"Well Morrigan, as we can't have the students associating your name to what you are, I suggest you pick a new name and I'll officially inform the ministry tonight." Dumbledore said.
"Yikes! All the pressure" Morrigan laughed. " The last time you told me I could pick my own name you decided you didn't like it and changed it yourself."
Dumbledore eyes twinkled and he chuckled quietly. "Yes and if I remember correctly you were quite upset and all the furniture in my office was on the ceiling the next time I walked in."
"Well really, what kind of name is Matilda Shoemaker." she huffed. "At least you had the decency to tell everyone the truth afterward."
Still laughing at the memory, they settled into the chairs next to Albus' fireplace. Even knowing the dangers that lay ahead and the challenge of keeping her identity, they both could relax. One knowing that Harry would be getting the best teacher to help him access and control his dark magic. And one knowing that a prophecy would soon be fulfilled and she could soon live her life without worrying about what lay around every corner.
"I think that Shaye O'Malley has a nice ring to it."
"Can't get away from that Irish heritage of yours can you?" Minerva McGonagall chuckled as she entered the office.
Morrigan jumped up and hugged the older woman warmly. "No Aunt Minnie I can't. Who am I to deny the blood that flows thru my veins."
"Now there will be none of that Aunt Minnie nonsense this time around my girl" Professor McGonagall said sternly. "I won't have my students referring to me as Minnie Mouse behind my back again."
"Oh Aunt Minnie really. As if I would do something so immature." Morrigan said trying to look innocent.
Again Dumbledore chuckled to himself. " Oh my dear. You really were quite the prankster in your day. Had you been here during their heyday you would have been one of the original Marauders. But by their last year they had calmed down quite a bit. As it happens there are a couple of students who you will have to keep a close eye on. Fred and George Weasley... Even I have to admit that they are ingenious with some of the things they have pulled especially with the new teachers. They've even managed to open a mail order joke business while they are finishing seventh year."
"Yes Albus you are quite right. However, I do believe that Morrigan will have nothing to fear as far as pranks go. The twins will be so smitten with her that anything they pull this year will be to impress her not embarrass her." McGonagall sniffed.
Morrigan laughed. "Well if that's the case I can't wait to meet them in a few days. So when does Shaye O'Malley get to meet the rest of the staff. Some of them weren't here that 7th year. And the ones that were know me by a different name. Although we can just tell them that I changed it because of the wars. . . mine and yours. Plus the glamour that I have added this time round should keep them from remembering me. Only those I allow will see my real face. You, Minerva, Filius, Lucius, should I run into him, and. . ."
"I will introduce you tonight at supper." Dumbledore interrupted her.
"And what about...Severus?" she asked softly.
The words were no sooner out of her mouth then the inner door of Dumbledore's office swung open and Severus Snape walked in. At first he didn't see her and moved towards Albus. That's when Morrigan gasped softly and he turned to look directly into her eyes.
When their eyes first met, Morrigan registered surprise, warmth and then icy indifference. And that was when her heart stopped beating and it felt like all the air had been sucked from the room. She knew that they had parted on bad terms. Very bad terms truth be told and the fury that replaced the indifference in his eyes only reassured her that this was going to be much harder then she thought.
When their eyes first met, Snape's breath stopped and his heart began to ache. On the outside Morrigan looked exactly as she had 16 years ago. Her eyes told another story. Behind the sadness and sorrow he saw, there was a flicker of hope and innocence. There was also the look of someone who had gone thru too many horrible things to ever really be innocent again. It was this look that made Severus want to rush over to her and pull her into his arms. To hold her until the hurt was gone and hold her until she was his again. But then he recalled the one memory that resurfaced in his mind every time he thought about her over the years. And all emotions drained away save for one. Anger. And that was how he would survive this next year. With the help of that one memory.
"Hello Sev. How are you?" Morrigan asked breathlessly.
"High Priestess Morrigan Badb. And for the record it's Professor Snape as I have earned the right to that much respect." he said in a tight voice.
Morrigan was taken back by his tone and the use of her formal title and name. Well Severus if that's the way you want to do this then so be it. But it will be on your head. "My apologizes Professor Snape. I had quite forgotten what an uptight pretentious jackass you can be. But not to worry it won't happen again." she spit out.
"Ah yes. And I had quite forgotten what an immature devious bitch you can be" he countered.
