Disclaimer : I do absolutely not own Harry Potter and co. I merely borrowed them.
For once, even the plot bunny isn't mine, I adopted it from bleedingstargoddess.
You can go to http/ groups. /group/ HarryxLucius. in the challenge and plotbunnies file to try to find one for you. (HarryxLucius yahoo group if the adress doesn't come out well)
Warnings : AU, people out of character all over the place... And strange sentences since I'm French.
Chapter un-betaed!
/bla/ Harry-cat's mewing
Excuses : Sorry for the long wait...
Real life's been accelerating lately... Roughly a month ago, I lost my last grandmother, she entered the hopital for cardiac surgery on a thursday, her heart stopped, and she was put into medical coma the next monday. She died the tuesday after.
My parents had to fly back in urgence to France from China, as did my little sister, while my older one drove from Britain with her husband and two years old son. My grandmother was buried the next monday.
And then I had the first step of an exam to take for becoming a civil servant. I passed, and tomorrow is next step, the third being later in the month.
After the exam, I left for a week in Shanghaï, followed by five days in Japan, where I managed to write the three thirf of the chapter.
Now that I could put my hands on a computer with working spell check, here comes the new chapter. Poor Severus...
Hermione's theory can be credited to akuma-river, who wondered if Harry could only speak to Slytherins because his bow was green.
So, without further ado, enjoy!
Chapter 10 – The Gryffindor version of the spontaneous generation
The disgruntled Potions Master took another halting step towards the Headmaster's office. He was a sight to behold, he, who was ordinarily standing so proudly straight backed, his face impassive, was now deeply sighing every three minutes, his shoulders were slumped and the corners of his mouth were slightly dropping.
He rolled his eyes and straightened his posture as he saw the gargoyle coming into sight. Everything was, after all, a matter of appearances. If you appeared confident, you had a better chance of bluffing your way out and winning the wagers. He gave the gargoyle this week's password.
Once on the revolving stairs, he carefully went over the pruned version of the events he was about to relate to the Headmaster. 'You know you have reached the deeper levels of insanity when you're beginning to hope and actually pray for a summon to occur to save you from a crafty old coot' he berated himself. He breathed deeply for a few seconds before knocking decisively on what resembled, to him, doom's door.
Once inside, he was promptly bid to seat. He took advantage of the Headmaster's offer of a cup of tea to delay the inescapable, going as far as accepting a lemon drop, to the Headmaster's great delight. A little handy trick helped him to store it surreptitiously in his pocket.
"Severus, my boy, what drove you away from your beloved dungeons on such a beautiful and sunny day?" Dumbledore began joyously, uncaring of Severus' obvious flinch at the sight of his bright twinkling smile.
In hope of telling his piece uninterrupted, Severus skipped the pleasantries and launched right into the thick of the story.
"The thrice accursed mirror, which took residence on my bedroom wall uninvited, took upon itself to grace me with a false personal vision."
Dumbledore blinked rapidly, trying to digest all the implications of Severus' lone sentence.
The Potions Master chose to take his silence as dismissal, and, congratulating himself on avoiding embarrassing questions and solving the matter in such a short time, left his seat.
He had not covered half the distance to the door before the Headmaster called him back sternly.
"Severus, come back here and explain things a little more."
'Damn! I nearly escaped this time!' Severus pouted slightly for a grand total of two seconds before carefully blanking his face again, shooting a longing glance at the door, and obeyed reluctantly.
"First, can you tell me what the results of Lucius' examination were?"
Severus bit back an umpteenth sigh. It looked like he would spent a much longer time here than he had expected. And whining would only serve to lengthened his punition. He finally answered "His try was less than successful. And now the damn thing" he spat, " has added a sticking charm upon itself!"
Dumbledore chuckled. "Well, at least it's not dark magic..."
Severus' snort cut him. "Depends if you ask Lucius. For all his trouble, he got cursed with a variant of a cheering charm."
"So, that's why you lot weren't at dinner, I wondered. Is he alright, now?"
Severus shuddered in remembrance and nodded tersely.
"Now that this is out of the way, what did you meant, 'a false personal vision'?"
Severus paled. "It reflected a different bedroom than mine, one where I have never set foot. And somebody resembling me in my teenaged years was occupied with another male."
The Headmaster blinked pseudo-innocently. "Occupied?"
Severus grimaced. "You won't be happy till you've made me spell it, will you old man?"
Re-apparition of the pseudo innocent blinking. Severus' rebellious glare melted away against the Headmaster's twinkling stare. The younger man relented. "They were in the early stages of love making." 'Either you enjoy watching me squirm, or you're a perverted old man living your fantasies vicariously through other people.'
Dumbledore smiled benignly. "Now, now, that wasn't so difficult, was it?"
Severus' glare intensified a few notches more. The room suddenly looked darker, just like before a particularly vicious storm. Dumbledore cheerfully ignored his fuming employee in favour of his musings. A few minutes ticked away before the Headmaster stirred. Severus was persuaded he had fallen asleep and was just waking up. The Headmaster's smile and twinkle intensified. Severus was sure he wouldn't like the results of Albus' cogitations, not one bit.
"And you said that the mirror in question... how to put it... put you as your younger self, or somebody resembling you, in a place and event you never were in?"
Severus nodded tightly.
"Does it have a frame?"
"No, why?"
"Because then, something could have been written on it."
"No, It" Severus emphasized the majuscule, "has no frame whatsoever."
