A/N: This chapter contains a scene involving a magical ritual celebration created with elements from both ancient and modern beliefs and practices. It does not describe any actual rituals or celebrations, past or present. See chapter 29 for the full disclaimer about such rituals.

Recommendation: This chapter's recommended fic is "Thresholds" by Stanrick. Most people wake up right where they went to sleep the night before. One morning, though, Harry wakes up someplace very different and very unexpected. And then things start getting strange. H/Hr.


Chapter 52 - Here Comes the Sun

Sunday, March 21, 1995, Early Morning.

It was 5:30AM — a horrible time to have to be up and moving in general, never mind after such an emotionally and psychologically stressful day as yesterday — but Jasmine and Hermione had promised that they'd go to the Eostre celebration, and they were determined to follow through. Besides, according to Hermione's research, this holiday was not just about fertility, spring, and new life, but also healing and rejuvenation, things which they both definitely could use.

After putting on thin, white shifts and nothing else, they mounted Jasmine's Firebolt and covered themselves in her invisibility cloak. Like last time, they floated carefully out an open dorm window and gently glided down to the Beauxbatons carriage, where Fleur was waiting for them. She surprised them by not being surprised when they whipped off the invisibility cloak, instead acting as though she had known right where they were the entire time.

"Come," she said, "Ze others are already waiting at ze edge of ze forest. We were successful in negotiating with ze centaurs for use of a small clearing for our ritual. Zey will keep zeir distance, but also provide zecurity for ze next several 'ours."

"It won't take that long, will it?" Jasmine asked with a frown.

"Not for everyone," Fleur said with a cryptic smile.

When they reached the edge of the forest, they found that the gathering was almost twice as big as it had been for Imbolc, and it looked like they might all be veela this time. One witch gave each of them a small, circular headpiece made of wildflowers while another, Adrienne, spoke to them in English. "Would the two of you be interested in participating in a larger role?"

The two Gryffindor witches looked at each other briefly before Hermione asked, "What did you have in mind?"

"We need two witches to take on the ritual roles of two spring goddesses of love and fertility," she explained. "This year, we will be honoring Ishtar and Freyja. If they are pleased with us and our ritual, they will bless and multiply our efforts."

"What would we have to do?" Jasmine asked nervously.

"You would have to enter the sacred circle nude instead of shedding your robes with the sunrise," Adrienne said. "You would first be anointed with a consecrated mixture of milk and honey, then enter the circle with chalices of the same mixture; at the signal, you would give some to each participant to drink. You would then distribute seeds and lead us in spreading them along the edge of the clearing. Aside from repeating a few words, that is basically all there is to serving as representatives of the goddesses."

Seeing their nervousness, she added, "In case you're worried, this isn't the sort of ritual where one wrong step can ruin things, like a mispronounced incantation. Intent and attitude are what matter most, not precision in your form. It's what's in your hearts," she said, reaching out and gently touching her fingertips against each of their chests, "that we and the goddesses care about, not your pronunciation or how quickly you walk."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked. "We're not members of your community or anything. We're only guests."

"Only guests?" Adrienne laughed. "No, my dears, you are much more than that, especially after saving Gabrielle. There is nothing formal, but you both are very much considered friends and family by everyone here. Besides, after what you went through, Miss Potter, I suspect that the benefits of taking one of the ritual roles will help you most of all."

"We... what?" Jasmine asked incoherently. "Really?" She looked around and suddenly realized that everyone was looking at the two of them. Instead of curious stares at her scar or naked hostility, both of which she had long ago resigned herself to, she saw nothing but affection, warmth, openness, and even love from all the other witches present. It was so foreign to her that she actually started to feel a bit uncomfortable, not at all sure how to react; but that feeling was quickly replaced by warmth that seemed to emanate from somewhere deep in her chest.

