"Happy birthday," Severus said when Rachel entered the kitchen.
"Thank you," Rachel said, taking a seat at the table. Severus had the Daily Prophet in front of him, but it was folded to obscure the top headline and he wasn't reading it. "Is there something in the paper?"
"An article, primarily about you, though they also mention Albus and myself. It is not flattering."
She sighed. "Why are they even bothering? They've made their point."
"They wish to continue to undermine Albus, and they are using you to do it," Severus said, the lines around his mouth growing deeper as he frowned.
"They meaning Death Eaters?" she asked, wondering exactly how that was supposed to work.
"They meaning people influenced by Death Eaters - sometimes without their knowledge - or those who support Fudge, or both. Do you want bacon and eggs?" Severus stood, apparently considering it a closed matter.
"Sure," Rachel said. She grabbed the newspaper and turned it over as soon as he was away from the table.
"I was not going to stop you from reading it if you wanted to, I merely wished to warn you and let you choose whether or not to read it for yourself," Severus said as he retrieved the eggs and bacon from the fridge.
"I know. If I had meant to be sneaky about it, I wouldn't have done it while you were in the room." Rachel met his gaze and gave him as much of an innocent smile as she could muster.
"Good, because that would have been a truly pitiful attempt at being sneaky." Severus looked mildly amused as he turned his attention to the stove.
Rachel knew she could be sneaky when she had to. After all, she and Millie had snuck out to go see the dragons with Hagrid and she was sure Severus didn't know about that. And Severus didn't know about the Room of Requirement either. She turned her attention to the newspaper and felt her good spirits deflate.
It wasn't much different than what they'd already been saying about her, but it was more direct. It also delved into what little history they knew about Severus, his time with the Death Eaters, and his role as a spy. The end quote made her grit her teeth. 'As someone who has met the delicate and fragile Girl-Who-Lived, it shames me as a witch to see a young girl living in fear of the falsehoods of You-Know-Who and Death Eater that these men who were supposed to guard her have placed into her head.'
"I hate Rita Skeeter," she said, folding the newspaper and shoving it away from her. "I am not delicate or fragile and she knows it."
"You are much less delicate than you appear at first glance," Severus agreed as he placed a plate of eggs and bacon in front of her.
"I'm short, not delicate. Did you see that Ginny is nearly two inches taller than me now?" Rachel had noticed this a few days ago while they were cleaning up Grimmauld Place.
"I suspect Skeeter was speaking more to your personal nature than your stature," Severus said, returning to the stove for his own breakfast.
"I'm not delicate in my personal nature either, whatever that means," Rachel said, too busy with a piece of bacon to bother scowling.
Severus didn't answer and Rachel decided she didn't care. At least they weren't at Hogwarts and dealing with the fallout directly.
"There's cake for later," he said when he sat down with his plate of food.
"Thank you. You could have let me help bake it."
"You're not baking your own birthday cake. If you'd like to learn to bake a cake, I'd be happy to teach you." Severus opened the tops of his over easy eggs and began to eat.
"I know how to bake a cake." Rachel still remembered how to make many of the recipes that she'd learned at the Dursley's house.
"Then I will let you bake unassisted. When you want to bake, simply let me know what we need from the grocer," Severus said.
"Okay." Rachel wasn't in that big of a hurry to bake a cake, but she figured she'd do it once to prove that she could.
"Do you want to open presents now?" Severus asked once they'd eaten and he'd used a dish cleaning charm and sent everything back where it belonged.
"Sure." Rachel followed him into the sitting room and settled on the couch. She almost felt like she had too many things, which was a nice problem to have.
Severus went into his office and came back levitating a cardboard box. He set the box down in front of Rachel and settled into his armchair. "The top three are from me."
"You didn't have to, you already gave me muggle spending money for my gift," she objected.
"I still wished to give you something small on your birthday."
Rachel took the top three presents, finding a small gift account to Flourish and Blotts in the letter, a cassette tape by Simon and Garfunkel named Bridge Over Troubled Water, and a heavily annotated Potions book on the modification of potions from Severus. "Thank you."
"That is NEWT level material and beyond, so please ask me if you have any questions," he said with a nod.
"I will. Hopefully that will give me some more ideas for the Dreamless Sleep, because I'm stuck."
"The cassette is of a record that Lily used to be fond of. She had me listen to it a few times over the summer of 75," Severus added.
Rachel smiled. "Thank you for telling me. I'll listen to it as soon as I can. Did she have a favorite song?"
"On that album, her favorite was the first song on the second side, I don't recall the name."
"Thank you," she said again. This was the sort of thing she liked knowing about her parents. She set all three gifts aside for later and reached back into the box.
Ginny had sent her a tin of homemade fudge and cookies. Hermione had sent her a book called Daggerspell by Katherine Kerr, and a long letter that Rachel set aside to read later. Millie had sent a box of chocolate frogs with a letter as well. Luna had sent a card that she'd drawn showing a birthday party for Rachel and a coin that she indicated was from the wizarding community in Sri Lanka, where she and her father were currently searching for creatures. And Theo had sent her a small clear glass ball and a short note indicating that if she watched it she would see different things appearing and disappearing inside.
"Is Hagrid away from Hogwarts right now?" she asked. Hagrid had never missed sending her something from her birthday since she'd met him. It was less that she minded not receiving a present and more that she worried about the break in routine.
"He is. He's on Order business and I can't say more than that," Severus said.
Rachel nodded. "I won't write to him then."
"That's a good idea. It's best not to potentially disrupt his mission. What are you planning to do for the rest of the day?"
"I need to write some letters, and I have an essay that I'm working on. I might fly for a bit. Probably read," Rachel listed as she considered the possibilities.
"You can take a break from homework. I'd much rather you spent your birthday doing things that you enjoy," Severus said.
"I don't mind homework that much and it's a busy summer. What are you doing today?"
"I have a potion that I'm working on, but I am otherwise available."
"Okay. Thank you again for the gifts. I'm actually going to go listen to it right now," Rachel said as she started gathering everything up.
"You're welcome. I'll be in the cellar if you need me," Severus said, pausing for a moment before he left the room.
Rachel cleaned up the wrapping paper and headed upstairs. She wondered if Severus remembered any of the other music her mom had listened to. Maybe Sirius and Remus would know what her dad had listened to when he was a teenager. It couldn't hurt to ask.
On late Wednesday afternoon they arrived at the Longbottom's manor. Rachel was in her best skirt and blouse and her Hogwarts robes. She supposed she should have a better set of robes for occasions like this, but they only ever had dinner with Neville's Gran once a year.
A House Elf answered the door and Rachel watched it more closely than she might otherwise have. It was dressed in a wrap of some kind that wasn't exactly a robe, but not like the tea towels that she'd seen on the Hogwarts House Elves either. Its behavior was more cheery and welcoming than Kreacher's, but Rachel wasn't sure how much that really meant. She had always been polite when people stopped by at the Dursley's house.
"Good afternoon, Augusta, and to you as well Neville. Happy birthday," Severus said when they entered the sitting room.
"Thank you, sir," Neville said, sounding a little bit nervous. He was wearing nice robes and looked uncomfortable.
"It's nice to see you, Mrs. Longbottom, and you Neville," Rachel said politely.
"Yes, good to see you both. Severus, please come in, I'll have one of the Elves bring us tea," Mrs. Longbottom said, inclining her head.
"Gran, may I take Rachel out to the greenhouse?" Neville asked.
"You may, but don't get dirt on your robes. Mind your manners around Rachel," Mrs. Longbottom said, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Neville.
"Thank you," Neville said, leading the way out of the sitting room.
Rachel glanced at Severus, getting an approving nod, and she followed Neville out and down the hallway.
Neville sighed once they were outside. "I'd apologize, but I don't know that it would do any good."
"You don't need to apologize," Rachel said, recognizing that it had been a rough summer for Neville, more so than he'd been saying in their two-way books. "How are things going?"
"Not great. My Gran has been searching for a future wife for me, so we've had a lot of very uncomfortable afternoon teas and dinners." Neville frowned as he opened the door to the greenhouse. "I'm staying out here as much as possible, but there are limits to how much I can get away with doing that. And when I'm in the house she wants me to be presentable and in the main rooms so that she can instruct me on how to do better."
Rachel frowned. That sounded miserable.
"I can't even read a book without her commenting on the way I'm sitting or what I'm reading," he continued, leading the way past a variety of plants. "And I know I shouldn't complain, not after what Theo's just been through, but it's…"
"It's hard," Rachel finished for him. "And I'm sure it's frustrating and painful too."
Neville nodded, coming to a stop and facing Rachel.
"Just because she's not cursing you, or beating you, doesn't mean she isn't hurting you," Rachel said, wishing she knew what to do.
He sighed. "It's only another month. Then we can go back to Hogwarts."
"We can. And we're fifteen now."
