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Chapter 38

-Proceedings-

A week later I sat on my terrace with Severus, having a Sunday brunch in the sunlight. Adhara had already left for she was going to see some of her friends at the beach. Severus was reading the latest issue of Transfiguration Today, taking a sip of juice every now and then.

"Adhara asked me if it would be possible to visit London soon. She wants to see Sirius again." I remarked, addressing the cover of the journal.

Severus appeared from behind it, grinning dirty. "Fred and or George Weasley more like. She has a crush on them. Or at least on one of them."

I had to smile. "How do you know?"

"She came to me yesterday evening when you took a bath, quizzing me about them. Very inconspicuous, I can tell you."

"And what did you tell her?"

"That they are irksome troublemakers, but like her mother she seems to have a liability to this type of guy."

I ignored his last half-sentence for I knew he didn't say that particular sentence to Adhara, but to me.

"And what do you say?"

"Well, there is no need neither for Adhara nor for you to visit London all the time now. It might look suspicious. I'd say we can go there one more time this summer and that's it. I do not want to draw attention to the fact that my wife has taken a new liking to London all of a sudden."

I nodded. There was no arguing this point. The only victim would be Sirius, but at least he and Adhara were allowed to correspond.

"We are invited by the way." He continued, while disappearing behind the journal again.

"Ah. And who is inviting us?"

"The Malfoys. They want to give a summer solstice barbeque."

"O dear."

"Well, every important wizard will participate, including the Minister himself."

"But you had a row with him!" Severus had retold me the argument between Dumbledore, McGonagall, the Minister and him the night of Barty Crouch jr.'s death.

"I will try to avoid him as good as I can, but you will watch him for me instead. Try to find out what his current position is. If he still doesn't believe the Dark Lord to be back."

"Why should he? Nothing strange has happened so far."

"Dumbledore will talk to him again tonight."

"All right."

"But there is another thing I need to talk about." He threw Transfiguration Today on the breakfast table.

"That would be?"

"Sooner or later there will be a meeting of the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord where he wants us to bring along our wives. I am sure he wants all of you to swear allegiance and loyalty to him."

"Blood again?"

He snorted. "Maybe. But I am asking you to practice Occlumency. I know you are pretty skilled, but you have to keep up working. You used to be very good at dueling, too, but to my displeasure I have been told that you performance was pretty weak when they came to fetch you the last time."

"I had been sleeping."

"Petty excuse."

"I want to see you when you are attacked at the…" I fired up.

"I am just asking you to practice. The Dark Lord is a most skilled Legilimens and if you are not able to close your mind properly our cover will be blown." He interrupted unnerved.

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That night a severe thunderstorm rampaged, waking me in the dead of the night. A look at the empty pillow next to me told me that Severus wasn't in the house. I got up, wrapped in a nightgown made from finest white silk, and peaked into Adhara's room. She was sleeping deeply, the thunderstorm had just caused her to cover her head with her cushion, but otherwise she didn't seem to be disturbed in the slightest.

So I stood at my bedroom-window gazing into the night, watching the flashes sometimes turning the sky as bright as day, sometimes just making it shimmer in a mystical violet.

I didn't hear Severus approaching, but suddenly felt his warm breath in my neck, causing a chill in my stomach.

"Why are you awake?" His voice was a gentle whisper right next to my ear.

"The thunderstorm woke me up." I turned to face him, his features looking arcane in the mystic light. The sight of him caused a yearning pain in my heart, making me feel a peculiar sexual tension between us, a strange arousal. I reached my hand out to touch his cheek.

"What are you doing?" He was still whispering.

"I am touching my husband." I whispered back seductively.

I felt his black eyes boring into mine, his face illuminated by another flash, immediately followed by a crashing thunder.

"Severus." I felt his hot lips on mine, kissing me gentle and playful for what felt like an eternity. The next thunder was so close the house shook, making Severus to break apart.

"Go to bed now. I have to think about a few matters." He turned on his heel, leaving me to stand in the darkness.

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The evening we were about to celebrate Midsummer Night at Malfoy's Manor, I stood in my bathroom, fumbling with my earrings. Severus didn't not try to touch me or kiss me ever since our encounter during the thunderstorm, neither did we ever talk about it. Finally, I just had managed to attach my second earring, I heard my muggle-phone ringing. I was sure it had to be one of Adhara's little friends and sure enough I saw her sliding down the hallway on her woolen socks to get it when I left the bathroom.

Adhara stopped right in front of the phone, answering it eagerly. She was always very proud that she had just as much experience with muggle-stuff as she had with the wizzarding-world. I could see Severus watching over to her from my desk, where he had been reading something, shaking his head in disapproval because of her sliding through the house.

Apparently it was one of her friends, because she started to whisper urgently and most secretive, telling the person on the phone she would be returning the phone-call soon.

"Who was that?" I heard Severus interrogate.

"None of your concern." Adhara answered with a pretty flustered voice.

"Do you really think so?" His voice was stern, but I could hear his amusement.

"Sorry, I.. didn't mean to be disrespectful. It…it was just a friend of mine. She..she asked if it would be okay with me if she stays over in Michelle's house tonight, too."

"Aso." He mocked.

I had to suppress a grin. Obviously Severus had caught a little more of the conversation than I had done and it was obvious that Adhara and her girls were up to no good. I walked into the living-room.