Jasmine looked at Hermione, who was biting her bottom lip — a sure sign that she was uncertain about what to do. Jasmine suspected that she wanted to, but didn't like the idea of doing something in front of an audience without having practiced. She was also probably unsure about Jasmine's own position: she knew Jasmine was uncomfortable enough about the prospect of being nude for this at all, let alone while everyone was focusing on her.

But then Jasmine remembered her own words from the previous day: I will not be a victim. I will not be victimized anymore.

If I continue to shy away from being the center of attention, aren't I allowing myself to be victimized by those who put me down? she asked herself. If I insist on being ashamed of my body, aren't I allowing my relatives to continue to abuse me by accepting their insults and skewed values?

Turning to Adrienne, she stood a little straighter, looked her in the eye, and said, "I'll do it." She wasn't nearly as confident as she tried to sound. She wasn't at all certain that defiantly participating in this celebration actually qualified as opposing her victimization. However, she was pretty sure that it at least meant that she was in control and doing something positive — that was a good start, if nothing else.

Looking back at Hermione, she saw surprise, then understanding in her eyes. Her bushy-haired girlfriend also turned to Adrienne to agree to participate as well. The older witch smiled and walked with them on the way to the ritual clearing as she gave them more detailed instructions about what they would do and experience.

When they all arrived at the clearing, a rough circle in the forest about twenty-five meters in diameter, there were already two women tending a small, open fire in the center. In front of it stood an altar much like the last one with a statue of a goddess on either side. While the other witches filed in and took their places around the central fire, Jasmine and Hermione were taken to the side just outside the clearing, where their shifts were removed and two veela began to anoint them with the mixture of milk and honey, using brushes to paint what seemed like runes on their bodies.

Adrienne must have seen the funny face Jasmine made because she asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Sure," Jasmine answered, as the woman finished with her face and began to paint with the mixture on her chest. "It just... well, it tingles. I don't know, it's hard to describe, but it's an odd feeling."

"Yeah," Hermione agreed, "I'm feeling it, too, but I didn't want to say anything because I thought, well, I figured it was just nerves over what we're doing."

"And it tickles," Jasmine added, trying to suppress a squirm as the brush flicked across her skin.

Adrienne smiled and said, "It is a magical substance now, this mixture, and you are feeling its magic beginning to work on you. It was earlier consecrated to Ishtar and Freyja, two goddesses whom you are now representing in our ritual. I think you will feel more than just a bit of tingling before we are done here this morning."

The older veela didn't elaborate, instead explaining more about what they were about to do and the important meanings behind the various words and actions. Once the magical mixture had been fully applied, Adrienne and the other veela entered the clearing and took their places, leaving Jasmine and Hermione to wait for their cue just outside, facing the direction the sun would rise.

"Are you nervous?" Hermione asked softly.

"Bloody hell, Hermione, are you kidding?" Jasmine exclaimed. "Of course I'm nervous!"

"Language!" Hermione admonished automatically.

"Hermione," Jasmine said with a bit of exasperation, "we're starkers in the Forbidden Forest, surrounded by Merlin only knows how many acromantula, centaurs, and other beasts that Hagrid finds 'interesting,' and we're about to walk into a group of naked strangers as representatives of goddesses we know nothing about... well, I know nothing about... and you're worried about my language? Girl, you need to sort out your priorities."

Hermione squeaked softly, as if Jasmine's little rant only just then made her fully cognizant of everything that was going on. "We are starkers, aren't we?"

"Just noticed that, didja?"

"And outside! In the Forbidden Forest!"

"I think all the trees were my first clue," Jasmine said dryly.

"It's just like in the book!" Hermione breathed.

Jasmine looked over and saw that Hermione was blushing. She also discovered that when Hermione blushed, it wasn't limited to just her face. Immediately whipping her head around to face front again, she tried to focus more on what she was supposed to do and less on what Hermione looked like when standing nude in the pre-dawn light.

She wasn't having a lot of luck. Clearing her throat first, she asked, "Uh, what book?"

"Pureheart's book," Hermione answered, still sounding a bit awed. "It's full of, uh, fascinating rituals. Like this one!"

