Author's note: It only took me about six weeks, but here is Chapter 14! Finally! I hope you all are still with me. I won't keep you long, just want to wish you a lot of fun reading and to THANK my beta editor for a wonderful job! Thank You, Zardi…
Enjoy, and let me know what you think!
Title: Untold Past, Unknown Future
Author: Dagmar De Meyer
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, that is the property of J.K. Rowling. I only borrowed what she started and had them play in my mind twists. One character however will be of my own creation, you'll soon find out.
Rated: Better make it PG although I still think it is G. Don't want to offend anyone with certain expressions.
Reviews: Oh, yes please… For better or worse I suppose.
Summary: My take on 'Severitus's challenge'. What if Severus Snape is Harry's father?! Voldemort is still on the loose, and who is the lady with the violet eyes?
Madame Padfoot : Yes, you will get a description. Don't ask me when though. g My muse is very elusive sometimes.
Arinya : Yes, and you'll never believe it but I updated again! Simply love Mr. Rickman… enjoyed it twice …
Megan Andres : He certainly did, he certainly did! vbg
I'm glad you are enjoying the story… Although I would love to read your version… Be warned you'll regret starting!!! I do sometimes especially when you are stuck!
Oh yes… book 3, my favourite so far! Can't wait…
Padme's Handmaiden : Sorry about the wait, I do my best though! Hope you enjoy this chapter, even though I took my time…vbg
Charma1219 : I'm afraid to cause anymore bruises so I hope you secured yourself in your chair! I always try to get to it sooner but sometimes it just doesn't work. Please be patient with me! g
Saerry Snape : Maybe people should tell me to take it ease, might work in getting to get my head and pen to write faster!
Jliles : Thank you! And no he won't… It won't be easy though!
Kazza : Oh Thanks… This is one of the hardest parts of writing this story… Keeping them in character! Totally true, more Snape!!!
Jade_dagger : I thank you very much, you made me blush. The story hasn't finished so I will continue. It's the soon part I can never promise.
Glasen Dauthi : I have this bad side that enjoys cliffies way too much! Don't worry, action is coming. Voldemort has stayed too quiet, but I assure you he's getting restless… My native language is Flemish (Dutch) but I've always loved English. I have a wonderful beta now; I'm ashamed sometimes when I get a chapter back!
Linda : I try Linda, I try. Life can be such a problem sometimes!
Amy2k : And I haven't even started yet!
Angel : Thanks! vbg And I will! Enjoy your reading!
Melissa : Indeed…more is to come. This mindtwist of mine has a life of its own!
Sakura Le : Hmm... don't like cliffies? But I do! Then how will I know people will read the following chapter when I don't tease with a cliffy? I am a horrible person, I know! How fun at school and I hope you enjoy the chapter below!
Untold Past, Unknown Future
Chapter 14
By Dagmar De Meyer
Dead tired, the lonely figure climbed the last steps to the front door of the castle and reached out to open the heavy oak doors. He nearly lost his balance when they swung open from the inside.
"Good morning, Professor Lupin."
"Good morning, Professor Lupin."
"Good morning, Professor."
The greetings of happy, excited students reached him. "Good, good morning…" he stammered, surprised by the rush of children.
"Good morning, Professor Lupin."
"May I ask where you are all going?" Lupin asked to no one in particular
"Hogsmead, Professor!" a third year HufflePuff yelled as he ran down the stairs, trying to catch up with his friends.
"Care to join us, Remus?" a voice behind him asked.
Lupin turned around and found himself face to face with Minerva McGonagall, who was busy holding on to her hat as a cold, biting wind blew around them. Her face instantly filled with concern as she watched the younger wizard and friend intently. His hair was wild, his robes torn even more so than before, and his eyes were bright red with black circles underneath.
Knowing he looked a mess, Lupin nervously shifted under the gaze of his former professor and cleared his throat to get her attention. "Not today, Minerva, but thank you for asking."
"Transformation." Not a question--a statement, he knew.
"Yes," a simple answer.
Her eyes narrowed and momentarily shifted from his face to something only she could see. "What were you doing outside?"