"We are. I receive the money put aside for me from my parents when I turn seventeen. Then I can move out if I want to and there's nothing my Gran can do about it," Neville said. "And after Hogwarts I can do a Herbology Mastery and work toward having my own greenhouses one day."
"That's right," Rachel said, hoping that was enough to get Neville through right now.
"If she doesn't marry me off first." Neville sighed and looked around the greenhouse like he was searching for something.
"Actually, Theo was telling me that when you're of age you can go before a section of the Wizengamot and-" Rachel waved her hand, she wasn't sure what the right legal words were. "You can have them make it so that you don't have to marry, if neither of you want to. Theo knows more."
"I'll talk to him then. I think I might need it," Neville said. "I'm sorry, I didn't ask you out here to complain at you. Happy birthday."
"Happy birthday to you too. And it's okay. And if you wanted to talk about this to any of our friends, I know they'd be supportive and want to help." She hated the idea that Neville was suffering and none of them could support him.
"I know they would. It's just hard to put into words." Neville reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box with a ribbon on it. "Again, I would apologize, but I think it's going to keep happening. My Gran insisted that books weren't an appropriate gift for a young lady."
"Thank you, and you don't need to apologize." She accepted the box and pulled out a packet from her robe pocket and her wand and tapped it to unshrink it. "They're not pretty, but they're useful in a lot of things and you don't have to be here all year to take care of them."
"Irish Spear Thistles, they're already flowering," Neville said, accepting the packet with a small smile. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Rachel undid the ribbon and opened the box. There was a silver bracelet inside with gems that changed color as she moved it in the light. "Thank you, it's very pretty."
"I told her you already have a bracelet, but she said that women can never have enough jewelry or shoes." Neville shrugged and made a place for his new plant.
"I don't know about shoes, but I do have a few bracelets now. The reason I wear this one all the time is because it has some protection charms, though I think Severus was thinking about Remus when he got it for me," she said.
"Silver against a werewolf?" he asked.
"I guess. I keep hoping that they'll get along better, but I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon."
"Why don't they like each other?"
"Apparently they fought a lot when they were our age. My dad and Sirius too," Rachel said, wondering if she should be telling Neville this.
"It's kind of weird to think of them as being our age and going to Hogwarts," Neville said, finishing with the thistle and turning back to Rachel.
"I've heard a bit about it from Sirius and Remus. They used to cause a lot of trouble. Like they'd give the Weasley twins a run for their money." The more she heard about what Sirius and Remus and her dad got up to at school, the more grateful she was that she had friends that wanted to stay out of trouble. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," Neville said, his expression somewhere between pensive and curious.
"Are your House Elves like family to you?"
"Well, they've been in the family since well before I was born. Tinky took care of me when I was a baby. I can't imagine what the manor would be like without them," Neville said.
"And they have a room to stay in and get food and are safe and everything?" Rachel asked.
"They have a room off the pantry and they eat meals after we do. We take very good care of our House Elves. Why are you interested in the House Elves?"
"Sirius' mother's House Elf wasn't being treated very well, and I didn't realize that House Elves were basically, well, slaves," Rachel explained.
"House Elves don't like to be called slaves. And some families don't treat them very well. But most do. They're not exactly family members, but they are members of the household." Neville shifted uncomfortably.
"I think the ones that aren't treated very well should be allowed to leave if they want to. And it wouldn't be a bad idea to pay them." Rachel was still very conflicted about this. She didn't like the idea of slavery, but she didn't want to cause problems for the House Elves. And Severus had said that it wasn't a problem that could be directly fixed.
"That would be good. It's not like the families that have House Elves aren't rich enough to pay them. You might have a hard time getting a House Elf to accept money though," Neville said. He checked his watch. "Speaking of House Elves, we should go back in before my Gran sends one after us."
"Okay," Rachel said. She hoped that dinner this year wasn't going to be as awkward as dinner last year's had been.
"Happy belated birthday, Rachel," Remus said when she entered the kitchen with Severus right behind her.
"Thank you," she said, a little embarrassed, though she couldn't quite say why.
"Presents, and we have cake for later." Sirius pointed at the two wrapped presents sitting on the table.
"You didn't have to, but thank you."
"I need to continue my work on the cellar, I will be in and out of the house again, so send your Patronus if you need me," Severus said, not acknowledging Remus or Sirius.
"Okay," Rachel said, watching as he glared at Sirius before striding from the room.
"Is he always like that?" Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No." Only around Remus and Sirius, though she thought she shouldn't put it like that.
"If you ever have a problem with him, just tell me and I'll take care of it." Sirius nodded while Remus sighed.
Rachel thought that would likely end up with Sirius and Severus cursing each other and she wasn't sure which of them would come off worse. "Everything is fine. Presents?"
"Open the one on top first," Sirius said, now smiling eagerly.
Rachel sat down and undid the wrapping, feeling a little bit wary. She didn't think Sirius would prank her, but she wasn't sure. Under the wrapping paper she found a thick hardback book titled The History and Truths Behind the Great War. "Thank you," she said, thinking it was a little odd of a present coming from anyone but Hermione.
Sirius sighed. "If I had raised you, this wouldn't be a problem. Open it."
She thought that her life would have been almost unrecognizable if Sirius had raised her. She opened the book and realized it seemed to naturally want to fall open at about fifty pages in. The book was hollowed out and there was a round metal tube inside. She picked it up, not entirely sure what it was supposed to be.
"It's a spy scope. It will look through up to five layers of stone and wood. I recommend not using it to look into the boys dorms or bathrooms," Sirius said.
Rachel felt herself blush. "I wouldn't!"
"He's joking. But it is against the rules to have it at Hogwarts, so keep it somewhere hidden," Remus said. "I'm afraid my gift is a bit more ordinary."
"Thank you for the spy scope, I'm sure I'll find it to be useful," Rachel said, setting it back into the book. She couldn't imagine what she'd use it for, but it was a cool piece of magic. She opened the second gift and found another book, this one titled A Practical Guide to Defensive and Offensive Magic.
"You'll find some of the spells that you demonstrated to us last year in there and others of a similar nature. It's NEWT level material, but I think you can handle it," Remus said.
"It looks great, thank you." Rachel thought that she could at least see herself using this book.
"So the first floor is finished, we thought about tackling some of the second floor today, but Elphias is dropping by in a few minutes to give an update." Remus waved his wand and the wrapping paper disappeared.
"I can wait in the sitting room, if you want." She was a little bit curious, but she had decided if she really wanted to know what was happening she would ask Severus.
"That would be best," Remus said.
"It's not that we want to keep things from you, but Dumbledore doesn't want you to be involved, not until you're of age at least," Sirius said apologetically.
"It's fine, I understand," Rachel said. She had also wanted to check on Kreacher again today and that gave her time to do that. She'd had an idea a few nights ago and she wanted to see what he thought.
The fire in the fireplace turned green and a moment later an older man with dark green robes stepped through.
Rachel got up and paused when she saw the man staring at her.
"Elphias, this is Rachel, my goddaughter," Sirius said, sounding oddly defensive.
"I'm not blind, Black," Elphias said. "I thought Dumbledore was keeping her tucked away somewhere safe."
"She's perfectly safe here," Remus said. "Have a seat."
Rachel took that as her cue to leave and let herself out of the kitchen. She checked in the sitting room, but didn't find Kreacher there, and then went upstairs to the first floor and knocked on Kreacher's bedroom door. A moment later the door opened slightly and Kreacher peered up at her with his bulbous eyes.
She knelt down. "How are you, Kreacher?"
"What does Miss want?"
"Just to see you and make sure you are okay. They're still giving you food?" she asked.
"Yes, they leave me food." Kreacher pulled on the end of his tea towel and looked back inside his room.
"Would you like to have your mistress' portrait in your room?" The idea had come to her late one night. Sirius obviously didn't want his mother's portrait in the main hallway, Kreacher missed his mistress, so why couldn't he have her portrait to talk to? Rachel was undecided as to whether or not she really wanted a portrait of her parents. She knew it didn't exist, but she did really want to talk to them. But at the same time she wondered if having a portrait of them would have just been more painful.
Kreacher was now giving Rachel his full attention. "Move mistress in here?"
"Yes, but only if you want to." She didn't want to make the situation worse for Kreacher.
Kreacher started pulling on one of his ears.
"What's wrong?" she asked, hoping she hadn't upset him.
"Kreacher could move the portrait and speak to his mistress. Master said Kreacher could have mistress' treasures."
"That's right, he did." She debated on telling him that she thought Sirius would want him to have the portrait, not sure if that would make the situation worse. "Do you want me to ask him specifically about the portrait to make sure it's okay?"
"No, don't ask the master," Kreacher said. His door swung further open and then he vanished with a pop.
