Of Blacks and Boarhounds

Taking the wand once more, Lulabelle repeated the movement he'd shown her, asking, "Like this?"

"Yes. Try it again, now," he commanded, having slipped into his teaching voice without noticing.

She waved his wand in the correct movement, and repeated, "Lumos!"

The wand lit up.

Chapter Five

June 27, 1992

Lulabelle stared at the wand.

Severus stared at the wand.

Lulabelle stared at Severus.

Severus stared at Lulabelle.

Lulabelle dropped the wand.

The wand stayed lit.

Severus slowly picked the wand up from the table, quietly cast Nox, then handed it back to Lulabelle. "Cast it again," he told her, voice barely audible.

"Lumos," she whispered.

The wand lit up again.

She looked at Severus, her wide silver eyes reflecting the pale blue light. "What does this mean?" she murmured.

"It means, my lady, that you are a witch."

"But I'm a muggle."

"Obviously not."

"But I can't be a witch."

"And yet, you are."

"Lou."

"Lulabelle."

"I'm a witch?"

"You are a witch."

She launched herself out of her chair to throw her arms around his neck, his wand clattering to the floor. Severus caught her before they went tumbling to the ground as she shrieked in his ear.

"I'm-a-witch-I'm-a-witch-oh-my-God-Lou-I'm-a-witch!"

Severus chuckled at her as he tightened his long arms around her, awkwardly moving her in an attempt to find a more comfortable position for her in his lap. His eyes flicked towards the movement coming from the corner of the kitchen.

"Lulabelle?" he asked the still shrieking woman.

"Yeah?" she said, nearly bouncing in his lap.

"Didn't you put your beast outside?"

"Yeah, before dinner, why?"

"He's staring at me," Severus said nervously.

Lulabelle twisted around to see the dog standing in the kitchen, eyes locked on Severus. "Oh, he must've heard me hollerin' and got worried. He does that sometimes," she said. To the dog, she voiced, "It's fine, Sin. We're good. Go lay down in the livin' room, buddy."

They watched as the boarhound sniffed in their direction, chuffed under his breath, and slowly walked towards the living room. Once he'd exited the kitchen, Severus repeated in question, "He does that sometimes?"

"Well yeah. I told ya he's real protective like that. He doesn't like it when he can't see me, so if he hears me hollerin' he has to check it out," she reasoned.

"Lulabelle. He was outside. With the door shut. And the door is still shut. How do you think he got inside?" he pressed softly.

Lulabelle leaned away from Severus so she could look into his obsidian eyes. "What are ya sayin', Lou?"

"I'm saying that I don't think Sinaka is really a boarhound. I think your beast is actually a Cŵn Annwn. No, I am not calling him names," he said quickly, cutting off her protest at the term. "I think he is a magical creature. A very rare magical creature. One who is partially responsible for you being here."

"How?" she demanded, torn between curiosity and anger.

Severus sighed and said, "Let me ask you this. You've said you have never shown any signs of magic before. Have your parents? Could they be magical in anyway? Possibly kept it hidden from you?"

"Good Lord no. I could give ya a million reasons why that's just ridiculous, but it wouldn't matter anyway. I'm adopted," she answered.

"You're adopted."

"Yeah, when I was six months old. They think. Not real sure, to be honest. My folks found me abandoned in a park and called the police. They went with me to the hospital to be checked out, and ended up fosterin' and then adoptin' me. I have a made up birthday, but they love me like their own. Daddy says I'm the best souvenir he ever got," she informed him.

"Souvenir?" Severus questioned.

Lulabelle replied, "Yeah, it's the family joke. They were in Arizona for an oil convention. Mama always gets Daddy a souvenir when they go to conventions; that time she got him a daughter." She smiled at the memory.

Severus blew out a deep breath. "That actually makes sense," he said quietly, half to himself, his formidable mind racing to connect all the tidbits of information he'd gleaned from her since they'd met in the pub. Shifting her awkwardly in his lap again, he patted her arm. "Let's adjourn to the living room where we can be more comfortable for the rest of this conversation."

She hugged him tightly for a moment before releasing him. "I kinda liked it right here," she whispered, before standing up and moving away from him. "Just lemme put this food away first, Lou. Otherwise Sin'll come right in and have himself a snack."