"It was a… difficult one. I spent the night in the forest."
"Didn't Severus provide the Wolfsbane?" It was a simple question, one he had expected, just not with the cold accent on Snape's name.
Storing the information for later, Lupin nodded his head. "He did, it was just difficult. It sometimes happens, even with the potion. Now, if you will excuse me, Minerva, I would like to get some sleep."
"Of course, Remus, of course."
"Have a good day, Minerva." Not turning back to the witch, Lupin entered the castle and closed the door behind him.
He leaned heavily against the wall and just stood for several minutes, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness of the entrance hall. Finally, knowing he should probably get some sleep, he pushed himself upward and walked toward the staircase that would lead him to his rooms, his bed, and oblivion. It really had been a rough night--and not only the physical part; his mind, the mess that it was, couldn't keep the wolf at ease. All the events of the past few months had washed over him like a tidal wave and left him nowhere to run. But run he did, the entire night. Lupin knew something wasn't right. He had gone over and over his memories of fifteen years ago and nothing seemed right anymore...like he was having two sets of memories of the same time. It had taken him the better part of the night to figure out that this was probably the case, and that one set was a forgery, placed on him to cover up the lies and secrets that were now slowly being revealed. Still, frustrating as it was, his mind wasn't willingly giving up, and it put up quite a fight. Maybe he could have another talk with Vi and Severus--after he had had a nice long sleep and was a bit more presentable.
Turning the corner that would lead him to the guest wing and his own rooms, Lupin stopped and watched as a familiar form walked the hallway in front of him. That is to say, every other second the person was familiar, before it glowed and switched to the person it was to be.
Lupin watched as Harry started his climb to the top of the southern tower. Curiosity taking control, he resumed his course, only to be stopped abruptly in the middle of the hall by bumping into something solid. He reached out his hand and pulled it back, taking something with it, only to reveal another familiar face.
* * * * * *
The Astronomy Tower was by far the highest in the castle. The Southern Tower, however, was by far the farthest and the oldest, and one unknown to Harry. As he walked the halls towards his destination, he felt the raw magic all around him. If he placed his hand on one of the walls, he was sure he could hold that magic. Climbing the last spiral staircase--he had lost count of how many there were--his heart started beating uncontrollably. Looking down at his hands, he found them actually trembling.
The end of his journey came too soon for Harry, as he found himself standing in front of a large painting. An elegant ballerina turned to face him, and a small smile appeared on her lips. It seemed so familiar to him, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
Impossible. He had never been in this part of the castle before. He would have remembered. Forcing his mind back to the matter at hand, Harry realised that he had not noticed that the painting was speaking to him.
"Hmm… sorry. What did you say?" he asked, a bit embarrassed.
"If you were alright, Harry! You are Harry, are you not?"
"Yes, I was told to come…"
"They are expecting you. Nice to finally meet you, Harry."
Before Harry could respond or ask how she knew his name, the painting turned on its hinges to reveal an archway into the room beyond. His heartbeat shot up again, nerves and trepidation making him unable to move. Taking a few deep breaths, Harry stepped through the archway into a spacious living room. Behind him he heard the painting move back into place. Just like in his dormitory, the room was round.
'Of course it is…it's a tower,' he thought to himself as he surveyed the room. To his right, a huge windowed door led to a balcony overlooking the lake. Rays of the rising sun played on the floor before him. A large mahogany desk was placed to the left of the doors. Bookshelves covered a large part of the wall, and Harry felt himself drawn to it. His eyes widened in surprise as he read some of the titles. These were Muggle books. Well, a large portion were, anyway. New and old ones were mixed in with a wide variety of Wizard books on Potions, Charms...you name it.
'Hermione would have a field day with all this,' Harry thought. His nerves calmed a bit as he found one of his favourite books and sat down to read it. His mind miles away in the land of fiction and fantasy, Harry momentarily forgot where he was and why. Neither did he notice the two people who had entered the room through what looked like a solid wall.
Just as nervous as the young boy before them, Severus and Vi watched with interest as Harry reached for Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and settled himself on the couch, near to where Severus stood. Snape cleared his throat rather loudly, making Harry jump. The boy's book flew to the other side of the room and knocked down a vase, while Harry himself landed on his butt with a muffled "oof!"
