Disclaimer…I'm not doing this anymore. You should know this by now.
In Which The Enemy Is Revealed
Chapter 34:
It happened a few nights later, 2 days before the New Years. Adam and Severus were *ahem* relaxing in Severus' room when Severus suddenly hissed and grabbed his arm. Methos looked at him, concerned.
"Sev? What is it?" Severus moved his hand to show Methos the now dark and livid tattoo. Methos' face cleared in understanding. Severus stood and started to dress.
"I hate summonings," Severus hissed suddenly. "They cause more pain than anything else. Once you're there you can block the pain, but when it catches you unawares and drags you away from your loved ones…it's terrible." He looked down at Methos, who was sprawled across the bed, his hair in total disarray, lips swollen, and looking like pure sex. Severus felt his knees weaken, then a fresh wave of pain flooded his arm. He leaned down and kissed Methos tenderly. When he pulled back, he said,
"I must leave now. When I am gone, go tell Dumbledore. I would go myself, but there is no time. I will return by dawn." The parting lovers kissed again and Severus swept from his rooms to the secret 'back door' of Hogwarts. Once he was gone Methos sprung up and dressed, then raced with the speed and skill of an Olympic runner (gold medal and laurel crown – 82BC) to Dumbledore's office.
Dumbledore's Office
Minerva McGonagall sat with Dumbledore, a brandy glass in her hand. Next to her sat Cassandra, a much better divination teacher than Trelawney, but still full of a lot of hot air. Standing by the window (and ignoring the last chair in the room) was Remus, wrapped in the arms of his lover, Sirius. Nobody was talking; content with the company and the fire, though low murmurs could occasionally be heard from the two lovebirds by the window. It was because of this that they heard the gasped password.
"Candy canes!" Cassandra sat up strait as the buzz hit her.
"Methos," she growled right before he burst through the door.
"Severus has been summoned." He said, only slightly out of breath, "It was urgent enough that he couldn't come himself." Dumbledore nodded and smiled comfortingly at him.
"Thank you for telling me," he paused, "here sit with us. Have a drink. You look like you need it." His eyes twinkled and glanced at the sweater Methos was wearing. Methos followed the look and closed his eyes, letting his head hang. He started to laugh as he turned his sweater around to face the right way. After a quick glance at Cassandra he accepted the drink, downed it, then smiled when he was poured another. He sighed as he sank boneless-ly into the remaining chair, (It was on McGonagall's other side) his eyes closed and his head back. The room was silent and (due mostly to Cassandra) was getting increasingly tense. Minerva took in Methos' tense form, though his sprawl would suggest otherwise. She reached over and touched his shoulder, noting when he jumped slightly.
"I wouldn't worry about Severus, Adam. He knows what he's doing. He'll be back." Methos gave her a weary look.
"But will it still be my Severus? Will he come back changed? Will he come back in a box?" He sighed again. "That's happened too many times for me not to worry. Mortal lives are so fragile." Cassandra snorted, but Methos went on ignoring her. "I personally know the call of Darkness, especially after one has already given into it. The easiest way to fight is just to close yourself off, but he isn't closed off anymore. He's too raw, it's too new; if he closes himself up again he might never come back."
"He will come back," said Dumbledore. "You have to remember he has a very powerful force on his side now." Methos raised an eyebrow. "He has love." Methos smiled small and lowered his head, blushing slightly.
"Yes," he murmured, " he certainly does."
Death Meet – undisclosed location
It was an ocean of black cloth; robes, cloaks and hoods. Above them all, floating ghostly in the sky, was the Dark Mark, bold and terrible. Severus moved through the crowd. As a Death Eater he could see the faces of those around him. Up ahead he saw the familiar form of Lucius Malfoy and his friends, Crabbe and Goyle. Like his son (for the past four years) the three formed a triumvirate of Slytherin power. Unlike their sons, however, Crabbe and Goyle Sr. showed the brains that they did indeed have. As Severus approached the trio, Crabbe saw him first.
"Severus! I'm surprised to see you here." Severus raised an eyebrow at him.