Jasmine looked at her again briefly out of the corner of her eye and said, "Rituals, huh? I think I remember seeing that section, but I didn't bother with it because they didn't seem all that relevant. What's so fascinating about them?

"Well, uh," Hermione responded, apparently struggling to find the right words. "They're, you know, rituals for witches."

"For witches?" Jasmine asked.

"Uh, yeah."

"And let me guess," Jasmine said slowly. "They're mostly outside? And done in the nude?"

Hermione had apparently lost the power of speech by this point because she just nodded her head vigorously, reminding Jasmine a bit of Dobby when he was especially excited about something. That's just... ugh, I didn't need that mental image! she lamented.

Hermione was spared any more embarrassing questions when they heard the voice of one of the women who were leading the morning's ceremony. After a moment, Jasmine remembered that her name was Anaïs.

"On this date we mark the time of the year when dark and light are in perfect balance," Anaïs said. "From this day forward, the light will begin to triumph over the dark; life will triumph over death; fertility and birth will triumph over illness and decline; love and intimacy will triumph over hate and pain. We dedicate ourselves today to the magic of the goddesses so that we can help life and love prevail over death and hate."

With perfect timing, the sun then broke over the trees, filling the clearing with shafts of light and nearly blinding the two Gryffindor witches for a moment. The incredible sight filled them with so much awe and wonder that they momentarily forgot that they were supposed to be doing something. They also started feeling more than just a tingling along their skin; now they also felt buzzing deep in their abdomens and in the back of their minds.

Fortunately, there was only a brief hesitation before they entered the clearing and stepped into the circle of witches, all of whom had already dropped their thin robes. The two young witches began moving in opposite directions around the circle, stopping at each participant to offer them a drink from the chalices they carried. In every case, they would say "for life and love" as they offered the chalice, and the witch would respond with the same before handing it back. And after each exchange, the buzzing they felt grew just a bit stronger.

Jasmine and Hermione met at the far side of the circle from where they started just as the clearing was fully lit. They looked at each other and almost gasped when they saw that the other's eyes were glowing — Jasmine's a pale green and Hermione's a soft blue — but they remembered their roles and proceeded to the altar, where they offered the mixture to the two witches there, then also to each other. They then took bags of seeds from the second woman at the altar and walked back in the opposite direction around the circle, giving a small handful to each witch.

"All life comes from fertilized seed," Anaïs said as Jasmine and Hermione did this. "In order to grow, each seed must struggle to rise up out of the darkness. Seeds may be aided by tender care, but it is up to each seed individually to break out of the dark and into the light, to grow into that which it is meant to be. Every victory of the light over the dark is a struggle, but with enough love and care, life and victory will come. And after each victory, we heal, we grow, and we move on."

Once they were done distributing the seeds to all of the participants, Jasmine and Hermione each led half of the group going in opposite directions around the edge of the clearing, spreading the seeds along the ground. Since they were both concentrating on what they were doing, neither noticed the motes of magical energy that swirled in their wake, dancing around the shocked veela, though they did notice that they were feeling more energized as the ritual went on. When they were all done, the witches resumed their positions with Hermione and Jasmine taking places next to Fleur and Gabrielle.

It was only then that they realized that the milk and honey mixture which they had been anointed with had disappeared, seemingly absorbed directly into their skin. As interesting as that was, though, it wasn't half as fascinating as the fact that their eyes continued to glow. Jasmine felt as though her entire body was vibrating with pent-up magical energy; judging by her expression, Hermione felt the same way.

"Today is a day of new life and new growth," the second leader of the ritual, Morgane, said. "A day for celebrating renewal, restoration, and healing. Go forth and spend the day with those you love in celebration of life and love. Go forth and remind yourselves of why you struggle against the darkness. Go forth and become that which you are meant to be."