Rachel peered into Kreacher's room, seeing that a number of framed photographs had taken up a position of importance on the dresser and the locket she'd helped him carry last week was resting in front of one of them. She was just wondering if she should close Kreacher's door and leave when he reappeared with another pop, this time holding the bottom of the large portrait, the curtains still resting over it.
"No curtains, no more curtains for mistress," Kreacher said, maneuvering the portrait to a nearby wall and setting it down. He came back over to the doorway. "What else does Miss want?"
Deciding she might as well ask while she was here, Rachel knelt down again. "Do you like having the House Elf heads on the wall by the staircase?"
Kreacher's entire body shuddered.
That seemed like answer enough. Sirius had told her that he hadn't been able to get rid of them, because they were stuck with permanent sticking charms. "Can you vanish them?"
"Can't without Master's permission," Kreacher said, now pulling on both of his ears.
"Let's go get his permission then," Rachel said, standing back up. "We can check to see if his meeting is done."
She went down the hall and back down the stairs, aware that Kreacher was following her at a distance. The door to the kitchen was open and Rachel went in that direction.
"Ah, there you are," Sirius said, startling Rachel.
She gave a small yelp and put her hand to her chest as she felt her heart hammering away. She hadn't expected him to come up behind her.
"It's a good thing no one has taught you to draw your wand when you're startled," Sirius said, not without a smile.
"Probably," Rachel agreed. "Sirius, does Kreacher have your permission to vanish the House Elf heads on the wall?"
"He has my whole hearted permission, if you can get him to do it," Sirius said, looking back down the hall to where Kreacher was waiting at the base of the stairs.
"Kreacher, do you want to vanish them?"
Kreacher snapped his fingers and all eight House Elf heads disappeared, leaving behind discolored areas of wallpaper.
"Thank you," she said. "Also, you should be aware that we relocated your mother's portrait to Kreacher's room so they can talk."
Sirius strode back down the hallway and started laughing at the spot where the portrait used to hang. "Rachel, you are a miracle worker."
Rachel frowned. "I only asked Kreacher if he wanted the portrait to be with him."
"Well in that case. Kreacher, would you like the family tapestry to hang in your room as well?" Sirius asked.
Kreacher crouched down, looking worried.
She walked over and knelt down next to Kreacher. "It's okay. It's your choice. If you don't want the tapestry, you don't have to move it."
"Master tricks?" Kreacher asked.
"No trick. If you want the tapestry, it's yours. You can do whatever you want with it while it's in your room," Sirius said.
"Kreacher hangs the tapestry in the bedroom." Kreacher disappeared with another pop.
"Well, that was much easier than I was expecting. I thought we'd have to take out the wall to get my mother's portrait down from there." Sirius looked pleased. "The wallpaper on the other hand, has to go."
"It is a little-" Rachel stopped as she searched for a word that was both accurate and still polite. "Dreary?"
"I believe the word you are looking for is awful," Sirius said. "Remus says we should finish cleaning before we start renovating, and as usual, he's probably right. I still don't know what we're going to do about the attic."
"What's in the attic?" Rachel asked, having been curious about that since the first time he mentioned it.
"This building is about a hundred and fifty years old and the Black family has owned number 12 for almost that entire time. Whenever there was something someone wanted to keep but didn't want to have around, it went into the attic. When we ran out of space in the attic, an extension charm was added. Repeat that for six generations and you have a labyrinth of junk, dark artifacts, antique furniture, and probably a lot of dusty, mold, vermin, and dark creatures. Regulus sent me up there on a dare when I was seven. I was lost for nearly a whole day."
Rachel considered that. "That's a lot of space extension charms. Can any of the vermin and dark creatures get out?"
"We've probably got rats and mice, and the chizpurfles can get around. So it probably needs to be cleaned. I think doing that would take longer than the war is going to last." Sirius shook his head.
"What about like with the minotaur?" Rachel asked, thinking of the legend of the labyrinth. She had read about it in a library book a long time ago.
Sirius laughed. "You know, with all the junk that has been put up there over the years I wouldn't be surprised if there was a minotaur - probably stuffed."
Rachel smiled. "No, I mean, Theseus used string to go through the labyrinth so he didn't get lost. What if someone went up there tied to a long piece of string and cast a bunch of extermination charms to at least deal with the vermin so they can't get back into the rest of the house?"
"Not a terrible idea, though I wonder if Dumbledore could cast an enormous extermination charm that would fill the whole house."
"That would be quicker," Rachel admitted.
"Now, let's get Remus, go see if that damned tapestry is actually gone, and then we can get started on the second floor. That's where the library is."
Rachel perked up. "You have your own library?"
"With plenty of things you won't find at Hogwarts and books that you shouldn't tell Snape that you're reading. Come on."
Rachel followed him with a smile. Going into a library was always a good time.
Rachel had taken to listening to her Walkman at just about every opportunity she had. The Simon and Garfunkel cassette Severus had given her for her birthday had rapidly become one of her favorites. She had identified that song that her mom had liked - The Boxer - and had thought she understood why she'd liked it. There were lots of different aspects to it - the way the strings changed based on the lyrics, the way the chorus accentuated the rest of the song, the way the theme of the song wasn't really apparent until halfway through the song.
The cassettes the clerk at the store had recommended to her were different from anything she'd ever listened to, but they had grown on her as well. In a way she found that music was a little like books, where the authors had a story to tell, but there was so much more than the story.
By the end of the first week of August she had finished her summer homework and had been spending the time she set aside for studying on various Potions books. The book Severus had given her on potion modification was useful and it was with that in mind that she went downstairs to lunch. "I think I have an idea for the Dreamless Sleep potion," she said, finding Severus in his armchair with a book and a piece of parchment.
Severus looked up from his book.
"What if instead of taking out the Sopophorous Bean, or taking out anything, we added a stimulant. Probably balanced with something else?"
"You'd have to pick the stimulant carefully, most will neutralize the effects of the Sopophorous Bean entirely, not just the depressant," Severus said as he checked the time and then closed his book. "Let's have lunch."
"When you say that most will neutralize the effects, does that mean you can think of one that wouldn't?" Rachel asked, following him into the kitchen.
"Not one that could safely be used in a Dreamless Sleep potion, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. There's also the possibility of using a combination of ingredients to create a stimulant, rather than just using one, though as you're aware it becomes more complicated the more interactions you create." Severus took out the loaf of bread.
Rachel nodded and started making herself a sandwich. She supposed she should have realized that it wasn't that simple or Severus would have already suggested it.
"Would you be willing to practice a spell with me today after lunch?" he asked once they were seated.
"Sure, what spell?" Severus had already taught her how to cast a privacy ward that summer, and while hers were still only small enough to hold two people, at least she could cast it.
"The Leg-Locker curse. It's a fairly simple spell, but it can buy you an extra moment if you are fleeing from someone. My intention is for us to engage in a mock fight, where you can use a Shield charm, the Disarming charm, and the Leg-Locker curse. Your goal is to disable me or successfully flee," Severus explained.
Rachel frowned as she thought about this. Just like last summer, Severus seemed intent on teaching her how to escape instead of how to fight. "Okay. But shouldn't I learn dueling or something too?"
"Dueling is a sport, you'll have no need of it in the real world and it's better not to get into the practices it teaches you. For right now, escape should be your goal in a dangerous situation. You cannot fight Death Eaters at your current skill level. The best thing you can do is to retreat and summon help."
It was true that she wasn't ready to fight Death Eaters, and she knew it. "Are there other spells I should be learning?"
"Yes, but it's not just about knowing different spells, it's about being able to use them effectively. You know a lot of spells, but how many can you cast in a situation where you're being attacked?" Severus asked, setting down his sandwich.
Rachel remembered her end of year exam with Professor Moody and how she'd barely been able to remember any spells and had resorted to just using the three she could cast most easily. "That makes sense. It's hard to think when someone is attacking you."
"It is. That's why we practice. I'd like for us to spend time in the afternoons when we're at home practicing using some of the different spells that could be useful, some of which you already know, some of which I will teach you."
"My homework is finished, so that's fine. What if I accidentally hurt you?" She wasn't sure how well she was actually going to do pointing her wand at Severus.
"For right now we're not going to be practicing with anything harmful. The worst you'll be able to do is knock me over," he assured her.
Rachel nodded. She knew some powerful spells, such as Cutting hexes and Exploding charms, but she didn't think she could bring herself to cast those at a person.
"You may wish to change into trousers before we practice," Severus continued.
"That seems wise," Rachel agreed.
Thirty minutes later they were standing in the backyard and Rachel was glad it was a breezy day because it was a little bit warm.
"First of all, the Leg-Locker curse. Aim at your opponent's knees, draw your wand down and then across in a quick slash. The incantation is locomotor mortis. Try it now on me," Severus said, his own wand already drawn.
That was a long incantation to use in combat, but at least it was fairly simple. "Locomotor mortis," she said, moving her wand. A bright purple flash let her know the spell had worked.
