Disclaimer: Nothing related to Harry Potter belongs to me. It belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter Eight: Morkeleb "Dark Silver"

Severus, Remus, and Harry retreated to the dungeons, intent on practicing control and reigning in Harry's protective urges. They had decided to start training while he was in human form, in the hopes that he could control the urges a bit better that way.

Once in Severus' chambers, they sat down on the chairs in the living room. Severus was the first to speak. "Harry, we're going to take this slowly, all right?" When nodded, he continued. "We're going to first get you used to having just one of us nearby, Remus for right now. I'm going to move into the kitchen. From there, I will continue moving further away until you can no longer sense me even in your Jachyra form."

Without waiting for Harry's response, Severus rose and retreated into the kitchen, as promised. Sniffing the air, Harry could still sense him and knew that he was all right, so he remained calm and relaxed, leaning against his werewolf companion. While he waited for the potions professor to make his next move, he asked Remus a question that had been bothering him for a while. "What moon phase am I tied to as a Jachyra?"

Remus grinned down at him and replied teasingly, "Why, Harry, how could you not know that were-Jachyras shift on the night of the full moon?"

"Really!" Harry asked excitedly. Remus nodded at him, and Harry hugged him tightly. "Then that means that I can run with you now." They both fell silent as they heard the unspoken implications in that statement. Since Sirius' death, Remus was the last of the Marauders. Peter Pettigrew was dead to them. Now, however, he would have the only member of the second generation of Marauders with him on the nights of the full moon, when he transformed into the wolf.

All of a sudden, Harry snapped out of his thoughtful state and sniffed the air intently. He could no longer smell Severus nearby. Well, his scent was everywhere, but not the living feel of him. He went to rise to his feet to hunt for his charge when he was grabbed by Remus and held tight. Harry struggled, trying to break free, but unwilling and unable to hurt the werewolf to do so.

"Shh, Harry, it's okay. He's okay. He just had to go somewhere, but he's still in Hogwarts, all right? He's safe, I promise. Just try and relax, all right?" Harry nodded and tried to relax in Remus' arms, but he still couldn't the increasing sense of unease as Severus' presence remained absent.

After a good ten minutes, Harry couldn't take it anymore and broke free of Remus' arms, dropping to the floor and shifting before his friend had time to react. Listening intently, the Jachyra visibly relaxed when he successfully managed to track Severus, and he remained where he was, determined to avoid going to him since he wasn't in any danger. Then his eyes widened as he realized exactly where Severus was. He was in the entrance hall, preparing to step outside.

Panicking, Harry nudged Remus and knelt down, unwilling to leave him behind. The werewolf must have understood what was happening because he shook his head and replied softly, "No, Harry, I'll stay here. You're going to have to get used to dealing with only one of us, and then with neither of us. Go to Severus, Harry, but leave me here."

The Jachyra was torn between the two men, but Harry's human self urged it towards Severus, reasoning that these chambers were well-guarded, since they housed a Death Eater turned spy, and that Remus would be all right for a short while. With that thought, Harry bolted out the door, careening down the halls towards Severus, who had just stepped outside and was heading towards the Quidditch pitch. Fortunately for Harry, since school hadn't started yet, he didn't run into anybody.

The rest of the staff was going to be informed about him tonight, and he'd hate to freak them out beforehand. It would ruin the satisfaction he was bound to get when the rest of the faculty found out what he was and who he was loyal to. An ex-Death Eater spy and a werewolf. He just hoped that the papers didn't get hold of this, or else he'd be in a great deal of trouble, and Severus would be in even more. Or maybe not, since Voldemort might very well see the Jachyras, and by association, Harry's loyalty to the dark-haired wizard.