Harry sat on the ground breathing heavily, heart beating in his throat, with one hand on his chest and the other rubbing his soar butt. A sneering voice made him look up, emerald eyes ablaze with anger.
"My, my, Mister Potter, how ever did you survive? Oblivious to the world. Why is it that everybody expects you to save the world from the most powerful wizard of all time, when you don't even notice what goes on around you?"
"Don't ask me. I never wanted this in the first place!" Harry hissed back, staring up at Snape.
"Severus please…" Violet glared at Snape.
Although he had his mask firmly in place, and was showing no emotion, deep down Severus regretted what he had said the minute the words left him. He couldn't help it. This was Potter…
Harry pushed himself up on his elbows, straightened his robes, and walked around the couch to get as far away from Snape as he possibly could. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Professor Evans pick up the book.
"Lord of the Rings…it's been a while since I read this. I enjoyed it too," Violet said as she walked back to the bookshelves. Stopping, she turned abruptly towards Harry, which made him jump slightly. "You want it?"
"No, no…thank you."
The room was filled with a stiffening silence so thick a knife could cut it. Snape started pacing, Violet busied herself with her books, and Harry just stared at his feet.
"This is ridiculous," Snape said, making both Harry and Violet look at him.
Taking a deep breath, Violet placed the book in its rightful place and made her way back towards the couch. Snape, not one for sitting, refused the offered seat beside her and stood rigid in front of the fireplace. Harry, still staring at his feet, made no indication that he was going to sit either.
"Harry we …"
"How can you be so sure?" The question burst out of him a bit more loudly then he had meant it to, and it startled both Violet and Severus. "I mean…I only have… No one ever did a blood test on me… Maybe it is a trick! Maybe Voldemort cursed me! Hermione found something called Glamourie, or maybe Polyjuice, or, or…" Harry rambled on and on before he had to stop and breathe. A single tear rolled down his cheek, which he immediately dried with his sleeve, not wanting to be seen as weak.
"I know you have questions Po… Harry. So do we. Hear us out and, if by then you still have questions, which I'm sure you will, Violet and I will be most willing to answer them for you."
Harry blinked and looked at his Professor. For an instant he saw a man instead of the cold professor he had come to know these past few years.
'He's as confused as I am,' Harry thought as he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. He let himself be guided back to the couch, and sat down with Professor Evans on his left and Professor Snape on his right. Then he noticed the object on the table. He had seen one of these before. In fact, he had fallen into one before. The pensieve looked different than the one Professor Dumbledore had, though; this one seemed brand new.
Following the boy's gaze, Violet sat a bit straighter and answered his unspoken question. "Albus--Professor Dumbledore--told me you knew how to use a pensieve, so I thought maybe you'd prefer to see what we are about to tell you than to sit here while we talk you to sleep."
It was a way to lighten the mood and Harry smiled a little. Then his eyes clouded over and he turned to face Violet. "No…I would like to hear it in your own words." He shifted so he faced Severus, making him see he was serious about this.
"Very well…" Snape answered, inclining his head in a slight nod. Then he stood, picked up the pensieve and placed it on the desk.
"It might get a little confusing at times, but bare with us, please," Violet said.
Harry nodded.
"But first, maybe you would like to ask your friends to join us in the world of visibility."
Puzzlement showed on Harry's face and Snape immediately tensed and looked around the room.
"I don't understand…" Harry started to say, but was interrupted.
"Really Remus, you of all people," Violet spoke while looking at the darkest corner of the room, seeing something only visible to her. "I do believe Hermione will be more comfortable on the couch than on the cold floor."
Harry moved his head around frantically, as did Snape, and they both saw the forms of Remus Lupin and Hermione Granger appear out of thin air. Both newcomers wore guilty looks.
What was Hermione doing here?
"I'm sorry, Harry. You...you refused to tell me where you were going, and I was worried and …"
"Breath Miss Granger. We don't want you to die on us," Snape sneered at the frantic girl. 'Stupid know-it-all Gryffindor' was clearly written in his eyes, but he refrained from saying it out loud.
