Disclaimer (which I keep neglecting…): Anything that can be found in the
Harry Potter series does not belong to me, but to the benevolent goddess of
Hogwarts, JK Rowling.
Author's Note: My Internet's been playing up, so I got chapter thirteen finished around the same time as I started this chapter. Damn connection.
Thanks to: All the people who've reviewed this story. And it was muggle25 that reviewed first, not muggle95. You can upgrade computers, can you upgrade memories? It would certainly help me…
Dedicated to: Erin, Justine, Finau and Elli.
~*~
Harry appeared, disoriented, in front of Morag. They stood in a converted dungeon (the Keeper worked wonders, and though they were captives, they were clean and comfortable captives), and next to Morag was a strange woman Harry had never seen before.
"What happened?" Harry asked.
"I had the Keeper summon you here." Morag whispered.
"The Keep—oh." Harry stared at the woman, presumably the Keeper.
"The Boy Who Lived." She murmured. "Let us hope you continue to do so."
"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded.
"Don't be a moron, Harry. Why do you think Voldemort had me summon you?" Morag sounded tired and annoyed.
~*~
Hermione paced, and Ron tried to reassure her.
"Come on, Mione, Harry's been up against You Know Who before – why should now be different?"
"Because now Voldemort –" "Can't you people say You Know Who?" "—has Morag. Who commands the Keeper." Hermione snapped in irritation.
"Harry won't get himself into anything he can't handle." Ron said confidently.
"She might."
~*~
"I can hear them! Sirius, Severus, get over here!" Remus whispered, jubilant.
Severus and Sirius pushed past each other to get a better view of the window. In the small-but-cozy room, Morag paced in front of the fire and Harry sat on a chair in the corner, thinking.
Morag looked up suddenly. "Father." She whispered.
Severus, Sirius, and Remus could all hear her.
"How did she know we were here?" Sirius asked, baffled.
"You mean how did she know her father was here, Sirius." Remus corrected.
"Who cares how she knew?" Severus snapped in reply.
"Good point." Remus conceded. "Morag!" he called as quietly as he could, as loudly as he dared.
"Professor Lupin?" Morag went to the window. "Mr. Black? Father?"
"Yes, yes, we're here." Remus replied, as Severus was trying not to do cartwheels in his euphoria that she was safe.
"Mother is under the Imperio curse." She told them softly. "I've been sending her dreams with the Keeper, but I don't know how much success I'm having. I know that in her dreams, she recognizes the danger, and she is in her own mind, but I don't think she's able to remember them when she wakes."
Severus swore. In several languages.
"Why, Father, I never knew you had it in you." She mocked, but it was half- hearted. She was just as glad to see him as he was to see her.
"Is Harry all right?" Sirius cut through the touching, heartfelt reunion of father and daughter.
"Harry? He's fine." Morag replied. "You want I should get him?"
"That'd be good, yes." Sirius sounded relieved.
Morag headed over to where Harry sat. She knelt in front of him, eyes full, oddly enough, of gentle kindness. Severus's heart swelled as he thought of how like her mother she seemed.
He'd have been happier if she could have demonstrated it before someone other than Potter, but never mind.
"Harry, Harry come on," Morag whispered. "Mr. Black, Professor Lupin and Father are by the window. Mr. Black wants to talk to you."
Harry looked into her eyes for the barest moment, and nodded curtly, standing and walking to the window. She stood next to him.
Suddenly, to the surprise of all there, she took Harry in her arms and kissed him.
The reason became obvious when Lucius Malfoy started sniggering.
"Cheating on my son, Miss Snape? That won't do." Lucius told her.
Harry was still reeling from the mixed emotions Morag's kiss had summoned, and she knew it, he felt sure.
Sirius and Remus were busy congratulating Severus on having such an intelligent, quick young daughter, who they felt sure had just saved all their lives.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Morag said in her most bored tone of voice. "In case you hadn't noticed, I was rather busy." She stretched languorously, and reached up behind her to massage Harry's neck.
Severus felt that was uncalled for, but kept quiet.
Sirius looked like he wanted to catcall and be generally immature.
Remus was amused by the show Miss Snape was putting on for them all.
Harry, meanwhile, was hoping that the blush he felt sure was there wasn't too obvious.
"I can see that, Miss Snape." Lucius replied. "I was merely checking on you. The master doesn't want his little princess to want for anything, you're to tell us if there's anything we can do."
"That's easy." Morag replied, a little closer to Harry than he felt was safe, and he automatically put his arms possessively around her waist. The smoldering look he received Malfoy put down to young 'love', but Harry recognized it for what it was. Morag's way of telling him he was doing exactly what he should. "Let me, Mother, and Harry go, before killing yourself in the most painful and torturous way possible."