"Oh? And why is that? You doubt my loyalty?" Crabbe seemed slightly taken aback by the icy tone, but it was only momentary. After all, Severus had never spoken to any of them in any pother tone. Unlike the other two in the group, Crabbe was a very pleasant man. He was, however, a cold-blooded killer. He reminds one of Hannibal Lector, a gentleman killer.
"My son has said that you have been acting strangely at times, not at all like yourself."
"Your son is mistaken. Noting has changed my," his lips twitched, "sunny disposition." Goyle, who had overheard, laughed.
"That much is evident," he commented at Severus' scowl. Lucius turned to look at Severus coldly and Severus returned the stare icicle for icicle. Lucius then smiled an oily smile.
"Severus. Welcome back to the fold. I pray you won't miss any meetings in the future." Severus' scowl deepened.
"I explained that. It's hard to respond to a summons when in a private one on one meeting with Dumbledore. I try but I have to be careful around him. He may be a fool, but he's not stupid, nor weak." Further conversation was cut off when Wormtail entered the room and knelt down. The sea of hoods dipped as the room followed suit. Voldemort entered the room.
Dumbledore's Office
Methos sprawled in his chair, his third brandy in both hands as he stared into the amber liquid. The room had almost returned to normal, only this time there was a soft conversation between Cassandra and Remus, an attempt on her part to ignore the other immortal in the room. Methos, for his part, was off in his own little world of worry. Minerva and Dumbledore were also speaking softly, though nobody was really paying attention to it.
The room was almost comfortable, except for the small bundle of anxiousness sprawled in the chair near the door. Sirius couldn't take it anymore. Letting Remus go, he walked over to Methos and started to knead the tense shoulders. He stiffened for a moment, before relaxing completely into the friendly hands. Methos let out a barely audible groan.
"You are too tense. You need to relax or you'll give yourself a heart attack and die before you reach 40." Methos snorted. "What's so funny?"
"I passed the 40 mark over 5 millennia ago. I won't die from worry."
"You would have to have a heart before you can die from it." Came Cassandra's cutting remark. Methos glanced at her before looking back at his drink and speaking.
"It was because I had a heart that I became what I was. You can only be sunned, hunted, and killed so many times before it all catches up to you. You can only loose so much before you snap." He looked directly into her eyes. " I was already very old when the Horsemen were formed, and I hated them very much for what they did to me. My life wasn't as easy as yours before you met the Horsemen. I wasn't some honored priest; I was a vagabond and a runaway slave. I was hunted as a demon. I died often by stoning, burning, hunger and thirst. I lost many a wife or lover to witch hunts and time. When the Horsemen came around I was desperate for vengeance; for revenge." He paused, taking a swig of his drink and emptying his glass.
"The Dream King has already issued my punishment, and I believe Death, the real Death, has as well. Death keeps me alive, refusing to let me loose in battle, the few times I dot desperate enough to try. The Dream King haunts my sleeping hours, filling my mind with his nightmares; my memories." He swallowed then, looking away from Cassandra. He could tell his story had little effect on her. "I'm sorry. You all didn't need to hear that." He smiled when Remus moved and refilled his glass. "Thank you," he murmured in the silent room. Sirius could feel the tension level rising and made an attempt to break it.
"Well. We have to keep him from the Dementors, that's for sure." Remus shook his head at him. "What? The two of us can cower in far with a week's supply of chocolate when they show up." Methos laughed at Sirius' goofiness, though it was slightly hysterical.
"You are a goof." Remus said affectionately as he hugged Sirius once more. Methos watched until he felt the pin pricks of tears.
"Come back to me Severus…and be safe."
Death Meet – undisclosed location
Voldemort surveyed his followers. They were weak willed, following his every whim, but had no conscience, and were not stupid; the perfect henchmen.
"My minions." He spoke in a soft high hiss. "Rejoice for the hour of our victory is nigh! Look and behold the vessels of our victory!"
'Nice alliteration,' thought Severus randomly as the smoke parted and three human(oid) figures entered the chamber. The first was of average height, but had an intense and fierce aura surrounding him. His hair was wild and long, his face painted in black lines with a line of dots running down his nose. A long scar traveled from his forehead through his eye. His clothing was black, with silver metal forming armor. He was something out of a nightmare. He was Kronos.
