Madenia is not a typically Ethiopian surname. Not even *remotely* Jewish. It's just that I was reading my little sister's books about Mr. Majeka, a wizard who goes to teach at a primary school, and it kinda stuck.

Chapter 29: Rat Indeed

Although Snape had insisted on them going down to the Great Hall alone, Remus was still surprised by how much later the Potions Master actually did arrive.

He sat himself on the opposite side of the table as well, opposite - as ever - to Jona (who was sitting three chairs along from Remus) but rather close to Eleni. This made Remus wonder if Eleni had told him what she now knew but then, he realised, if she had, Snape would probably never speak to him or anyone else again.

Breakfast was the usual affair. The younger Snapes were as well-behaved as was possible for them to be. Even Martin, who seemed more than a little put out over the fact that there was no Rat to feed or pet.

When Remus looked at Lira, it amazed him just how healthy she appeared to be. Her cheeks rounded whenever she smiled and the old lustre about her was back.

Whatever Eleni had done, she had done it well.

Speaking of whom, he noticed that she was sitting next to an unknown man, not a member of the staff.

He was tall - seated, he was half a hands-width taller than Dumledore - powerfully built and had skin a dark, shining ash-brown. He had a very straigh nose, a stubborn looking chin and wiry black hair on top of which he wore a skull cap. When he opened his mouth, a low rumble of a baritone could be heard.

The aura around him was on of great strength, radiating from his well- muscled, though lithe, frame. Remus wondered why he hadn't noticed him before.

The werewolf glanced at the man's left hand and saw that the wedding band matched Eleni's exactly.

So this was Mr. Madenia.

Mr. Madenia also wore spectacles, oval shaped lenses with a thin, black frame. As Remus glanced in his direction, Mr. Madenia looked up suddenly and caught his eyes. He gave Lupin a small smile and went back to talking with Eleni.

In case Severus had noticed, Remus glanced in his direction. However, he was talking to Dumbledore in a low voice, eyes deadly serious. Whatever it was that he was telling the Headmaster, Dumbledore was looking grave.

"We'll probably be getting some more news about it later," Sirius murmured to Remus, eyes also on Dumbledore. "How much do you want to bet that it's something bad?"

Remus shook his head and leaned back to him. "He says the Death Eaters are now untied enough to be getting up to some rather unusual tricks," he replied. "Looks like we'll have to call on some of the seventh years for backup."

Now it was Sirius' turn to give a shake of his head. "Gods," he simply said, and went back to eating his breakfast, but in a slower, more contemplative mood.

"Did you notice Mr. Madenia?" Remus asked.

"Hm? Oh, Eleni's husband. Yes, I did. His name's Harim, isn't it?"

Remus blinked. "I didn't know that."

"Neither did I. Lira told me," Sirius shrugged.

"Think he's here to help?"

"It was Jona who advised Dumbledore to ask for him in the first place," Sirius said. "He told him that it would be good for Eleni as well."

"I wonder what he does," Remus murmured.

"Have no idea."

Suddenly, Miriam Snape let out a scream. She had her arms pinned to her sides and was standing up, eyes screwed shut.

Mr. Madenia - Harim - and Eleni rose slightly, looked over with surprised interest. Jona rushed to her side.

"Hush, my dear," he said soothingly. "What on earth is the matter?"

She wasn't screaming anymore, just trembling.

"A rat," she squeaked.

"I'll deal with it," Jona said grimly and Remus could see green sparks around his fingertips. Severus opened his mouth to say something, but Martin's loud voice meant that no one else noticed.

"It's only a *mouse* mother!" The boy cried. "Don't hurt it!"

But this only caused his mother to shriek again. "Mouse?" She squealed, "then kill it, Jona! Kill it!"

"Martin," Jona said firmly, eyes carefully scanning the floor. "I'll thank you to let me handle it, please." The number of sparks at his fingers increased.

"MMPH!" Miriam squealed again, still trembling.

"You will do no such thing, Jona," Severus' low voice said.

"Stay out of this, Severus," he growled.

Remus had a horrible suspicion that the rat in question was none other than Rat. He was right.

Rat leapt up onto the table, right into the hands of Martin, who grabbed him by the tail.

"Martin--" Severus started.

"Let *go* Martin!" Jona insisted, voice raised slightly.

"No!" The boy screamed. He still had Rat by the tail and now Rat was thrashing wildly to get the boy's hands off it.

"Johnathon!" Everyone turned to see Severus, black eyes smouldering, giving Jona a rather lethal look. His use of the full, Christian version of his brother's name brought everyone to attention. "For heaven's sake, man, be quiet and sit down!"

Jona turned to glare at his brother. "Or what?"

The tension between them was indescribable: Miriam had forgotten her fright, now simply astonished and appalled at her husband being rude to his elder brother.

The, to everyone's horror, the chilling silence was broken by a vicious thunderbolt that flashed thrugh the once calm 'sky' above.

"Jesus," Sirius muttered, staring.

"I can do just as much damage with a wand as you can without," the darker man warned. "Now sit *down*, you arrogent cur," Severus growled. Slowly, Jona sat. To Miriam, he gave a small vial of lavender coloured liquid. "Drink this: it'll help." He then turned to Martin. "Let go of Rat's tail-- "

"*The* rat's tail," Jona muttered.