"I…" Hermione paled a little and let herself fall onto the couch next to Harry, who had been quiet the whole time.
Remus didn't say a word as he took a seat behind the desk; he refused to look at Severus, although he could feel those black eyes burn holes into his back. If he was not asked to leave, then he would not. This was not going to be pleasant for any of them, but especially not for Harry...and he was going to be there for Harry. The boy in question hadn't looked at him or even acknowledged his presence. He only stared down at his hands.
The emotional turmoil raging inside Harry was overwhelming. He was tired. Very tired. Why did it always have to be him? He wasn't that special. Why couldn't it all just go away? Harry sighed, something that didn't go unnoticed by the others present in the room, and he stared back down at his hands.
'Strange hands. Elegant hands with long fingers, ideal for potion making: my father's hands.' He flinched a little at his own thoughts; there it was again, that word 'father'. When did Snape become father? Another one of those damned thoughts running rampant through his head. The strangest thing was that Professor Evans stayed Professor Evans: not even "aunt" came to mind when he thought of her. And she was someone he did really want to get to know. Was it because he had known Snape longer? Or because deep down he always tried his best to please the cold professor?
Argh, a cold shiver ran down his spine and he shook his head to clear those annoying thoughts. The time for speculation had ended; finally he would get the truth. He hoped. Sitting a bit straighter, he looked up and turned his gaze towards Violet. And although he was unaware, his eyes were full of questions and desperation that made Vi swallow. This was going to be hard. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. Violet felt Severus send her some of his strength, but most of all she felt his support. They were in this together.
Severus felt Violet's tension; it matched his own. The desperation so clearly written in the boy's eyes made him cringe. So many questions were written in those emerald eyes. Would it be enough?
* * * * * *
Fourteen years of happiness will end when the dark will rise again.
The lineage of Gryffindor defeated the one with the heart of stone;
the lineage of Slytherin will be his doom.
Reign the darkness will do, if only for a while.
For Slytherin's gift was meant for one, not two.
Light and dark will be in balance once more, like the sun and the moon.
The old and yellow parchment slowly drifted to the floor, as the hand that had held it let it fall. Years had passed since he had found the brief mention of this in one of Slytherin's diaries hidden deep inside the Chamber of Secrets. He had never believed in prophecies...stupid superstition. A rather Muggle approach. An empty laugh filled the cavern. Still, in the back of his mind, it was always there. He had laughed about the strange sensation he started having months before. He thought it rather exciting to see what challenges lay ahead. It meant fun. Now he was not so sure. He knew of the return of the Mudblood, her claim of Severus certainly re-established. He gritted his teeth. Snape was his; he had worked too damn hard to get the boy in his clutches to have him walk away. Poor ignorant Snape, not realising the threat he was to his Master. The true heir of Slytherin.
The child born out a union bonded in love and soul.
The child of Wizard and Muggle strength.
Heir of Slytherin and Gryffindor brave.
Will save the world in time and space.
He had killed the child. But now that the mother had returned, could Severus' child have returned as well? Another problem. Not only did the Boy-Who-Lived still pose a problem, but now Slytherin's prophesies may too.
"PARKINSON!"
"Yes, my Lord?"
"Send for your daughter… She will be marked tonight."
"Yes, my Lord."
His robe blowing up small clouds of dust in his wake, the Death Eater left his Master alone. For hours he had watched as the Dark Lord stared at a strange, ancient piece of parchment. He knew better than to question him, and although he was curious, he didn't care. It must have been good news, because tonight his daughter would be the first initiate of the new generation. Pure above all…
* * * * * *
Taking a deep breath, Violet willed herself to look at Harry. After months of debate, and argument upon argument, she started at the beginning.
"From your reaction to me being an Evans--and indeed to being Lily's sister--I concluded that you know very little of your family," Violet started.
Harry nodded. "Aunt Petunia never mentioned them, and when I asked she would either freak out or lock me…well, not answer me."
"Lock you what?" Snape asked, curious as to what Harry was talking about.