The second was of the same height as Kronos, but his hair was shaved ff on the sides, making room for the wild tattoo that crept around the back of this head to his eye and down his cheek, The hair on top of his head was long and pulled back into a clasp. He was dressed in brown leather with many straps and large metal studs. His mouth was set and grim, though his eyes were wild and feral. His hands played with an ornate knife, causing his hands to bleed. When the blood showed, his hand was brought to his mouth and the blood was licked away, then the knife got the same treatment. He was Caspian.
The third man was large, very large; Almost the size of Hagrid. His face was simple and free of tattoos, though black war paint around his eyes made him look like a badger. A black stripe ran across his forehead on a diagonal. His hair (what was left) was light colored and short. His clothing was all brown leather, with metal platelets covering his chest. In his hand, in contrast to the other's swords, was a giant double-headed ax. He was Silas.
Severus' breath caught in his throat. The Horsemen were back, yet incomplete. That meant they would be coming for Methos if they ever found out where he was, which Severus didn't doubt they would. He prayed his lover was strong enough, for this could be a real apocalypse. With lead in his stomach, he listened to the ravings of a madman.
Dumbledore's Office
Cassandra frowned, thinking back on the past conversations. Something was bothering her, but she couldn't place it, and the bourbon hadn't helped any. She didn't figure out what it was, however, when Severus returned from the Death Meet.
It was quiet in the room again, all lost in their thoughts when they heard the password being spoken. Methos sat up strait when he heard, knowing whom it was. Severus entered a few moments later, looking even paler than usual. Dumbledore stood and replied in the only way he knew would get a coherent response from the Potions Master.
"Snape! Report!" He barked, surprising all but Severus himself who shook his head and said the one thing nobody but Methos expected (and him only halfway)
"The Horsemen have been resurrected."
"What!" Methos jumped to his feet. "That's impossible. They died, permanently! You cannot bring back the dead."
"If you're a powerful enough wizard trained in the dark arts, you can bring back an immortal, if you have their head. It's done through a-"
"Green flame. That explains that…" Methos sank back down, trailing off. He looked up after a moment to notice all eyes on him. "I had a nightmare my first week here. I saw them being pulled through the flames and then I was being pulled through, but I fought back and didn't go. Then Ron's Vision with the Horsemen going through the flames." He fell silent. Severus spoke again.
"They have War, Pestilence, and Famine. They are missing Death.
"And he'll never get Death. Not if I have anything to say about it. I'd die before I put on that blue paint again.
"Lets hope it doesn't come to that," said Dumbledore. "What will he do for the fourth Horseman?"
"He'll fill it himself or-"
"Come after me. I have a feeling he wont take 'no' for an answer, either." He bit his thumbnail in a nervous gesture then stood. "I would like to request a leave of absence. I am too much a target here, and I don't want to endanger the students."
"You can't go!" Exclaimed Severus, grabbing Methos' arm. "Hogwarts is the safest place in the wizarding world, save for Gringotts, and I don't think you want to be living in a bank vault. You leave and he'll get you for sure."
"I stay and he'll attack here. There are children! Innocents!"
"Since when has that concerned you?" Cassandra muttered darkly, loud enough for Methos to hear. He spun on her, his face a mask of fury.
"Be quiet Wench! I have enough regret and pain to deal with without you making it any worse. I have tried to convince you that I am a changed man, but you will not hear me or anyone else. While on some level I agree with you and do not blame you for hating me, if you do not stop speaking before you think, I will loose my temper and all the hard work of keeping Death dead will be for naught and he WILL RETURN. He talks and comments and fights against me constantly and I do not need your distraction. If you cannot at least be civil, then one of us has to leave." Cassandra, tight lipped and cheeks red, nodded, folding her arms in defiance, nonetheless. Methos sighed and composed himself. He turned back to Dumbledore. "About that leave-"
"You can't run forever, Methos." Severus spoke quietly from his side. Methos hung his head.
"I know," he said, his voice tired. "I tried to stay and fight last time and looked what happened. They just came back."
"So fight them again." Methos shook his head.
"I killed Silas once. I don't know if I can do it again. He is a good man, if a little slow. He doesn't kill for the same reasons Kronos, Caspian and I did it. He killed because he was told to, and that what he knew how…that and carving." He pulled a small wooden hawk from his pocket. "He made this for me the last time we met. I carry it everywhere." Severus could hear the tears in his voice and pulled Methos into a hug, which was returned whole- heartedly. From behind Severus Sirius couldn't help himself.
