Spoilers: Order of the Phoenix
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Ezmerelda: they will stop hurting each other, I promise, but not yet. As I said earlier, I'm evil :)
Viktor was waiting for him in his office and almost hurled himself at him.
"How is she?"
"Alive. And sane," he replied dryly. "For the moment."
"What happened exactly?"
"The spell the Dark Lord cast killed the baby, drained him of his living force and made Hermione barren."
Viktor gasped.
"It's impossible! There must be something that can be done! Even in Dark Arts, there–"
"Krum, just shut up, alright? I know I screwed up, you don't need to rub it in my face."
Viktor stopped in mid-rambling, his mouth still open, staring at the tall wizard who sagged in his chair, his face buried in his hands.
"Severus?"
"There was a child, Krum," he said, his voice muffled. "A tiny child, my son. You know, I never thought I would ever have a child. I told Hermione it was because I wanted Salazar's blood to die with me. Lies. The truth is that I never thought I would find a woman who would see past the Death Eater thing and the blasted temper. I knew about the Rowena's Heir soul mate, but I thought it was just a hoax, you know, like when Sybill predicts Potter's death every week. And there I had the chance of my life and I let it go because I thought I could outsmart the Dark Lord and Lucius Malfoy! And as if it wasn't enough, I let Hermione suffer through all of this and even worse, whereas I should have been protecting her, with my life if necessary!"
He looked up and his eyes were bloodshot, shining strangely in his haunted face.
"You look like you just came out of Azkaban," whispered Viktor, uncomfortable.
Severus had a mirthless laugh.
"Believe me, I looked much worse by then."
He passed his hands in his hair and noticed absentmindedly that it was greasier than usually.
"Wow, Severus, I've never seen you feeling so down!"
"Then you didn't see me when I came to Albus twenty years ago."
"What happened?" asked Viktor gently, cautiously.
Severus remained silent a long time before opening his mouth to tell him. He still remembered this day as if it had happened only hours before.
"Severus, they will forgive you, of that I have no doubt. The question is: can you forgive yourself?"
The broken youth in front of the Headmaster raised his head and black eyes burnt into blue ones.
"What can I do to thank you for this second chance?" he asked, his voice raw.
Albus slightly winced; the second chance in question was paved with horror, pain and death.
"Some warm woollen socks would do just nicely."
Viktor smiled.
"It sounds so much like him. The greatest wizard is also a man, who likes to feel cosy in the chilly castle. It's reassuring, in a way. It makes him so much more human."
Severus nodded vaguely.
"The same is true for you, Severus," continued Viktor. "You're a powerful wizard, but you're also a man who still needs to learn how to live. Burying yourself alive in a dungeon is hardly healthy."
"Krum…" growled Severus.
"You should talk with Remus. You both have much in common, especially on being cast out. No, don't answer that, just think about it."
He made his way to the door.
"Oh, Severus, someone told me once – I don't remember who, though – that to love someone else, one needs to love oneself first. Now, I don't really share this point of view – but I'm no Gilderoy Lockhart either – but maybe you could discuss it with the delightful Hermione? When she's feeling better, that is."
Viktor still had his hand on the doorknob when Severus sighed.
"Krum… Viktor. How is it that you slowly became something looking suspiciously like a friend?"
The younger wizard smirked.
"Because I'm good at Dark Arts, naturally."
Severus chuckled and the door closed softly behind Viktor.
Severus sighed as he heard an insistent tap at the door of his rooms. Can't even be left alone in the evenings. Albus must be back. Damn him for not respecting private quarters. He opened the door and blinked when an owl flew past him. Owl in the evening? Couldn't it wait until morning? Wonder how it managed to reach here since I don't have windows… Ah, school owl. Interesting. The owl hooted proudly as he took the little package from its leg. As soon as it was in his palm, the package emitted a soft 'plop' and was suddenly twice bigger. Self-reversible Reducio spell. Ingenious. Out of habit – and wary because of the Reducio spell – he checked for hexes and found nothing. He opened the package and looked quite puzzled at the pair of green and silver socks adorned with the Slytherin crest on the side. He unrolled the joined letter and noticed immediately that it had been written with a Dict-O-Quill, guaranteeing the anonymity of the sender. But the words… Thank you for the missing blood.
