Chapter 11~
Monday, December 26th
Harry Potter knocked the snow off his shoes before entering the warm lobby of Gringott's.
"Mr. Potter."
Harry turned to see Lucius Malfoy leaning on his cane next to Draco.
"Mr. Malfoy, Draco." He nodded. "Shall we?"
"Let's get this over with." Lucius said smoothly.
Harry noticed that the older man leaned more heavily on his cane these days, unlike in the past when it had been more a fashion accessory to him. Probably best not to mention it, Harry decided.
"Ah, Pheneas." Lucius said genially to an older goblin, I see you are ready to take us to the…scene of the crime, so to speak."
"Mr. Malfoy, I must protest-"
"And your protest is duly noted, Pheneas." The elder Malfoy said with a smile that did not reach his eyes. A subtle edge coming into his voice, Lucius continued, "Do you have any idea, Pheneas, how many Galleons I have in this branch alone?"
"I…I'd have to check to get a precise figure, Mr. Malfoy, with the interest and all-"
"Would you not agree that it is quite a bit, Pheneas?"
"I…yes, sir, it…it is."
"I see." Lucius said, pausing a moment. "Of course, there is the matter of my son's accounts also…and Mr. Potter's."
By now, the goblin was visibly paler than he had been five minutes ago. Draco smirked at Harry.
"Now, Pheneas." Lucius said softly, his tone full of hidden threat. "Take us to the vault that was broken into…or I will start talking louder. We don't want that, do we now?"
The goblin nodded, then started off toward the back of the lobby.
"Follow me, please." He said nervously, as Harry and Draco fell in behind Lucius.
oOo
When Severus woke up, she was there. A mass of sandy hair, softly snoring as she slept, her head pillowed on her hands on his bed, sitting in a chair next to him. A sleeping angel.
He really had to go use the loo. So much for romance, he thought.
"Tegan," he said, shaking her by the shoulder gently. She sighed and sat up, blinking and rubbing her eyes.
"Oh…" She smiled. Her eyes had a dark circles under them, and were a bit puffy. "Merry Christmas, Severus."
"That was a week ago." He corrected her.
"Perhaps, but you gave me the best Christmas present ever." Tegan smiled. "Not to mention how glad I am that you didn't die Christmas eve…that was probably my favorite part. Though I never want to relive that again."
"Um…Tegan…if you don't mind," He said, blushing, "Could you help me with the…bedpan?"
She laughed, and then sighed.
"Severus, as much as I've seen of you, I would think that such a normal thing wouldn't embarrass you. Everybody has to go, you know."
"I know," He said irritably, "but I'm used to…I don't like being so…helpless."
She helped him roll over, and then positioned the bedpan under him. Moments passed in awkward silence between them; with Severus blushing more and Tegan trying to hold in her mirth at his discomfort.
"All finished?" She said, barely suppressing a giggle.
"Yes." Severus hissed. "I do so look forward to being able to go to the loo without assistance."
"One tap, or two?"
He mumbled something unintelligible, and she lost it, dissolving into a fit of laughter. When she stopped, she had the hiccups.
"Serves you right." He said sourly. With a chuckle, she vanished the contents of the bedpan and tucked it back under the bed.
"Don't be such a grump." Tegan chided him, giving him a kiss. When he still glared at her, she gave him another one, and then another.
"You know, the Healers are saying that you are recovering very quickly." She sighed, sitting back down. "You might be sent home soon…if you behave yourself."
"Rubbish." He grumped.
"You're just mad that I'm staying with you to keep an eye on you." She said, frowning at him. It was to no avail, her smile kept creeping out. "If you weren't so stubborn and would have waited for the Healer to come help you with the bedpan-"
"I hate that damned thing! Always cold as ice."
"You hit your head and skinned your knees up. You could have really been in trouble had the Aurors not been right outside the door. Why didn't you call them, by the way. They would have heard you-"
"Oh, alright. I was trying to do it myself." He snapped.
There was a long moment of silence.
"I'm sorry, Tegan." He said softly. "I…I know I'm not a good patient. I'm sorry that I snapped at you."
"It's alright." She said, "Just try not to, okay? You're doing very well, recovering very quickly…but a careless action on your part can undo it all. I just want you to get well."