"Well, it would be too much to ask for guidelines. I've always loved a good mystery."
"I don't." Severus quickly inserted. "So find a quick way to get it out of my quarters."
"Severus!" Albus admonished him gently. "Things like that take time. Unless you want to move into others quarters for the duration of the research? I think there are some free near the entrance to he Gryffindor tower..." he trailed.
Severus' glare nailed him in his seat. "With my luck, the damned thing will just show up in any new quarters I could move in. And there is absolutely no way at all, that I will let a mirror chase me all over the castle. Neither will I move in the vicinity of Gryffindors. Not to say that it would leave my ingredients stores open to thievery."
"Won't you think about it, at least? It would bring Harry closer to his friends..."
Severus had to grit his teeth to stop himself from uttering the balding hex that was on the tip of his tongue.
Albus glanced once at the fuming Potions Master before moving onto another idea. "Let's compromise!" he joyfully told the forbidding man. "I will let you stay in your beloved dungeons quarters, and you will let me ask for experts to come and examine the mirror."
Severus was defeated and he knew it, but there was no way he'd fold silently. "And who those 'experts'" he enunciated the title dubiously, "might be?" He was ready for anyone, really. From Bill Weasley to Gilderoy Lockhart, renowned expert in mirrors, not to forget Mad-eye Moody, and any Gryffindors the barmy old coot would feel the need to impose on him.
"Why, Bill Weasley"
'The one Weasley I can actually tolerate, alright' he nodded. Not that his acceptance would matter.
"And Alastor might want to take a peek at your new mystery..." Dumbledore continued.
Severus sighed. 'I knew it. What am I, a funfair attraction for bored Gryffindors?'
He looked away from the shelves and back at Dumbledore when nothing more came. The Headmaster was looking at him expectantly.
"Oh, alright, he would blast his way in anyway!" Severus' patience was waning rapidly. "Is that all?" He was already standing to leave.
"Only two others." The Headmaster was prompt to reassure him.
Severus raised an eyebrow and stayed standing behind his chair, hoping it would accelerate the proceedings, one hand gripping the back of the chair to keep him from going to his wand. 'Here it comes' he glumly thought.
Oblivious, Albus cheerfully went on "Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, of course!"
'I knew it! He's trying to make us crazy!' Severus could see it in his brain, a chibi himself pointing an accusative finger at the Headmaster, screaming in rage and stamping with fury.
Severus blinked three times rapidly to dispel the remnants of this image. He then erupted. "No! I absolutely refuse!" His hand tightened on the back of the chair, making it groan. "There's no way I'll let the Wolf and his pet Mutt access to my bedchamber! Who know what they'll do!" His grip was so tight he broke a bit of the chair's back.
He was staring, horrified, at what his hand was holding, and trying to get his wand out surreptitiously enough not to be noticed when he realised that Dumbledore had taken advantage of his distraction.
"Well, it's settled, then. I will owl them as soon as you leave, they should be here by tomorrow afternoon. You will be excused from your classes all day, and I'll arrange for rooms for all of them should they decide to stay. Harry will surely be happy to see his godfather."
Severus' shoulders sagged. "I played right into this one, didn't I?" he bitterly exclaimed.
"I don't see what you mean, my boy. I've got an idea! Perhaps you should ask your other colleagues, they might have ideas to help us solve this riddle."
Severus' anger came back full force. "How dare you!" the chunk of chair he was still holding somehow left his hand and whizzed past Fawkes, who squeaked, and right through the window.
Severus refused to hear Dumbledore's calls and stomped out of the office.
He was muttering under his breath, listing all he'd like to do in retaliation to Dumbledore when he reached his quarters. He suddenly grabbed his left arm in pain. He was being summoned.
He snarled at a playing Harry as he rushed past him to retrieve his Death Eater apparel. He stopped just long enough to order Lucius to cover for him before rushing outside.
Lucius blinked from his armchair and shrugged before accio-ing Harry's catnip mouse. Harry grumbled a bit at being deprived of his toy till Lucius reminded him he still had classes to attend.
Severus apparated to Riddle Manor, still fuming. He entered the old ballroom and faltered in his steps, uncertain. He was sure he was not in the firsts to arrive, but presently, it was only him, Lord Voldemort, and one anonymous and masked Death Eater. Severus mechanically went to kneel at the feet of the snake like man who liked to think of himself as his master. He kissed the hem of his robes.
"Rise, Severus, my spy. How are things at Hogwarts? Any promising students?"
"None apart from some Slytherins." Severus minutely relaxed, he was used to those one-on-one sessions being initiated out of the blue.
"And what is new on the Potter front?"
Severus thought hard on his answer for a few minutes. "Since Dumbledore forced me to house him in Slytherin territory, as well as forced the Slytherins to 'make him feel welcome', some of my snakelings have taken upon themselves to try and subvert the Gryffindor. It might take some time, as he can be a bit clueless, but it is doable, as one conversation he had with his friends and that Lucius overheard tend to show."
"Just because you have some autonomy in your spying does not give you the right to presume to tell me what to do, Severus."
Severus prostrated himself at the Dark Wizard's feet and apologised profusely. Voldemort revelled in this show of power, as Severus knew he would and didn't curse him.
"Your idea has merit, though..."
Severus stayed kneeling and silent, keeping his eyes fixed on the dirty floor.