He frowned. He had mentioned the sock to Albus, but the Headmaster would never use a Dict-O-Quill to send him a message. It could be from Hermione – especially considering the nature of the message – but she was a Gryffindor and didn't hide like this. She knew also about the sock thing; yet she was shaken from the loss of the child and had better to do than send anonymous letters. So someone else knew. Could it be Gregory or Vincent? From them, the wording would have been more malicious and somehow he couldn't picture them being concerned enough for the owl as to reduce the package before sending it. The care was rather pointing to Hermione – or Harry in case the owl was Hedwig. It could be Pansy: she knew Hermione enough to make her look guilty even if she wasn't. But still, no matter who the sender was, he couldn't figure out the motive.
The following day, before his classes, he tried to see Hermione, only to be rebuked by Poppy who stated that the only visitor Hermione was allowed was one young Ravenclaw named Terry Boot, because he was 'polite and nice'. Severus had to stifle the urge of stealing some hair from said Ravenclaw and using Polyjuice Potion. Sadly, he hadn't any reserve left of the potion since he had no use for it and by the time he would have brewed a new batch, he hoped Hermione would be out of Poppy's clutches.
Viktor received the same treatment as Severus and growled.
"Polyjuice?" he asked hopefully.
"Empty vial," groaned Severus.
They both sighed dejectedly and began a game of Wizard Chess.
After a tiring day – all the members of the DA were making mistake after mistake in class – Severus had a game of Wizard Chess with Viktor and then they both tried again to see Hermione, arriving in time to see Terry coming out of her room and Poppy shooing them away from the Hospital Wing. Angered, Severus returned to his private room and began to lay down Arithmancy equations, trying to discover if things could have been different or not.
Once again, he was visited by the same tawny owl hooting proudly and nibbling his fingers affectionately when he gave it treats.
"You're so proud that I have no other choice than call you Artaban," he muttered, unable to feel angry against the owl.
He opened the package and found Ravenclaw socks. The message was short: First blood. Shouldn't it have been red? It brought back memories of Hermione bleeding after… He shut his mind to the unwelcome thought and put the socks and the message next to the one he had received the previous day.
His days took a pattern while he was waiting for Albus to come back. In the morning, generally with Viktor, he would go to the Hospital Wing, be refused and go back to the dungeons for a game of Wizard Chess. Afterward, he would teach his classes, go to the infirmary once again, have another game of Wizard Chess with Viktor and then retreat for the night, buried deep in Arithmancy with results he didn't like and then Artaban would come.
The third package gave him Hufflepuff socks and a new letter: Second blood. The spark bringing doom? He waited for the Gryffindor socks on the following evening and wondered what the message would be. When he received it, he almost choked: Third blood. The key. Too bad it was overlooked. He gritted his teeth. On the next evening, he thought he would be left alone to think on the problem, but Artaban came even though. When Severus opened the package, he scowled: white socks with a unicorn outlined in black on it. Immortal blood. Joy and despair. He sighed and waved his wand over the five pairs of socks. They pinned themselves on this wall, the corresponding message pinned above them. The sight was comical but he didn't care. It wasn't as if anybody came in his private office anyway.
It wasn't over. He received two more packages. The first one contained black socks and the message was not written in the same tone as before: Blood of pain. Darkness always steals. And wins? Then a note was added below: May be more useful to you than the previous: more in your style. Irritated, he sent the socks on the wall next to those with the unicorns. The last package consisted of blood red socks. Blood of the binding. A new birth. Who will fall? Only time will tell what comes next… He eyed the seven pairs on his wall. The full meaning was still eluding him. Well, he understood the first meaning, except for the last sock. The blood of pain was when Hermione had lost the child. But the blood of binding? And why would it induce a new birth? Suddenly he froze. He re-read the last latter and shook his head in disbelief. How could it be possible?
"Poppy!"
Hermione was still sleeping in the infirmary, the room plunged in pitch black. Severus called the mediwitch again, his tone impatient, inwardly quite smirking at how easy it had been to enter in the room he had been forbidden to go for the last week. Yawning, Poppy entered the Hospital Wing, tying her hair in a tight bun.
"What is it Severus? Did you notice the hour?" she said, glaring.
"I need a new analysis of Hermione's blood. You said she had Salazar's blood. We have to know how she could have gotten it in her veins."
"And it couldn't wait until morning?"
"No, it couldn't! I need to know now."