"Nothing," the boy whispered. "She just never talked about them."
"The Evans family could be described as an ordinary Muggle family. Three daughters and a dog. Petunia was always thought to remain an only child, but 4 years later Lily and I came in rapid succession. Sometimes people even saw us as twins.
The day Lily got her acceptance letter to Hogwarts was one of the happiest and saddest in my life. That year was strange, to say the least. Lily had always been there, and now she would be gone for a whole year. We did write constantly, and she told me all about Hogwarts, and witches and wizards. It was like stepping into a fantasy world.
Then, during the summer after my eleventh birthday, not one but two letters from Hogwarts arrived. I thought I would burst with excitement. That was also the last day that Petunia ever spoke to me." Violet paused and looked over at Severus, he nodded: go on.
"Lily…wait, Lily please…" Young Violet ran after her sister's retreating form. The trolley was much too heavy for her, not to mention that there were many other people rushing about trying to catch their trains. So Violet had lost her sister and was standing between platforms 9 and 10 without a clue as to where to go.
"Oh, great…thanks very much big sis." Though not one to scare easily, Violet did feel the panic building in the pit of her stomach. Now what had Lily said again? Closing her eyes Violet reviewed her list, counting down with her fingers.
1. Don't forget your trunk.
2. Don't forget Sherlock.
Just to make sure, Violet peered through the slit between her eyelids at the small black owl in the cage on top of her trunk.
3. Make sure you have your robes and wand handy, not in your trunk.
4. Hold on to your ticket!
Yes, the ticket was still in her pocket.
5. To get to Platform 9 3/4 you just have to cross the barrier.
Now that was the tricky part… What barrier?
With a sigh of defeat she sat down on the trolley and stared up at the clock. 10:55. Oh great, her first day at her new school and she would be late. No, she wouldn't even get to go. Petunia would have a field day with this.
"Can I help you?" a voice beside her said.
Startled, Vi jumped up and turned to the voice. A boy stood beside her, a bit older than she was, probably the same age as Lily. He was tall. His long black hair fell past his shoulders and looked like silk. It hid part of his face, but she could see his black eyes as they locked with hers. He was wearing blue jeans and a black sweater.
"Yes, I'm…I'm looking for er…well I…you see…I'm supposed…" Vi stammered. What was she supposed to tell the strange boy? That she was looking for a secret barrier to get onto platform 9 3/4 to catch the Hogwarts Express to Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?
The boy's eyebrows went up as he looked down at the girl. She was obviously a first year and a Muggleborn. "Come along," he said, taking her hand in his. "You follow me, alright?" He steered her behind her trolley and walked to his own.
"Where are we going?"
The boy didn't answer. He just pointed his finger at a solid wall not far from them between platforms 9 and 10. As they neared it, Vi held back and tried to stop her trolley. The boy, however, kept on walking.
"Watch out!" Vi yelled, but the boy didn't stop. Closing her eyes, Vi waited for the big bang that was sure to come as the trolley hit the wall. But when the expected didn't happen, Vi opened her eyes. The wall was still there; the boy and his trolley, however, were not. Where did he go?
Just then, right before her eyes, the strange boy appeared. Her eyes went wide. Had he just walked through a wall? Magic...this was magic! A huge smile graced her lips.
"Can I do that?" she asked.
The boy smiled a little as he stepped beside her and started pushing her trolley. "Sure you can."
Eager to try this bit of magic, Vi felt a twinge of fear rise. She didn't have long to dwell on it though; the boy grabbed her hand and dragged her along. The wall came and went, leaving her standing, staring up at a huge locomotive...the Hogwarts Express!
"If you're not careful, your eyes will fall out."
"It's beautiful."
"Hmmm, yes…"
"You don't think so?"
"I have seen it before."
"Oh…"
"Come on, I'll help you find a seat. We're pretty late, so it won't be easy."
"Sorry," Vi answered, her eyes losing a bit of the enthusiasm. "I didn't mean for you to be late."
To his word the boy found her a seat. An empty compartment at that. When he turned to leave, Vi stopped him.
"Wait! Won't you stay?"
"I can't, sorry. I'm expected."
