Apology in advance: Sirius does not think complimentary thoughts about Severus in this section. On with the show!
Chapter 27 – The First Decision
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'Tea' turned out to be a formal invitation to Malfoy Manor for the Ministry New Years Gala on New Years Eve. Rowan folded up the invitation neatly and slipped it into the pocket of her robe without saying anything. After the initial surprise wore off, the others dismissed it quickly. Sirius worried. He noted his mate's silence and more importantly, he knew how to interpret it. There was the chance that Remus could also interpret Rowan's subtle public moods now, but he seemed content allowing Sirius to deal with them.
Sirius, for his part, knew what bothered Rowan, but wasn't sure how to solve it yet. Malfoy and Wormtail were up to something sinister and the invitation was an obvious trap. They knew better. Lucius Malfoy, and more importantly, Peter Pettigrew wouldn't underestimate Rowan, Sirius or Dumbledore this drastically. Peter had come up with his fair share of pranks. He knew how to scheme. Lucius Malfoy was an old hand at political machinations and well aware of how much power the Myfanwy name and fortune carried in Wizarding society.
"It's a trap." Sirius muttered.
"Of course it's a trap," Rowan agreed, closing her eyes as Sirius pulled her partially into his arms. "But what kind?"
~*~
"I wondered what Lucius was on about," Snape nodded after reading through the elegantly penned invitation. The four of them sat in the cosy confines of Professor Myfanwy's office later that evening, Rowan watching Dumbledore impassively and occasionally nudging Sirius into silence to prevent him from rising to Severus barely concealed bait. "Pettigrew will be there," His lips twisted into a sardonic smile as the others looked at him in shock. "I was supposed to find a way to tactfully 'let it drop' in conversation. Consider it dropped."
Sirius almost missed Rowan's carefully concealed amused smile as she nodded at this new information and grumbled silently while glaring at the Potions Master. Any proximity of the Death Eater dropout to Rowan set Sirius on edge. And Severus Snape was most certainly not supposed to be making Rowan smile! One of the drawbacks to being a dog part of the time was Padfoot's unique territorial urges. And close association with what constituted a very odd wolf pack didn't help matters. Dogs did not take life mates, but wolves did, the Marauders were Padfoot's pack, and Moony was the alpha male of that pack. This being the case, intrusion of Severus Snape was making Padfoot and Sirius both very nervous on an instinctual level.
"I'm going." Rowan's voice interrupted his mental soliloquy like a douse of cold water.
"No!" Sirius and Snape protested before shooting each other dark glares. Sirius hated agreeing with Snape, and the feeling was mutual, but he hated the stone dread that settled in him more.
"It is too dangerous," Snape continued with somewhat forced calm, pointedly ignoring Sirius. "Black's innocence is not worth your life." Rowan's eyes darkened slightly, but she seemed content to keep her silence for the moment.
Dumbledore coughed, breaking the mounting tension. "I'm not going to forbid you to make your own decision on this," the aged wizard held up a stalling hand. "But be very sure of the risk, Rowan, that's all I ask."
"Wormtail is going to be there," she noted, a determined look settling over her face. "We don't know how long Voldemort will keep the spineless rat alive. He knows better than to fully trust him. I vote we do this."
Snape nodded, albeit reluctantly. "She is correct. The Dark Lord grows stronger each day. It would be . . . imprudent to ignore this opportunity."
"You're agreeing with her?" Sirius demanded. All his protective instincts flared into overdrive at the danger inherent in the idea. Snape raised a condescendingly amused eyebrow at him.
"You're not?"
"Don't talk about me as though I'm not here!" Rowan's voice broke through their argument. "Like it or not, this is my decision."
"Nothing Malfoy says will convince me to put you in danger," Sirius stated firmly. "We can find another way."
Seeing Sirius's truly terrified concern for her she softened. "I'm not a child," Rowan pointed out gently, taking his hand in her own. "Let me help."
"Well, if you two have finished your 'moment'" Snape's voice broke in caustically. "Shall we plan a way that may, possibly, bring Miss Myfanwy back out alive?"
"In the morning, Severus," Dumbledore decided. "That will be soon enough for plans and better for a nights rest." The aged headmaster rose and smiled at the other three before dismissing them with a paternal goodnight.