"I know." Severus said, and then a thought came to mind. "Are you going to come stay with me at my house in Spinner's end?"
"Well, no." She replied. "Harry and the Malfoys don't think it's safe. McNair was seen there just three days ago, prowling around the neighborhood."
"I see."
"Mum and dad have fixed up a spare bedroom at their house, offering it to you to stay in while you recover."
"That isn't necessary-"
"It's what we will do." Tegan said firmly.
Merlin, he thought, she looks like her mother when she does this.
"I've already talked to them about it." She went on, "It's only until school starts up again the second week of January. By then, Headmistress McGonagall should have everything ready in your quarters for us."
"What?" He said, sitting up, but flopping back on the bed when his body gave him a pointed reminder that he wasn't quite healed yet. "Ouch."
"Are you alright?" Tegan asked anxiously.
"Yes." He hissed. "Just…need …a moment."
Tegan waited on him to compose himself, one hand on the Healer call button.
"You said, 'us.'" Severus said, once he was more comfortable. "McGonnagal, just what is she doing to my living quarters?"
"She is aware of our situation, and felt it would be a good idea for us to stay in the same quarters."
"But we…aren't married." He said, stunned. "I can't see Minerva allowing that-"
"I have a ring," Tegan said calmly. "Most of the student's won't know the difference…and besides, in a few months, it will be rather difficult to hide my…um, condition. Most of the students will probably assume that we got married during the break, and who are we to say different?"
"Does she know…of your 'condition?"
"No…well, I don't think she does. But we're probably safest at Hogwarts. The Ministry has already assigned a team of Aurors to patrol the grounds."
oOo
New Year's Day, 2011~
A week later, Severus found himself glaring at Sally Dunham. Who glared right back at him.
"She needs to get out occasionally, young man." She said angrily. "We're just going to do some shopping, that's all. I'd like to spend some time with my daughter!"
"It's too dangerous."
"Severus, stop it." Tegan said, putting her earrings in. "Harry can go with us, if you're really that concerned…but the attack was on you, not me. The Death Eaters, or whatever they are calling themselves, were after YOU."
"I still don't like this."
"Daddy will be here with you, he can get anything you need." She said, trying to mollify him. It had been a difficult three days after he was released from hospital. It seemed as if every day he improved, but also got more irritable.
"Humph." Her mother scoffed.
"Mum…please wait outside, okay?" Tegan said, at her wit's end. She'd already learned that it wasn't wise to leave Severus and her mum together too long.
When her mother had gone out of the room, muttering things under her breath, she turned back to him.
"Was this really necessary? Severus, you really need to be nicer." She said, leaning over to kiss him on the forehead.
"I'm sorry. I'm just…bored. Stir-crazy." He sighed.
"Would it make it easier if I brought you something to read? I can even stop by Flourish & Blott's, pick you up something you might not have read yet."
"Even if I have read it, it would be fine. Just…hurry back. I worry about you-"
"They'll be perfectly safe, Professor Snape." Harry interjected. "I'll be with them all day, everywhere they go."
Snape scowled at Harry.
"And I'll be fine, Severus. I'll take Harry with us, and I have my wand." Tegan smiled. "Really, I'll be fine."
oOo
Harry walked down the street with Tegan and her mother, admiring the Christmas decorations as the two women nattered on about where they wanted to shop next. He'd much rather be shopping with Ginny. Maybe this would be a good opportunity to get some ideas on what Ginny might like for Christmas, he thought.
I still can hardly believe it, Snape and Tegan Dunham, engaged to be married, and expecting their first child already. He doesn't waste much time, He chuckled inwardly, feeling a curious mix of incredulity and relief. If anyone deserves happiness, Snape surely does, given what he did…what he sacrificed. None of us might be alive had it not been for him…
As they passed an alley, four shadowy figures detached themselves from their hiding places, moving toward them. To Harry's horror, they drew wands, and Tegan was closest to them. She was listening to something her mother was talking about, unaware of the danger.