"Awww! They're so cute!" Methos, without letting Severus go, flipped him off (where neither Dumbledore nor McGonagall could see, though Dumbledore probably knew already) Severus, under the pretense of scratching his hair, did the same. It clicked in Cassandra's brain then. Her eyes went wide, then they narrowed. She stood abruptly and walked from the room, pausing by Methos long enough to murmer, 'you fucking faggot'. Surprised, both Methos and Severus watched her leave. Methos turned to Severus.
"I would have never taken her for a Homophobe." Severus blinked for a moment, before picking up on the American phrasing that both had used. Remus looked confused.
"She's fine with Sirius and I. And I know she isn't as strait as she comes off as." Methos shook his head.
"It's probably just another thing she can use against me later on, cause she cant use anything else now." Severus hugged him, pressing his face against his chest. Severus' robes and body muffled Methos' 'thank you'.
"What can we do now?" asked Sirius, referring to the Horsemen.
"The only thing we can do now," replied Dumbledore sighing. Minerva took it up when Dumbledore sat.
"We wait."
TBC.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Immortal Sparrow for the lovely artwork. I love it! It'll be on my webpage as soon as I finish getting the story up. I don't know why it's giving me such a hard time. Argh!
Tea – This is how Cassandra finds out. He can't do anything right with her, can he? Mac's coming in the sequel, and is gonna stick around for a while. How, you're just gonna hafta wait and see.
Shinigami – They're not gonna get outed this year, though Hermione, Ron, and Ginny will know by then, as will Percy and Oliver (who are gonna show up in the next chapter)
I do want the twins to get some, but I don't know with who. Any suggestions? Anybody? Hello?
I'm sorry for not posting this sooner, but it's been really too busy and, well, not good to have a computer on heating up a room that's already 95 degrees (mini heat wave…it was brutal. You know what I'm talking about Mel) I've started the next chapter and will have it out next week sometime. Till then, I love you buh-bye!
In Which The Enemy Is Revealed
Chapter 34:
It happened a few nights later, 2 days before the New Years. Adam and Severus were *ahem* relaxing in Severus' room when Severus suddenly hissed and grabbed his arm. Methos looked at him, concerned.
"Sev? What is it?" Severus moved his hand to show Methos the now dark and livid tattoo. Methos' face cleared in understanding. Severus stood and started to dress.
"I hate summonings," Severus hissed suddenly. "They cause more pain than anything else. Once you're there you can block the pain, but when it catches you unawares and drags you away from your loved ones…it's terrible." He looked down at Methos, who was sprawled across the bed, his hair in total disarray, lips swollen, and looking like pure sex. Severus felt his knees weaken, then a fresh wave of pain flooded his arm. He leaned down and kissed Methos tenderly. When he pulled back, he said,
"I must leave now. When I am gone, go tell Dumbledore. I would go myself, but there is no time. I will return by dawn." The parting lovers kissed again and Severus swept from his rooms to the secret 'back door' of Hogwarts. Once he was gone Methos sprung up and dressed, then raced with the speed and skill of an Olympic runner (gold medal and laurel crown – 82BC) to Dumbledore's office.
Dumbledore's Office
Minerva McGonagall sat with Dumbledore, a brandy glass in her hand. Next to her sat Cassandra, a much better divination teacher than Trelawney, but still full of a lot of hot air. Standing by the window (and ignoring the last chair in the room) was Remus, wrapped in the arms of his lover, Sirius. Nobody was talking; content with the company and the fire, though low murmurs could occasionally be heard from the two lovebirds by the window. It was because of this that they heard the gasped password.
"Candy canes!" Cassandra sat up strait as the buzz hit her.
"Methos," she growled right before he burst through the door.
"Severus has been summoned." He said, only slightly out of breath, "It was urgent enough that he couldn't come himself." Dumbledore nodded and smiled comfortingly at him.