All together, the assembled witches raised their hands above them and chanted in unison, "Light and Love, Life and Magic." With a deep woosh, Jasmine felt most of the energy rush out of her. It joined bursts of magical energy from the other witches, though it seemed to her that far more had left her and Hermione. All of it met in the fire at the center of the circle, causing the flames to shoot up into the sky. After a moment, the central fire collapsed and a wall of flames seemed to burst outward, travelling through the witches and into the surrounding forest without burning either them or the trees. Jasmine and Hermione felt themselves bent backwards slightly, as if the flames had been as much physical as they were magical, and in their wake they felt warmed, energized, cleansed, and much more that they couldn't quite describe in words.

Adrienne quickly stepped up to Gabrielle, Hermione, and Jasmine while putting on her shift and ushered them out of the clearing where they could put on their own. Along the way, Jasmine witnessed a multitude of brightly colored flowers bursting up out of the ground where they had spread their seeds.

When Jasmine gasped, Adrienne noticed where she was looking and said, "The ritual gathers up our individual magic, combines, enhances, and multiplies it, and then sends it out to nurture new life. The better the intentions and the greater the love of the participants, the more the goddesses are pleased and the more they multiply the magic we offer up, which leads to more new growth. Usually it doesn't go far beyond the area of the ritual circle, but with the addition of you two, I think a large area of this forest will experience new growth this spring. I've also never seen it happen so fast, but that probably shouldn't be surprising."

Once they were dressed, Adrienne said, "I will escort you out of the forest so you can return to your castle and Gabrielle can return to our carriage." Gabrielle looked a bit sulky at being excluded from what was coming, but at the same time she seemed pleased to be with Jasmine and Hermione.

"What about the others?" Hermione asked.

"For veela, this ritual is usually celebrated among those who are closest and most intimate with each other," Adrienne explained. "This allows for more... amorous activities to celebrate the dawning of spring. Some just as couples, others in larger groups. Gabrielle is still a bit too young, and I didn't think you two would be willing to participate."

"Uh, no, that's OK," Jasmine said quickly. "Sorry."

"No apologies are necessary," Adrienne responded with a soft laugh while Gabrielle pouted.

"Wait!" Hermione said quickly. "Do you... do you know?"

Adrienne smiled indulgently. "Veela can perceive connections between people. To us, your relationship is rather obvious."

"And she's French," Jasmine quipped, causing Adrienne to laugh harder.

"Regardless," the French witch continued, "we all knew it would be too awkward for you and didn't expect you to stay." She looked back and forth between the two of them before continuing, "You did feel more than just a bit of tingling, am I right?" They nodded, not quite trusting their voices. "Well, that was the fertility magic, created by you and enhanced by the goddesses, which made it possible for you to play your roles. Most of it left you and then dispersed — some into the other witches, but most into the forest where it encourages growth. In humans, the fertility magic has… different effects. The others are right now vigorously working off those effects."

Both Jasmine and Hermione blushed hard at the thought of what their magic was inciting others to do right at that moment.

"Also," she explained, "some consider those activities to be an extension of the ritual itself, though less structured and formal. Some believe that any act of love or pleasure is pleasing to the goddesses. Thus we had a formal ritual that was fueled by love, which pleased the goddesses enough to enhance the magic which everyone offered up, which in turn is fueling the love that the participants are even now expressing in a sacred circle, which then pleases the goddesses once more. It is a cycle which mirrors the endless cycle of birth, life, love, and death in nature. Not all veela hold to this, but many do."

This added thoughtful looks to the two younger witches' blushing. "Uh, death?" Hermione asked. "Where does death come into what we did or, uh, what comes after?"

Adrienne gave a wry grin. "Death, little death... perhaps you have to be French to understand."

Hermione wasn't French, but she knew enough to start blushing even harder and didn't stop until they reached the edge of the forest.

"This is where we must part, Miss Potter, Miss Granger," Adrienne said.

"Please, call us Jasmine and Hermione," Jasmine responded, and Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Very well," Adrienne said with a smile. "Au revoir, Jasmine and Hermione."