"Avada Kedavra!" Shouted the closest of the four men, a green flare of light bursting from his wand and racing toward Tegan and her mother. Harry spun toward the alley, pulling his wand from his pocket in an attempt to at least get off a stunner, anything to impair their aim. Sally screamed, and Tegan struggled to pull her wand out in time to cast a shield.
As the green flare of the Unforgivable reached Tegan, a white flash of light flared, the deadly spell rebounding to strike the two men nearest to her. The impact of the spell flung the third man hard against the stone wall next to him. All three fell to the snowy cobblestones in the alley, unmoving.
McNair stood in the alley, his wand pointed at Tegan. His hand was shaking uncontrollably. Smithers and Cooper were probably dead, Simmons was unconscious or dead, he didn't want to take the time to check. He figured he only had a few seconds at best. Right now, he was staring down the wands of Harry Potter and the young woman who was with him, and she looked furious enough to fire off an Avada Kedavraof her own. A middle-aged muggle woman cowered behind them, trembling with fear.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted, and McNair's wand flew from his hand. Blindly, McNair spun and ran, only to feel the impact of a stunner hit him in the back, knocking him down, half-conscious in the snow in the alley. Dazed, he fought to remain conscious.
"You bastard! I should kill you, McNair!" Hissed Tegan, her wand trembling with her rage. How dare he attack them, in broad daylight!
"Whoa, Tegan." Harry said, pushing her wand hand up. "I've got this. We need the two who are alive, for questioning."
"This is one of the bastards who tried to kill Severus, Harry!" She snarled, digging her wand into the side of his neck hard, drawing blood.
"Breathe wrong, you son of a bitch, I dare you! I should blow your head right off your foul shoulders right now!" Wild magic crackled around Tegan, her hair throwing off sparks. McNair wet himself, struggling to breathe with the wand digging into his throat.
"Tegan." Sally said quietly, "I know that you want revenge, but remember, Severus isn't dead-"
"No," Tegan said grimly, "but he is crippled. This bastard-"
"He'll pay, Tegan." Harry said, gently placing his hand on her wand arm. "But not like this, okay? I don't want to see you go to Azkaban for murdering him."
"McNair, if you ever come near me or my family, I will kill you." She hissed, digging the wand in a bit more. "I swear it."
Magic suddenly swirled around her and McNair, surprising everyone.
"Wh-wh-what was that?" McNair stammered fearfully.
"You don't want to find out." Tegan smiled evilly.
She spat full in McNair's face and removed her wand, allowing Harry to place handcuffs on him. When the Aurors came to take the two men to the Ministry for questioning, Tegan was still shaking with anger.
"We'd best go home." Her mother said, rubbing Tegan's arm. "I think our day out has come to an end."
oOo
"Good afternoon, Severus," Minerva McGonagall said as she walked into his bedroom. He laid the book that he was reading down, marking his place.
"Good afternoon, Headmistress." He sighed. "To what do I owe this honor, of a personal visit? I've already heard from Tegan. Just what have you done to my quarters at Hogwarts?"
"It's good to see you, too, Severus." She laughed. "Not much. I made some of the doorways wider to accommodate your wheelchair, and put in some handrails for the tub and the loo. Don't want you slipping and falling, you know."
He scowled at her.
"I won't be in this infernal contraption long." He growled, referring to the wheelchair that he sat in, next to the window. He hadn't really been all that interested in the book, a tiresome novel dealing with some sort of rubbish medieval story, but it was the most interesting thing he could find in Walter's library. He was sitting near the window because Tegan and her mother hadn't returned from shopping yet, and he felt anxious.
They should have been back by now, he fretted.
"Severus?" Minerva said, sounding somewhat irritated.
"What?"
"I was telling you about the elevator we installed. The castle was quite accommodating, surprisingly enough. It-"
"Minerva, I'm sure it's fine." He sat up, looking out the window as two cracks resounded through the back yard. They are back, he thought with relief.
Almost immediately, he knew something wasn't right.
Tegan stormed into his room, her eyes flashing.
"Tegan, listen to me-" Potter said, following right behind her.
"Shut it, Harry!" She shouted, fairly shaking with rage. "I wasn't going to kill him-"
Minerva cleared her throat, bringing the discussion to a halt.
"Kill whom, Professor Dunham?" The Headmistress said dryly.