"I think it is time we... persuaded the Black sheep to come back home. The boy may be more amenable to change sides if the ones he consider family do the same. Perhaps a Weasley or two... But let's not get over ourselves... Let me think on it, I'll inform you of my decision at the end of this meeting. What about Dumbledore?"
Severus growled and looked up, allowing Voldemort to feast on the hate he could see in his eyes. "Insufferable, as usual. He had the audacity to order me to open my quarters to a bunch of do-gooders of his choosing to examine the mirror, which appeared suddenly yesterday during the night."
"Oh, and what prompted this examination?"
Severus grimaced. "He forced me to relate in details the vision the mirror showed me."
"A vision, Severus?"
"A false one."
The Dark Lord waved to the Death Eater to come forward.
"You will bring Rabastan here to your quarters and show him the mirror in question. He'll examine it."
Both nodded, knowing it was useless to complain. Severus wondered how he was supposed to accomplish that without him running into Dumbledore, Mad Eye Moody or Bill Weasley. The two canines were not important, as there was no way he'd let them unsupervised in his quarters.
He shook himself out of his musings and lift his eyes from the floor to surprise Rabastan studying him from the corner of his eye.
"Rabastan, Severus, do it whatever way you want, but I want you to seduce Black and Lupin to our side. You might use any potions or hexes you feel the need for. It's been too long since I've had a Black at my feet. You're dismissed."
Both Rabastan and Severus nodded and left swiftly, relieved to have, for once, escaped the Cruciatus as Voldemort sank deep in thought.
They apparated together to Hogsmead village and started on the trek to Hogwarts, Rabastan's shorter legs forcing him to a near run to follow the brisk strides of Severus.
They both shed their robes and masks, reducing them before putting them in their pockets. Severus used his knowledge of Hogwarts' unused corridors to bring them in his quarters in record time, sighing in relief to notice that Harry had gone to class without letting any traces of his passage in either Severus' living room or bedroom.
After a few minutes spent looking around in silence, Rabastan asked "Where is the mirror?"
"In the bedroom. In there." Severus pointed at the right door. Rabastan raised an eyebrow at his fellow Death Eater as he settled into his favourite armchair with a glass of brandy. "Won't you be missed?" he wondered.
Severus waved him away. "Lucius is covering for me. Examine away to your heart's content."
"And you need a break from the dunderheads, I understand." Severus let him slip in his room with only a snort.
Half an hour later, as he was settling into a comfortable slight doze, including a dream of Longbottom, shackles and a potion book, he heard a strangled shout from Rabastan. Concerned for his bedroom, he rushed in to find Rabastan kneeling in front of the mirror, eyes level with those of a maybe six years old boy.
Severus incredulously stared at the little black haired boy. He snarled. "I should have known you had something to do with it!"
The little boy gasped and stomped his feet. He turned towards Rabastan and pointed at Severus. "Fais le partir, je ne l'aime pas, c'est un méchant!"
Rabastan sheepishly turned to Severus. "I don't understand a word he's saying."
"He's speaking French."
"Comment êtes vous entrés dans le mirroir?" the curious little boy enquired, pressing his hands flat on the mirror's surface, in a try to see if he could find an hidden door.
Severus harrumphed and whipped his wand out. He pointed it at Rabastan. "Cóng Fá Yŭ Fàn yì Dào Yíng yŭ" he spoke in a language Rabastan didn't know either and made a graceful and elaborate move with his wrist. "Now you can understand him. Come and find me when you're done or he disappears, whichever comes first." He snarled one last time at the perplex little boy before slamming the door behind him.
The little boy blinked. "Quelle mouche l'a piqué?"
Rabastan heard just after, as if somebody was murmuring in his ear "who put a bee in his bonnet?"
He smirked as he settled on the floor in front of the boy who was already adding "He will have no friends if he behave always like this."
"How true. Do you mind telling me what you know about this mirror?"
"Why?" The boy sat on the floor and hugged his legs to his chest before putting his chin on his knees.
"From what I understood, it appeared suddenly during the night, and showed Severus a scene he refused to detail and claimed never happened."
"You don't believe him?"
"I do. He's just a very private man who doesn't like to be embarrassed. What's your name? I'm Rabastan."
The boy stared at him with piercing eyes. He stayed silent for a few seconds before answering. "You can call me Louis."
"Pleasure to meet you, Louis. Now, what can you tell me about this mirror?"
Louis shrugged. "Not much. It has no frame, hang in an unused corridor in our mansion in France. It sometimes shows something other than what it should reflect. I'll try to look in the library for more informations, but I don't know if we'll see each other again. It's the first time I've seen people. It's always other places. And I try to come here often, it's less boring than Madam de Laguerray's lessons."
"I understand how tutors can be..." Rabastan commiserated.
Louis shook his head. "I don't mind learning new things, I kinda like that. It's only that she insists I learn things I already know. I try to tell her, but she makes the Grimace."
"The Grimace?"
Louis nodded. "Like this." He explained and demonstrated by pinching his lips and, frowning, looked down his nose at Rabastan as if he was a misbehaving child. "She tells me to stop whining and being a lazy boy, that she, as an adult, know better than me." He sighed. "So I give her the slip and come here. And she rats me out to my father, it's one of the only times I see him. Apart from the times when they bring me to receptions, so they can ex-hi-bit" he pronounced carefully, as it was obviously a new word he had learned recently, "me and be complimented on how well behaved I am."
"Ah, yes, parents can often be very occupied..." Rabastan couldn't help but compare his own childhood with Louis'. He, at least, had an older brother to take care of him, even if he was sometimes quite mean.
