New and Old, Friends and Enemies

Harry had finally worked up the nerve to ask another question ("Professor McGonagall says dad was one of the best Chasers she's ever seen. Why did he become an Auror instead of a Quidditch player?"), when Remus suddenly whipped his head around as though he'd heard something. Betty and Sirius were looking at him as if they wanted to ask what was wrong when Harry heard it too.

He reached out to grip Betty's arm hard and whispered, "Something just came in through the cat flap." He swallowed. "It wasn't Spots."

Betty had once told him why the people at school thought his name was Harry Gray, and why no one was allowed to see his scar. And she had told him what most other wizardfolk didn't know. The danger was not yet past.

Then he heard the whispering.

"I have found you, little one. My master will be pleased to see his prey caught at last. You'll live yet, little one. My master will want to thank you…." There was a sound like laughter. The voice was coming closer. "Come out, my prey, my master won't mind if you're missing some bits so long as he can kill you himself…" It laughed again, right outside the door.

Harry saw the darting tongue a heartbeat before the triangular head. "You'll live, little one. But your guardians will die slowly."

"No! You won't get near them!"

The snake laughed, dodging the spells the adults were throwing at it. "And how will you stop me?" It struck.

"NO!"

There was a bright light and a great deal of confusion, and when Harry could see again Betty was kneeling on the floor beside Severus – where had he come from? –, singing as she let her wand dance over a huge wound in his shoulder and neck.

Harry got up on his hands and knees – how had he ended up on the floor anyway? – and crawled over.

Up close he could see that Betty was crying, tears dropping into the wound. After a very long time the blood slowed and Severus' breathing sounded easier.

Just then Harry became aware of what was happening around him. And the headache splitting his skull. He moaned quietly and bent forward to wrap his arms around his head.

Betty murmured something in front of him and the pain eased slightly.

Harry looked up at her. The fear he hadn't felt before was catching up with him. "It said it was going to kill you. And it was going to hurt me. It's master wouldn't mind if I was missing a few bits so long as he could kill me himself. I was so scared it was going to hurt you."

He hadn't thought Betty's face could get any whiter.

Andromeda Tonks had the night shift. She had volunteered because Dora was at a dragon exhibit with Charlie Weasley, and Ted was working on some project which apparently required his undivided attention for the next two days.

She checked in at the nurses' station, made her rounds, and went to sit down with a cup of coffee.

She sat in the break room for half an hour, contemplating the letters she had received today. The first one, the one she had been waiting for was more than she'd dreamed. And boring, compared to the other two.

The letter from Sirius was one she had not dared to expect, even after she'd written to him. He (and his friend Remus Lupin) had invited Andromeda and her family to visit the day after tomorrow. She'd have to buy new robes for Ted, all of his had holes or burn marks or irremovable stains.

But the letter from Narcissa was by far the most surprising. It had very carefully made no mention of those topics on which they radically disagreed, and spoken instead of Narcissa's son Draco and that she worried her rose bushes might not survive the winter. She inquired after Andromeda's health and career and family. The only indication for a reason of this sudden reopening of communication lay in the signature.

I miss you.

Cissy

Narcissa had insisted on being called by her full name since she was eight years old. And the open admission of emotion was similarly unusual.

"Healer Tonks to Emergency, please. Healer Tonks to Emergency."

Andromeda immediately abandoned her coffee and her musings and started running.

According to the medi-witch who'd admitted him the patient was male, 29 years old, approximately [height], healthy except for a strong allergy to bees' wax. He'd been brought in by a young woman and a man, with dangerous injuries to his neck and left shoulder. It looked as though something had torn out large chunks of flesh and muscle.

Since he wasn't in active danger of dying, owing to a short-term stasis field, Andromeda spared a moment to glance at the chart.

Name of the patient: Severus T. Snape

Next of kin: Albus Dumbledore & Annabeth Gray

Accompanied by: Annabeth Gray & Sirius Black

Andromeda suppressed a curse. Those names were all too familiar. Then she drew her wand and began treating the patient.