Severus gave him another poisonous look. "His name is Rat. You may christen him with some other ridiculous pet name, but if you did, I'd take you for more of an idiot than I do already." He paused. "Now, Martin: never hold a rat by it's tail. A rat's tail is a true continuation of it's back, nerves and all. You are causing him *immense* discomfort: I wonder if anyone has ever pulled your nerves or struck a pressure point on you?"

"No Uncle Severus. Yes Uncle Severus," the boy whispered, letting go. Rat immediately jetted off for Severus - who extended his arm - and clambered up the arm, burrowing himself in the crook of his neck.

"I thought rats bit people," Lucretia said softly.

"Only if you were stupid enough to take hold of a wild one," Severus replied patiently. "And Martin--?"

"Yes Uncle Severus?"

"Surely you could tell he was a rat and not a mouse." A careful silence ensued, Severus regarding his nephew rather ruthlessly.

"A fatal flaw in your presumption, obviously." Was all he said,

A low chuckle could be heard. Severus turned to face the owner of it. An eyebrow raised, he looked at Harim. "Ah," he said in clipped tones. "The talented Mr. Madenia. Amused, I see."

Harim's dark eye glittered. "Perhaps. So you are Eleni's little brother, eh?" He glanced at the ceiling briefly. "Quite an introduction, there."

"Humph."

Severus was now twiddling his wand between his fingers.

"You missed the wedding," Harim went on. "And four Bar Mitzvah's... and two *Bas* Mitzvahs." He paused. "And a total of--"

"Please," Severus stopped him.

Harim chuckled. "Just so that you know what's due."

It still seemed bizzarely silent. That was when Remus realised that everys tudent in the Hall had been aware of the ruckus at the high table. From those that he could see, their faces wore looks of horrow, fright, awe and fascination.

"We have an audience, you know," he decided to say. Everyone else looked at the students. "If the performance is over, you ought to take a bow."

"Curtain call," Lucretia giggled.

The silence that followed was more embarrassed than anything.

"I hope Rat won't be sick," Martin murmured.

His uncle let the eyebrow fall. "Why?" He demanded.

"Martin paused. "He does eat grapes, doesn't he?"

~

Remus couldn't help but feel rather pleased that Severus had put Jona down the way he had. He was also rather pleased that Severus got on remarkably well with the Ethiopian Hiram.

Rat was more cautious about Martin, but did sometimes let the boy pet him. He seemed to be more enthusiastic, however, about Lucretia.

"Oh!" She giggled as Rat ground his teeth, seated on her shoulder. "Why does he keep on doing this?"

"Rat chuckle," her Uncle Harim replied absently. When Severus gave him a look, Harim smiled shyly and said, "my grandfather fought in WWI. The soldiers often kept pet rats and he taught me a lot about them."

"Harim's very versatile, like that," Eleni said, digging her chin into his shoulder and grinning. He swatted at her playfully.

Harim seemed a very gentle soul, a very good match - Remus thought - for Eleni who could sound a little too harsh and cold for most people to bear. However, that harshness also helped with Harim's damned easy-going nature. Yin and yang, perhaps.

"Tell me about your children," Remus said at one point.

They gave each other looks and smiled. "There's the eldest, Ezar, he's nineteen," Eleni said. "Into acting and the other things like that. He plays the violin, likes to draw," she turned to her husband. "He draws very well... took his Art A-Levels a few years early, didn't he?" Hiram nodded. "Mmm... after Ezar... the two girls, Dinah, whose just turned eighteen, and Leah, whose going to be fifteen quite soon... Dinah absolutely adores Science and likes poetry..."

"--And History," Hiram added quietly.

"Yes! History nut. Wanted to be an Egyptologist at the age of 10. Taught herself heiroglyphs, odd thing." Eleni laughed. "Leah is the maths whizz. Just loves it and computers. Doesn't get it from me, obviously. Plays the piano very well... Dinah plays the cello, by the by... then there's Zedi - Zedekiah - he's twelve. Takes after his father. He tends to be very quiet... I think Severus will take to him, actually." She paused. "He draws a lot as well, Zedi... he's also into science... Ignatius is ten, a lot like our Martin here. Rather loud. Watches too much television. *Far* too much," she frowned. "And finally, my little baby, Rex." She sighed and smiled. "Well, not much of a baby now. He's eight."

"Mama's boy," Hiram grinned.

"Stop that!" Eleni hit him. "He's my last and the sweetest... apart from Ezar and the girls..." She laughed. "I don't know what he's like behind my back: I only hope I don't turn him into another Jona." Eleni sniggered. "He deserved what he got today!"

Remus nodded.

"I loved every minute of it," Hiram confided, dark eyes flashing. "He needed to be put down like that... put him in his place.

The werewolf chuckled. "How did you find Rat?"

Eleni snorted. "Severus *would* keep rats in his company. He's that sort of person. He gets on well with cats as well, funnily enough. And he adores Corgis... the Welsh Pembroke kind."

"Really?" Remus asked in surprise.

"Really." She affirmed. "Just ask him."

*

There you go!