Chapter 11 - Luck
"Well, that's a surprise," said Ron. He walked up to Severus and touched the sword, as though he had to feel its weight so that he could believe it was real.
Severus stared at the sword, hoping his expression didn't look as dumbfounded as he felt.
"But you're not a Gryffindor," Harry said.
"Well done on stating the obvious," Severus said, covertly peering into his sleeve to make sure his wand was still there. It was. He noticed the sun was beginning to set – the sky was just starting to get darker. "We better get moving before night falls," he said, turning to the gate.
He hefted the sword, which was really lighter than he remembered it to be, though it was substantial nonetheless. It made him glad he used relatively little magic in practical day to day life. Though he was no longer the lean and strong younger man as he had been when he first met Lia, he was still very fit, mostly due to manually lugging cauldrons around the dungeons and dueling the teenaged wizards in his classes.
When he touched the large lock on the gate with the sword, the lock simply melted away. The ooze of silver and rust dropped onto the ground below, where it sizzled. The gates swung open with a loud screech at just the slightest touch now, though that touch was from an enchanted sword. He walked through, motioning for the rest of them to stay back for a minute. It was almost pitch black inside the gates, so thick was the overhanging cover of trees, weeds, and other plants.
"Wands at the ready everyone, and I'll need you all to cast a Lumos Maxima for us to be able to find our way around."
Five human heads nodded as they pulled out their wands. Minny and Kreacher both snapped their fingers, producing large balls of light that floated before them.
"Let's go," Severus said, leading them into the forest.
He hacked at the first set of roots and stems blocking the path. They melted away with a satisfying hiss as soon as the sword touched them.
"Maybe it'll be easier than we thought," Harry said, who was at Severus's side.
Severus nodded, feeling a little dizzy with optimism as he realized he only needed to touch the plants with the tip of the sword to make them disappear. Hope began to spring in his mind again that he really would be reunited with Lia now – mind, body, and soul. The thought made him work quicker and more efficiently, making long sweeps with the sword now. Little by little, the wilderness around them began to melt away, revealing the beautiful grounds of the estate once more.
They progressed to the Manor quickly, though by the time they arrived the entire group was at his side to light the way. Briefly looking up at the heavens above them, he saw that the sky was full of stars, for indeed there was no moon in the sky at all tonight. He couldn't help but sneer at the over bright Dog Star, but when he thought he almost could see Regulus, ever so faintly twinkling in the summer sky, the sneer left his face completely.
"You sees it too, then?" Kreacher asked, pulling on Severus's sleeve.
Severus looked down and saw the tears rolling from the elf's great eyes. He nodded and gently patted Kreacher's head.
"We fight for him tonight too, Master. Not just for his heir. We fight for all who gets put under the spell of evil and treachery," Kreacher said, snapping his fingers to make his ball of light even brighter as he moved ahead of the group now, ducking under the roots of the plants and lighting the way ahead.
Soon, the house was in view, looming ahead of them like a silent, dark giant. It appeared that there was not a candle or lamp lit in the home, though looks could be very deceiving. Severus swept the sword ever faster into the terrain now, though his arms were aching from the efforts and he could feel his muscles begin to quiver.
"Do you need to trade off?" Harry asked, still at his side.
"No," Severus said. "I have to do this. I think, somehow, that it has to be me doing this."
"Why?"
"Because, that's my lady in there. I should be the one to rescue her, even though I need help from others." Severus thought he heard Hermione whisper the word, 'chauvinist' from where she stood, but he decided to ignore it for now. "And, there is something else that I sometimes do forget."
"What's that?" asked Ron.
"I am half a Prince, after all." Severus said, trying to hold in a smile.
He stopped as he felt the sword hit something solid and firm. It was touching the door of the house.
"Should we knock?" asked Luna, bringing up her hand to do so.
"Stop, Professor Longbottom," Severus said impatiently. He examined the door, and noticed the knocker, which was fashioned to look like a dragon's head.
"How did we miss that?" Harry asked.
Severus shook his head and touched the door handle with the sword. It melted away, just as everything else had.
"Stay behind me," he said as he pushed the door open.
The house was bathed with darkness.
"Lights?" Hermione whispered.
"Now," Severus replied.
"Incendio Totalus."
Every sconce, lamp, fireplace, and candle in the house suddenly erupted with light so bright that Severus had to squint for a minute until his eyes adjusted to the dramatic change.
"Honey, we're home," Ron murmured.
Harry grunted.
"Do we have company?" cried a voice in the sitting room.
Severus walked ahead, looking into the room. It was empty, except for the portrait of Lia's mother, who was smiling brightly.
"You came back!" she said, clapping her hands together. "Did you find her?"
"She's been here the whole time, Sarah. We know you lied to us," Severus said angrily.
"Why would I do something like that? I don't lie, Sarah told me that very specifically. She never lied, so I never must lie," she said, obviously confused.
"Then we must have missed something," Ron said as he walked into the room.
"Sarah," Harry said. "Have you noticed anything weird happening in the house lately?"
She appeared to think about it for a minute before she replied. "Well, not really, no."
"What?" Harry asked.
"I guess I hadn't thought about it before, but sometimes when I wake up from my naps and what nots I can't see anything for a while."
"How long has that been going on?" Ron asked.
"Years and years. It's normal for a painting to get covered from time to time, especially in unused old houses like this one so we don't get dusty, but it's been happening more and more over the last couple of months."
"Do you ever hear anything odd?" Harry asked.
"No, but when you're covered up you can't really hear anything anyways," she said, shrugging.
"Why didn't you mention that before, Sarah?" Severus asked.
