have faded to grey on their own account by now. Only they hadn’t.<\/p>\n

Of course he hadn’t noticed her as a man<\/em> then\u00e2\u20ac\u201djust as a teacher <\/em>notices a bright and overly eager student. Later, of course, she’d been on his mind as one of the Golden Trio\u00e2\u20ac\u201dsomeone he had to watch and protect.<\/p>\n

And then there had been that moment when he’d noticed how she was turning into a woman. He smiled wryly. He might be a teacher, but he was a man first. He did notice when his girls turned into women\u00e2\u20ac\u201dexcept for the odd wallflower or late bloomer. Most of the time, they went away in June as children and returned in September as women; some between their fifth and their sixth year, some between their sixth and their seventh year.<\/p>\n

But with Hermione it had been a gradual process. Or maybe he’d simply paid more attention to her. Small wonder, since he’d been forced to keep an eye on Potter constantly. And if you were looking out for Harry at that time, this included looking out for <\/em>and looking at <\/em>Hermione.<\/p>\n

It had started with Victor Krum, of course.<\/p>\n

What was it that Minerva had said about Hermione and Krum? He frowned. And when had they spoken about that anyway? Something about being in love and loving\u00e2\u20ac\u201dah, yes:<\/em> that Hermione had been in love with Krum, but smart enough not to love him. And that she loved Ron Weasley, but that she wasn’t in <\/em>love with him.<\/p>\n

Well, he remembered how she’d looked at Krum.<\/p>\n

Though\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthat evening\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthere had been one moment, one short, breathless, meaningless moment\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhen she had smiled at him. She probably hadn’t intended it. Twirling, dancing, her smile had come floating by, not intended for him, a blissful happy smile, lightly expended upon her blind and breathless game\u00e2\u20ac\u201dupon this blind and loveless man.<\/em><\/p>\n

With another sigh and the strangest feeling of pain and bliss inextricably linked, Severus raised his wand to his temple.<\/p>\n

oooOooo<\/strong><\/p>\n


<\/p>\n

\n


<\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00ab Chapters 191\u00e2\u20ac\u201c200<\/a> oooOooo<\/strong> Chapters 211\u00e2\u20ac\u201c220 \u00c2\u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n


<\/p>\n

\n


<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Apprentice and the Necromancer by JunoMagic Part 21, Chapters 201-210 So Long, Thanks to the Fish Draco scattered a few flakes of fish food over the water in a corner of the fish tank. Predictably, the lobalug removed itself … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":194,"featured_media":0,"parent":77,"menu_order":21,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"chapter.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-157","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/juno-magic.fancrone.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/juno-magic.fancrone.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/juno-magic.fancrone.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/juno-magic.fancrone.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/194"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/juno-magic.fancrone.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=157"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/juno-magic.fancrone.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/157\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8789,"href":"http:\/\/juno-magic.fancrone.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/157\/revisions\/8789"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/juno-magic.fancrone.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/77"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/juno-magic.fancrone.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}