"Oh…yes, I understand," Vi answered, trying to hide her disappointment.
"Enjoy your stay at Hogwarts."
"I'm sure I will… Wait!" Vi yelled as the boy turned to leave again.
"Yes?"
"What is your name? I'm Violet Evans."
His black eyes widened at that.
"Severus Snape."
"Nice to meet you, Severus, and thank you," Vi said, extending her hand in greeting.
"Nice to meet you too, Miss Evans, and you are very welcome." He smiled as he took the offered hand. "Goodbye."
"Bye Severus. I'll see you later," Vi said as Severus closed the doors behind him.
Sitting down, she turned to the window and looked out, a smile on her face. This was going to be great.
Out in the corridor, Severus' smile vanished as he noticed the Gryffindor foursome enter the wagon. He glanced back at Violet and whispered, "I somehow doubt that."
He turned on his heels and walked in the opposite direction, not in the mood for any Marauders.
* * * * * *
"Those first few years, I was right. Violet and I didn't have much contact. Sirius and James made sure of that," Snape said, his voice relatively calm. It was a facade, and although Harry didn't seem to notice, Remus did when he saw the hatred glow in those black eyes.
"Why?" Harry asked.
"Let the fact that I was a Slytherin and she was a Gryffindor--not to mention Lily's little sister--suffice for now," Snape said in response to Harry's question.
"Or there's always the fact that Sirius had his eye on Violet since the day they met," Remus added, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.
"Remus…" Snape hissed through gritted teeth.
"Really?" Harry sat a bit straighter. He dreaded every word that was said, but so far it had been really interesting. He had never heard so much about his family and par…Lily and James...as he had in the last few minutes.
Seeing Severus' temper rise at the mere mention of Sirius, Violet stepped in. "Yes, he was, but I was never interested."
Although he tried to hide it, Harry knew his disappointment at the statement had been seen when Violet continued, "I'm sure Severus wouldn't mind telling you later."
Harry doubted that was true, but nodded anyway.
"At the end of our fifth year…" Snape started again, glaring at Lupin, daring him to open his mouth, "a fi…confrontation got out of hand, and we…"
"...eventually almost every student..." Lupin cut in.
"…ended up dueling in the middle of the Great Hall during the feast. To this day, I still can't believe Albus didn't expel us."
"Maybe the fact that your hair was pink for two months and burst out in song every time you dared to open your mouth had something to do with it."
Violet bit her tongue, trying hard not to laugh.
Slowly, very slowly, the tension in the room disappeared as the three grown-ups got lost in the past. Harry and Hermione listened intently, trying not to miss a single word.
"That was the summer Severus and I got together. He spent the last month of summer vacation with me and Lily. We spent most of the time staying away from Petunia and making sure Severus didn't accidentally kill himself in a muggle house," Violet continued, making sure she wasn't looking at Snape, for she could feel his eyes on her back and she knew she would burst out laughing if she saw him.
When she heard a small chuckle from her right, Vi turned and watched Harry trying very hard to keep his face neutral. His eyes betrayed his amusement, though, and she was sure he was letting his imagination work overtime.
However, a scowl appeared on Severus's elegant features. Didn't Vi and Lupin know that this was a serious matter? This was no time for fun and games. He knew he had been right to want to skip all of this nonsense. Harry did NOT need to know this. He needed to know the important things, not a stroll down memory lane!
Then why did Severus willingly participate in it? He knew all too well why, and it calmed his nerves ever so slightly. The boy tried to hide his smile, but it was there nonetheless. Maybe, one day, he would be able to tell Harry all about his past. Well, not all of it…but still he hoped that that day would come. Violet's soft voice brought him out of his musings, and he willed himself to listen to her.
"At the end Severus' seventh year--and of course Lily's and The Marauders' too--" Violet said, glancing over at Lupin, "Albus--er, Dumbledore--had planned a huge party near the lake for the seventh years. That night we--Severus and I--snuck away. We were so in love and rapped up in each other we never knew Lily had followed us. Severus had found a spell...it was a silly game and we both knew it would never work, for it was rather complicated. And since neither of us was very good at charms, we thought it would be fun to see if we could get our wands to obey something that they, too, had not practiced." Violet stopped and looked up, her eyes meeting Severus'.
