Wonderful Chapter 10

Soul Patrol

"Here owly owl," Severus called out. As any good owl would 'Mid-knight' flew right for the window. The boy got out of the way just in time.

"Oi your big," Sev commented. Mid-knight was a rather large owl. There was a letter in his beak. The correspondence was addressed to his mother, but Sev didn't want to wait. "Let me have it." The owl shook its head. "That's addressed to my Mum, and she is not here. So please give it to me." The owl shook again. "Please." Even the magic word was no good. Severus closed his eyes trying to see if he could find out something about the owl. He could hear a fain voice saying, 'I am the owl Mid-Knight. I belong to the great an honorable wizard Radu Prince's family. I am in the service of Irmaguard Prince at the present time. And no matter who you are little wizard, I will not give you this letter.'

"Stupid owl."

Mid-knight flapped his huge wings. Before he could continue to try and persuade the owl to give him the letter, he heard a sound he'd only heard a few times, but knew well what it was, the sound of someone aspirating. There was a flash of light, then a very, Very, VERY old witch was standing in the room. She was of a stout build. She wore a dress of black velvet and lace that came form a century past.

Severus took a few steps back as he asked, "Who - - who are you?" The boy felt as if the woman were reaching into his mind. "You're - - you're a witch like Mummy."

"I am your great aunt Irmaguard," the hag answered. "And it looks like I've arrived just in time."

"In time for what?"

Anyone seeing the tear-streaked face of the boy would have known what.

"Where is your mother?"

Severus didn't know if he should tell. What if this witch was lying? What if she were no more related to him than the muggles across the street?

"Mid-knight," Irma snapped. "Did you deliver the letter?"

Mid-knight flapped his wings.

"It would have been alright. It was the muggle I didn't want to have it." Irma reached up to take the letter out of Mid-knight's beak. Then he hooted.

"You have a point. Still he is a wizard, and the blood of our family runs in his veins. I dare say it would have been safe to give it to the boy."

So there!" Severus put in. He was sporting a crunched up face towards the owl. "I tried to get him to give it to me."

Irmaguard could feel there was more to the anger she felt wafting off of the boy. There was nothing wrong with anger, it was sometimes justifiable, but at his age, a wizard should be learning to control it. As she said with her other grand nephews and nieces, 'One can never start too young.' Not actually having children of her own made her not understand the problem of that statement. Children have ways of their own.

Severus piped up with the question, "Who is Ragu?"

A horrified look jumped onto Irma's face. "It is Radu, with a d dear. He's my brother, your grandfather, and by all that is sacred, don't ever slip and call him what you just did."

"My grandfather - - " Sev wondered at this.

"Hasn't your mother told you about us?"

"Not much," Sev admitted.

"You still haven't told me where she is." Irma waited. "I do have ways of finding out."

"Think so?" The little wizard dared her to try.

A wand came out, and there was a shout of "Ligittmentus!" This time the feeling she was in his mind was twice as strong. Even though this time he was prepared his kid defenses were no match for a witch of a century and a half. "Not bad for one so young."

"Not good enough," Sev growled.

To herself she muttered, "So Ele is working like a common muggle, oh well." To Sev she inquired, "Is he as bad as what I saw?"

Severus shrank but still answered, he knew which memory she'd seen. "Tonight was the worst.

"In the wizarding world - - " She strode back in forth putting the tips of her fingers together and pulling them apart repeatedly together as if making her own rhythm. "The fragmenting of a child's soul is not looked upon favorably. A piece of yours has gone missing thanks to that filthy mud-blood."

The boy looked worried. "A part of MY soul? Missing?"

"Don't worry luv, Auntie can get it back. It hasn't been gone too long. It shouldn't be too far."

With that Irma plopped down onto the floor. She sat crossed legged in a way no one would have imagined a lady of her time and age would ever do. With her right hand she began tapping out a rhythm on the wooden floor. It was a simple pattern that repeated itself, yet each time it had individual nuances. She herself began to sway in a manner that reminded Sev of a snake. This went on for quite a while. Severus had no idea what Irma was doing.

Suddenly the old witch stood and approached the boy who had sat some time during the middle of her trance. She was now holding her hands almost together forming a containing shape. Inside of her hands Sev could see a glowing round thing the size of a gob-stone. She took the light with both hands and shoved it into the boy's chest. It wasn't easy to work it back in. To help it along, she sang-chanted a spell of healing.

Her eyes opened. "Back where it belongs." Yes that part of Severus' soul was back where it belonged, but there was something the sorceress didn't tell the boy. Though it was back, that little piece of his soul would never quite be the same. There would always be something slightly corruptible in that tiny corner of Severus Snape's soul.

Severus felt dizzy. He felt compelled to continue humming the song that Irma had been chanting.

"You remember it do you?" The boy nodded to Irma's question. "It's in your blood. That song spell goes back to the days of the ancient magicians. You come from a long line of healers and counter spell casters little one."

"I do?"

"Ones who look into the dark, unafraid, because they know how to fight back." The old witch began to sing again. The song sunk into Severus' entire body bringing peace and sleep. Irma placed her grand nephew on his bed and tucked him in. "Sleep Severus Snape, sleep. Remember you are a Prince."

tbc