Once back at the carriage, Jasmine and Hermione said goodbye to Gabrielle before getting back under the cloak and flying up to Gryffindor Tower.

Gabrielle continued to watch where she thought they were, just as her eyes hadn't left Jasmine from the moment she'd stepped into the ritual circle earlier. She'd never participated in this sort of ritual celebration before — Imbolc had been her first and had been toned down significantly — but she knew that those two witches had taken the ritual to a place that was completely new and unprecedented. Her magic was practically singing in response to the experience, and she wondered if Jasmine Potter had merely been a representative of the goddesses, or if something far more profound had occurred


Once back in their dorm, the two settled in behind Jasmine's bed curtains to relax in the afterglow of the ritual. They felt full of energy, but at the same time they didn't really feel like going out and doing anything. Instead, they simply wanted to rest. "That... that was pretty intense," Jasmine finally said. "I never thought I'd ever be a part of something like that."

"Oh, I know," Hermione responded excitedly. "It was like the descriptions I read in the book, but at the same time it was so much more!

"So, that was fairly typical?" Jasmine asked. "Even, you know, what they're still out there doing?"

Hermione reddened once more, not just at the thought of what might be going on, but at the fact that the magic she and Jasmine had generated was helping to fuel it. "Mostly, I think," she eventually replied. "Adrienne seemed to indicate that not all veela, uh, continue on like that, but it was a common theme in the rituals described by Pureheart."

"Oh?" Jasmine asked.

"Well," Hermione said, seamlessly slipping into her professor mode, "the rituals described in the book are powered primarily by love and pleasure and are enhanced significantly by invoking those goddesses who regard all acts of love as being pleasing to them. On that second point there is a lot of overlap with how the veela do things, but perhaps not so much on the first. The goddesses cited most often by Pureheart are those who specifically favor harmony, unity, love, and most of all, witches. Whether that's true or not with the veela, I don't know, though it seems likely."

Stopping to take a breath finally, she continued, "As for the, uh, continuing activities, I think that Pureheart regarded them as a natural extension of the love and pleasure that play a central role in the rituals themselves. And it makes sense, I guess. If your ritual is powered by love and pleasure, and if you are invoking goddesses who are concerned with love and pleasure, what would be the point in not... well, enjoying love and pleasure as part of the magic?"

Jasmine eyed her skeptically, forcing Hermione to ask, "What?"

"Are you sure that isn't just a fancy rationalization for shagging a lot?" she asked bluntly. "Publicly?"

"Well," Hermione replied, suddenly looking uncomfortable, "to be quite honest, no, not entirely." When Jasmine started smirking, she quickly continued, "But you can't deny the powerful magic involved — magic that's generated by love and pleasure then fueling love, pleasure, fertility, and all that. And now that you bring it up, anyone participating simply to have a good time wouldn't have the right intentions to fuel the magic. So while shagging might be icing on the cake, so to speak, it can't be the primary purpose or motive. If it were, it wouldn't work."

Jasmine suddenly looked thoughtful and it was Hermione's turn to smirk a little. Instead of gloating, though, she pulled her girlfriend close. "How are you feeling, by the way?" she asked.

"Very good, actually," Jasmine answered. "I feel... relaxed. More at peace with myself and what's happened to me. It's really hard to explain, and I'm not sure when exactly it happened, but I feel a lot better now than when I woke up this morning."

"Good," Hermione said with a yawn. "When I read about how part of the purpose of Eostre is healing, I was hoping it would be good for you. Maybe acting as representatives of the goddesses helped a bit, too." After a moment of silence, she asked, "What made you decide to volunteer, anyway? That was just about the last thing I would have expected you to do."

Jasmine shrugged. "It occurred to me that running scared, which was my first reaction, meant letting others dictate my life — people like my relatives or Draco. I don't want to be a victim anymore, and I think that in order not to be a victim, I have to take control of my life more."

Hermione smiled and said, "That definitely sounds like a form of healing."