Breaking out of the front doors at full-tilt, Harry didn't even take the time to appreciate the flowing gracefulness he moved with, or the easy strength maintained in his body. He bolted to Severus, coming to an abrupt stop right in front of him and nearly tripping the older wizard. Harry just sat down and stared reproachfully at the human that had caused him so much trouble. Stupid Severus he thought, growling lightly in warning. Scaring me like that, disappearing, making me leave behind the other

By other, he was of course referring to Remus Lupin, still in Severus' chambers. Speaking of Severus, he was currently being treated to one of the man's scowls, followed by a glare that said unmistakably, 'Insult me again, and I will use your hide for my potions.' Apparently, although he accepted this new arrangement, he was still the same git that he had always been. Pity.

Standing and brushing himself off, Severus' stood and turned back towards the castle, thinking to Harry You managed to do fairly well for your first time. I take it Remus helped you? Harry just nodded his head in silent affirmation and told him about what had happened while he was gradually moving further and further away from them. He even included his mild panic attack, although it was rather humiliating.

Of course, he didn't tell him just how afraid for the other man he had been. It wouldn't do to give him ammunition to use against him once the other students flooded the hallways of the school once more and Severus converted back to the greasy git of a Death Eater personality.

Upon their return, they found Remus Lupin still sitting in the armchair where Harry had left him, keeping his promise to stay where he was. Shifting back into human form, Harry grinned and hugged the older man, silently thanking him for his help.

Severus, in the meantime, summoned a house elf, and they sat down to eat a few minutes later. Lunch was mostly a silent affair, each person lost in their own thoughts, but all thoughts centering around Harry. Said subject was the first to speak. "What do we call me? I mean, it's not like we can just call me Harry when I'm near Voldemort. He just might find that a little suspicious."

Severus looked at him and stated simply, "I guess we can try and come up with something now, since I have no idea when I might be called next." They went through several names, but couldn't find one that they all agreed on. They wanted it to be unique, but not completely unusual. That left them very few options that they could think of.

Unfortunately, snake-face decided that this weekend would be a good time for him to summon Severus, and the man winced as his left forearm started burning. "Dammit," he hissed, mentally cursing the sadistic bastard that had marked him so. He stood up and left the room abruptly, intent on informing the Headmaster that he was leaving for a meeting.

Harry started panicking. His scar throbbed and he could tell that whatever was going to happen, it couldn't be good. The Dark Lord was positively furious, and no one knew why. He gave up fighting his instincts and shifted, fleeing the room and heading for his human, sending a brief thought back to Remus. Don't go anywhere! I expect to find you in this school when I return. And don't bother trying to stop me. He's pissed off, and that means that Sev is going to get hurt today. I'm not going to let that slimy bastard hurt him he vowed fiercely, knowing it for the truth.

Receiving confirmation and an anxious wish for his well-being, Harry ran to the entrance hall and intercepted Severus. The Potions Master's eyes widened as he realized what had happened, and he opened his mouth to order the foolish brat back down to Remus when Harry cut him off. No! He's very angry right now, I can feel it. I know you'll be hurt if you go yourself, and I'm not ready yet. I need to come with you, to protect you. Besides, it might cheer the snake-faced bastard up a bit

Severus hesitated once more, trying to decide what to do now, but Harry spoke again, already heading out the doors, his sleek fur rippling in the sunlight. If we don't hurry, we're going to be late. Oh, and don't bother trying to avoid apparating me with you. It won't work he added, almost as an afterthought.

Sighing, the older man nodded, defeated. He knew he had lost and he made a mental note to brush up on his arguing skills as soon as he got back. Reaching the end of the anti-apparition wards placed around Hogwarts, Severus set his hand on Harry, grabbing hold of a patch of fur, and apparated them away.

They landed in a familiar graveyard, and Severus glanced down at the Jachyra, wondering how he was going to react. While Harry had been recovering after his rescue from the Dursleys, he had gone to Albus and questioned the man thoroughly about what he knew of the boy's life. Still guilt-ridden for having let the muggles abuse Harry so badly, he had answered as best as he could, so Severus knew that this graveyard probably brought back haunting memories. After all, this is where Voldemort had risen again, using Harry's blood to create a new body for himself.