"Thank you for telling me," he paused, "here sit with us. Have a drink. You look like you need it." His eyes twinkled and glanced at the sweater Methos was wearing. Methos followed the look and closed his eyes, letting his head hang. He started to laugh as he turned his sweater around to face the right way. After a quick glance at Cassandra he accepted the drink, downed it, then smiled when he was poured another. He sighed as he sank boneless-ly into the remaining chair, (It was on McGonagall's other side) his eyes closed and his head back. The room was silent and (due mostly to Cassandra) was getting increasingly tense. Minerva took in Methos' tense form, though his sprawl would suggest otherwise. She reached over and touched his shoulder, noting when he jumped slightly.
"I wouldn't worry about Severus, Adam. He knows what he's doing. He'll be back." Methos gave her a weary look.
"But will it still be my Severus? Will he come back changed? Will he come back in a box?" He sighed again. "That's happened too many times for me not to worry. Mortal lives are so fragile." Cassandra snorted, but Methos went on ignoring her. "I personally know the call of Darkness, especially after one has already given into it. The easiest way to fight is just to close yourself off, but he isn't closed off anymore. He's too raw, it's too new; if he closes himself up again he might never come back."
"He will come back," said Dumbledore. "You have to remember he has a very powerful force on his side now." Methos raised an eyebrow. "He has love." Methos smiled small and lowered his head, blushing slightly.
"Yes," he murmured, " he certainly does."
Death Meet – undisclosed location
It was an ocean of black cloth; robes, cloaks and hoods. Above them all, floating ghostly in the sky, was the Dark Mark, bold and terrible. Severus moved through the crowd. As a Death Eater he could see the faces of those around him. Up ahead he saw the familiar form of Lucius Malfoy and his friends, Crabbe and Goyle. Like his son (for the past four years) the three formed a triumvirate of Slytherin power. Unlike their sons, however, Crabbe and Goyle Sr. showed the brains that they did indeed have. As Severus approached the trio, Crabbe saw him first.
"Severus! I'm surprised to see you here." Severus raised an eyebrow at him.
"Oh? And why is that? You doubt my loyalty?" Crabbe seemed slightly taken aback by the icy tone, but it was only momentary. After all, Severus had never spoken to any of them in any pother tone. Unlike the other two in the group, Crabbe was a very pleasant man. He was, however, a cold-blooded killer. He reminds one of Hannibal Lector, a gentleman killer.
"My son has said that you have been acting strangely at times, not at all like yourself."
"Your son is mistaken. Noting has changed my," his lips twitched, "sunny disposition." Goyle, who had overheard, laughed.
"That much is evident," he commented at Severus' scowl. Lucius turned to look at Severus coldly and Severus returned the stare icicle for icicle. Lucius then smiled an oily smile.
"Severus. Welcome back to the fold. I pray you won't miss any meetings in the future." Severus' scowl deepened.
"I explained that. It's hard to respond to a summons when in a private one on one meeting with Dumbledore. I try but I have to be careful around him. He may be a fool, but he's not stupid, nor weak." Further conversation was cut off when Wormtail entered the room and knelt down. The sea of hoods dipped as the room followed suit. Voldemort entered the room.
Dumbledore's Office
Methos sprawled in his chair, his third brandy in both hands as he stared into the amber liquid. The room had almost returned to normal, only this time there was a soft conversation between Cassandra and Remus, an attempt on her part to ignore the other immortal in the room. Methos, for his part, was off in his own little world of worry. Minerva and Dumbledore were also speaking softly, though nobody was really paying attention to it.
The room was almost comfortable, except for the small bundle of anxiousness sprawled in the chair near the door. Sirius couldn't take it anymore. Letting Remus go, he walked over to Methos and started to knead the tense shoulders. He stiffened for a moment, before relaxing completely into the friendly hands. Methos let out a barely audible groan.
"You are too tense. You need to relax or you'll give yourself a heart attack and die before you reach 40." Methos snorted. "What's so funny?"
"I passed the 40 mark over 5 millennia ago. I won't die from worry."
"You would have to have a heart before you can die from it." Came Cassandra's cutting remark. Methos glanced at her before looking back at his drink and speaking.