Severus bent his legs at the knees. "As you can see, I can't move my legs apart to take a step. If you catch someone in motion, their legs will snap together and they'll likely fall over. If they are your only opponent, use that time to disarm them, stun them, and then summon help. If there are additional opponents, keep running and dodging. The curse responds to finite." He tapped his wand against his legs and they were free again.
Rachel nodded. "Am I trying to get to somewhere specific this time, or just to disarm you?"
"Let's say to the mailbox again, except this time I'm going to be between you and the mailbox," Severus said. "Let's go further out and try to avoid the potions ingredients beds if you can."
"Okay," she said. Severus had planted several more beds of ingredients at the start of the summer and a few of them were starting to blossom.
"Pick a place to hide and we'll begin."
Rachel waited until his back was turned and snuck away. Aware that he could still hear her, she moved slowly and then crouched down by some nearby bushes. She thought that he would expect her to go further away.
"Begin," he called.
She stayed crouched down, listening and trying to tell what he was doing. Finally she poked her head up very slowly and found that his back was towards her. "Expelliarmus!"
Severus immediately dropped down to avoid the spell.
Rachel realized she was now in trouble because he knew where she was and he still had his wand. "Protego," she whispered and took off running towards the trees.
"Expelliarmus," Severus cast and a moment later she felt the spell impact her shield, her shield immediately failing.
However, she still had her wand. "Protego," she said again, running into the trees and being glad that Severus had told her to wear trousers - her ankles would have been all scratched up if she'd run through here in just a skirt. She could hear that she was being pursued and she ducked behind a tree when she heard Severus call out the incantation for the Leg-locker curse.
She knew he was purposefully saying the incantations out loud when he didn't need to, and that he was going easy on her, but she was definitely not succeeding. If his message to her was not to stand and fight, he was making it abundantly clear. She went through some bushes and unexpectedly slid down into a small ravine. She thought this might be past the wards. Also, her feet were now wet from the few inches of water at the bottom of the ravine.
After a moment of not hearing Severus, she decided to try to go back in the direction she'd come and see if there was a place that she could climb back up the ravine more easily - it was just over her head here and she was going to get very muddy if she attempted to scale it. She'd gone about ten yards, still assessing the ravine as she went when she heard noise from the trees nearby. She couldn't tell if it was Severus, but she crouched down and readied her wand, feeling her heartbeat in her ears. This was suddenly less fun.
She stood back up and decided that she could wash her clothes if they got dirty, but she wanted back inside the wards now. The climb was muddy, but not terrible, and she climbed through some bushes at the edge, feeling a branch scratch her face. Rachel closed her eyes as she remembered climbing through the hedge maze, hearing Cedric screaming, wanting to get out but knowing the only way out for all of them was to get to the center. Her chest was hurting and she sat down in the rough mess of plants and sticks. She thought she was back in the wards now, but she wasn't sure.
"Rachel! If you can hear me, let me know where you are," Severus called, sounding distant.
"Back here," Rachel called back. She knew she should get up and go back into the yard so that Severus could find her, but she didn't exactly feel well. She wondered if this is what people felt like when they were hit by the Confundus charm.
Severus arrived a few minutes later, looking slightly frantic. "You're hurt."
"I'm fine. I just slipped down the ravine. Can we be done for today?" Rachel asked.
"Yes, of course. Did you twist your ankle?"
"No, I'm fine." Rachel forced herself to her feet and tried to brush some of the dirt off her clothes. "I think I need a shower."
"Did you hit your head on anything?" he asked.
"No, I'm really okay."
Severus did not look convinced. "Let's go back to the house and you can clean up. I'll get you some Healing salve for the cut on your cheek."
Rachel followed him back, glad to step out of the trees and into the sunlight. "I'm sorry that didn't go very well."
"No. It was not your fault. I clearly need to rethink how to do this so that it's safer," Severus said.
"It's safe enough, I just didn't realize that the ground dropped off through those bushes."
"Even so," Severus said. "May I clean the dirt off you before we go inside the house?"
"Yes, please," Rachel said, holding still so that Severus could cast the modification of the cleaning charm that was used on clothes and that didn't soak them. The dirt fell off and Rachel brushed her clothes off one more time.
She went directly upstairs and sat down on the edge of her bed. She had wanted to shower but she still felt a little weird and fuzzy. She wasn't entirely sure why. The third task itself hadn't been that bad - she didn't need to get upset over some random reminder of it. She knew Torey would be telling her to be gentle with herself, but really, she was fine. She was just being stupid.
"Can I trust you to behave appropriately in a brewing laboratory?" Severus asked, his arms folded as he surveyed the twins.
"Yes, sir," Fred said.
"Of course, sir," George said.
Rachel stood nearby waiting patiently. Severus had said that it was time to stock the potion's cabinet in Grimmauld Place now that the cellar was clean and serviceable. He had said that she and some of the Weasleys could help, but she was a little bit surprised he was enlisting the twins. She'd always gotten the impression he didn't like them very much.
"The potions that you will be brewing will be used on members of the Order, in potentially life threatening circumstances. They must be brewed correctly and without messing around. If you believe you have made an error, tell me. You are not being judged or graded." Severus stared at them, like he was trying to somehow make them listen to him.
"Yes, sir," the twins chorused.
"We understand," George said, nodding.
Severus nodded once and glanced at Ginny. "I cannot let you brew as you have not yet even reached your OWLs, but you can prepare ingredients to my specifications."
"Yes, sir," Ginny said, not seeming bothered that she wasn't allowed to brew.
"With me," Severus said, leading them toward the cellar.
It was quite a large space, though there were no windows. There was a long workspace along the far wall, spaces where cauldrons were stored, cabinets for ingredients, and a rack for completed potions. The other side of the room had four hospital wing beds set up, with bedside tables between them and more cabinets along the wall.
"Fred, you'll be brewing two cauldrons of Blood-Replenishing potion, one cauldron at a time. Use this formula rather than the standard. Read it first and ask questions that you may have. George, you'll be brewing two cauldrons of Wound-Cleansing potion, also one cauldron at a time." Severus handed over a piece of parchment to each of them and waited.
"Are people going to be so badly injured that we need two cauldrons of Blood-Replenishing potion?" Fred asked, not yet looking at the parchment.
That was a question Rachel had as well. All four of them looked expectantly at Severus.
"We do not yet know what the war will bring. We may not be able to utilize St. Mungo's at some point, so for now we will prepare a well stocked infirmary should there be injuries," Severus said, seeming to measure his words.
"The Death Eaters are going to take over St. Mungo's, sir?" Ginny asked, looking worried.
"That is doubtful, but there may come a time when St. Mungo's is being watched, or where we cannot reach a Healer at St. Mungo's in time." He looked over all of them. "You do not have to do this, you can return to assisting your mother if you wish."
"We want to," George said immediately.
"We want to help," Fred agreed.
"Me too," Ginny said.
Rachel nodded. She did want to help, and if brewing potions was a way that she could help the war effort without fighting Death Eaters, then she would do it.
"Very well, let's begin. Rachel, you and I will be brewing Polyjuice Potion, the lacewing flies have already been stewed. Ginny, I'd like you to prepare vials of wormwood. I'll lay out the materials for you." Severus instructed.
"Polyjuice Potion. We don't learn that in school," Fred said, raising his eyebrows at Rachel.
"For good reason," Severus said from where he was bringing materials to the workspace.
"You know, George, I've always wondered what it would be like to be you."
"That's funny, because I've always been curious about being you."
"I can assure you that the completed Polyjuice Potion will be kept under wards that even you miscreants can't break through. I take it you have no questions about the potions you're supposed to be brewing," Severus said sternly.
"No, sir," Fred said, still smiling.
"Then get to work if you wish to be finished before lunch. Rachel, we'll be working here," Severus said, setting up a cauldron.
Rachel joined him, perching on a stool not far from Ginny and giving her a smile.
"I have done most of the preparation, you will do the brewing," Severus said. "Can you tell me why we're using a copper cauldron?"
"Faster brewing time," Rachel said immediately as she surveyed the ingredients Severus had set out. "Fluxweed, knotgrass, leeches, stewed lacewings...what sort of horn is that?"
"Bicorn horn, it will need to be powdered. Any ideas why it's being used in this particular potion?"
She frowned as she thought about it. "Two natures, the same as when you're taking the potion, you're still yourself, but you're someone else as well. It's the reactionary ingredient?"
"It is and it represents duality," Severus said with a nod. "Do you know what is missing from this set of ingredients?"
"No, but it would help if I knew what order the ingredients went in."
"Let's begin brewing then and tell me when you know what's missing. Start with fluxweed, which was picked at the full moon, and then the knotgrass. Stir clockwise."
Rachel began working, soaking and heating the fluxweed and then adding the knotgrass bit by bit while stirring clockwise to keep everything balanced.