Charlie sat on the couch, beside Tonks. The boy called Harry was curled around some sort of a stuffed animal in the largest armchair. The man who'd been left behind was pacing in front of the fireplace.

Gray and Black had left with the injured man after the snake had fled.

Tonks made a noise beside him, and as he looked at her Charlie realised she was crying. He had never seen her cry before, except the time a Bludger had broken her arm so badly the bone stuck out of the skin.

Charlie didn't think she realised she was crying. He hesitated for a long moment, then brushed a tear from her cheek and put his arm around her shoulders.

Andromeda took a deep breath and stepped beck from the bed, letting her wand sink.

Mr. Snape was rather lucky. Whatever creature had attacked him, it had been poisonous but very little had entered his bloodstream. Only one artery had been damaged and that had been easy enough to heal. It would take a while before the wound healed completely, because of the small amount of poison the creature had injected, and it would leave a very nasty scar. But Mr. Snape was very lucky.

In a month's time he might even be allowed to go home.

Betty stood the moment she saw someone in Healer's robes heading toward her - Black had gone to see how Harry and Lupin, and the two teenagers, were faring.

When Betty thought to focus on the Healer's face she was relieved and surprised to recognize Healer Tonks. Even better, Healer Tonks didn't look like someone bearing bad news.

"Is he-"

"He's stable and healing. He won't wake up before noon tomorrow, but he should be just fine."

"Oh, thank God. I was so scared, there was so much blood and it wouldn't stop…"

"Do you mind if I ask what attacked Mr. Snape?" asked Healer Tonks after a minute.

"Professor Snape." Betty frowned. "It was a snake, ma'am. A good bit longer than I'm tall, it came in through the cat flap, and it seemed rather more intelligent than the average snake. Severus arrived a few minutes after the snake. I have no idea how he knew. And…" she hesitated, bit her lip. "I think… I think he recognized it. And he feared it. Before he showed up Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin and I were doing our best to hold it off and protect the children…"

"Children? And is this Sirius Black you're talking about?"

"Yes. He and Mr. Lupin were invited to dinner. The children are my adoptive son and a pair of teenagers we found outside my apartment. I think one of them's a Weasley." She hadn't yet thought to question their presence, never mind their identities. "May I see Severus?"

Healer Tonks shook her head once. "Yes," she said. "But only for a few minutes. You should go home and tell your family that everything will fine."

Betty nodded. Everything will not be fine. I don't know what that snake was, but it gave Harry a headache and it talked to him. Severus' wounds will heal.

But I fear he'll be wounded again far too soon.

Andromeda watched Healer Gray as she puttered around Mr. Snape's bed for a few minutes.

Two teenagers, one of them a Weasley. She rolled her eyes. I'd bet my wand I know their names. No surprise to find them right at the centre of a great deal of trouble.

But why were they outside Healer Gray's apartment in the first place. What makes her more interesting than a dragon exhibit for that pair of fanatics?

The young woman, looking suddenly familiar in an entirely new way, bent to kiss the pale forehead of the man lying unmoving in the hospital bed. Andromeda looked away. She had seen many wives treat their husbands in this way. And too many of those men had died soon after.

When she looked back Healer Gray's face was calm as she walked toward the door. Andromeda gave her watch a quick glance and nodded to herself.

"Healer Gray, may I ask you something?"

She nodded, rummaging in a pocket of her skirt.

"Those teenagers you mentioned? I believe I may know who they are. May I come with you to confirm my suspicions?"

Healer Gray finally looked at her. "Of course. But how could you possibly know them?"

Andromeda snorted. "Unless I miss my guess, they're my daughter and her best friend." She shook her head. "The worst troublemakers Hogwarts has seen since my cousin and his friends graduated, if Minerva is to be believed. Really, I shouldn't be surprised to find them mixed up in this."