Malfoy was chuckling as he left.
~*~
Morag spun out of Harry's grasp, and turned back to the window.
"Bravo, Miss Snape. A virtuoso performance." Sirius complimented her.
She blushed becomingly – but there was no way that he could know that it was not all acting.
"Harry caught on quickly, if he hadn't…" she left it hanging, and all four* men shuddered.
Severus still thought that parts of it were uncalled for, but he remained silent. Until Morag gave him what can only be called a pleading look, and he relented. "Very good, Morag."
She glowed in her father's praise, and Harry envied her. Maybe Snape wasn't her real father, but he loved her, obviously, and she loved him too. She had the family life he'd always wanted.
"I have to go, Voldemort will want to speak to me soon, as always." Morag told them, and sighed. "Harry – you – are to be killed rather more publicly than other deaths. Voldemort wants all to witness his victory over the Boy Who Lived, in the hopes that it will demoralize the wizarding world and make his takeover easier."
"There are so many shades of gray, but Voldemort really is the Dark Lord." Severus observed. Morag reached through the tiny gap they had to speak between, and touched her fingertips to her father's.
"We're going to be all right, Father." She whispered, with a confidence she did not feel. "Mother and I, and Harry, we're all going to get out, go home, and we're going to talk about this one day, remember."
Harry wished he could hold her tight then, just feel her reassuring warmth and breathe in her rosy scent. He realized with a jolt that he had felt infinitely safe in her arms, and that he was daydreaming about Draco Malfoy's girlfriend.
~*~
Dumbledore sighed, as he looked into the scrying bowl.
"Harry Potter and Morag Snape?" Moody didn't sound too pleased with the idea.
"I don't set too much store in old prophecies, but did it not say that the Lion and the Serpent would be wed and in their union would be our safekeeping?" Dumbledore replied, a twinkle in his eyes.
"That's an old myth, and I doubt it has anything to do with the Snape girl and Potter." Moody said, but he didn't sound as convinced.
Dumbledore smiled.
~*~
*Harry may or may not count as a man at 15, but since he's a little old to be called a little boy and I can't be bothered working out the perfect title…
Author's Notes:
Thanks to my four reviewers, and please, people, read Sevvy Snape's 'Irony of Living' and my 'Once Upon A Time' for closer looks at the characters of Severus Snape and Morganna Montaque, respectively.
Author's Note: My Internet's been playing up, so I got chapter thirteen finished around the same time as I started this chapter. Damn connection.
Thanks to: All the people who've reviewed this story. And it was muggle25 that reviewed first, not muggle95. You can upgrade computers, can you upgrade memories? It would certainly help me…
Dedicated to: Erin, Justine, Finau and Elli.
~*~
Harry appeared, disoriented, in front of Morag. They stood in a converted dungeon (the Keeper worked wonders, and though they were captives, they were clean and comfortable captives), and next to Morag was a strange woman Harry had never seen before.
"What happened?" Harry asked.
"I had the Keeper summon you here." Morag whispered.
"The Keep—oh." Harry stared at the woman, presumably the Keeper.
"The Boy Who Lived." She murmured. "Let us hope you continue to do so."
"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded.
"Don't be a moron, Harry. Why do you think Voldemort had me summon you?" Morag sounded tired and annoyed.
~*~
Hermione paced, and Ron tried to reassure her.
"Come on, Mione, Harry's been up against You Know Who before – why should now be different?"
"Because now Voldemort –" "Can't you people say You Know Who?" "—has Morag. Who commands the Keeper." Hermione snapped in irritation.
"Harry won't get himself into anything he can't handle." Ron said confidently.
"She might."
~*~
"I can hear them! Sirius, Severus, get over here!" Remus whispered, jubilant.
Severus and Sirius pushed past each other to get a better view of the window. In the small-but-cozy room, Morag paced in front of the fire and Harry sat on a chair in the corner, thinking.
Morag looked up suddenly. "Father." She whispered.
Severus, Sirius, and Remus could all hear her.
"How did she know we were here?" Sirius asked, baffled.
"You mean how did she know her father was here, Sirius." Remus corrected.
"Who cares how she knew?" Severus snapped in reply.
"Good point." Remus conceded. "Morag!" he called as quietly as he could, as loudly as he dared.
"Professor Lupin?" Morag went to the window. "Mr. Black? Father?"
"Yes, yes, we're here." Remus replied, as Severus was trying not to do cartwheels in his euphoria that she was safe.
"Mother is under the Imperio curse." She told them softly. "I've been sending her dreams with the Keeper, but I don't know how much success I'm having. I know that in her dreams, she recognizes the danger, and she is in her own mind, but I don't think she's able to remember them when she wakes."