Severus left her side to go peer into the twins' cauldrons and then to check on Ginny before he returned to her. He began to use the mortar and pestle to make a fine paste out of two scoops of the stewed lacewings.
Rachel thought through the ingredients again, keeping an eye on her boiling cauldron. "The bicorn horn needs an animal essence to balance it."
"Very good. If you were inventing the potion, what would you pick?" he asked.
"Beetles wouldn't be right, but something similar. Not murtlap either," Rachel said, glancing away from the cauldron as she thought.
"You have the right general idea, closer with beetles than with murtlap."
"I'd use a hermit crab shell, because it's changing the outside, but not the inside," George said, not looking up from his cauldron.
"A curious idea, but no. A shell would not balance the bicorn horn and the bicorn horn is already the catalyst for change."
"Snake fang, maybe," Ginny said, peering over at them.
"Closer. Why would you suggest snake fang?" Severus asked.
Ginny pulled a face as she thought, her tongue slipping out between her lips for a moment. "Horn and tooth are almost the same, and whereas the bicorn is represented by two, the snake is always represented by one."
"Good. You're correct that it is from a snake and it's arithmantically balanced, but adding powdered fang to powdered horn is adding like to like."
"Skin then, a shed skin," Rachel said. "I keep meaning to get a book on snakes and I keep forgetting."
Severus nodded and looked into the cauldron.
Rachel checked it as well and used the stirring rod to assess the status of the fluxweed. "Another minute or two at this level of heat."
"Yes, how did you know?"
"The color is nearly gone from the fluxweed, when it's off-white it will be ready to be added to," Rachel said.
"Good. What's next?" he asked.
Rachel looked over the ingredients. She knew it wasn't time for the bicorn horn. "Lacewings or leeches."
"And based on the properties of the leeches, which should you add first?"
She tipped her head back, trying to think. The only things that came to mind that leeches were associated with blood healing and that leech juice was used in the Shrinking solution. Other than that she didn't know. She shook her head.
"How many hearts do leeches have?" he asked.
"I have no idea. Things can have more than one?" she asked, checking the fluxweed again. It was nearly time to add the next ingredient.
"Yes. Octopi, squids, and giraffes each have three hearts. Earthworms have five paired hearts. And leeches have two. They also have two jaws. Leeches should be added before any other animal or insect components to a potion, otherwise they will not interact correctly. Add all four leeches at once."
Rachel grimaced and dumped the vial of leeches into the cauldron. This was her least favorite part about brewing. She wasn't a vegetarian, and she certainly knew where meat came from, but there was a difference for actually killing animals herself, even if they were leeches.
"Two measures of the lacewing paste."
She quickly set aside the vial and took a scoop of the lacewing paste and leveled it before shaking it into the cauldron and then did it once more.
"And lower the heat so we don't boil the leeches. Any idea why lacewing flies are used throughout the potion?" Severus asked as he got up.
"Binding," Rachel said immediately. "And specifically they're binding the animal essences to the plant essences at each stage."
"Good. I will show you how to shred boomslang skin." Severus said, returning with a large vial with a shed snake skin in it.
"Sir, why don't you teach this way in class?" one of the twins asked.
"Because here I am not waiting for one of a dozen cauldrons to explode. I spend most of my teaching time preventing disaster, not instructing on the finer points of brewing," Severus said.
Rachel thought it wasn't quite that bad, at least in her class. They were down to only a melted cauldron once every term, and people usually didn't boil over their cauldrons anymore - at least not that often.
"Wash your hands both before and after you handle the boomslang skin. Shred starting from the mouth opening into long thin strands. When you've gone all the way around, trim the tip of the tail," Severus instructed.
She checked the cauldron once more, glad to see that it was slowly bubbling and not at the rolling boil it had been at previously, and then got up to go wash her hands.
"How do you get boomslang skin, sir?" one of the twins asked.
"By being a registered member of the Potions Guild, for which you need to have earned a Mastery in Potions."
Rachel smiled as she began shredding the boomslang skin. That would certainly put a damper in the twins' plans to brew it. She had been wondering why Severus had let them hear the instructions when they were most certainly listening carefully.
"Wash your hands again, and then don't touch it again," Severus directed after she trimmed the tip of the tail on the boomslang skin.
Rachel got up and washed her hands again, glad for the reminder.
"Professor Snape, that's all the wormwood you gave me," Ginny said, getting up.
"Good. You can put the vials in the second cupboard and wash up. We'll be done here in a few minutes," Severus said.
"I only got one cauldron of Blood-Replenishing potion," Fred said. "It needs to finish cooling before it goes in the vials."
"My Wound-Cleansing potion is done and ready, but I also only got one cauldron," George said.
Severus got up and brought him a basket of vials and corks. "That's fine, we can brew another time. Fill them to this line for a full dose. Rachel, check your cauldron, have the leeches dissolved?"
Rachel checked, making a grossed out face - which made Ginny giggle - and found that the leeches had finished dissolving. "Yes, and there's a white film on top."
"Good, add the boomslang skin, stir seven times counterclockwise, then sprinkle in one measure of the powdered bicorn horn, then heat on high for three minutes and then back to low."
She got to work, being careful not to touch any of it with her bare hands, and watched as the potion turned from white to brown. "Is it supposed to be so sludgy?"
"It is and it will grow more so. Now we leave it for twenty four hours. Clean up the work space and then you can go upstairs for lunch. Leave the lacewing flies out."
Rachel bottled the remaining bicorn horn and took the rest of the things they used to the sink to wash. It had been a productive morning, perhaps more so than cleaning bedrooms on the second floor would be. Ginny joined her, taking the wet things from her and drying them and returning them to their places.
"Should we wait for you?" Rachel asked when she was done.
"No, I'll be upstairs after we've finished bottling the Blood-Replenishing potion," Severus said, standing next to Fred.
Rachel started upstairs with Ginny and George and nearly bumped into Ron in the hallway.
"There you are. Mom has had me cleaning out dresser drawers. I got bit by a pair of socks," Ron said. "How come you didn't have to clean?"
"Would you rather be brewing potions under the close, personal attention of Professor Snape?" George asked.
Ron shuddered. "Not really. I'd rather be flying around the backyard."
"Wouldn't we all, but there are sacrifices we must make, and your fingers will be sacrificed to biting socks," George said, giving Ron a playful shove. "Let's see what's for lunch."
Rachel looked at Ginny when the boys were both already through the door to the kitchen. "Brewing potions with Professor Snape isn't bad, is it?"
"Better here than in class. Does he quiz you like that all the time?" Ginny asked.
"Yes, but it's useful," Rachel said. "He wants me to know why potions are brewed the way they're brewed as preparation for going into NEWT classes and a Potions Mastery."
"Do you want to do a Potions Mastery?" Ginny asked, glancing at the door to the cellar.
"I think so, but I'm not sure yet. He was surprisingly open to the idea of me playing Quidditch for the League, as long as I'm doing something else with it."
Ginny smiled. "That's good. I think my mom would have a melt down if she knew I wanted to play for the League. She's already having fits about the twins' joke shop, and Percy. Well, the less said about Percy right now the better."
They heard footsteps coming up the cellar stairs and made their way into the kitchen where a rather chaotic lunch was in process.
"I should have bought you dress robes," Severus said, frowning as he looked at Rachel.
Rachel smoothed her skirt and adjusted her Hogwarts robes. "This won't work?" At least she had showered and tamed her hair into a plait just an hour ago.
"It will have to do, I simply have no desire for Celeste Zabini to think that I don't treat you well," he said. "You have your wand and your portkey necklace?"
"Yes, both. Mrs. Zabini isn't like the Malfoys or anything, is she?" She had thought they were getting Theo away from Death Eaters.
"No, not at all. Treat her with the utmost respect. I suspect you and Theo will be allowed to leave her presence to speak privately, however, alert me immediately if something seems suspicious."
Rachel frowned as she tried to make sense of it all. The Zabinis weren't Death Eaters but something was making Severus nervous about all of this. "Okay. Is there anything else I should know?"
"Don't mention Death Eaters or the Dark Lord in Celeste's presence. In fact, stick to entirely banal subjects of conversation, and answer questions truthfully but broadly and as limited as is polite," Severus directed.
"Okay," Rachel said. She knew how to be polite. "Thank you for taking me. I know Theo wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."
"I'm sure he wouldn't. Do you have any idea what he wishes to speak to you about?"
"No." That was mostly true, and it was better to say that now in case Theo told her something that she couldn't tell Severus.
"Alright. Let's go before we're late." Severus offered Rachel his arm.
A moment later they were standing at the end of a long path leading up to a several story castle that put even the Malfoy Manor to shame. "Wow. Theo didn't mention anything about this."
Severus held his hand out in front of him. "We can go past this guest ward, but I suspect we'll be stopped by another ward closer to the castle. Stay behind me, just in case."
Rachel followed him, even more confused now. Why was the Zabini's home so well warded? Were they trying to hide something?