"That will be enough of that if you please" Dumbledore said as he intervened. He realized that this was going to be much harder on the both if them then anticipated. And this was only the first 2 minutes together. " Severus, I believe you have something for Morrigan, do you not?"
Albus' voice shocked him back to his normal bad tempered self. He would not let this woman get under his skin so quickly and easily. " Of course Headmaster. This blue potion should minimize the bond's intensity and this green one will keep the pain away. Now if you excuse me I must get my Potions lab ready for tomorrow. Albus, Minerva...High Priestess." The last of these names was spit out with pure disgust. Then with his customary turn and billowing of his robes he left them sitting there.
"Well that could have gone better. Really Morrigan you shouldn't bate him like that" McGonagall sighed.
"ME! I bated him. Are you serious!"
"Alright Minerva. Yes Morrigan could have been better but Severus acted the same." Dumbledore said. "Now Morrigan. As Severus explained to me yesterday, his version of the potions will last a week and then you must take another round. I don't think I need to impress the importance of taking them without delay."
"No, of course you don't. Believe me the last thing I want is to have this affect me at all." And with that Morrigan downed the two potions and turned to leave. " I'm almost tempted to change my name to Shaye Snape but I don't guess that would be advisable would it Uncle Albus."
Although this last comment was said with a grin, Albus knew that her heart had taken a beating by just being in the same room as Severus. And he hoped that the Potions Master had made the temporary remedies strong enough.
After she had gone and the inner door had closed Minerva turned to Albus and he could see the questions in her eyes.
"Minerva what I tell you does not leave this room. I know that you might take offense me saying that but I have to. This is not my secret but I feel you need to know because I need your help watching over the two of them."
"Albus of course. I know you only say that when it's of the utmost importance."
Dumbledore sighed as he settled himself back in his chair. " 25 years ago when Morrigan was brought to us for protection, I introduced her to the only other child in residence at the castle... Severus."
"Yes Albus I know this already" McGonagall said thru thinned lips.
But Dumbledore merely held up his hand and said, "Please let me get thru this."
McGonagall looked affronted but sat back in her chair.
"When I introduced them I could tell that Severus was smitten with her. She being a Celtic Priestess and their aging process somewhat dissimilar to ours it was amazing they got along. For although she looked 11 by our years, she was actually 25 yrs old in her culture. And as all the knowledge and memories of each generation is in the blood of the next she already seemed far older then that. But she was patient with him and took care of him. Showing him that not every person was going to hurt him or leave him. She did explain who and what she was and impressed on him how important it was that no one knew who she was or that she came there. At first he was reluctant because he wanted to tell everyone about his friend the Celtic Priestess but after hearing her history and how she was always in danger he vowed to never even mention her in passing. However when that first September came and Morrigan had to return to the Circle he was devastated. But she gave him something that helped ease the pain. A flat stone made of granite and emerald. When he held this stone in his hand and said her name a...connection was made thru their minds. I don't know what it was but it was old, dark magic that only the two of them shared for the stone would not work for me or anyone else. All thru the year, with all the teasing and torment that Severus received he held strong because of that stone and her. And when summer came it was as if they had never been apart."
"Each summer and each school term was the same thing. I really think that she saved him. Without that link and those summers, I believe that Severus would have disappeared into himself and been lost to us. As each summer passed I saw the two of them getting closer until I realized that they had finally gotten together. I was a little surprised at first but happy for them both which is why I kept it a secret from everyone here and the Circle. And then came that summer when the Circle agreed Morrigan could stay for the school term. Morrigan wanted to keep it a secret and be sorted like the first years. So we pretended that she was going and Severus and I walked her to the Forbidden Forest and I let them say a quiet goodbye. Then Severus all but ran back to the school. Morrigan and I waited for a few minutes and she entered into Hagrid's hut to stay til the morning. The next evening, as all the first years were brought into the Great Hall and were sorted I gave an announcement saying we had an exchange student from Ireland's Wizardry school. I watched Severus' face when he saw her enter thru the doors. He had gone from sullen to surprise to ecstatic in those few seconds. I of course introduced her as Matilda Shoemaker. And you know the retaliation of that little joke. I thought it was very funny but I saw Morrigan did not. And as I was getting on in years and didn't want to have a furious near immortal Celtic Priestess on my hands I quickly let everyone know I was kidding."