Jasmine just squeezed her girlfriend a bit tighter as they dozed off, smiling and happy.


Sunday, March 21, 1995, Lunch.

The Great Hall was uncharacteristically full for lunch on a Sunday; in fact, Minerva McGonagall thought that even during the week, it wasn't usually this full. Clearly, word had spread during breakfast, and everyone had learned that the headmaster would be making an announcement about Mr. Malfoy and Miss Potter during lunch. That was probably for the best. Albus would have had formal notices posted in the common rooms, but he hadn't wanted to draw any more official attention to this than was necessary.

The simple fact was, disciplinary decisions typically were and should be made in private, not in front of a crowd. She knew that to him this sort of thing seemed like spectacle or theater, and while as a politician he had great appreciation for both, he was loathe to employ them when it came to disciplining students. It just didn't sit well with him because no matter how it was structured or presented, it always seemed designed to add humiliation to the punishment, and he hated to humiliate students.

That was something she still agreed with him completely on, and she had been pleased to see that this was one principle of his that hadn't been compromised. Unfortunately, given how this incident had already become fodder for public debate and arguments, he didn't have much choice but to go public as well. Based on what he was told by the heads of house, he needed to address this publicly in order to maintain order and discipline.

As the lunch period wore on, McGonagall looked around and noticed two conspicuous absences. Well, Draco Malfoy was also absent, but he was in the hospital wing and thus accounted for. "Minerva," Dumbledore said as he leaned towards her, "have you seen Miss Potter this morning? She really should be here for this."

"No, Albus, I'm afraid I haven't," she responded, not giving voice to her suspicions. Today was Eostre, and she suspected that the two witches had celebrated it with the veela this morning. They hadn't told her that they'd been invited, but they'd also been awfully preoccupied during the past few days, so she couldn't exactly hold that against them.

Just then, the two missing Gryffindors walked into the Great Hall looking very happy and relaxed, which McGonagall thought probably confirmed her suspicions about where they had been that morning. They seemed to freeze when they were greeted with rounds of cheers and applause from three of the four tables, but they quickly remembered themselves and found seats at their house table.

Near the end of the lunch period, Professor Dumbledore rose and tapped his spoon against his glass to get everyone's attention. The gesture was unnecessary because as soon as he had moved, the entire hall had gone deathly quiet. This was what most of them had been anxiously waiting for. Minerva looked around carefully, making note of which students looked hostile and which ones were optimistic.

"May I have everyone's attention," Dumbledore said. "I expect that you're all already aware of the physical altercation that occurred yesterday. Indeed, it is because of the general interest in it that I'm speaking to you like this — matters of discipline are normally handled in private for a reason." Dumbledore looked sternly at the students when he said this, as if to communicate that they shouldn't expect such spectacles to become a regular occurrence.

"Both students involved will receive a two month ban on visiting Hogsmeade as well as two weeks of detentions." This was immediately greeted with hostile murmurings.

"They're not really going to punish you the same as Malfoy, are they?" Miss Granger whispered loudly enough to be heard up at the staff table. Minerva wondered if she simply didn't care that she'd be heard or if she had been that loud deliberately. Either was possible, given her relationship with Miss Potter and her reduced respect for the headmaster.

"Silence!" Dumbledore said loudly to still the growing noise. "One of those involved, however, instigated the altercation. While the staff does not normally give much weight to the defense that one was 'provoked,' in this case the provocation was so extreme, so very much beyond the pale, that it cannot be ignored. For that reason, the instigator will receive another two months detentions on top of the original two weeks. Their ban on Hogsmeade will be extended for the rest of this term and continue for the first two months of next term."

Now the hall broke out into what very nearly sounded like cheering, at least from three of the four tables. Minerva herself felt satisfied with the headmaster's decision. Ideally she'd rather not see Miss Potter punished at all — given the nature of the provocation and the context in which it had been made, her reaction had actually been rather restrained. She had told Dumbledore as much during the heads of house meeting that morning, pointing out that they were probably lucky that she had chosen to simply use her fists against Mr. Malfoy instead of casting at him the same fireball spell she'd previously used against his father.