They walked for about ten minutes before Severus came to a stop in front of a wooden box with a large brass bell in it. "This is as far as we can go without an escort," he said, taking the wooden mallet and ringing the bell.
A moment later a House Elf arrived, dressed in what seemed to be layers of upholstery fabric. "Professor Severus Snape and Miss Rachel Snow. Yous are expected. Please step through."
"Let me go through first," Severus said. He took a few steps toward the House Elf and then stopped. "Now you."
Rachel took two steps forward and stopped. She could feel something against her skin, it felt almost electric.
"It's alright, the sensation will pass as soon as you're through the ward."
She took a breath and took another step, cringing away from the sensation and hearing a high pitched ringing in her ears. She closed her eyes and forced herself to take another few steps and abruptly the sound and the sensation stopped. "What was that?"
"Well Wishers Wards. If we'd had intent to harm anyone within the household it would have prevented us from passing through. They are not very practical," he explained. "Can you please take us to Mrs. Zabini?"
"This way, this way," the House Elf said.
Rachel stopped herself from asking why the Zabinis had such a ward when people like the Malfoys and the Longbottoms didn't. Obviously they had enemies, but she didn't know if it was just Death Eaters and the Dark Lord or if there was another problem.
The walk to the castle took another five minutes and the House Elf led them through a set of thick wooden doors, up a stone staircase, and into an opulently decorated room with an enormous fireplace. A woman with long black hair done in loose curls was lounging on a velvet sofa. She was wearing a blue dress that wouldn't have looked out of place at a fancy ball.
"Severus Snape. I never thought I'd live to see the day when you called upon me," Mrs. Zabini said, her gaze fixed on him.
"Celeste, it is a pleasure to be here," Severus said, bowing slightly. "May I introduce my ward, Miss Rachel Snow."
"It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Zabini," Rachel said, not sure if she was supposed to bow or curtsy or something. Instead she held still and tried to smile.
Mrs. Zabini got to her feet and came closer, her gaze moving up and down Rachel as if she was examining a particularly interesting specimen of something. "The Girl-Who-Lived. Such strange times we live in, yes? And stranger yet they become."
Rachel left her smile frozen on her face. She had no idea how to respond to that.
"How rude I'm being. Please, come in and sit. Natty, go to Theodore, tell him his guest has arrived," Mrs. Zabini said.
They followed Mrs. Zabini further into the room and Rachel perched next to Severus on one of the velvet sofas.
"We very much appreciate that you are offering Theo a safe haven," Severus said.
Mrs. Zabini waved one of her hands dismissively. "No need to mention such a thing. When Albus told me the situation, well, of course I couldn't let the boy fall into the hands of the Malfoys or...anyone else." Her eyes darted to Rachel at the end, apparently censoring what she had been about to say.
"Nevertheless, we are grateful," Severus said, inclining his head.
"And enough said on the matter," Mrs. Zabini said, looking back to Rachel. "Tell me, how do you like Hogwarts?"
"I like it a lot. We're kept very busy with our classes, but almost all of them are enjoyable, and I play on the Slytherin House Quidditch team," Rachel said, keeping in mind Severus' advice to keep things broad. She wished she knew Blaise a little better, so then she might have a better idea what to say.
"I was on the House team myself, as Severus might recall," Mrs. Zabini said.
"Chaser, if I recall correctly, though I didn't much follow Quidditch."
"That is correct, though I'm getting a bit on in years to be on a broomstick," Mrs. Zabini said, looking up as Theo entered the room. "There you are, Theodore. Your guest is here."
"Thank you, Mrs. Zabini. Professor Snape, Rachel, it's good to see you again," Theo said, not quite managing a smile.
"I trust you are doing well, Mr. Nott?" Severus asked.
"I am, thank you. May I take Rachel to my sitting area and speak with her so that you may converse privately?" Theo asked.
"Yes, of course," Severus said.
"Please do, and come join us for tea when you're finished," Mrs. Zabini said.
"Thank you," Rachel said. She got to her feet and followed Theo out of the room. "Your sitting area?" she asked once they were in the hallway.
"You'll see soon enough," Theo said. "This way."
Rachel followed him up another staircase and down a corridor. "You never said you were staying in a castle."
"It seemed weird to describe Blaise's home. We're getting on better now, he said that he thought I was into the Death Eater stuff and that's why he didn't talk to me much at school." Theo opened a door and stood back. "My sitting room."
Rachel entered the room and looked around. There were a few bookshelves, filled with books, a large fireplace, a sofa and two armchairs, and a small dining table with two chairs. "This is your room?"
"The bedroom and the bathroom are through there," Theo said, pointing at a door. He sat down on the sofa and looked at Rachel.
Rachel sat down, leaving some space between them so that they could look at each other without being directly in each other's faces. "Are the Zabinis treating you well?"
"Very. They've been very kind to me, especially considering... You can't tell anyone this, okay, not even the rest of the group."
"Okay," Rachel said, trusting that Theo wouldn't ask her to keep secrets without a good reason.
"Blaise's step-father is dying. They say he has less than a year to live," Theo said, frowning. "There's more to it than that, but that's really all I should tell anyone."
She nodded. "Of course, I want to respect their privacy. Poor Blaise. How is he doing? I'm sure this is hard on him."
"Blaise is dealing with it in his own way," Theo said. "Anyway, I didn't ask you here to talk about the Zabinis."
"You said at Hogwarts that there was something you needed to tell me. Do you want me to cast a privacy ward?" she asked.
"No, there's no need in here." There was a long moment of silence and then Theo stood and started pacing in front of the fireplace. "Rachel, there really isn't an easy way to do this. I've been thinking about it for the past month and I still don't know how to do this."
Rachel watched him, but she only had a vague idea of what was happening. "Is this about what happened with your father? About why you said no to him?"
Theo exhaled heavily. "I mean, it certainly played a role, just not directly. I just have to tell you this, because you need to know." He came back to the couch and sat down again. "Do you remember that I was listening to the meetings my father was having with Death Eaters?"
"Yes," Rachel said, trying not to jump to any conclusions.
"They were talking about you. On the day my father cursed me, he had a meeting that afternoon. I didn't know who the other Death Eaters were, I could only hear them. And they said some things about you."
"We already knew they wanted me dead," Rachel said, not sure what else the Death Eaters would have said about her. There wasn't that much to say.
Theo looked down at where his hands were clenched together. "Rachel, the Death Eaters questioned your relatives."
Rachel felt cold all of a sudden. "Did they kill them?"
"No, I think they would have said if they'd killed them. They would have bragged about it. But they said that they forced them to take truth potions, and then they asked them about you."
She sat still, trying to make sense of this. "What did they want to know?"
"Everything. They said-" Theo took a breath. "They said some really terrible things about you. About what they did to you."
Rachel wrapped her arms around her middle and tried not to panic. She needed to know what the Death Eaters knew. She needed to know what Theo knew. "Like what?"
Theo shook his head. "That they used to beat you and starve you. That they kept you locked in a cupboard. That your uncle...that he was selling you."
She closed her eyes. They knew everything. She tried to slow down her thoughts, but her chest hurt, and all she could think of was how far beyond her control this was. How far beyond her control just about everything was.
"They were laughing about it. I- that night. When my father was telling me that I would join the Dark Lord. I just couldn't. I couldn't sit there and pretend anymore. Not with people like that."
Rachel forced herself to exhale. "Please don't tell anyone."
"I won't. I wouldn't, Rachel. I promise."
She opened her eyes and found Theo watching her.
"I'm sorry. I just thought that you needed to know what the Death Eaters knew. And, I'm sure the Dark Lord knows by now too," he said, his eyes sad while his mouth was fixed in a frown.
"I'm not sure the Dark Lord is particularly going to care," Rachel said. She couldn't imagine why he would.
"He wouldn't have had the Death Eaters go to your relatives if he wasn't looking for something."
Rachel had no idea what the Dark Lord was looking for, only that he obviously didn't find it. The Dursleys knew nothing about her, not really.
"Does Professor Snape know any of this?" Theo asked.
"He does." That much was a relief. She couldn't imagine telling him under these circumstances. "I'll ask him to have someone from the Order go check on my relatives. Make sure the Death Eaters didn't do anything to them." It was a little late now, but at least it was something she could do.
"If he knows, why didn't he do something about your relatives?"
She looked at Theo, fighting back waves of panic again. "Because there's nothing to do about them. He adopted me to get me away from them. That was the only thing that needed doing."
Theo looked back at her and he finally nodded. "If that's what you want."
"It is. As long as I never have to see them again. That's all I want." She'd like it even better if she never had to hear or talk about them again, but it didn't seem likely.
"Okay," he said.
Rachel took an unsteady breath and tried to get her brain and her body back in working order. "Have they told you anything else about your father?"