Poppy sighed and waved her wand above Hermione's sleeping form, drawing complex patterns and muttering spells under her breath.
"Unicorn blood, but we already knew it," she said, frowning slightly.
Then Hermione glowed successfully bronze, black, gold and silver. Silver? Severus scowled.
"She had Salazar's blood in her veins," confirmed Poppy darkly, muttering under her break against hardheaded Slytherins.
"But how?"
Severus began pacing nervously while Poppy waved again her wand. After a moment she emitted a sound that sounded suspiciously like a cry of triumph. Then she turned to Severus and, to his surprise, repeated her wand-waving on him. A satisfied smirk appeared on her lips.
"Deign to share the joke?" he growled.
"You performed a blood binding ceremony."
"I never did such a thing."
"Look at your left palm, dear boy."
Puzzled, Severus obeyed and the lines of his palm blurred slightly before becoming very clear; he noticed then the white scar crossing his palm.
"What is this?"
"The scar of the blood binding ceremony. She has the same and, obviously, there was a dissimulation charm on it. Now, the strange thing is that you don't have her blood. You're just the same as before, with only Salazar's blood in your veins. I don't understand."
"It's easy," said a new voice. "The point was not to bind him to me but to bind me to him."
Severus turned on his heels and faced Hermione, who had opened her eyes and were staring at them fixedly.
"When did it happen?"
"Before Samhain. When you were sleeping peacefully in my arms. Rowena took control, used Salazar to force you to remain asleep and performed the first half of the blood binding ceremony. Then she cast a spell on our hands, to hide the scar."
Severus nodded, frowning.
"So now you remember that I'm alive?" she added scathingly.
"Complain to her for forbidding me to come," he growled, looking pointedly at Poppy. "I did try. Twice a day."
Hermione's eyes narrowed.
"I can't believe that! I spent one week trying to stay busy with homework and Arithmancy equations just because you forbade him to come?"
"Arithmancy equations? About what? Never mind. Not now. The blood binding ceremony. How is it that the Dark Lord didn't see you had Salazar's blood in your veins?"
She leaned back on her pillows, looking quite tired.
"It needed to be activated. Remember the prophecy? Pain, oh so much pain. I always thought that the two prophecies were related to each other. I needed… the pain was needed for activating Salazar's blood."
"You mean…"
"Yes, the loss of the child. And the fact that he destroyed… that the spell made me barren," she added matter-of-factly. "It hurts quite a lot."
He was stunned by her calm and Poppy winced.
"She spent her week hurling this type of comments at me."
Severus felt an incredible surge of pride swelling in his chest, for his little Gryffindor. She had cried the first day, but then she had been strong, her mind working on the problem instead of wallowing on her tragedy.
"Naturally," he snapped at Poppy. "She's strong and doesn't want to show her pain!"
Hermione gave him an inscrutable look and then shot him a timid smile.
"Now that you're here, would you care to tell me what happened on Samhain after I was…?"
Poppy began to protest, but Severus sat on the chair by Hermione's bed and began telling her about the Quidditch formation – he noticed a gleam of pride in her eyes at the mention of it – the Bludgers created by the Weasley twins, the Apparition anchor on Ginny and the last fight against Voldemort. She was particularly interested in the way Viktor had fought against the Dark Lord.
"The Badger will strike," she mused. "So it would seem that Viktor is Helga's Heir."
"So it would," agreed Severus neutrally.
She frowned.
"This is ludicrous! There is no Hufflepuff House in Durmstrang! The Houses there are Alfheim, Svartalfheim, Asgard, Vanaheim, Nidavellir and Jotunheim."
"Oh, I do so love sparring contests with such a brilliant mind!" murmured Severus softly enough so that Hermione couldn't hear him. "Always pinpointing the tiny detail that could make everything go awry!"
He leaned back in his chair, his thumb slightly tapping on his lower lip.
"Indeed, there are no Hufflepuffs in Durmstrang. But does that forbid to someone from Helga's bloodline to be in Durmstrang?"
Her brow furrowed in concentration.
"I guess not," she admitted. "It would make things quite clear. Why Viktor is always by my side, the protector type, I think you said."
"A real friend… or a brother? Helga was Rowena's half-sister, after all."
She shook her head.
"It's creepy."
"Where were you heading with your Arithmancy equations?" he asked.