Everyone had quailed at the thought, especially given the fact that no one had heard yet if the man was alive or dead. While the headmaster didn't disagree, he did rightly point out that the maintenance of order and discipline didn't permit them to ignore her actions entirely.

We can't set a precedent that one student can physically or magically assault another without repercussions if they claim sufficient verbal provocation, she thought. No matter how justified she may have been, others with less justification will try to get away with the same thing, and we risk creating an even more dangerous environment. It's fortunate that she was willing to accept a basic punishment; if she'd fought it, we might have had a riot on our hands. As it is, I'll take over her detentions and will ensure that they serve to benefit her rather than punish her. The same will not be true for Mr. Malfoy, I'll see to that.

"Silence!" Dumbledore thundered. "On top of that, the staff will be taking a hard line against all forms of bullying, physical and verbal. There will be no tolerance of epithets about blood status or gender. Physical altercations like what happened yesterday must not happen again, and we will impose harsh punishments on those who deliberately provoke fights as the student did yesterday."

And it's about time, Minerva thought. I've been pushing for this sort of thing for years! I know the rest of the staff are thrilled about this, too. Well, all the rest of the staff but one. She took a careful look at the Slytherin table and noted how upset they all looked. It's such a shame they've been taught that ambition and cunning require bigotry, bullying, and prejudice.

She didn't bother looking over at Snape — she had a pretty good idea he was holding on tight to the blank mask he tried to wear all the time. Some of his true feelings had come out in the morning's meeting, and they hadn't been pleasant at all. She despaired sometimes over whether he'd ever grow up.

"I hope this will put an end to any rumors or speculation about how the staff will handle incidents like this in the future," Dumbledore said in conclusion. "You may now return to your lunch."


Albus Dumbledore looked around the Great Hall as everyone absorbed the announcement he had made. This had been one of the most trying disciplinary issues he'd had to deal with in a long, long time — perhaps even more difficult than the time that Sirius Black had nearly caused the death of Severus Snape.

Looking over at the Gryffindor table, he caught Jasmine Potter's eye and nodded very slightly, receiving a nod in return. Her expression was not open or friendly, and he couldn't blame her for that, but he was glad that she had enough respect for his decision to give him that small sign of acknowledgment. It could have been worse... much worse, in fact.

Had she insisted on not being punished at all — which, if he were honest, wouldn't have been entirely unreasonable from her perspective — he'd have been caught between a rock and a hard place. Not punishing her would have set a bad precedent; punishing her might have led to a riot, or at the very least an insurrection. Both choices would have been completely unpalatable and would have undermined the functioning of the school.

Instead, she showed wisdom and maturity by proposing a compromise: she accepted something she didn't want in exchange for ensuring that she achieved an important goal. The students see that both provoking a fight and giving in to provocation are punishable, which helps maintain order and discipline.

Dumbledore couldn't help but smile at the wisdom that her proposal showed. I couldn't have taught her better myself, he mused. It shows that she may be more prepared to learn about politics and move in the political sphere than I had imagined. That, however, makes finding a way for her to survive her horcrux all the more imperative because it would make her loss even more tragic for the long-term health of our world. Assuming, of course, she doesn't pick up and leave... I'll need to talk to Minerva about that, once she calms down a bit more.

Dumbledore was mistaken about one thing, though: despite his best attempts, he had created a martyr. It could have been worse — had he punished her solely or harshly, she'd have become a martyr that inspired a riot. Instead, she became a martyr for a movement. What witches (and some wizards) saw was not that responding to provocation would lead to punishment, as Dumbledore assumed; instead they saw that no matter how badly beaten and abused a witch might be, the current system would still allow her to be punished by those in power if she dared strike back against those who wanted to hurt her.

It was such a small event in the grand scheme of things, but even the mightiest tree starts from a tiny seed.


Sunday, March 21, 1995, Night.