Shaking his head to clear it, Severus leaned down to retrieve his wand. "Allow me," he said, extinguishing the still-lit wand and waving it through the air, sending dishes to the sink to be washed and the now closed food containers towards the antiquated refrigerator. He quirked a smile at her astounded expression.

"I don't know that I'll ever get used to that," she told him.

"You will," he assured her. "Just wait until we get you a wand. You'll be doing this and more in no time."

Lulabelle started at his last statement. "We're gonna get me a wand?"

"Of course. You are a witch. A witch needs a wand," he said matter-of-factly. Lulabelle gaped at him. Severus took her arm. "Come, let us go and sit comfortably in the living room."

They walked into the next room and towards the same loveseat they'd been in earlier that day, as Sinaka had once again taken over the couch.

As they settled themselves on the seat, Severus asked, "Would you like a drink before we start? We could open the red if you would like, or would you care for something stronger? I feel the occasion calls for a bit more than tea."

"The red'll be fine," she said, starting to rise. "Just lemme get it for…"

Severus placed his hand on her shoulder to prevent her standing. "Please, allow me." He summoned the wine and two clean glasses with a wave of his wand and a silent Accio. The glasses soared to a stop on the small table before them, and he caught the bottle in his hand. Waving his wand to uncork the bottle, he generously filled the glasses and handed one to her.

"Oh, this is nice," she said after taking a sip.

"Well, it's not elf-made, but it's not bad for a muggle wine."

She snickered at his response, then turned serious. "So how do you think I got here, Lou? How could Sin have had anything to do with it?"

Severus sighed and pinched the bridge of his long nose. "Lulabelle, it makes no sense that you, having had no signs of magic your entire life, would suddenly start being able to use magic. People don't just 'become' witches at the age of… I don't think I know how old you are, actually."

"Now Lou, a gentleman never asks a lady her age. But since I know how old you are, I'll tell ya. I'm twenty-two," she smirked at him.

He quirked a smile. "Quite. People don't just become witches at the age of twenty-two," he repeated. "It is just not possible," he paused. "Unless one's magic has been blocked, that is."

Furrowing her brow in confusion, Lulabelle asked him, "What does that mean?"

"You said you were found abandoned around the age of six months?" She nodded. "I fear you may have been deliberately left in the muggle world, with your magic bound for some reason. This would keep you from ever accessing your magic, unless the binding were to be removed."

"But who… but why… then how…" she trailed off, unable to put to words all the questions running through her mind.

"I do not know who would have done this, or for what reason," he said, answering the first two of her disjointed queries. "But I have a theory on how you are able to use magic now, and how you came to be in England." He stopped to take another sip of his wine, fortifying himself before speaking. "I think that when you drove off the edge of the road, the fear of your imminent death forcibly broke the block on your magic. Did you know that most instances of childhood accidental magic occur when the child is scared? Specifically when they are afraid of being hurt or harmed in some way?"

"Not most, no, but I did know that Neville Longbottom's uncle threw him out an upstairs window tryin' to jump-start his magic. They were afraid he was a squib," she replied. "I think he said he just bounced instead of, ya know, dyin'."

"Longbottom was thrown out of a…" Severus stopped, horrified.

"And that was after his uncle had pushed him off a pier, too. But he almost drowned. No accidental magic that time."

"Merlin's beard. That poor child," he said.

Lulabelle snorted at him. "Maybe ya oughta be a lil' nicer to him in the future, then. That way ya won't end up bein' his boggart durin' his third year. Besides, he grows up to become an Herbologist and takes over for Professor Sprout when she retires. If ya keep teachin', you'll be colleagues. It'd be nice if y'all could be friends."

"Yes. Quite." Stunned, he cleared his throat. "As I was saying, most accidental magic is prompted by fear of immediate injury. You obviously have a strong connection with Sinaka. I think that when your fear broke the block on your magic, you not only accidentally apparated yourself to safety, but since you were an adult as opposed to a child, the burst of magic was strong enough to extend to your beast as well."

"My beast and my Jeep?" she challenged.

Severus spread his hands in front of himself. "Accidental magic is unpredictable. And yours would have been particularly strong given the situation and your age. It is not outside the realm of possibility."

"Alright, fine. I can buy that. But explain the fact that I apparated us across the ocean. Explain how I apparated us thirty fuckin' years into the past, Lou!" she demanded.