Louis shrugged. "It gives me enough time to explore on my own..." He bit his lower lip in thought. "Is Severus mean because his parents are mean with him?"
Rabastan debated within himself to know how much to reveal before answering. "I know his daddy is. He hurt Severus and his mother."
Louis nodded. "So, Severus should ask somebody to hurt his father just the same or best yet, do it himself as he's all grown up. It would show his father." He enunciated matter of factly. "Perhaps they should leave or make him leave, he is, after all the one who is wrong."
Rabastan blinked, startled by the boy's maturity. 'Out of the mouth of babes... But it's scaring to imagine ho he learnt that.' A sudden thought stroke him. "How old are you?"
Louis suddenly became fascinated by the floor and blushed. "I'm five, but I'm tall for my age. I know you find me childish, but you must remember that a child never is only a mini-adult."
Rabastan gasped. "You're not childish at all! In fact, it's frightening how mature you are!"
Louis jumped to his feet and clapped his hands in joy. "Really?"
Rabastan nodded.
"Really, really?"
Smirking, Rabastan extended his wand hand. "I swear."
Louis smiled brightly. "I wish you could say that to Madame de Laguerray. She's still trying to teach me my ABC..."
Rabastan grinned. He had long recognised the boy. 'I'm going to regret it, but it's really too tempting to play Fate.' "Well, you could always prank her."
Louis nodded eagerly. "I saw some books in the library on that. I'll go check them. I'll look for some informations on the mirror, too, good bye Mister!" He began to walk away but rushed back. "Mister?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think Severus will be happy if he have a friend?"
Rabastan frowned. "It could help."
Louis nodded and sighed, cocking his head to listen to something. "I'd better go, the caniche is yapping. Bye Mister, and thank you!"
The vision stopped as "Louis" rushed away. Rabastan shook his head in amusement, he always had been more at ease with little children. All in all, that had been an informative conversation.
As soon as he had exited the room, Severus jumped on his case. "So, what did he had to say?" he bitterly asked.
Rabastan sat himself in the armchair facing Severus' own. "Well, apart from the facts we did know, like it being frameless, that it hanged on a wall... It was in a rarely used corridor that a very inquisitive, intelligent and lonely five years old discovered as he was running away from an overbearing tutor who was trying to teach him his ABC while he had already been reading for who knew how long." He got up to help himself to some brandy. Severus thrust his glass under Rabastan's nose for a refill.
Seated once more, Rabastan resumed the thread of his retelling. "The wall it hang upon was in a 'mansion' in France. It could be important, I don't know." He couldn't resist to add "And he thinks that you would be happier should you have friends... He suggested that you hurt your father back or threw him out of the house."
Severus raised an eyebrow in incredulity. "So, basically, you're telling me that he only retaliated? And that, if, and that's a big if, it really was him, and he remembered, I was the one to start our feud? Because I somehow refused his friendship?"
Rabastan rolled his eyes but wisely kept his mouth shut.
Severus blinked and interrupted what promised to be a wonderful rant as the previous chibi image of himself popped in his mind, its arms crossed on its chest, a sulking pout on its face. "He started it!" It mumbled, toeing the floor with one feet.
What was new was that it was being followed by a chibied version of what Snape thought he would look like should he reached this age, complete with a walking stick. It walked with difficulties to the first one, put its hand on its shoulder to get its attention and told it " Putting the blame on others is only running from your problems. And they'll come back to haunt you." Both popped out, Severus half waiting for them to bow.
'I'm really going mad if the different parts of my mind are materialising... When this is over, one way or another, I'm taking a sabbatical. A ten years one.'
"...rus, Severus!"
"What?" he barked.
Rabastan looked relieved. "Don't zone out like that! I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes!"
"Says the man who spent forty-five minutes extracting answers from a five years old!"
"Do you want me to end the report before the Headmaster decided that now would be a good time to visit with all his experts, or should I wait for them?"
The Potions Master glared.
"Louis told me that the mirror often showed him places, it was the first time he saw people."
"We're looking for what could be a French mirror, who shows locations, known or unknown is unclear. And all based on the testimony of a five years old. A very easy task, indeed."
Rabastan grinned "Not to forget that it could be a familial heirloom... It could be interesting to have a look inside the Potter vaults, there may be a book there, or maybe Louis store his research inside it, it could be useful if such results exist..."
"I'm not taking our current Potter to Gringotts!"
Rabastan rubbed his hands on his face to suppress his rising anger. He decided to let the matter drop, he had planted the seed into Severus' mind, he now had to let the idea grow on its own.
"I suppose I could have Potter write Gringotts for an inventory..." Severus finally mumbled.
Rabastan decided to breach another thorny subject. "How are we going to manage, about Black and Lupin?"
Severus thought for a few seconds. "Giving Pettigrew to the ministry and making sure he is interrogated under Veritaserum after deleting the more important informations from his mind... Dumbledore confined Black in a house he hated because Wormtail escaped. Giving Black a more active role while making sure he still got time with Potter... Maybe making sure he got Potter's guardianship... And adding things till he got no choice but to join to reimburse..."
"And his character?"
"The perfect Gryffindor. Rash and stubborn. Always have to be doing something."
"So, no making a house-husband out of him, I got it."
Severus' glare intensified. Rabastan only grinned.