"So as Skye Finnigan took her place under the sorting hat, I held my breath waiting to see what would happen. She told me later that the Hat was confused as to where to put her. And no wonder. She was smart enough on her own ,never mind generations of knowledge from her ancestors, to be in Ravenclaw. Her loyalty to her people was nothing compared to her loyalty to Severus which made her perfect for Hufflepuff. Her courage and bravery would have put her in Griffindor but it was the Slytherin cunning she possessed that caused the hat to rethink all the houses again. Finally it asked her where she wanted to go. Without hesitation she said Slytherin. After all, the love of her life was there. And as you know it shouted out Slytherin. I had watched the faces of the students as the hat was deciding. Every female face was full of curiosity and jealousy. And every male face was full of wonder and lust. For she was as she is now a true Irish beauty. When she was sorted, Slytherin went wild for their new dorm mate. But Severus was nervous. I could tell. I assume he wasn't sure what would happen now. He later told me that he was afraid she would walk right by him and forget he existed when she saw the other young men all around her. But as soon as she hopped off the stool and headed over to the table I could see in her eyes that Severus was the only one there as far as she was concerned. She walked right over to him, sat down and kissed him. I thought that I would have to calm everyone down but there was no need because everyone was to shocked to react. So I simply said...Well I guess you can see that Mr. Snape and Miss Finnigan know each other. That got everyone talking again and the feast started. However I did see one person who was still staring at Morrigan. Lucius Malfoy. I saw his eyes tighten in anger and jealousy. And then watched as he got control of himself. I should have known then but...hindsight is 20/20 as Muggles say."
"You know that they were devoted to each other thru that year and for the next 2 years. What none of us knew about was the Bonding. Early in their 7th year just after the Yule Ball I believe, Morrigan went thru her Bonding time. Basically it is a chemical and magical occurrence that happens once every 5 years for a Celtic Priestess. During that time they can Bond their life mate. It may seem like an animal mating but it is not. For animals have no control over these things where as Morrigan did. When it happened to her for the first time she was scared. But rather then hide away like some did to avoid accidently Bonding another, she told Severus about it and explained it would be rough for a few weeks. Much to her surprise Severus asked if she wanted to Bond with him. She was still many years older then him even if she didn't look it and she hadn't even thought that at such a young age he would even consider it. They preformed the ceremony later that night. And were very happy for the next 2 years. And you know what occurred after that."
Professor McGonagall was shocked to say the least. "And the potions Albus. What are they for?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "The Bonding can never be broken. Celtic bonds are for eternity. It begins as 2 auras from each person containing a little bit of their soul and magical core. Then it joins together as a single aura surrounding both of them. It joins in such a way that each separate piece now holds as much of the other as it does itself. Then it splits in half and each person is infused with a piece of the other's. It is very dangerous for a non - Celtic to take part, but I think that all the years of being with Morrigan and using that stone prepared Severus for it all. When together, the aura, even though residing in 2 persons, works as one. However should the persons be separated, it becomes restless and stops functioning properly without the other half. Each person can still do magic but it is not as strong or true as when the two are together. However, as Severus and Morrigan have exceptionally strong magic independently, the difference was manageable. It does though cause pain to the holder as it tries to seek out it's partner to become whole again. And if it does not find it, then very often it leads to the death of both of the Bonded. However, it was during the Celtic Wars when families and lovers were divided, that the Circle took measures to ensure that no Priest or Priestess would be to seriously harmed. Much good it did the few survivors. They developed potions to ease the effects and numb the aura without damaging it. And it can work for a number of years depending on the conditions. But none that I know of lasted for more then 10 years."
Again McGonagall was speechless. "But...but Albus, Morrigan and Severus have been apart for nearly 17 years! How are they still alive?"
"Because even after that night when Severus cursed her and she left, they never stopped loving or needing one another. They will never admit that but each knows it's true. Otherwise they might very well be dead. But even knowing it can not overcome what broke them apart in the first place.." Dumbledore whispered. "And now that they are such close proximity...It may well be that they won't be able to control it. Leading to either a joyous re-joining or complete destruction of the aura and of them. Which is why I need your help Minerva. They must discover the truth and rediscover each other for their own sakes."
Minerva just nodded her head in agreement and thought about the two lonely people in separate parts of the castle. Her own heart breaking for them both.