Severus swore. In several languages.
"Why, Father, I never knew you had it in you." She mocked, but it was half- hearted. She was just as glad to see him as he was to see her.
"Is Harry all right?" Sirius cut through the touching, heartfelt reunion of father and daughter.
"Harry? He's fine." Morag replied. "You want I should get him?"
"That'd be good, yes." Sirius sounded relieved.
Morag headed over to where Harry sat. She knelt in front of him, eyes full, oddly enough, of gentle kindness. Severus's heart swelled as he thought of how like her mother she seemed.
He'd have been happier if she could have demonstrated it before someone other than Potter, but never mind.
"Harry, Harry come on," Morag whispered. "Mr. Black, Professor Lupin and Father are by the window. Mr. Black wants to talk to you."
Harry looked into her eyes for the barest moment, and nodded curtly, standing and walking to the window. She stood next to him.
Suddenly, to the surprise of all there, she took Harry in her arms and kissed him.
The reason became obvious when Lucius Malfoy started sniggering.
"Cheating on my son, Miss Snape? That won't do." Lucius told her.
Harry was still reeling from the mixed emotions Morag's kiss had summoned, and she knew it, he felt sure.
Sirius and Remus were busy congratulating Severus on having such an intelligent, quick young daughter, who they felt sure had just saved all their lives.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Morag said in her most bored tone of voice. "In case you hadn't noticed, I was rather busy." She stretched languorously, and reached up behind her to massage Harry's neck.
Severus felt that was uncalled for, but kept quiet.
Sirius looked like he wanted to catcall and be generally immature.
Remus was amused by the show Miss Snape was putting on for them all.
Harry, meanwhile, was hoping that the blush he felt sure was there wasn't too obvious.
"I can see that, Miss Snape." Lucius replied. "I was merely checking on you. The master doesn't want his little princess to want for anything, you're to tell us if there's anything we can do."
"That's easy." Morag replied, a little closer to Harry than he felt was safe, and he automatically put his arms possessively around her waist. The smoldering look he received Malfoy put down to young 'love', but Harry recognized it for what it was. Morag's way of telling him he was doing exactly what he should. "Let me, Mother, and Harry go, before killing yourself in the most painful and torturous way possible."
Malfoy was chuckling as he left.
~*~
Morag spun out of Harry's grasp, and turned back to the window.
"Bravo, Miss Snape. A virtuoso performance." Sirius complimented her.
She blushed becomingly – but there was no way that he could know that it was not all acting.
"Harry caught on quickly, if he hadn't…" she left it hanging, and all four* men shuddered.
Severus still thought that parts of it were uncalled for, but he remained silent. Until Morag gave him what can only be called a pleading look, and he relented. "Very good, Morag."
She glowed in her father's praise, and Harry envied her. Maybe Snape wasn't her real father, but he loved her, obviously, and she loved him too. She had the family life he'd always wanted.
"I have to go, Voldemort will want to speak to me soon, as always." Morag told them, and sighed. "Harry – you – are to be killed rather more publicly than other deaths. Voldemort wants all to witness his victory over the Boy Who Lived, in the hopes that it will demoralize the wizarding world and make his takeover easier."
"There are so many shades of gray, but Voldemort really is the Dark Lord." Severus observed. Morag reached through the tiny gap they had to speak between, and touched her fingertips to her father's.
"We're going to be all right, Father." She whispered, with a confidence she did not feel. "Mother and I, and Harry, we're all going to get out, go home, and we're going to talk about this one day, remember."
Harry wished he could hold her tight then, just feel her reassuring warmth and breathe in her rosy scent. He realized with a jolt that he had felt infinitely safe in her arms, and that he was daydreaming about Draco Malfoy's girlfriend.
~*~
Dumbledore sighed, as he looked into the scrying bowl.
"Harry Potter and Morag Snape?" Moody didn't sound too pleased with the idea.
"I don't set too much store in old prophecies, but did it not say that the Lion and the Serpent would be wed and in their union would be our safekeeping?" Dumbledore replied, a twinkle in his eyes.
"That's an old myth, and I doubt it has anything to do with the Snape girl and Potter." Moody said, but he didn't sound as convinced.
Dumbledore smiled.
~*~
*Harry may or may not count as a man at 15, but since he's a little old to be called a little boy and I can't be bothered working out the perfect title…
Author's Notes:
Thanks to my four reviewers, and please, people, read Sevvy Snape's 'Irony of Living' and my 'Once Upon A Time' for closer looks at the characters of Severus Snape and Morganna Montaque, respectively.