"The wolf is quite the contrary. Studious, he loves his books. He will tolerate a lot from his friends, just to keep them, as he has so few. A bit shy, and he abhors violence, a total opposite to his wolf. When he taught here, he was popular even with my Slytherins. Quite intelligent, too."
"So, you got a soft spot for the wolf?" Rabastan's grin enlarged to a small smile, while Severus' glare grew so hot Rabastan felt himself beginning to sweat. He still grinned unrepentidely. "Not to your level, I'm sure. Any potions they're immune to? What about Imperio?"
"I never care enough to discover it. Black was an Auror, I think, and maybe so was Lupin, but in the research department I think. I don't know. Why don't you ask Lucius to get their pedigree?"
"Will do, for now, I'd better go before lunch is over if I don't want to be discovered. I'll keep in contact."
Rabastan let Severus in tête à tête with his brandy and exited the quarters of his fellow Death Eater. In the corridor he mumbled an invisible spell, which would not dispel till he spoke the counter. Since he was in Hogwarts, he decided to go and see his favourite place of the castle once again. It was an old postern opening under an arbour from which wisteria flowers were hanging. A footpath began there, surrounded by deep emerald grass and winding its way to a little grove of Asian pines sheltering a moss covered rock under which a small source was bubbling joyously. It was a fairly secretive place, firstly because it began in Slytherin territory, and secondly because the pines were planted in such a way that they enclosed the source, protecting and refreshing the couples the lawn welcomed to lay under the branches.
He sighed in pleasure at being back in this place, regretting that most of the flowers had already wilted. He was to the side, caressing the blades of grass, enjoying the prickling and fresh sensation when the door opened, surprising him as he had forgotten for a few seconds that he was invisible. He was a little miffed at having to share his peace, especially as he knew how secret the place was.
He turned towards the door and felt his pulse accelerating. Speak about the devil... Sirius Black, with his arm around Remus' shoulder walked outside. He laughed when Remus disentangled himself from his embrace to run ahead, smiling as he extended his arms, threw his head back and turned on himself quicker and quicker, laughing like a child.
Rabastan, knowing how acute werewolf hearing could be he hold his breath in order to be more discreet. He was not embarrassed, if they decided to have a private moment in front of him, he would damn well look all he wanted. It was his mission to get informations on them, after all. All he had to do was not getting caught.
He smirked as Sirius bounded to Remus and halted his dancing round by tugging on his hand and hurrying towards the pines, Remus in tow.
Rabastan hesitated. He could follow them, but it would only increase the risks of getting caught. It was not worth it just to indulge his fantasies. After a last longing glance, he headed to the leafy canopy of the Forbidden Forest, towards a less pleasant task.
He quickly apparated to Riddle Mansion to make his report. He hastened to the ballroom where he was sure he could find Voldemort. He took a few moments to compose himself before knocking.
He bowed deeply on the threshold and approached with deference. Arrived at Lord Voldemort's feet, he knelt swiftly to hide his revulse at the sight that greeted him as his master's had, for once, taken his hood down.
"Rabastan, back already?"
"Yes, my Lord, I was able to examine the mirror, and we decided it would be best for me to leave before being discovered. During my examination, something happened..." He started as the serpentine man looked him in the eyes with his scarlet ones. He wanted to blink to break eye contact without actually doing it, as it could be perceived as disobedience. He found that he couldn't. Suddenly, the images of his conversation began to flash behind his eyes. He shivered as Voldemort chuckled.
"Tell Severus to be on the look-out for more apparitions of this 'Louis'. He should try and subvert him to our side. This way, getting our hands on Potter will be easier. Dismissed."
Rabastan didn't need to be told twice. He left the Dark Lord he had pledged his services to to ruminate his megalomaniac plans and exited the ballroom.
Once out of the anti-apparation wards, he sighed in relief and apparated to his hide out. Half an hour later, an Ural owl was winding its way towards its destination. It had been instructed not to wait for an answer, as Rabastan was positive the missive would not be particularly well received. 'Frankly, ordering Severus to do that is wishing for his plan to fail. Not to mention the 'seduction' of Black and Lupin! It's as if he's trying to find an excuse to get rid of Severus without it being too apparent. Or he simply doesn't care.'
While Rabastan was worrying, the Potions Master he was worrying about was staring moodily in his fire, studiously ignoring the owl, which, tired of waiting, screeched loudly, dropped the letter it was carrying in Severus' lap, narrowly missing Severus' glass of brandy. It bopped Severus on the head with its wing while hurryingly flying away.
Severus began to swore loudly and vividly when he reached a certain part of Rabastan's letter. He then paled drastically and fell silent. After having finished the short missive, he blinked, rereading it twice carefully.
For a few minutes, he stayed frozen before he began to swore a storm. As Rabastan had predicted, Severus did not, but not at all, liked his new orders. He stalked to his room and stood in front of the mirror, glaring, while daring 'Louis' to show himself so that he could share with him his views on him.
'The icing on the cake would be if I was ordered to marry Potter. I don't know why or how, but I know it's all Potter's fault!' He settled on his bed for a good sulking.
Harry, for his part, was having a good time. At first, he had not been so sure, what with Hermione ordering him and Ron to eat quickly before being grabbed by the arm and manhandled to the library.
He felt like jumping in his seat with excitement as Hermione exposed her theory.
Ron was gob smacked. "Hermione! It can't work!"
Harry nearly snickered as he saw Hermione's eyebrow twitch.
"Well," she stated primly, "and what does our expert have to say on the subject?"