"Indeed…I'm most interested in hearing what happened on your 'perfectly safe' shopping trip, dear." Severus said softly, shooting Harry a nasty glare. Harry sighed, pushing his glasses up.
"Do you want to tell him, or should I?" Harry asked Tegan, who huffed at him in disdain, walking over to Severus and giving him a hug.
"What happened?" Severus asked her gently, feeling her trembling against him. He pulled her down on his lap, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her to him.
"Won't this hurt your legs?" She asked, concerned.
"No, it doesn't hurt at all." He lied. "You're more important."
"You're fibbing." She whispered in his ear.
"Perhaps." He agreed. "Now, tell me what happened."
"We were in Hogsmeade, and we got jumped by McNair and three of his cronies." She said softly, bracing herself for the explosion.
Severus shot Harry a menacing glare.
"Potter, I warned-"
"Hush, Severus." Tegan said, placing a finger against his lips. "Let me finish first. Something happened…with my ring. One of the men tried to use Avada Kedavraon me-I was closest-and there was a flash of white light…and when my eyes recovered three of the men were down. I'm pretty sure that at least one was dead."
He was running his hands over her, checking for wounds immediately.
"Are you in any pain? Any dizziness, any discomfort-"
"Stop, Severus!" She snapped. "Sorry. I'm fine, really I am. Not a scratch. So's the baby, she's fine, too-"
"Baby?" McGonagall said, shocked. "You're pregnant?"
"Oh…" Tegan said weakly. "I…guess you didn't get told. Um…sorry."
"Never mind that, how far along are you, girl?" Minerva asked, walking over to her as she sat on Severus' lap.
"Um…by my best guess and the charms I used…about 3-4 months." Tegan said nervously. " I think."
"Well, congratulations. To both of you." She smiled, giving Severus a smile and Tegan an affectionate squeeze on her shoulder.
Severus sighed.
"So, getting back to the subject at hand…who exactly were you going to kill, dear?"
"McNair." She replied. He could feel her trembling again, this time with anger. "I wanted to-"
"Enough." Harry said, earning a glare from both Severus and Tegan. "Look, we needed to question him. We have to find out what's going on before we can stop it."
"He does have a point, my hot-headed little witch." Severus sighed.
"I hate to separate you two," Harry reluctantly continued, "but I need to talk to Severus alone for a bit. What we need to discuss is quite sensitive, and the fewer people hear it the better."
"All of us?" Tegan said warily. "I think that if something concerns Severus, it is my concern also."
"Um, I'm not sure that –" Harry began, but given the look Tegan was giving him, he sighed and gave in.
"Alright, Tegan can stay." He grudgingly agreed, "but everyone else, out."
oOo
"So, what did they steal, Potter?" Severus asked irritably. "I doubt it really warrants all this secrecy."
Harry smirked.
"Oh come on, Harry, out with it?" Tegan exploded, leading Severus to cast a silencing charm on the room. It was easier than talking his fiancée into being quiet.
"It's not what they stole, Severus." Harry said calmly. "It's what they went in to steal, and couldn't. Because it wasn't in the vault."
"Potter, if this is your idea of some kind of joke-" Severus hissed.
"The item that Lestrange wanted," Harry continued, "was in vault 3679."
Severus went completely pale, drawing in a quick gasp that led Tegan to look at him in alarm.
"I…"
"Yes, Severus." Harry said softly. "Lestrange went to all that trouble to break into Gringotts', and got nothing but an empty box for his troubles. An empty box…from your vault.
"What was in that box, Severus?"
Snape swallowed nervously. It…couldn't have anything to do with…it couldn't possibly…
"Harry, please…" Tegan snapped, "You're upsetting him!"
"No…darling…" Snape sighed, composing himself. "I'm…alright. I…"
"Severus, you got it recently, didn't you?" Harry said, leaning forward. "What would Lestrange have you nearly killed for, and why?"
Severus took hold of Tegan's left hand and held it up, his hand trembling.
"This is what I retrieved from my vault." He said, his voice unsteady. "Just my mother's engagement ring, for Tegan to wear after I proposed to her. That's all I got that day from my vault."
"Why would Lestrange want it?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"I have…no idea." Snape replied.