"There's a Family Services hearing at the end of this month, seven days before we go back to Hogwarts. They'll make a decision then if I have to return to him." Theo's expression turned bleaker. "I think they're going to send me back."
"Professor Snape said that he'd speak for you. Maybe that will help," Rachel said. She had looked in the library, but she hadn't found anything useful, and when she'd asked Severus he told her that he was taking care of things.
"Maybe. I suppose it all depends on how much my father actually wants me back. If they've bribed the right people, I don't think there is anything we can do about it." Theo shrugged.
"Can we out-bribe them? I have some money that my parents left me," Rachel offered. She'd never bribed anyone before, or even thought to try, but how hard could it be?
Theo sighed. "I wouldn't even know who to bribe. Supposedly Family Services is above that sort of thing, but how many people really are when it comes to money? I think if I'm returned to him, I'll run. And then I'll show up at Hogwarts and ask Professor Dumbledore for sanctuary. It's an old pure-blood law, but I think it should still work."
"Sanctuary?" Rachel asked.
"It used to be, a very long time ago, that a pure-blood could seek sanctuary from their enemies or from muggles with another pure-blood family. If they agreed to provide sanctuary, their wards would protect the person and trying to kill them was considered a slight on the family itself. People went to war for less. I don't think it's been invoked in over two hundred years, or at least I haven't seen any records of it. But if Professor Dumbledore, or even Professor Snape, agreed, it would mean my father couldn't take me from Hogwarts," Theo explained. "The reason I was drawn to it is because it's been used by children to receive protection from their families, usually in the case of someone trying to eliminate heirs after a remarriage."
Rachel nodded. It wasn't much of a plan, but it was something at least.
A House Elf appeared in front of the fireplace. "Theodore and Miss Rachel are wanted for tea."
"Thank you, Natty," Theo said. "I think that's Mrs. Zabini's way of saying time is up."
"Thank you. For telling me," Rachel said as she stood. Theo had been right, she had needed to know.
Theo met her eyes and nodded. It had been necessary.
"And how have you been, Severus?" Celeste asked, her gaze far more intense than her words.
"Well enough." Severus had never been particularly good at this sort of social engagement. People always seemed to want more than he could give.
"I imagine the past year has been hard on you and Rachel both. Blaise and Theodore told me about the tournament. I don't know what Albus was thinking, letting a little girl like her compete."
"Albus and I did everything we could to remove her from the tournament, it simply wasn't possible once her name was entered." Severus watched Celeste back, trying to understand what she wanted. She was no stranger to Death Eater machinations, after all, he was the one who had brewed the sterility potion for her.
Celeste shook her head. "And how exactly did her name wind up in the tournament to begin with? Blaise tells me she's rather shy, a bit of a wallflower really."
"We believe her name was entered by Barty Crouch Junior. We're still trying to understand how he is alive and not in Azkaban," Severus said, willing to be honest about that, at least in this company.
"What is the world coming to? I thought we were done with this." She stared past Severus for a long moment, her eyes expressing the sadness that she wouldn't let show on the rest of her face. She refocused on Severus. "Tell me, what is it like to raise the child of your enemy?"
"James Snow is not my enemy." He certainly didn't remember James fondly, but the hatred that had driven him for years was dormant and well buried.
"He was. I remember our school days well enough, Severus."
"Yet we were allies in the end. And I find that Rachel does not much resemble James, in features or in personality." Any penchant for mischief she may have once had had been beaten out of her by the time she'd come to Hogwarts.
"Blaise says that she's timid and that she doesn't wish for the attention she receives. Poor thing. You do understand why Theodore asked her to come here, don't you?" Celeste asked, the hint of a smile touching her lips.
"I don't, only that he wished to speak with her about something privately and that it was important." Severus had several guesses, each more unlikely than the last, but he truly did not know what was so important that it couldn't be put in letters.
"He's confessing his love. It's very sweet." Celeste's smile was full this time.
Severus had his doubts about that. He knew that Theo had a crush on Rachel, but he did not expect that things had progressed so far or that Theo had called her here for that.
"Theodore wouldn't say much about the situation with his father, but I expect he found out about the two of them and reacted poorly. And Theodore of course couldn't stand to see his love slandered. To be their age again, when the possibilities were endless. Of course I dread to see any of them coming of age during a war."
He had suspected that there had been something Theo hadn't told him about that night, but he wasn't sure that Theo's affections were the cause. "Hopefully they will not be. There is still time."
"Is there?"
"Albus hopes to contain things before there is an outright war. If we can prevent him from gaining allies and a foothold in the Ministry, we may be able to prevent some of the worst of the violence," Severus said.
"Try not to delude yourself, Severus. It's a poor look on you," Celeste said with a shake of her head. "I am not a fool. I can see the signs of a coming war as well as you can."
Severus nodded once. It was true that Celeste Zabini was no fool - just a woman in an unfortunate situation. She had lost much to the Death Eaters.
"If things can be arranged appropriately, I would like to help the cause."
"You are already helping the cause by providing for Theo. Perhaps that is a little too public." Severus had wondered at Albus calling on Celeste for this particular task, but he had seen the necessity.
"Perhaps it is. I fear that I may be doing Theo more harm than good by associating him with my name." Celeste frowned. "Albus assured me this was the safest place for him."
"You're the only one who might go unchallenged. He would be too vulnerable anywhere else. If he was older, we would be able to arrange for emancipation and then we could protect him. As it stands, this is the best possible solution," Severus said, knowing that Albus would have told her this already.
"For the time being," Celeste allowed. "But I still wish to contribute with the only thing that I can offer as long as it is entirely untraceable and anonymous."
"I understand. May I tell Albus what you wish to do?"
"You may, but only Albus. I know the two of you can keep secrets even from Him." Celeste looked around as if they might be overheard. "Whatever it takes to end this war quickly and with as little bloodshed as possible."
"That is the plan." Or rather, it was their hope. Their plan was still evolving.
"Professor Snape. I was unaware that you were calling on us today," Blaise said as he came to a stop in the entrance to the room.
"Severus was accompanying young Miss Snow here so that she could speak with Theodore. Why don't you join us for tea, dear. It's time those two came out before it becomes inappropriate for them to be alone," Celeste said, motioning Blaise forward. "Natty, please summon Theodore and Miss Snow for tea."
"How are you doing, Mr. Zabini?" Severus asked.
"I've completed my summer homework, sir," Blaise said as he sat.
A non-answer if Severus had ever heard one, but he let it go. He was not unaware of the situation with Celeste's current husband. It couldn't have been easy on Blaise.
"Blaise has kept himself quite busy this summer, he and Theodore have become as thick as thieves. It's good for him to have a friend here," Celeste said, smiling at Blaise.
Blaise did not look particularly enthused.
A moment later Rachel and Theo appeared in the doorway, both looking grim. If Theo had confessed his feelings, it had apparently gone poorly.
"Come sit and we'll have afternoon tea," Celeste called.
Tea progressed slowly, with Celeste carrying most of the conversation. Each of the children answered questions when prompted, but otherwise they seemed caught up in their own thoughts.
Severus was relieved when it was socially acceptable for them to retreat. He and Rachel walked beyond the wards in silence and he apparated them both back into the sitting room at their home.
Rachel immediately went to the couch and sat down, her expression grim as she stared down at her knees.
He sat done in his armchair, waiting to see if she would speak to him or if he needed to try and draw her out.
"There's something I need to tell you about. And then I think you need to tell Professor Dumbledore," she finally said.
"Alright," Severus said, more concerned than he'd been a moment ago.
"When he was at his father's house, Theo was able to listen in on conversations his father had with other Death Eaters," Rachel explained.
"Yes, you did mention that shortly after Theo was attacked," he said, when it was clear Rachel was waiting for a response.
"He...he heard some things. About me." Rachel covered her face with her hands, leaning over so that all he could see was the top of her head.
"He heard plans for what the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord wished to do with you?" Severus guessed.
Rachel shook her head. "No. The Death Eaters questioned my relatives. They used a truth potion. And they told them about everything." The words were a little bit mumbled, but they were still clear enough.
Severus sighed. That was unfortunate and he wasn't sure what the Dark Lord planned to do with that information. Nothing good, he was certain.
"Can you ask Professor Dumbledore to send someone to go check on my relatives and make sure they're not dead? And that they're alright? Theo said he thought they weren't dead, but I don't know."
"I'll ask him." Albus needed to know about this regardless. Severus tried to think of something to say that would help. "I'm sorry this has happened. I know that you wished for people not to know about the situation with your relatives."
Rachel shook her head again. "I don't care. It doesn't matter."
"It does matter. They have violated your privacy."
"What if they killed them? Because of me?" she asked, the words still half mumbled.
"You are not to blame for what the Death Eaters or the Dark Lord does. You have no control over it, just as you have no control over who you are related to. None of this is your fault," Severus said firmly. He suspected they were going to have to have this conversation many times over the course of the war.