"It was because I had a heart that I became what I was. You can only be sunned, hunted, and killed so many times before it all catches up to you. You can only loose so much before you snap." He looked directly into her eyes. " I was already very old when the Horsemen were formed, and I hated them very much for what they did to me. My life wasn't as easy as yours before you met the Horsemen. I wasn't some honored priest; I was a vagabond and a runaway slave. I was hunted as a demon. I died often by stoning, burning, hunger and thirst. I lost many a wife or lover to witch hunts and time. When the Horsemen came around I was desperate for vengeance; for revenge." He paused, taking a swig of his drink and emptying his glass.
"The Dream King has already issued my punishment, and I believe Death, the real Death, has as well. Death keeps me alive, refusing to let me loose in battle, the few times I dot desperate enough to try. The Dream King haunts my sleeping hours, filling my mind with his nightmares; my memories." He swallowed then, looking away from Cassandra. He could tell his story had little effect on her. "I'm sorry. You all didn't need to hear that." He smiled when Remus moved and refilled his glass. "Thank you," he murmured in the silent room. Sirius could feel the tension level rising and made an attempt to break it.
"Well. We have to keep him from the Dementors, that's for sure." Remus shook his head at him. "What? The two of us can cower in far with a week's supply of chocolate when they show up." Methos laughed at Sirius' goofiness, though it was slightly hysterical.
"You are a goof." Remus said affectionately as he hugged Sirius once more. Methos watched until he felt the pin pricks of tears.
"Come back to me Severus…and be safe."
Death Meet – undisclosed location
Voldemort surveyed his followers. They were weak willed, following his every whim, but had no conscience, and were not stupid; the perfect henchmen.
"My minions." He spoke in a soft high hiss. "Rejoice for the hour of our victory is nigh! Look and behold the vessels of our victory!"
'Nice alliteration,' thought Severus randomly as the smoke parted and three human(oid) figures entered the chamber. The first was of average height, but had an intense and fierce aura surrounding him. His hair was wild and long, his face painted in black lines with a line of dots running down his nose. A long scar traveled from his forehead through his eye. His clothing was black, with silver metal forming armor. He was something out of a nightmare. He was Kronos.
The second was of the same height as Kronos, but his hair was shaved ff on the sides, making room for the wild tattoo that crept around the back of this head to his eye and down his cheek, The hair on top of his head was long and pulled back into a clasp. He was dressed in brown leather with many straps and large metal studs. His mouth was set and grim, though his eyes were wild and feral. His hands played with an ornate knife, causing his hands to bleed. When the blood showed, his hand was brought to his mouth and the blood was licked away, then the knife got the same treatment. He was Caspian.
The third man was large, very large; Almost the size of Hagrid. His face was simple and free of tattoos, though black war paint around his eyes made him look like a badger. A black stripe ran across his forehead on a diagonal. His hair (what was left) was light colored and short. His clothing was all brown leather, with metal platelets covering his chest. In his hand, in contrast to the other's swords, was a giant double-headed ax. He was Silas.
Severus' breath caught in his throat. The Horsemen were back, yet incomplete. That meant they would be coming for Methos if they ever found out where he was, which Severus didn't doubt they would. He prayed his lover was strong enough, for this could be a real apocalypse. With lead in his stomach, he listened to the ravings of a madman.
Dumbledore's Office
Cassandra frowned, thinking back on the past conversations. Something was bothering her, but she couldn't place it, and the bourbon hadn't helped any. She didn't figure out what it was, however, when Severus returned from the Death Meet.
It was quiet in the room again, all lost in their thoughts when they heard the password being spoken. Methos sat up strait when he heard, knowing whom it was. Severus entered a few moments later, looking even paler than usual. Dumbledore stood and replied in the only way he knew would get a coherent response from the Potions Master.
"Snape! Report!" He barked, surprising all but Severus himself who shook his head and said the one thing nobody but Methos expected (and him only halfway)
"The Horsemen have been resurrected."
"What!" Methos jumped to his feet. "That's impossible. They died, permanently! You cannot bring back the dead."
"If you're a powerful enough wizard trained in the dark arts, you can bring back an immortal, if you have their head. It's done through a-"
"Green flame. That explains that…" Methos sank back down, trailing off. He looked up after a moment to notice all eyes on him. "I had a nightmare my first week here. I saw them being pulled through the flames and then I was being pulled through, but I fought back and didn't go. Then Ron's Vision with the Horsemen going through the flames." He fell silent. Severus spoke again.