~*~
Sirius quickly noted several things when he woke. One that it was very late, or rather, early; two, that something soft and warm was cuddled up to him (this, he deduced, must be Rowan for Remus certainly didn't have this habit) and also for what he noticed last. His pillow was gone. This alone told him - without doubt - who it was, for one of Rowan's more endearing and infuriating habits was pillow stealing. Sirius moved his head, carefully glancing over while taking care not to disturb the new occupant to the bed. Sure enough, there was a black-haired witch curled around his pillow, slumbering next to him. He chuckled silently, gently reaching up to brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She smiled and leaned into his touch. A nightmare or doubts, he realized. And he was her old favourite source of comfort.
Sirius reached over and gently pulled her closer, settling her head on his chest and pointedly retrieving his pillow. Rowan made a small snuffling sound and snuggled in closer.
"Worried, love?" Sirius asked quietly, voice slightly hoarse from sleep. Rowan shook her head, not raising her eyes.
"I'm fine," her answer was muffled in his nightclothes.
"Rowan," Sirius wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck softly. "You can be brave for the rest of world, but you don't have to be with me. You're not invincible,"
"And I can't afford to be innocent," she sighed, leaning into his arms. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" he laughed softly. "Being human?"
"I'm not human," she corrected absently, with no rancour. Sirius smiled and kissed her lightly.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Fine. Do you need to talk about it?" he pressed. Rowan tended to be very contained, even (especially) when she didn't need to be, out of habit. Coaxing emotion out of her could be very difficult. Especially if she decided the emotion in question was somehow weak or unfitting. Rowan took her responsibilities as head of the Clan very seriously.
The only person he knew that kept a tighter hold on their emotions and private thoughts was Moony and he sported more emotional and physical scars than most wizards could comprehend. Sirius laughed mirthlessly within his mind. Not that he himself was the poster boy of mental health. Twelve years in Azkaban and two on the lam didn't seem conducive to a well-balanced mental process.
Rowan didn't respond for a long moment, as though considering his words and how much she was going to let him in. "Just hold me," she finally requested, burrowing closer. Sirius kissed her hair sadly. She allowed his presence and his love, even revelled in it, but she most certainly did not trust him. Not yet, and probably not for a long while.
~*~*~*~
Thank Roseblade Aurelius for this chapter. She said it would be nice to see a bit more of Rowan's thoughts because she seems to be a bit much. Does this help any? She's not perfect, not by a long shot. :) I know this one took a long time to write, but I had to decide on the specifics of the last bit of this story or it wouldn't have worked out right. I now have a plan. (you may all run in terror)
I was asked a while back who Morgan le Fey was and I don't remember if I answered or not. She was King Arthur's half-sister and a very powerful witch. Also Merlin's love in some stories :)
The Reviews:
Thank you to: darrel_doomvomit, Whiterose, Karlie, anonymous, Sparkle, WeasleyTwinsLover1112, and Julephenia.
StEdWa: You should see how much I'm blushing right now! Thank you!
Psychotic Disillusions: Dust it off and upload it! :) I'll be glad to review it! You'll see more Snape/Rowan scenes in the sequel (no, not like that!) And, yes, Lucius and Rowan detest each other. He's almost got her killed a few times.
The Source: Something like that, yes. It gets more dangerous and more action, trust me. Give me a few more days.
Albus Dumbledore: That was said in a teasing manner, but . . . wait for it. If he really is Merlin, Voldemort should run now, right?
Celtic Ember: Did you want to see me shake when I sent that to Imogen? I was half afraid she'd ask me to remove that scene!
Lia Snowstar: You'll see. And there is such a thing as adoption, you know. Who's going along is obvious, I think. And "you ain't seen nothing yet!" *diabolical smile*
Luna Rose/Phoenix Child: Yes, I'm being awfully cruel to the Malfoys, aren't I? About a chapter every three days or so. I try to write faster, but that's about my norm.
Lily Evans: What do you think? *evil smile*
Arizosa: My tolerance for melodramatic fluff is just about nil. And, knowing my females, they're much more likely to rescue the hero than be rescued. :) Though they will express doubts or have tender moments, if you see Sirius and Rowan not teasing each other, you know it's a very tense moment. Romance makes a nice garnish though, doesn't it? (think Star Wars: the Empire Strikes Back, NOT Titanic)