Ron shuffled in his seat, uncomfortable. "It's too easy." He finally blurted.
"We won't know till we tried." The door opened, admitting Hannah Abbott and Ernie Mac Millan. Hermione waved them over. They slid into seats at the trio's side and nodded hello to Ron and Harry.
"And what are they doing here?" Ron wanted to know, pointing to the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff who looked affronted.
Draco, hidden being the nearest bookshelves, so as to not lose anything, sneered at Ron's rudeness.
Hermione whacked him on the back of the head. "Stop being rude, Ron. They're here to help me demonstrate if my theory is right or wrong."
"How so?"
"Simple. Let me repeat myself. The Slytherins can understand Harry, and his bow is green. What if we changed its colour to the other houses'? Harry, your tail, please."
Harry blinked and chose to listen to the little Draco-devil sitting on his left shoulder. /Which one?/ he mewled. He could have swore he heard muffled snickering coming from behind some nearby bookshelves.
"Harry?"
With a sigh, and tense shoulders, Harry brought his tail forth and laid its upper end on the table, the green bow in evidence, the end tapping nervously right and left on the table.
Hermione pointed her wand at the bow and began to cast. Harry regretted he couldn't cross his claws and only murmured /I hope she only change the colour of my bow, and not of my whole tail.../
A few minutes later, he was the proud proprietor of a brand new blue bow.
"Mew something, mate!" Ron urged him enthusiastically.
Harry chose prudently to listen to the Hermione-angel sitting on his right shoulder, and refrained from his first impulse. Not that the second try was better. /I found a little fishy in the whole big sea, round and round it swam... till I swallowed it!/ His smile exposed a lot of teeth.
Ernie shook his head. He had not understood. Draco was having a lot of fun behind his bookshelves. Hermione sighed.
"Sorry" Ernie stood up from his chair. "I have to go, keep me informed on the results, will you?" He left the library.
"Okay, Harry, second try."
Harry's bow turned to a golden yellow. "So, your turn, Harry."
/Oh, fair and lovely Hannah, will you be my salvation?/ Harry stared at her, using his best kitten eyes.
Hannah blushed vividly. "I'm sorry, Harry." She sighed. She got hurriedly to her feet. "I must go!" She rushed out of the library under the disappointed glances of the three friends.
Hermione went back to the matter at hand. "Third and last try, Harry. Just to be sure it does not work. Don't move your tail."
/No danger, Hermione, I have absolutely no wish to end up as a redhead. No offence, Ron. I mean, if you missed, and colored my tail, I'd then have to dye my hair, and it would be a great camouflage, yes, but I don't think red is my colour, I'd look like a traffic light!/
"Harry! Stop babbling! And hold still!"
Harry gulped. Ron, amused by his friend's antics, chuckled. Harry glared at him. /Stupid red weasel!/
"Harry! That was not nice at all!"
Harry blinked at his red bow.
Hermione sighed. "No, Harry, it didn't work. But one does not have to be a genius to understand that what you said was not very nice."
Harry sighed, his shoulders slumping. He let his head fall on the table. The slight shock upset Hermione's pile of books, sending her quill, which had been put on top of it, floating to the table. Harry's head whipped from the table to look at the quivering quill. Forgetting his concerned friends, he gently blew on it, clamping his paw on it to stop it from barrelling to the floor.
His deception forgotten for now, not that he had, contrary to his friends, hold a lot of hope in their success, but still, it would have been nice to be able to communicate with more people... A good game was what he needed for now.
He blew on the quill once more, jumping over the table to pounce on it when it flew away.
A few minutes later, and some not so silent tries from Hermione and Ron to either stop Harry or rescue the quill from between his paws, an exasperated Madam Pince threw them all out of the library with a one week suspension.
Hermione, upset with Harry for the suspension, ran away in tears in the direction of her next class. With a last glare at Harry, Ron hurried after her.
Smirking, Draco stepped near a bewildered Harry. He bent to murmur in his ear "Be happy she didn't slap you. She has a mean hook."
Harry snickered in remembrance. Draco rolled his eyes. "Anyway, back to the subject at hand. The Headmaster exempted us from the afternoon classes. He had some experts to come and look at professor Snape's mirror. He thought you'd like to meet some of them."
/Like who?/
"The Weasley curse breaker, for one. Mad Eye Moody..." Draco shivered a little at the souvenir of his brief stint as 'the amazing bouncing ferret'.
/Who else?/
"Lupin and his grim-like dog." He grimaced in fright as he remembered the monster of a dog he had seen tailing the meek professor. He had jumped back when the dog had snarled at him.
/Really?/ Harry's delighted interjection brought him back from images of big gleaming white fangs.
Draco sighed as Harry ran to his temporary quarters. He followed him more sedatively. As he had predicted, Harry, not knowing the password, was bouncing in front of the entrance, impatiently waiting for him.
Shaking his head, Draco murmured the password low enough for Harry not to hear.
With a squeal, Harry bounded through the opening door, squeezing through what appeared to Draco as too small an opening for somebody of Potter's size.
Draco waited for the door to open properly before stepping through. The scene he walked on could have been funny hadn't it been frightening.
On Severus' beloved Persian rug, a grim like monster of a dog was gaping, its tail pointing parallel to the floor, stopped in the middle of a welcoming wag, the perfect image of frozen surprise.
Facing him was Harry Potter, crouching on all four, fur and hair standing on ends, hissing and spitting, all claws out and digging in the rug.
