Chapter Twenty-Five
Xhara frowned when Daemon shifted restlessly in her arms and her eyes blinked open sleepily.
She'd only fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning and... Xhara blinked again... a head full of long black silky hair was nestled against her chest, and she yelped as she flew off the bed, falling over because she'd been tangled up in sheets, arms and legs.
As soon as she stood, long black robes were conjured to her half-dressed body - her own Transfiguration over her night clothes had faded during the night - but she was too busy gazing quizzically at the form on the bed to notice; then Neville pushed his now overgrown hair back away from his face and Xhara sighed.
"Oh thank god it's you, Neville. I thought..."
"Miss Diya, do care to explain what has happened here?"
Only then did she realise that there were others nearby. Ignoring Severus' glare, she turned to Madam Pomfrey.
"I wanted to help Neville, so last night I gave him a healing potion I created."
Madam Pomfrey hurried over to Neville, scanning his body.
"He's fine," she said, and continued to speak over Mrs Longbottom's sigh of relief, "he's perfectly healthy I should say. As healthy as you were the day your Familiar came to get me Miss Diya."
"What do you mean?" Professor Snape asked curiously. Xhara was beginning to panic and she fought not to show it.
"Oh, Miss Diya's Nundu panicked when she harmed herself and came to get me, but by the time I got to her dorm room she'd already healed herself." Madam Pomfrey turned back to Xhara. "I'm guessing you used your potion and not a Replenisher as you'd claimed."
Xhara nodded and was about to make an excuse to escape when Professor McGonagall spoke.
"If the potion works so quickly, why did you stay the night Miss Diya? Are there side effects to the potion."
"The potion's not perfect yet, it causes discomfort when it heals."
"But the potion doesn't work as quickly as you want us to believe, Miss Diya."
"Professor Snape, the Headmaster warned you..."
"It was just surface thoughts, Professor McGonagall."
"Miss Diya," the Mediwitch interrupted, "what really happened when you took the potion? We need to know in case there are severe consequences we should look for in Mr Longbottom."
Xhara looked at the floor, conflicted and afraid, "When I took the potion it hurt more than I thought it would. Daemon panicked because he's connected to me."
There was silence at her words and for one precious moment, Xhara thought they'd bought it.
"Madam Pomfrey, I believe it's of the utmost importance that you run a full diagnostic on Miss Diya," Professor Snape said with a drawl.
"No!"
Five pairs of eyes focused on Xhara at her outburst and she shifted uncomfortably, annoyed at giving herself away.
"Professor McGonagall, Mrs Longbottom if you would please excuse us; Mr Longbottom please rest for now." Madam Pomfrey gestured for Xhara to follow her. "Miss Diya come with me; Professor Snape if you will, I may need your expertise on this potion."
With a lump in her throat, Xhara followed the Mediwitch; the robes that had been conjured to her body was too large, but she ignored the trailing hem as she tried to think of some way to get out of what was coming.
~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~
Severus peered at the forlorn appearance of his... Miss Diya, she looked as though she was going to the gallows. He was having second thoughts of putting her through this, but he needed to know that she was healthy.
Madam Pomfrey had given her a hospital robe to change into and when she emerged from the changing room, the Mediwitch directed her to a bed which she quickly closed off with curtains and silencing charms.
No one said anything as Madam Pomfrey worked, silently casting her diagnostic spells.
"Oh my..."
"What is it?" Severus asked quietly.
"I'm afraid I'm going to need to inform the Headmaster of this as well,"
"Madam Pomfrey, please, no."
"I'm sorry, Miss Diya but this has to be done, I will be back momentarily with the Headmaster," she continued ignoring Xhara's continuous pleas as she left the curtained off area.
Severus quietly observed as the girl bit at her nails, she looked ready to bolt, instead, she turned to him.
"Professor, please, I promise you that I'm fine. Don't let them..."
"Good morning, Professor Snape, Miss Diya." The Headmaster came through the partition with Madam Pomfrey close behind. "Now, what seems to be the problem, Poppy."
"I found traces of the Otium Raptus potion in her system."
Severus felt a rush of worry, anger and denial, "That cannot be. I destroyed that recipe and the book the Dark Lord gave me. No one should be able to brew this potion, I am the only one left who knows all its ingredients."
From the corner of his eyes, he saw as the girl pulled her knees to her chin under the bed covers, shaking her head.
"Miss Diya, do you have any idea who could have done this?"
"I didn't see anyone, Headmaster, the potion was thrown at me and I tried to vanish it, but it exploded when I used my magick on it."
"If it was thrown at you, and you didn't ingest it, that means you were aware enough that you can identify the culprit, Miss Diya," Severus said, irritated that she would try to protect a rapist. He dearly wanted to pour one of his 'hidden' poisons down the throat of the man or boy who dared touch his female... student.
"Please, just stop."
"Miss Diya, it is our policy at this institution to protect our students and keep them safe," the Headmaster said, "and so, to prevent this from happening again, we need to know who did this so that no one else is harmed in such a way again."
They all sighed in frustration when the girl just continued to shake her head, but none of them could continue the interrogation as a deep rumbling growl was heard just outside the curtains.
The adults watched anxiously as the shadowy outline of leopard-sized form continued to grow to gigantic proportions.
~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~
Xhara wished she could tell Severus to shut up as he continued to dig his own grave.