"They have War, Pestilence, and Famine. They are missing Death.
"And he'll never get Death. Not if I have anything to say about it. I'd die before I put on that blue paint again.
"Lets hope it doesn't come to that," said Dumbledore. "What will he do for the fourth Horseman?"
"He'll fill it himself or-"
"Come after me. I have a feeling he wont take 'no' for an answer, either." He bit his thumbnail in a nervous gesture then stood. "I would like to request a leave of absence. I am too much a target here, and I don't want to endanger the students."
"You can't go!" Exclaimed Severus, grabbing Methos' arm. "Hogwarts is the safest place in the wizarding world, save for Gringotts, and I don't think you want to be living in a bank vault. You leave and he'll get you for sure."
"I stay and he'll attack here. There are children! Innocents!"
"Since when has that concerned you?" Cassandra muttered darkly, loud enough for Methos to hear. He spun on her, his face a mask of fury.
"Be quiet Wench! I have enough regret and pain to deal with without you making it any worse. I have tried to convince you that I am a changed man, but you will not hear me or anyone else. While on some level I agree with you and do not blame you for hating me, if you do not stop speaking before you think, I will loose my temper and all the hard work of keeping Death dead will be for naught and he WILL RETURN. He talks and comments and fights against me constantly and I do not need your distraction. If you cannot at least be civil, then one of us has to leave." Cassandra, tight lipped and cheeks red, nodded, folding her arms in defiance, nonetheless. Methos sighed and composed himself. He turned back to Dumbledore. "About that leave-"
"You can't run forever, Methos." Severus spoke quietly from his side. Methos hung his head.
"I know," he said, his voice tired. "I tried to stay and fight last time and looked what happened. They just came back."
"So fight them again." Methos shook his head.
"I killed Silas once. I don't know if I can do it again. He is a good man, if a little slow. He doesn't kill for the same reasons Kronos, Caspian and I did it. He killed because he was told to, and that what he knew how…that and carving." He pulled a small wooden hawk from his pocket. "He made this for me the last time we met. I carry it everywhere." Severus could hear the tears in his voice and pulled Methos into a hug, which was returned whole- heartedly. From behind Severus Sirius couldn't help himself.
"Awww! They're so cute!" Methos, without letting Severus go, flipped him off (where neither Dumbledore nor McGonagall could see, though Dumbledore probably knew already) Severus, under the pretense of scratching his hair, did the same. It clicked in Cassandra's brain then. Her eyes went wide, then they narrowed. She stood abruptly and walked from the room, pausing by Methos long enough to murmer, 'you fucking faggot'. Surprised, both Methos and Severus watched her leave. Methos turned to Severus.
"I would have never taken her for a Homophobe." Severus blinked for a moment, before picking up on the American phrasing that both had used. Remus looked confused.
"She's fine with Sirius and I. And I know she isn't as strait as she comes off as." Methos shook his head.
"It's probably just another thing she can use against me later on, cause she cant use anything else now." Severus hugged him, pressing his face against his chest. Severus' robes and body muffled Methos' 'thank you'.
"What can we do now?" asked Sirius, referring to the Horsemen.
"The only thing we can do now," replied Dumbledore sighing. Minerva took it up when Dumbledore sat.
"We wait."
TBC.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Immortal Sparrow for the lovely artwork. I love it! It'll be on my webpage as soon as I finish getting the story up. I don't know why it's giving me such a hard time. Argh!
Tea – This is how Cassandra finds out. He can't do anything right with her, can he? Mac's coming in the sequel, and is gonna stick around for a while. How, you're just gonna hafta wait and see.
Shinigami – They're not gonna get outed this year, though Hermione, Ron, and Ginny will know by then, as will Percy and Oliver (who are gonna show up in the next chapter)
I do want the twins to get some, but I don't know with who. Any suggestions? Anybody? Hello?
I'm sorry for not posting this sooner, but it's been really too busy and, well, not good to have a computer on heating up a room that's already 95 degrees (mini heat wave…it was brutal. You know what I'm talking about Mel) I've started the next chapter and will have it out next week sometime. Till then, I love you buh-bye!