"Normal speech"

Thoughts

"Mental speech"

"Non-English speech"

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling, her publishers, and Warner Brothers own Harry Potter.

Chapter 9

Everyone stared as Severus entered the kitchen. Dumbledore recovered first. His eyes sparkled delightedly. "Goodness, Severus, did you meet your new friend at your symposium?"

Severus glanced at the phoenix, which everyone was staring at avidly. He raised an eyebrow at it in question. "Yes, they can see me." He scowled. Something was not right here.

Assuming the phoenix isn't a figment of my imagination, I still haven't bonded with the blasted thing.Further assuming the phoenix has been telling me the truth all these years, no one else here should be able to see him.

"What is Fawkes doing with you?" Black exclaimed in disbelief.

"That is not Fawkes," Dumbledore said.

Black wanted me to look for something "dangerous" in the wardrobe, but it was empty.The phoenix appeared as soon as I opened it.

This isn't a phoenix.It is a figment of my imagination, at least thistime.

Severus suddenly laughed, and everyone in the room flinched, including the false phoenix. Really, this is my boggart?Am I supposed to be afraid of not losing my mind?Of redemption?

Of being a slave, if only to my conscience.

At least it's not bloody Lupin anymore...

"It is not even a phoenix," Severus said. "This creature is a boggart." This time, at least.He laughed again. The boggart shuddered. Severus strengthened his occlumency shields, and it began to change shape, shrinking and becoming a shifting, amorphous mass of color.

Severus pulled an empty vial out of one of his pockets. With a wave of his wand, he forced the boggart into the bottle, and then stoppered it. He then returned it to his pocket. "Thank you, Black, I can envision several uses for this particular specimen."

It took quite some time after that for the meeting to come to order. Despite its rather unconventional start, the discussion devolved as predictably as ever. No, the form of his boggart did not reveal his continued loyalty to the Dark Lord. Yes, he had presented the Rod of Paracelsus to the Dark Lord. Yes, the Dark Lord was pleased. No, the Dark Lord did not say anything particularly of note. No, he was not a despicable traitor hiding things from the Order.Do they actually think the Dark Lord tells me all of his elaborate plans – in detail – at each and every summons?Yes, of course they do.Fools.

Finally, Severus's part in the farce was done. He folded his arms and listened to the others' reports, which mainly consisted of "nothing interesting happening while observing Granger or the Department of Mysteries." Naturally, it's perfectly reasonable for themto have nothing unusual to report, but Merlin forbid that Isay the same.

Finally, the meeting ended. As usual, Molly Weasley invited everyone to stay for dinner. And, as usual, nearly everyone accepted.

"Severus, will you join us?" she asked.

"I think not."

"Afraid Lucius will reject you if you gain an ounce?" Black taunted.

"Hardly," Severus drawled. "Although, naturally, I am flattered that you feel I can rival your cousin Narcissa's charms."

Lupin caught Black as he lunged towards Severus. Severus tensed, drawing his wand.

"Gentlemen," broke in Dumbledore. Black relaxed. Severus paused, and then slowly sheathed his wand. "Severus, if you have a few minutes, I'd like a word with you before you leave." He gestured towards the door.

"Of course, Headmaster."

As they left, Black said, loud enough for them to hear, "Then again, with those looks, he's probably still a virgin." He gave a bark of laughter. A few of the others joined him. Severus could hear Molly Weasley berate them.

"He's not a virgin," Lupin replied. His voice was so quiet that Severus barely heard it. Bloody werewolf wassniffing me earlier! Severus's hand twitched instinctively for his wand, but he continued to follow Dumbledore to the library. Perhaps a few minor additions to his wolfsbane . . . .

The headmaster sat in a large armchair and gestured for Severus to take a one as well. Inwardly groaning, he sat.

"First, I wish to convey my apologies again for not realizing that you had been granted the Rod of Paracelsus. I have read your paper, and it was quite brilliant." Severus inclined his head in acknowledgement, but did not otherwise accept the apology. "I confess I was surprised to see that you dedicated your research to Regulus Black." Severus registered the slight censure coming from the headmaster. Upset that I granted a dead Death Eater the honor, old man?

The dedication had been very simple. In memory of Regulus Arcturus Black.I honor my debts.SS.

"Merely fulfilling an old promise." Dumbledore raised an encouraging eyebrow, but Severus did not elaborate.

The summer that he had tutored Regulus, Severus had baked a chocolate cake with basil icing for his friend's fifteenth birthday.It was an admittedly bizarre combination, but somehow he had made it work.Regulus had teasingly said that Severus could make magic even with ordinary ingredients.He had – jokingly – asked Severus to remember him when he disproved Agostini, whose law they had reviewed earlier that day.And yet Severus had taken it seriously, and began to experiment.By the time he finally succeeded, Regulus was long dead.

"Very well. I was wondering if you were care to comment on the magnificent form that your boggart took earlier?" Dumbledore's tone seemed light and vaguely curious, but Severus was not fooled. My boggart assuming the form of a phoenix would make you suspicious, just like it did your minions back in the kitchen.At least it wasn't Fawkes – this was already a debacle.A boggart Fawkes would have been an unmitigated disaster.

Fortunately, Severus had anticipated this question, and was prepared for the headmaster's legilimency probe. Pretending to consider it, he paused momentarily before responding. "When I encountered the boggart, I had recently had a confrontation with Black and Lupin. I was occluding, which, as you saw earlier, can disrupt a boggart's manifestation. The only things that it could read through my shields would all have been fairly benign. I suspect it concluded that I would find a phoenix the least non-threatening of the available options."

Severus subtly guided Dumbledore's examination of his thoughts, hiding his memories of the phoenix. Instead, he ensured that the headmaster saw memories a teenaged Severus encountering a boggart werewolf in his defense OWL, and then the adult Severus occluding due to the encounter with Black and Lupin in the kitchen, dampening his emotional reaction to the pair.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Indeed. Although I do wish you felt you could drop your shields here, in the presence of friends."

All but one of my friends are dead, old man, Severus thought. Aloud, he said coolly, "Rein in your dogs, and I will drop my shields."

"Severus, you should not provoke them so." Provoke them?By daring to exist?

"In that case, my shields are necessary." I demolish forest clearings and drink poison when I drop my shields.Merlin knows what I might do to your precious Order.

Dumbledore sighed. "As you prefer, of course. But why didn't you simply dispose of the boggart while in the study?"

Because I thought it was just my typical delusion. "Because I thought the reactions of the others would be amusing."

Again, the headmaster sighed. "One last thing, and then I'll let you go home. Have you made any headway in determining Voldemort's 'half-blood prince?'"

"I do believe you heard my report earlier? He has made no further mentions of recruitment, beyond those I previously iterated. Unless you suspect the giants or the werewolves?"

"No, that is unlikely given the wording." Wording? "Thank you, anyway, my boy. You will let me know should you overhear anything?"

It was the close combination of "overhear" and "wording," that did it. Suddenly, the answer clicked into place for Severus. Trelawney.She's made another blasted prophecy.Minerva heard it – thatis why she was there that day.Dumbledore would not have included her otherwise.

"Of course, Headmaster. Now, if you will excuse me?" Severus stood to leave.

I need to visit the Department of Mysteries.

A/N: Please review!