Not that he'd done anything wrong; she was officially an adult. She just hadn't wanted the whole school thinking that their Defence Against The Dark Arts professor was a paedophile; her being his Soulmate and an adult wouldn't have prevented that rumour from spreading.
There was nothing she could do now, they wouldn't stop questioning her and technically they were right, whoever had thrown the potion at her might try it with someone else. The problem was that the guilty party had placed her in Severus' quarters and on his bed; how was she or he going to explain that?
The only thing left for her to do was protect him. Ari poked his head through an opening in the curtain, Severus was trapped next to her at the head of the bed while the Headmaster and the Mediwitch backed away.
Xhara draped her legs over the side of the bed and stood.
"Headmaster, while I understand your need to find the person that dosed me, I Don't. Know. Who. It. Was. I can tell you who it wasn't, and that was the person I gave myself to." Xhara shook her head to forestall the Headmaster's next words. "If you'd like to test my wand, Headmaster Dumbledore, you will find that I am legally an adult and I do not have to tell you who I've had relations with."
She held out her wand to the Headmaster who took it as he gazed sadly at the student who lost her innocence too soon. The test of her wand proved her words true and Xhara was allowed to leave after Madam Pomfrey gave her a lecture on magickal protections.
Xhara hurried toward the Ravenclaw Tower, Daemon at a steady stride beside her, relieved that her last shot had worked, she'd been prepared to threaten them all with Nundu bites if they'd made her confess about Severus.
She hadn't seen Severus' face when she'd admitted to giving herself to someone, as he'd been standing behind her, but she hoped her story had been believable enough for him. If he continued to dig, sooner or later he'd find out and then he'd probably give in to guilt and turn himself over to the Headmaster's mercy.
However, she sighed in relief when she thought of two facts; she was an adult and Severus was her Soulmate, besides revealing the private nature of their relationship, there was nothing they could do to Severus.
Unless they pressured him into leaving on his own...
Xhara sighed and trudged up the stairs; deciding that she would think more of this the next day. Casting her troubles aside, she went straight to bed, relieved she was finally able to rest.
~~~(*)~~~(*)~~~
Xhara woke later that evening to find a High-Elf gazing at her as tears streamed from its eyes.
She sighed as she sat up; she'd awoken to worse.
"Can I help you?"
This didn't help, instead, the being began to... well... she couldn't say 'wail'; chime... maybe... tinkling cries. Daemon jumped up onto the bed beside her.
*You do know that this is Winky, don't you?*
"Winky!"
"Mistress, I am so sorry, it's all my fault!"
Xhara shook her head, the proof of Severus' honour was jarring.
"What's your fault, Winky?"
"I was the one that gave you the potion, Mistress. I thought it would get Master to accept you. I did not know it would hurt you."
"Winky, you put me on his bed… naked."
Winky looked at the floor, "Actually Mistress, you banished your own clothes."
Xhara stared blankly for a moment before she heaved a sigh of relief.
"Winky, it's all right," she said with a smile, trying to calm the crying Elf, "it was a mistake. At least it's not some perv going around trying to get him into trouble."
"Get who into trouble?"
Xhara was startled when Harry, Neville and Luna came across from the study area; she hadn't known they were there, and apparently Winky had been too distraught to notice them too, as she gasped in horror at the sight of them.
"I'm so sorry, Mistress, I'm so stupid!"
"Winky, please stop crying. You're not stupid; it's okay they're my friends, and I... I trust all of them. Including the Gryffindor."
"Hey, he's a Gryffindor too!" Harry said pointing at Neville, "Winky? I thought Dobby told me that you're Professor Snape's House-Elf now, and why do you look like Tinkerbelle?"
Winky continued to cry, Xhara said nothing as she and Luna waited for the boys to catch up.
It happened slowly.
They all sat in the space between the beds as Xhara gave Winky some tissue to dry her eyes.
"Winky, I promise that everything is fine. He didn't hurt me," she lied, hoping the High-Elf wouldn't notice.
"Yes he did, I have Master's sheets." Winky cried into the hankie.
"Oh my god!" Neville yelled, startling Harry.
"What?"
Xhara ignored Neville who was gazing into the distance, horrified and Harry, who was still asking "What?"
Luna patted Winky gently on her tiny shoulders but nothing seemed to help the Elf to forgive herself.
"Have you told him?" Xhara asked the hiccuping Winky.
"No, I was afraid, and Mistress seems to not want Master to know," Winky said looking at her sadly, "but I will make up for it; I vow never to use my wings until I feel I have earned my Mistress' forgiveness."
"Winky, no! You don't have to do that, I don't want you to, and he won't either."
"I have made my vow," Winky said as she stood and slinked toward the door, she turned to look at her Mistress one last time, "I am going to the Manor, Mistress, I will see you again when he brings you home."
After the door closed behind Winky, Luna turned to her with Floozy in her arms.
"At least she didn't vow to never use magick, but it'll still be hard for her."
"Does he know you're his Soulmate?" Neville asked, still looking a bit flabbergasted.
Xhara nodded, "He gave me a crystal cauldron as a gift for Yule."
Neville smiled, happy that at least one of them would soon be with their Soulmate. He still had depressing thoughts and feelings, but he knew his friends and family were there for him, and he was grateful.
They all gathered back at the study table while Xhara went to the bathroom to wash and change. She soon joined them at the table with the written theory of her potion and began to work on the changes she needed to make.
"Oh my god!"
They all ignored Harry, except for Luna who absently patted his arm.