The Jachyra glanced around, seemingly unimpressed, then turned to stare at Severus. Well? Are we going or are we just supposed to stand here all day like idiots? Severus just turned around and started walking to the mansion before answering Harry. Hardly. Going inside is acting like idiots. Standing out here is simply unwise Harry nodded as if he understood, which he probably did.

Once inside, Severus took them up a flight of stairs and down a hallway, coming to stop at the very end. Harry could smell musk and snake and human in there. Although the human smelled vaguely of rat. It appeared that this was a rather private meeting, and that Wormtail was in the room with Voldemort and Nagini. He'd have to be very careful, especially if Nagini started talking. After all, he'd understand her, but showing that he understood was a bad idea.

Upon knocking, Severus received an order to come in to the room and he did so, shutting the door behind him. Slowly, they moved over to the room's occupants, Voldemort staring wide-eyed at Harry, who was staring back at him. It took him several moments to realize that his scar wasn't hurting at all. Apparently, the Jachyra's magic protected him from his own pain as well as any pain inflicted upon him. That could come in handy in the near future. For now, Harry took the time for Severus to greet his 'master' properly to look around the room.

Spotting Wormtail, he reacted without thinking, bristling and pulling his lips back into a snarl. The action surprised all of them, then Voldemort started chuckling, to everyone's surprise. "Well, well, well, I see that someone doesn't like you much, Wormtail. Why don't you leave while I take care of this?" The aforementioned rodent didn't waste any time in beating a hasty retreat out of the room.

Once he was gone, Harry relaxed, which surprised him. Why would he react like that to Wormtail and not to Voldemort. He blinked when the Dark Lord answered his unspoken question gleefully. "I see that you have a Jachyra, Severus, and he is genuine."

Severus showed no emotion, but questioned softly, "My Lord?" Voldemort smiled and gestured for him to sit in the chair across from him and remove his mask. Once he had done so, Voldemort continued. "I am sure you are aware that Jachyras, once they have given their loyalty, never betray that person?" Severus nodded. "Are you also aware that they can tell traitors apart from loyal supporters?"

The man across from him didn't even bother to hide his shock. Harry could tell who was a traitor and who was loyal? That would explain why he hadn't bared his teeth at the Dark Lord. While he might not like him, Voldemort had always been honest about what he stood for, and had betrayed no one. They may have betrayed themselves, but that was their own problem.

Harry was coming to the same conclusions himself, but brought his attention back to the conversation when Voldemort started speaking again. "I called you here because I need some potions made, but before I send you on your way, I want some answers. Who is the Jachyra, and how did you get him? Who is he loyal to?"

Severus answered the questions as best as he could. He had not yet named Harry's Jachyra form, so he told him simply that he hadn't been able to come up with anything suitable for him yet. He spoke of finding him in the Forbidden Forest, injured, and of his subsequent healing. He admitted that the unknown Jachyra was loyal to him, although he neglected to mention that he was also loyal to Remus Lupin.

When he was done, Voldemort nodded and they sat in a tense silence while the dark wizard pondered over the wealth of information he had just received. "I know that Jachyras are capable of dividing their loyalty between two or more people. Is this one loyal to that old fool as well?" He was referring to Albus Dumbledore, and Severus was quick to assure his master that the Jachyra held no loyalty to the Headmaster.

This pleased Voldemort greatly and he dismissed Severus and Morkeleb-he had named the Jachyra himself, since his servant hadn't been able to come up with anything appropriate-with a list of potions and no pain curses. He knew how protective Jachyras were of their humans and had no desire to harm this one. After all, it was not every day that a person saw such a devoted Light creature siding with a member of the Dark. Also, all his doubts were laid to rest. A Jachyra would never side with a traitor, so Severus' loyalties had always remained true.

Smiling to himself, he called for Wormtail. If he couldn't inflict the Cruciatus on the proud Severus Snape, then he was going to inflict it on someone else, and that sniveling rat was always on hand for his amusement.