"I don't think that was you," he said quietly. "I think that was him," he said, pointing towards the dog taking up the entire couch across from them. "Lulabelle. He is not a boarhound. He's a Cŵn Annwn."

"I don't know what that means!" she cried, frustrated and near tears. Sinaka noticed her distress, and raised himself up off the couch to come to her side. Lulabelle wrapped her arms around the dog and buried her face in his neck. "He's a Great Dane! He's just my dog!"

Using the same quiet tone of voice, Severus continued, "He's bigger than a normal boarhound, correct? A lot bigger. He appears when you've need of him, even through closed doors. And Lulabelle, twice now I've seen his eyes glow red. He is not 'just a dog.'"

She turned her head so that her cheek was resting against Sinaka's shoulder, and looked at him. "Well if he's not just a dog, why do ya think he's a coon-and-noon?"

Severus smiled at her pronunciation. "A Cŵn Annwn. A magical creature oft misunderstood. In medieval times, muggles saw them as portents of death, and they weren't entirely wrong. They appear as big black dogs, and are fiercely protective of those they bond with. Their name translates to Hounds of Hell, but the Welsh folklore of Annwn aligns more with the Christian tradition of heaven than it does hell."

"So that's why ya called him a hellhound?" she sniffled a bit as she spoke.

"Yes. That is why I called him a hellhound. Not to slight him, but because that's what he is."

"Alright. Tell me more about the coon-and-noons."

"They have their own magic," he started to explain. "Cŵn Annwn have been known to be able to shape shift, among other things, and folklore says their howls predict the death of whoever hears it. Their eyes turn red when agitated. When truly angered, their color will fade and their size will increase until they appear as a giant, ghostly white beast with glowing red eyes. Muggles of old associated them with the Wild Hunt. But," he said, stopping when he noticed her about to start crying. He placed his hand on hers and squeezed. "But, my lady, they may be fierce, but they are never so fierce as in their devotion to the one to whom they are bound. To the one they… love. Sinaka would die to protect you, Lulabelle. He loves you. You are bound to him as surely as he is to you. You rescued him, and he will spend his life keeping you safe. That is the magic of the Cŵn Annwn."

Tears fell from silver eyes. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. You don't have to do anything. You just keep loving and caring for him. And he will keep loving and protecting you. It just is," Severus replied.

"Oh God, Sin, I love ya so much!" she cried to the dog, peppering his head with kisses even as her tears began to fall. Sinaka took that moment to climb onto her lap, pushing Severus right off the seat as his huge body was too large for the small loveseat. Severus grunted as he hit the floor. Lulabelle peered over the top of the dog at the sound, and started laughing through her tears when she took in his affronted expression. "I'm so sorry," she gasped through her laughter, still holding the dog around his neck. "He thinks he's a lap dog!"

"It is no matter," he said as he stood, brushing his hands down his trousers. "I can sit over here just as well." Severus walked across the room towards the sofa with as much dignity as he could muster after having been summarily dumped onto the floor in his own home. As soon as he sat down, Sinaka lurched off of Lulabelle and went to stand in front of Severus. He sniffed the man, chuffed under his breath, and then licked his face from chin to hairline.

"Aww, he likes ya!" Lulabelle exclaimed.

Severus shuddered. "I would not be opposed to him liking me a little bit less," he replied, wiping his face with the handkerchief he pulled from his pocket. To the dog, he stated, "Please endeavor to find a different method of communication. One that is less… wet."

Lulabelle giggled at the pair as Sinaka carefully climbed onto the couch and laid his huge head in Severus' lap. "See? This is much more acceptable. Thank you," he told the beast, raising his hand to rub the dog's ears.

Lulabelle pulled her legs up so that her feet were in front of her on the seat, wrapped her arms around her legs, and rested her head on her knees. "I still don't understand how Sinaka brought us here, Lou."

"One of the other facets of Cŵn Annwn magic is their ability to be where they need to be, no matter when or where, no matter how impossible it may seem. I think that when you nearly died, the combination of your accidental apparition and your beast's protective magic forced you here, to this place and to this time, because it was where you needed to be. Somehow Sinaka knew you would be safe here, and so here you were brought," he explained, still rubbing the the dog's ears. He looked down at the giant head in his lap. "You did know, didn't you?" he said to the dog. "You're a very good beast." Sinaka chuffed at him.

She smiled softly at his pronouncement. "He's just the best dog in the world," she agreed.