"Why, was it important?" She looked very fretful and nervous. "She's been here this whole time? Oh my gods." She started to wring her hands. "Get on with it. Don't worry with me – I'm obviously not going to do you any good, get moving."
They left the sitting room and went back into the entrance hall.
"Do you know exactly where she is in the house?" Severus asked the three women.
"She's in her room, sleeping," said Sybill.
"I can takes you there, Master," Kreacher said.
"Me, too," said Jibby.
"Stay here," Severus said to the group as they began to walk up the stairs.
"Don't you want some help?"
He looked back at Ron and Harry. At first he almost relented, until he saw Hermione bite her lip and sit down on one of the chairs. He knew she could take care of herself, and he knew even with her oddities that Luna was indeed a very powerful witch, as was Sybill in her own way. As he weighed the decision, he shifted the sword in his hands.
"No," he said, finally. "If anything is wrong I'll send one of the elves. I think they'll be enough help, for now."
"We'll look around down here," Ron said.
"Probably a good idea," Severus said before he looked down at the elves again. "Can we Apparate to her room?"
"No," Kreacher said. "What she's done to the house is strong. We'll have to walk."
"So be it," Severus said. He followed them up the long flight of stairs to the second floor. The elves turned to the left, and he followed them past several doors before they showed him a small alcove at the end of the corridor.
"The door to her tower was right there," whispered Jibby, running up to it while snapping her fingers rapidly.
"Her tower?"
Kreacher looked up and answered, "When she was a baby Master Regulus used to read her Muggle fairytales from a book he found in old Master Orion's things. Mistress Sarah read the books to her after he died, so when came to this house Jibby and I makes her a tower room in the attic, like all the princesses in the stories had."
Severus snorted as he walked to the little space that Jibby was frantically running her hands over while snapping her fingers.
"Why can'ts my magic be working?" she asked.
He shook his head and touched the space with the sword. The glamour melted away, revealing a white door that was painted over with lavender sprigs. A small sign which read "Serena Cordelia Selwyn" hung at the top.
Jibby opened the door and motioned for the two to follow, holding a finger to her non-existent lips. They followed her up the winding staircase, until they came to a second door, this one unpainted and made with heavy oak. Severus touched it with the sword, and it swung open. Light poured out of the room into the darkened staircase. He held a hand up over his eyes as he felt momentarily blinded.
"Severus? I've been expected you," said the falsely sweet voice from within.
"Will you be alright if we look around?" Ron asked Hermione.
She just scowled at him.
"Of course we'll be alright," Luna said, waving her hands at them to leave.
Ron shrugged and kissed the top of Hermione's head.
"We'll be back in ten minutes," Harry said.
They walked around the staircase into the back part of the house, beyond the fancy open rooms in the front that were filled with antiques and relics.
They started opening doors randomly, trying to get a feel for the layout of the house.
One door led into a library so vast it put the library at Hogwarts to shame.
"Best not let Hermione see that, or she'll never want to leave," said Ron, shutting the door quickly.
The next door opened into a large bathroom with golden fixtures and bathtub so large it reminded Harry of the Prefects bath at the school.
"Bingo," said Ron, as they opened the door to the kitchen.
"You can't be serious," Harry said as Ron opened the icebox and pulled out a plate of sandwiches.
"That was a very long walk, Harry. I feel a little weak," Ron replied. "Sileo." He lifted the Stasis Charm from the food and lifted a sandwich to his mouth, taking a large bite. "Oh, that's good. Narcissa must make a good sandwich."
Harry shook his head with disgust as he looked around the rest of the kitchen. There was a fire lit in one of the hearths. He cautiously walked up to it and peered into the steaming mist.
"Soup?" Ron asked as he walked up behind him.
"Not unless you want to sleep for one hundred years, Ron. That's Draught of Living Death. Don't you remember anything from Potions?"
"Nah," he replied, taking another bite and chewing thoughtfully. "Out of sight, out of mind."
"Useless," Harry muttered, stepping back from the fire.
"What's that thing?" Ron asked, pointing to a smaller pot next to it.
Harry looked back, seeing the tiny bubbling cauldron, no larger than a thimble really. He looked around the kitchen and found a pair of tongs. Carefully, he grabbed hold of the vessel and brought it out of the fire, setting it down on the large working counter behind them.
"I wish Severus was here, he'd know," Harry said.
"We'll get Hermione. I bet she can figure it out," Ron said.
"Oh. Sweet. Merlin."
They looked up and saw the three witches in the corner of the kitchen.
"Do you know what that is?" continued Sybill, running up to the little container and peering at it.
"No," answered the boys in unison.
"That's where she's been getting all her power."
"What is it, Sybill?" asked Luna, looking at it from over her shoulder.
"It's Felix Felicis, fused with an Everlasting Elixer," Hermione finished.
Harry swung his head back. He remembered how he felt the one time he'd taken the potion in his 6th year, and how everything had completely gone his way that day. Maybe just a drop or two …
"No," said Sybill, swatting his hand away from it.
Luna grabbed his hand and physically put it at his side. "It's why she's so mad, now. Don't you see Harry? No one can handle the effects of Felix forever, it makes them …"
"Completely and utterly unstable," said Hermione. "But the cauldron containing it has to bubble continuously for the effects to last."
She grabbed the tongs from Ron's hands and grabbed the little cauldron, tossing it as well as the tongs into the bigger cauldron containing the Draught of Living Death. The pot began to swirl violently, turning red as vicious smoke poured out of it.
"Oh dear," Sybill said, taking Luna's hand and backing away.
"I guess I shouldn't have done that," Hermione said, carefully raising her wand at the angry mess.
"I should say so," said a heavily accented voice from the back of the room.