"Well, I started on September 1st. Terry calculated the chart of that day for me and then the results I had were that the only solution available was the one we chose. I calculated from three charts, beginning of September, middle of July and end of May. They all gave the same results. Terry didn't have the time to calculate the charts for earlier."
"I did. But I also tried with the second hypothesis: I gave you some of my blood instead of doing as Albus insisted. The equations all solved to your death. I think Albus either asked Callisto about it or he calculated the odds himself before making his decision. Thinking of it, his excuse as for avoiding my giving blood was quite weak; the problem of your virginity could have been taken care of anyway."
"I actually did, Severus," said Albus's voice behind them. "I calculated all I could as soon as I knew you were Salazar's Heir. The odds were too loose before I knew this. Hermione, I'm sorry for your loss. I could not see any other solution but I hoped against hope that somehow I had made a mistake. I am more sorry than words could ever tell."
There was no twinkle in Albus's eyes and he looked as old as his one hundred and fifty years let think.
"By the way, Hermione, you will find that Vanaheim is the equivalent of our Hufflepuff House in Durmstrang. The Sorting Axe over there had no difficulty to find Viktor's House."
"Thank you, Headmaster," she murmured.
"When did you come back, Albus?"
"One hour ago. Minerva told me about the outcome of Samhain and I met Poppy on my way here. She told me about the effects the curse Voldemort cast on Hermione. Is there really no way for you to reverse the effects, Severus?"
He shrugged helplessly.
"Not as long as I don't know the exact curse he used. The Dark Lord lacks imagination as for spells in general, but sometimes, he can unearth a very unusual curse, with rather interesting effects. I've never heard of such a curse with so many repercussions like this one. Then, of course, even knowing the curse doesn't mean it's possible to undo the damages."
Albus nodded and sighed.
"Join me tomorrow evening for a meeting. We need to go over all this with the team. I think congratulations are in order, even though it is considered as a defeat. You were all fighting side by side, with originality. I don't think Voldemort will underestimate you again."
Hermione buried herself a bit more in her pillow, her face very pale and drawn.
"Crabbe and Goyle are his spies. They had Pansy with them that night. They know she works for us," she said tiredly.
"Pansy is safe in her Slytherin dormitory, Miss Granger," said Severus curtly. "She was there safely on Samhain evening, which is more than what can be said about you."
"I would have loved to be safe in Slytherin dormitory, Professor," she replied, closing her eyes. "In any dormitory, as a matter of fact, rather than being stuck in here for a whole week!"
Albus had a weak chuckle and left after reminding them about the meeting the following evening. Severus was on the point of imitating him when Hermione opened her eyes and looked at him.
"What prompted you to come to ask me about having Salazar's blood?"
He returned her gaze thoughtfully and smirked.
"Socks. Blood red socks. Very Gryffindor."
The Houses in Durmstrang
I chose them from the Nordic mythology. Why only six when there are nine worlds in Nordic mythology and four Houses in Hogwarts? Well, first I decided not to include the third level worlds (mainly the worlds of death and desolation). Then the 'missing' world is in fact here: it's Midgard, the world of the humans. The Muggle world :).
Alfheim: literally 'elf home'. It's the land of the light elves. I chose it to be the equivalent of Gryffindor.
Svartalfheim: literally 'home of the Svartalfar', where the Svartalfar are the Nordic black elves. It's the land of the dark elves and it stands for Slytherin.
Asgard: it's the land of the Aesir, the main race of Gods. It would be Ravenclaw.
Vanaheim: literally 'home of the Vanir'. It's the land of the Vanir, the other race of Gods and it's Hufflepuff.
Nidavellir: it's the land of the Dwarves and has no equivalent in Hogwarts. House of industrious people, methodical, dedicated. A sort of crossover between Hufflepuff and Slytherin, with the good points of Slytherin (like strategy).
Jotunheim: literally 'home of the Jotuns', where the Jotuns are the Nordic Giants. It's the land of the Giants and has no equivalent in Hogwarts. House of the dreamers, people having great plans and the will to realise them, even if it might not work. A bit like Ravenclaws with the hard-headedness of the Gryffindors.
I grouped them by pairs (Alfheim – Svartalfheim, Asgard – Vanaheim, Nidavellir – Jotunheim) and I kept the antagonism.
Honestly, how many of you were really surprised by Viktor being Helga's Heir? ;)