"We were both a bit, er…" Snape paused, "tipsy...if you like. I later heard from Vi that Lily had found us lying asleep in each others arms a mile into the Forbidden Forest, oblivious to all things around us. The glow of magic--of that spell--was still strong in the air, and to the wizarding world, we were…married. At that time, of course, we were more concerned with getting back into the castle than anything else, so neither of us questioned the other about it what had happened that night."
"You're bonded?" Lupin's surprised yell made everybody jump.
"Yes," came Snape's reply.
"But I thought…"
"You thought wrong," Snape answered through clenched teeth. Sometimes Remus could be so tiresome.
"Bonded?" Harry asked, making everybody look at him, since this was the first thing he had said in some time.
"I'll explain later," Hermione cut in. The girl had been sitting on the edge of her seat. She, of course, knew what Professor Evans and Snape were talking about...and she wanted to hear more.
"A wizard's marriage is slightly different than a Muggle one. In the Muggle world, you usually marry through a church and through the law. Wizards, however, take it one step further and bind the two persons' souls as well. Or, rather, we used to do. To my knowledge, not counting Severus and me, the last time it was performed was over a hundred years ago."
"Why?" Harry asked.
"If the persons in question are not meant to be, but still perform the bond, they would literally drive each other mad. For most people, wizard and Muggle alike, such a bond is simply too close. I'm sure Hermione will explain it to you a bit more in detail."
Harry looked outside. The sun had disappeared behind thick grey clouds, and he knew they would soon release the year's first snow. He let his gaze wander and saw Lupin with his eyes closed, miles away in thought. Then he turned to look at Hermione, whose curiosity was clearly written on her face--although she tried very hard to hide it. Then, inevitably, Harry's gaze turned towards his parents. Although he still had to hear the most important part of their story, he knew deep down that nothing could change what Snape had thrown in Lupin's face all those weeks ago. Part of him wanted to forget the last few months...yet the other part was curious and needed to know the answers to all of his questions. The story Harry had heard so far had been interesting and amusing, but more was to come. And by the looks on his parents' faces, it wasn't going to be pretty. He saw Snape nod, and Harry turned his attention to the man as he spoke to Lupin.
"Remus…Remus, could you please escort Miss Granger back to Gryffindor tower?"
Harry felt his stomach clench. No, no…don't make them go away! He heard himself yell in his head, but he also knew that outwardly he hadn't moved or made a sound.
Lupin looked as if he wanted to object, but after a moment of contemplation he nodded and stood. "Come along, Hermione," Lupin said as he walked to the archway. Harry turned to see the look of utter disappointment on his friend's face. He smiled slightly.
"Don't worry…" he whispered as he squeezed her hand.
"Er…right…I…I'll see you later Harry," Hermione said as she, too, stood. Leaning down, she whispered in his ear, "Tell me later?" Before he could respond, she had already walked towards Lupin and stepped through the opening. Lupin turned around once more and his eyes locked with Harry's. Was that worry he saw? It only lasted a few seconds before Lupin's gaze shifted to Snape. What was conveyed in that look, Harry couldn't fathom, but he knew it was nothing good; if looks could kill, Lupin would be dead on the floor before them.
He heard the painting close, and his heart raced. 'Stop it,' he scolded himself. 'You faced Voldemort four times, and are still alive. A Basilisk--and you survived. Dementors--and here you sit…'
Harry breathed deeply and focused his attention on the people still in the room. His emerald eyes shone with determination. His nerves were stretched to the limit, and his heart raced like never before...but he knew he could do this.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
To be continued
Author's note 2 : No more promises! I won't do that to you anymore. My muse had a mind of its own and sometimes even I can't follow where she is taking me. Those D-tours all the time! Still, I hope you enjoyed the chapter …
Just realised something though…I'd better get a move on, the rate I'm going I'll never finish before June 21! Help…
Please let me know what you think… for better or worse, I'd love to know! (Was I begging just now?)
Groetjes
Dagmar