"Are you in more danger, because you take care of me?" Rachel uncovered her face. She hadn't been crying, but she did look upset.
"No. I am on the list of people that the Dark Lord wants dead and that has nothing to do with you. He would hunt me regardless. But we are well protected." He added the last part, not wanting to scare her more than she already was.
She looked at him for a long moment and finally nodded. "Can I go upstairs?"
"You can. Join me in two hours for dinner," he said, understanding wanting to be alone after something like this had happened.
"I'm not really hungry," she said.
"You might be by dinner time. I'll fix soup." Soup was usually a meal he could get her to at least try to eat.
Rachel nodded and slunk up the stairs. A few moments later he heard her door shut with a thud.
He sighed again. There was always one more complication. He pulled out his wand and cast his Patronus charm. "To Albus Dumbledore. I need to speak with you when you have a spare moment."
Rachel didn't sleep well that night. She woke at three in the morning from confusing nightmares. She had been at the Dursleys, being dragged from her cupboard by her hair. Uncle Vernon was yelling at her, but she couldn't understand what he was saying. He had knocked her to the floor, ready to beat her, but when she looked up the Death Eaters in their robes and masks were there watching. And Theo had been there, being held by one of the Death Eaters as he tried to get away.
After she had stopped shaking and reminding herself that it was just a dream, she decided that her sleeping mind was very unsubtle and rather stupid. Nevertheless, she didn't feel like going back to sleep, or even just sitting in the dark.
She turned on her light and retrieved the book on potion modification that Severus had given her from her shelf. It became apparent pretty quickly that concentrating was not going to happen. Her mind kept going over her conversation with Theo, picking out what she should have said or done.
Theo had been very polite about it. He hadn't asked questions or tried to get her to get her talk about her relatives. But she had no idea what he thought about what he'd heard.
It changed things, didn't it? To know something like that about someone?
She tried to think about what it would be like if the situation was reversed, and found that it sort of was already. She had seen Theo after he'd been attacked by his father. As far as she knew, Theo hadn't talked about that to any of their friends. In a way, they were keeping secrets for each other, protecting each other.
That felt a little more balanced, but she still wondered what he thought of her. She knew how it would seem to anyone who didn't know her. She had been weak. Helpless. And sometimes she didn't know that she had changed all that much. She had certainly been helpless enough that night in the graveyard, even with her wand.
Theo was more reserved than most of her friends. Of course, he had a lot of practice keeping things to himself. When they'd written in the two-way book this summer, he hadn't treated her any differently. And when she'd seen him yesterday, despite their difficult conversation, things had seemed fairly normal between them.
She just didn't know. She didn't want things to change between them. She liked having friends. Maybe the only thing that had changed was that she knew that he knew.
At the very least, they would keep each other's secrets. She suspected Theo wanted to talk about his father about as much as she wanted to talk about the Dursleys.
Putting aside the book, Rachel pulled the top blanket off of her bed and laid it out on the floor and then laid down on top of it. Leaving her eyes open, she tried the third animagus meditation again. She imagined the waves of the ocean pulsing with her breaths, but also imagined her friends as bodies of water nearby, her waves splashing against theirs, causing ripples, and their ripples coming back to cause ripples in her water. She wasn't sure if that's what Sirius meant by soul, but she could see how every action - every thought - affected those around her and vice versa.
It was impossible sometimes, to imagine the entire world. All of those people, thinking and breathing. The problems in wizarding Britain seemed so large that it was easy to forget they were a small number of people, in a small country, in a relatively small magical world.
"Rachel?"
Rachel opened her eyes and realized that the sun was coming in through the window. She had drifted off again, not quite asleep but dozing. She sat up and looked at where Severus was peering in through where her door was mostly open.
"You had nightmares?" he asked.
"Not after I came down here. I didn't mean to fall asleep again." Rachel got up and picked up the blanket.
"You can always knock on my door if you need to in the night."
"Thanks, but I was fine," she said, making her bed and then turning off her lamp. "I'm going to shower before breakfast."
"Alright. Do you wish for something specific for breakfast?" he asked, looking no less concerned.
"No." Rachel wasn't even sure that she wanted breakfast.
Twenty minutes later she came downstairs, her damp hair tied back in a plait. She hadn't really needed to shower since she'd just had one yesterday, but she felt a little bit more put together after she'd had one.
She ignored the front page of the Daily Prophet in favor of buttering a piece of toast.
Severus quietly read the paper as he ate his toast and eggs.
"Anything important to know?" she asked when he set it aside.
"Albus was dismissed from his position of Supreme Mugwump in the International Confederation of Wizards."
"All because of what he's saying about the Dark Lord?"
"There are more political maneuverings afoot, but I don't doubt Albus' stance on the Dark Lord's return isn't at the heart of it," Severus said.
A silvery bird Patronus appeared in the kitchen. "Severus, is now a good time for me to drop in?" it asked in Professor Dumbledore's voice.
"To Albus Dumbledore. Yes, at your convenience," Severus said after casting his Patronus.
Rachel frowned as she fiddled with her mostly uneaten slice of toast. "Should I go upstairs so you can speak with him?"
"I will let Albus decide. He may have questions for you about what Theo told you."
"How much does Professor Dumbledore know about me?" she asked, feeling an odd sort of sinking feeling.
"He knows that your relatives were abusing you, but he does not know the full extent of it. I have not shared any details that I have learned with him," Severus said, meeting Rachel's eyes.
"Thank you," she said. That was better than what she'd feared.
A knock on the door brought them both to their feet, Severus' wand in hand.
Rachel abandoned her toast and followed Severus into the sitting room.
Severus opened the door and stood back to allow Professor Dumbledore inside. "I'm sorry to hear about your position with the Confederation."
Professor Dumbledore shook his head. "I have no need of such titles, as they have rarely served me well in the past. If anything, I now have more time to focus on what truly matters. Rachel, are you well?"
"Yes, sir," Rachel said. She was well enough.
"You wished to speak to me, Severus?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
"This concerns Rachel as well, please have a seat," Severus said, gesturing to their couch.
Rachel hovered nearby until Severus motioned for her to come sit down as well.
"Theodore Nott listened to a conversation between his father and other Death Eaters while he still resided in Ignatius' home. The Death Eaters visited Rachel's relatives and used a truth potion on them to learn details of Rachel's childhood," Severus explained once everyone was seated.
"I see," Professor Dumbledore said.
"Sir, would you mind sending someone from the Order to check on them, to make sure they're alright? Theo said that he didn't think they were dead, but we're not sure." Rachel looked at him and was a little surprised to see Professor Dumbledore looking sadly back at her.
"I will do that right now, please excuse me. I'll return within the hour," Professor Dumbledore said, standing up and then apparating away.
Rachel looked to Severus. She hadn't expected him to just disappear like that. "Why did he leave?"
"I believe he both feels some responsibility, as he was the one who placed you with your relatives, and he likely wished to assess the situation for himself," Severus said, looking displeased.
"He wants to know what the Death Eaters know?" she asked, feeling uncomfortable again.
"More likely he wishes to know how they know what they know. Most truth potions aren't suitable for muggles. I do not believe he will go searching for the details of your childhood."
Rachel tried to believe that, but found that she couldn't. They waited in silence, Rachel's thoughts occupied with imagining Professor Dumbledore at the Dursleys house. She couldn't picture them sitting down over a cup of tea and speaking civilly. Uncle Vernon would demand that Professor Dumbledore leave, and all the time Aunt Petunia would be looking out the window trying to see if any of the neighbors were watching.
About thirty minutes later a knock on the door startled both of them and Severus rose to answer it.
Professor Dumbledore entered the sitting room again. "I have seen to your relatives, they are no worse for the experience. I have also placed some subtle wards around the property that should let us know if someone magical trespasses on their home."
"Thank you," Rachel said. That much was a relief. Her fault or not, she would have felt terribly guilty if something had happened to her relatives because of her.
"Did you identify the truth potion that was used?" Severus asked.
"Alvaro's Elixir, based on their memories of the event. They were obliviated afterward, but the memories were easy enough to recover. I ensured that they recalled neither experience."
As discomforting as that was, Rachel thought her relatives were probably better off not remembering. It would upset them to realize they'd been subjected to magic.
"Was there anything else you needed to speak with me about?" Professor Dumbledore asked, looking at Severus and then at Rachel.
"Not at this time," Severus said.
Professor Dumbledore watched Rachel for a moment and then nodded. "Please keep me apprised. Good day to you both." He stepped back outside and then apparated away again.
Severus shut the door and came back to his armchair. "Do you have additional concerns?"
Rachel had a lot of concerns, but she couldn't quite put them into words. She shook her head. "I think I'm going to go flying before it gets warm."
"Alright. Fly safely," he said.
"I will," Rachel promised. That much was easy, unlike just about everything else in her life at the moment.