The corners of Healer Gray's mouth were pulled up in what was almost a smile.

Once outside they found an abandoned alley where Healer Gray removed a stone bracelet from her wrist and motioned for Andromeda to touch it. "It's a password-portkey. Unauthorized, but once you meet my son you'll understand. I'll tell you now that I will remove anyone and anything that presents a threat to my family. I was once told my protectiveness could rival a mother lion's. Do not forget." While Andromeda was still staring at her, the young woman bent to whisper something at the bracelet they were both holding onto, and Andromeda felt the portkey hook behind her bellybutton and pull her along.

Who is that child that he'd be so surrounded by secrecy?

"It has begun." Draco stopped mid-step. "The mark has grown black once more." Mother gasped but Father gave no indication he had noticed. "I have already contacted those who were not caught. Only Severus and Igor Karkaroff have not answered to my call. The others report the same phenomenon. Ivan Burke tells me Severus is in St. Mungo's, though he has been unable to find out the cause. The blood-traitor Tonks is in charge of his case and she has been suspiciously close-mouthed."

Severus. Draco recognized the name. The man had been mentioned in many of his parents' fights. He knew Father distrusted the man, but Mother had never made her feelings clear that Draco had heard.

Mother began to say something very quietly and Draco shuffled closer to the secret door hidden by a portrait of some long-forgotten ancestor. Mother's voice was still too quiet for Draco to understand. He pressed his ear to the back of the portrait, moving closer. His elbow hit the wall hard and Draco had to clench his teeth to hold in a shout of pain.

The silence on the other side of the portrait suddenly sounded very loud. Draco tried not to hold his breath.

After a minute or two Mother and Father continued their conversation, but Draco was no longer listening. That had been too close for comfort, and eavesdropping had never been his intention when he used the secret passages.

And besides, he was fairly certain he knew what 'mark' Father had spoken of.

"You mustn't try to get out of bed again! I have told you countless times, Mr. Snape. If you move around too much before you are up to it, your stay in this bed will be the longer for it." The mediwitch finally had him settled in bed with the sheets tucked in around him, and looked at him with a hard stare. "If you do this again I will have you bound and unable to move more than a few inches. Understood?"

Severus grimaced but nodded. He suspected she was the sort who would keep her word. He would wait until he was certain her shift was over and she had gone home the next time.

Annabeth had only come to see him once in the two weeks he had spent in the hospital, although she sent messages with Remus Lupin at least every other day.

From the little Lupin had been willing to tell him where the walls might have ears, Annabeth had drafted him and Black to help her and Harry move. In the meantime, Healer Tonks made sure all the staff knew not to let Severus so much as poke a toe out beneath the blanket.

Andromeda Tonks, Black's cousin. Severus had been alarmed to learn that she, along with her daughter and one of the Weasleys, had been told of Harry's identity and that the snake was proof the Dark Lord was not as dead as it was generally assumed. How could they be certain she and those children would keep their mouths shut? And if they did, how careful would they be, talking amongst themselves?

He leaned back into the pillows and closed his eyes. What had Nagini been doing in some muggle village in the countryside? How had she found Annabeth and Harry? How long until her master followed? Could any of them, Black, Lupin, Annabeth, Severus, stand against the Dark Lord and win?

Engrossed as he was in these morbid questions, Severus didn't notice his eyelids growing heavy. Still wrapped in imaginary worst-case-scenarios, he fell asleep and straight into a nightmare.

Betty set the bag down at the foot of the stairs and grimaced at the thick layer of dust. Harry stopped beside her and looked around curiously while they waited for Remus to come out of the fireplace. Betty kept a firm hand on Harry's shoulder. She would not let him wander in the house of an ancient racist pureblood family until she was certain all dangerous objects were either removed or under lock and key.

The whoosh and the flaring green flames of a Floo transport pulled Harry and Betty's attention back to the tall fireplace. Remus emerged, banged his head and came out coughing and swearing.