The Potions professor's sudden arrival startled everybody. One glance was enough for him to assess the situation. He silenced the three wizards following him with a simple gesture. Draco sighed in jealousy, oh, how much he envied this capacity of his godfather's...
"Potter!" the professor howled. "Mind the rug! As enjoyable it would be to see you clawing the mutt, I'd rather you did not shed blood on my rug."
Harry, who had jumped in the air in startlement when his Severus bellowed, mewled loudly in a squeaky fashion before running and clawing his way up Severus' tapestry till he could jump and hide on the top of the shelves adjoining it.
The dog, which had also jumped in the air with a squeak, looked between the climbing Harry and the sneering professor. He then began to growl threateningly at the fuming professor who was striding towards the tapestry with the purpose of berating Harry. "Oh, for Salazar's sake, Lupin! Restrain your mutt before I do it myself!"
The greying werewolf chuckled and walked to the growling beast. "Snuffles, mind your manners." He genially admonished the dog, before muzzling him with his hand and making him forcingly look down; a gesture that earned him Draco's respect. Sure the man was no mere man, but still, to manhandle such a beast so casually….
"You promised to be nice." He reminded the dog before adding "Besides, acting threateningly won't make Harry come down. You don't want him to stay up there indefinitely, do you?"
'Snuffles' whined and bestowed his best puppy eyes at Lupin, who then released him. He turned those eyes next towards the shining green ones that could be seen peeking from the top of the shelves.
Mad Eye Moody grumbled what could, with imagination, pass as a laugh, while the Weasley curse breaker smiled at Harry.
"Get down, boy, let us see what trouble you managed to get into."
Draco rolled his eyes at the stupidity of the old retired Auror. They had it all wrong. After the embarrassment at having been caught acting like a normal cat faced with an unknown dog, add to that his reluctance at being in the spotlight…
No, there was no way they'd be able to coax him down, he'd come down when he'd be ready to face them all, and not one second earlier.
Unless… Unless Draco angered him enough to make him act all Gryffindorish.
His decision taken, Draco acted before his brain could come with reasons why it was a Bad Idea. He aimed a smirk at a flushing Harry. "Is the little kitty afraid of the big bad dog? Poor little kitty, is he gonna spend all his life perched on his bookshelf?" He goaded Harry further, trying to ignore the growling coming from the dog. "Is that how you're going to save us all? What a pathetic saviour you make!"
Before he could go any further, he found himself lying on his back on the rug, a spitting mad teen cat crouched over his body. He thanked his lucky star that Harry had been the first one to jump on him and not the big brute of a dog.
In a bored tone showing nothing of the terror that was wracking him on the inside, mixed with a part of excitement at being in such close quarters with the Boy-turned-cat, Draco said "Well, I got him down. Could one of you get him off me, now?"
The Potions Master grabbed the scruff of Harry's vest and teared him away from the Slytherin's body. Once he had deposited Harry on the floor, the Gryffindor sniffed disdainfully at Draco before going to seat before the fire. He then started a full primping session, much to the amusement of the adults. It was the only way he could get enough time to recuperate without asking for it. Still, he kept one ear towards their conversation.
Nobody noticed as the dog, bored with the discussion, padded out of the sitting-room and into the bedroom. His strangled bark brought everybody piling in the room. The mirror had decided to show them another vision.
The wizards, animagus and teen-cat all watched as a young James Potter raged against an invisible opponent. Nobody could tear his eyes from the scene, apart for Draco, which divided his attention between it and looking at the adults and Potter's reaction.
James suddenly shouted "I hate you! You and your bigotry! Nobody chose to be poor! And being poor doesn't make a person bad! Poverty is not contagious!" His tirade was interrupted by what could only be a magistral slap to the face.
For the onlookers, James' head suddenly turned aside, a redness spreading on his cheek, his body flying backwards. James' head hurt the wall violently. He sat up, blood coming from his temple and blinking back tears. He was shivering slightly but trying to hide it. After a few minutes, he hugged his legs to his chest and cried softly.
A small and delicate feminine hand threaded gently through his hair. With a big sob, he threw himself into his mother's arms. She gently rocked him. Only four people in the room understood what he murmured next, as he did it in French. "Il t'a menacée. Si je ne lui obéis pas…" He sniffed "Je le déteste! J'aimerai tellement pouvoir te protéger…"
The mirror faded back to transparent.
One look at his godfather's stormy face was enough for Draco to flee the premises with a hasty good bye.
"Well, I discovered nothing new, apart from what you already knew. I have work waiting for me in Egypt. Sorry I couldn't help. May I use your floo?" With a nod from the Potions Master and a swirl of green flames, Bill Weasley was gone.
Mad-Eye Moody growled. "Albus is waiting on me for tea." With a last grinding chuckle, Moody left Remus and Sirius to fend for themselves.
Remus smirked slightly as he noticed Severus' brooding stare trying to burn a hole into Snuffles' back. He smiled brightly at Severus on purpose when he noticed that the man had shift his gaze to him. Severus' glare mutated into a Death Glare.
Remus chuckled and grabbed Snuffles' scruff to keep him from investigating any more. He spoke to Harry. "Well, we will still have time to conduce any more tests we can think of in the next days, but for now, we're stunted."
Letting the paranoid Slytherin to his making sure they had not infected anything with Gryffindor germs, Remus walked back to the sitting room, where Harry was beginning to doze, curled on the rug in front of the fire.