"Adhara? Hurry up, we want to leave at seven and by that time you should already be at Michelle's house." I pushed her.

"Yes, Mom! I will hurry!" Thankful for the interruption she ran out of the room, leaving me to face Severus.

At the sight of me, he smiled, leaning back in his chair casually, crossing his arms.

"You look stunning."

I smiled. I was wearing a light, but festive shoulder-free dress with a matching stole, silver stilettos and sumptuously silver jewelry.

"Thank you."

"You are welcome." He grinned.

"So what is she up to?" I sighed, finishing our little game of exchanging courtesies.

"Well, reading between the lines I guess that Michelle, her and the unknown girl from the phone want to drink a little tonight."

"What? She is not even fourteen!"

"Don't you say? You consider this an effective counter-argument?" He sighed.

"Of course!"

He smiled and got up. "And what can we do?" He asked, walking past me, one hand on my bare shoulder, coming to a halt right behind my back.

"I will call Michelle's mother, asking her to keep an eye on the girls."

He laughed. "I am sure that will do. That poor woman. You want her to stay up until the break of dawn or whenever thirteen year old girls go to bed if they have the opportunity to spend the whole night together."

"So- please- you advise?"

"They were talking about a bottle of sparkling wine. Threaten her with horrible punishments in case she steps out the line and let her have a glass or two."

"You want me to allow this?!"

"Oh, come on. Of course I don't want you to allow this, I just want you to ignore it. She knows that she is not allowed to drink alcohol, she knows that alcohol is bad, but she is nearly fourteen and she wants to try it. There is nothing you can do about this! How old have you been when you boozed up for the first time?"

I would have loved to say eighteen, but sticking to the truth I answered sheepishly:

"Twelve."

"You see. Adhara is a very responsible person. She has to make her own experiences. I am sure she will keep things under control."

"Are you sure?"

"I am."

"But…"

"What but? You want to shackle her? Sooner or later she will take a sip of alcohol anyway. It is better for her to learn how to cope with alcohol here with her friends and sparkling wine in a house where adults are around than in the school grounds with elder boys and Firewhisky. Believe me. I've seen it too often."

"But..it's unfair! Last year she has been my little girl and now she is becoming an adult without me noticing it!"

"C'est la vie. It has never been fair to none of us, right?" He squeezed my shoulder. I knew he was thinking about the last summer and me being unfair to him. "Better be her friend than her governess. First, you have never been very strict with her and now definitely is not the time to start being it and second being a governess doesn't suit you at all." He teased. "Your problem is to accept you are getting older, hmm? Now your daughter is intending to booze up you cannot deny the fact that Adhara's childhood is over. But be assured- there has never been a more attractive woman with a pubescent daughter than you."

I chuckled, feeling stupid. "I guess you are right."

"And you have still a few years to come before you reach your climacteric period."

"Asshole!" I grinned.

His black eyes glinted. This was one of the moments I regretted Sirius deeply.

Adhara jumped into the room, ready to go. "Hey! I am ready!"

I kissed her forehead. "Have a nice evening!"

"I will, Mom! Have fun, too!" She turned to leave when Severus addressed her again.

"Adhara, be reminded that no party whatsoever will restrain me from coming over to Michelle's place and fetch you in the dead of the night if this might turn out to be necessary. So be good and have fun."

She smiled at him, nodded and left. You have got to hand it to him- he knew how treat pubescent children. Threatening and collaborating at the same time.

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Malfoys party turned out to be just the catastrophe I had expected it to be. When we reached their manor the first thing that jumped into my eye was the new "No solicitors!"- sign. I had to roll my eyes at this for real, thinking about vanishing it and see what will happen. Sure enough millions of solicitors would come, crashing the gates. Such braggarts.

As Severus had warned me, everybody who was anybody was there and I was introduced to at least another seven hundred people. But I played my part- being charming, small-talking and trying to listen to the Ministers latest realizings. Apparently, Dumbledore's latest argument with him didn't change a thing, because I overheard him talking about Cedric Diggeroy's death, making it sound like a tragic accident, even indicating that it had been Harry who killed him accidently and was too cowardly to admit it.

Narcissa laughed at this. "Yes, that would suit Harry and Dumbledore, Minister! My son Draco - who is in Harry's year as you know- told me that there have been rumors all year that it was Dumbledore himself who put Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire so he can become even more famous. Dumbledore really loves him. Of course, he always favored Lily and James Potter in the past, but one can over-egg the pudding, really."

"Oh, yes. Absolutely Mrs. Malfoy! That is exactly what I think!" Fudge grinned.

I felt anger boiling trough my veins. It was one thing not to believe a school-boy, but Dumbledore, McGonagall and Severus had given evidence about Barty Crouch's confessions. There was no shoving off the testimony of three Hogwarts teachers because it was more comfortable this way.

Sure enough Narcissa came to me a little later when I stood next to Severus, retelling him what I had overheard, smiling wide and false.

"Well, Sadra. What do you think?" Was it imagination or did she gave me a wink? Sure enough she knew the truth and she knew that I knew it as well.

"Think about what?" I retorted a little too annoyed.

"The latest visions of our dear Minister? The vision of a stable and prosperous society in our world?"

"I think if he has visions he should go and see a Healer."

Severus snorted into his goblet.