Betty sighed and drew her wand to clean the ash off him and, while she was at it, began attacking the dusty sofa.

After several minutes she was finished and about to let herself drop down on the ancient thing, when someone shouted right behind her, at the top of their voice, "WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?"

A short scream escaped her as she jumped, then whirled, drawing her wand, a curse ready on her lips. Sirius' eyes crossed as he tried to stare at the tip of her wand, pointing at the point on his nose right between his eyes. She held it there for a long moment, contemplating whether to curse him anyway, just for scaring her that way.

Then she calmly let it vanish into the special pocket in her blouse. "Do not scare me that way again."

"WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

Beside Betty, Remus was failing to suppress his sniggering, and Harry was looking from Betty to Sirius and back, like a cat watching a tennis match.

"Well, what's wrong with him?"

Remus got himself under control long enough to answer. "I suspect he went into Regulus' room. The doorway's been jinxed since Regulus got his wand. This particular jinx was supposed to teach Sirius a lesson on listening to what other people said, that never quite reached Sirius." He glanced at his friend, watching them talk with an utter lack of comprehension and started sniggering again.

Betty rolled her eyes. "How do we remove the jinx?"

"What?" Remus very carefully did not look at Sirius. "Oh, it's really simple." He made a quick and complicated motion with his wand, which Betty had not seen him draw, and Sirius jumped as though someone had shouted in his ear.

"Can you hear me?" Betty asked loudly. Sirius winced and nodded. "Good. What can you tell me about this place?"

"It's belonged to the Black family since before the rest of the street stood, so far as I know. It's a good deal larger on the inside than it looks on the outside. I've removed the more disgusting things, but the most rooms are filled to the ceiling with enchanted stuff of every description. I have no idea how much of it's dangerous, but a few of the bedrooms, the kitchen and a few other rooms are alright, if dusty. I've locked all the other rooms. And I've sent the house-elf to Hogwarts with instructions to report to Dumbledore and to keep his mouth shut. So, do you want a tour?"

Petunia beat the carpet, muttering to herself. Vernon had promised to help with spring-cleaning and now that it was time he pretended to have a bad headache and lounged around in front of the telly. Dust whirled around her after a particularly hard hit.

She finished with the carpet and went inside for a glass of cool water.

Five minutes later she was climbing he ladder to the attic, carpet beater still in hand. There were quite a few old carpets up here which needed beating. Perhaps she could do the same with Vernon…

Something moved and Petunia took up her muttering again. Probably a mouse or a bat or something like that. She leaned around a stack of boxes and froze.

A huge snake lay coiled in the corner.

As she watched, it lifted its head slowly to eyelevel, regarding her coolly.

What a foolish thought, Tuney. Snakes don't 'regard you coolly'. Petunia grimaced.

The snake struck.

Time slowed. Petunia's hand came up, wielding the carpet beater like a tennis bat, aimed at the snakes head.

The snake jerked and hissed, and, moving almost too quickly for Petunia to see, disappeared down the ladder.

Her weapon firmly in hand she followed it downstairs and into the living room.

There she stopped and fell to her knees. "Vernon," she whispered. Her fingers felt for a pulse.

Dear Professor Dumbledore,

I need your help. A huge snake just attacked me and then killed my husband. The police wouldn't believe me if I told them.

Please help Dudley and me find a new home, without the police after us.

Petunia Dursley

Tonks shifted in her sleep, cuddling closer. Charlie tightened his arms around her.

Neither had been able to sleep alone since they had seen the snake. Since they had met Harry Potter and Sirius Black.

So far no one had noticed that Tonks snuck out of Ravenclaw Tower every night to sleep in Charlie's bed.

Charlie was not sure whether or not he wanted the nightmares to stop completely. Without them, she would probably not sneak into his bed any longer. He shook his head once, cuddled close and finally let himself sink into sleep.

AN: Last chapter for now. I'm really sorry about that and I'm working on getting my usb-stick fixed real soon.

Love, Annabeth