"Harry?" he carefully thrusted his extended his hand towards Harry, letting the decision to inspect it to Harry. Harry extended his neck and touched it with is nose, memorising Remus' scent. Once satisfied with his examination, Harry gave Remus' fingers a lick.
"You even got the scratchy tongue, Harry!" Remus marvelled. "You remember Snuffles, don't you?" he re-introduced the dog to the suddenly wide awake cat-teen. "He can be a bit rash at times, but he's very friendly." The dog touched his big wet nose to Harry's one. Harry smiled and awkwardly hugged the big dog. He was rewarded by a tongue bath, which made him giggle.
"Well, we're going. We're here for at least a week, so we can spend the week end together, if you like. Would you like that?"
Harry nodded eagerly.
Remus, informed of his slight problem, smiled and scratched behind one of Harry's ear. His smile grew brighter when Harry began to purr. "Well, we'd better go before Severus decided to threw us out by force. Find us Saturday at ten near the lake, all right?" Harry agreed. With a last wave, they were gone.
Harry was kneading the rug to bunch it just so to be comfortable for a good night's sleep when his Severus stormed in from the bedroom. "Potter! Wake up! Perhaps I should let you sleep out there, the cold you would catch would teach you a thing or two. But the Headmaster would have my hide. Come here and get into your room, I won't lose any more sleep because you've decided to be stubborn. I have already lost a whole afternoon because of this hurly-burly."
Harry bonded towards the sour man with a last look of regret towards his rug. Just when he had managed to get it right...
"Stop!"
Harry froze mid-step.
"You will not be going anywhere near my room with a red bow. Change its colour."
Harry blinked, incredulous. He would never understand that man. Harry considered making it pink to infuriate him further, but decided against it. With a blink, his bow regained its green hue. Really, how childish could his Severus get? 'But' the Draco-devil whispered into his ear, 'think about all the great pranks you'll be able to play on him.' Harry resumed his walk, shivering a little as he left the warmth of the chimney behind.
A sharp pain in his lower left paw made him fall to the floor with a cry of distress.
Severus sighed and pinched the base of his nose as Harry rolled and twisted on the floor in an attempt to get something out of his paw.
"Potter! Stop your histrionics and get to your room! A meal will be bring shortly to you, and remember not to jump on the House Elf." He strode to Harry and looked down his nose in disgust at the twisting boy who was trying to, apparently, bite a part of his paw off.
Severus began to worry something really was wrong when he smelt blood. He petrified Harry-cat to avoid being bitten and gently grabbed Harry's offending paw. Turning it this way and that, he noticed something glinting.
Spreading carefully Harry's fingers apart a little more, he found the culprit : one of Lucius' hair had managed to intertwine itself between Harry's fingers, probably during the kneading of the rug. His bounding had tightened it and it had begun to hurt. Thus the twisting and biting. With a sigh and a mutter of "Bloody Gryffindors, always finding new ways to make nuisances of themselves" Severus began to unwound the hair.
He growled as his hand slipped because of both his sweat and Harry's blood. He was nearly finished when, after a sharp tug to dislodge the hair from where it had burrowed into Harry's flesh, Harry hissed and scratched his hand in reflex.
Severus finished what he had been doing before getting up and burning the hair. "Twenty points off Gryffindors for mauling your teacher, Potter." He coldly informed the relieved teen-cat who was licking his abused paw.
"Now, get into your room!"
Harry hobbled into his room, his frown clearing as he caught sight of his food tray. Severus locked his quarters before going back into his room for a well earned meal and rest.
He was nearing his bed when something rolling under his feet made him trip, forcing him to stop his fall with his hands.
He got to his knees and looked around, trying to find the reason of his fall. He sneered when he discovered that he had stepped on Harry's leather mouse.
"Potter!" he hollered, "Twenty-five points off Gryffindor for failure to keep your toys into your room!" Harry wisely stayed out of view. Severus cursed as he stood up too quickly and had to leant a hand against what he thought was the wall to fend off a vertigo.
His head snapped to the side as his hand began to sink through the mirror. No amount of tugging on Severus' part could set it free. Severus felt something akin to terror raise in his gut, he had survived spying on Voldemort and teaching the Longbottom boy for four years and one month, only to be defeated by a man-eating mirror. He knew there was something wrong with that mirror! Not that it was the first time a Marauder had try to get him eaten…
During his slight panic attack, his arm had sank in till the elbow. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt something, which resembled a hand at first touch, grab his forearm. Merlin only knew what lurked in that blasted mirror!
With a boost of adrenalin despair gave him, he tugged his arm sharply out of the mirror.
The body, to which the hand that had latch onto him was attached to, crashed into his own and brought them both to the floor. Severus' head hurt the floor hard enough for him to fall into unconsciousness.
Glossary.
Fais le partir, je ne l'aime pas, c'est un méchant! Means : Make him leave, I don't like him, he's a meanie.
Comment êtes vous entrés dans le mirroir? Means : How did you get inside the mirror ?
Cóng Fá Yŭ Fàn yì Dào Yíng yŭ means, according to my friend, translate from french to English.
Quelle mouche l'a piqué? Means : Who put a bee in his bonnet ?
Il t'a menacée. Si je ne lui obéis pas…. Means : He threatened you, if I don't obey him...
Je le déteste! J'aimerai tellement pouvoir te protéger… Means : I hate him ! I so wish I could protect you...