Severus Snape sat in the dark in his quarters in the Hogwarts dungeon. He could have lit the room, but he felt more comfortable in the dark, especially right now. It wasn't a good time for light, not with the way he was feeling and certainly not with the direction he saw events around him going. It had been a long, trying day. A long, trying week, in fact, and he was sure that things would only get worse.

First that Potter brat was stupid enough to allow herself to get kidnapped right out of the castle and used in a ritual to restore the Dark Lord. Then Malfoy had to open his big mouth, inadvertently imitating his father both in his words and in allowing himself to be thoroughly beaten by Potter. Perhaps I went a bit too far in pushing for her expulsion, he thought ruefully, but it never occurred to me that it would probably lead to her death.

Now Slytherin, and Malfoy in particular, had lost face in front of the rest of the school. The boy had made a power play and lost, badly — everyone knew it. It would be difficult for him to regain his power and influence, even among Slytherins. Snape shuddered at the thought of what the boy's father would do when he found out. Assuming Lucius is still alive, that is.

Snape shook his head as he took another sip of his firewhiskey. He hadn't yet received a call from the Dark Lord, but he was sure that his Dark Mark would start burning any time now. Then he would have to resume the very dangerous task of providing information to opposing sides in a renewed war — enough information to be useful, but not so much that the other side would stop trusting him.

One way or another, though, he would survive. He just needed to remain deep enough in the shadows and avoid too much attention.


Lord Voldemort looked imperiously around at his new throne room in Malfoy Manor. He had gotten the impression that Lucius had hoped he would remain at his original location rather than demand to be taken in after the completion of the ritual. Ha! As if Lord Voldemort would deign to stay in that filthy muggle dwelling for one minute longer than was necessary — and that was even without considering the Potter brat's escape, which made the Riddle estate and Little Hangleton much too unsafe.

Voldemort frowned at being reminded of how Potter had managed to evade her proper punishment. Everything had been arranged perfectly. There should have been no way for her to even think about fighting back, much less do so successfully and then get away to tell others about what happened. The only saving grace was that Minister Fudge didn't believe that the Dark Lord had returned.

They were looking for dark wizards, which was inconvenient, but since there was no alarm out about him in particular, magical Britain would remain complacent and naive as he began moving his people into power. Still, that didn't excuse his followers for having allowed her to get away like that. He'd had to torture them all several times in order to drive the point home that such failures wouldn't be tolerated. He'd tortured Wormtail a few extra times, just for good measure. If they couldn't control one underaged witch, they didn't deserve to be Death Eaters — and there was no early retirement from the service of Lord Voldemort.

It was a pity about Lucius, though. He was very lucky to have survived that spell from the Potter brat. Her spell might not have been dark enough to create permanent burn scars, but Voldemort had forbidden him from healing them all the same. In fact, he had surreptitiously cast a curse on Lucius to ensure that they couldn't be healed. The man had always been too vain anyway, and those new scars that covered his body — including his once-handsome face — would not only remind him about the price of failure, but hopefully also inspire him to work harder to get Potter.

Voldemort picked up the small bell and rang it. He was hungry, and he did so love forcing pureblood women like Narcissa to wait on him hand and foot like a house elf. Hopefully We'll be able to keep this meal down, he thought. We still have no idea why We were so ill early this morning and late yesterday afternoon, but We can't afford to show any weakness to these people.

He'd always hated the pureblood elite in Slytherin when he was at school and resented them for their money, heirlooms, and histories. He considered the fact that he'd co-opted their prejudices to create a movement in which they rushed to debase themselves lower than the most menial muggle servant to be perhaps the greatest prank in wizarding history.

Voldemort smiled as Narcissa rushed in, head bowed low and food tray held high. She'd gotten quite good at that after he'd used the Cruciatus on her for her early failures. Once his meal was done, though, he'd have to return to work. Tonight it would be time to finally summon Severus from Hogwarts and see what the slippery Potions Master had to say for himself.