A/N: rampage786 - thanks and welcome to chapter 14, where we do a little
bit of tidying things up.
Antinua -must it be a Bartlett pear, or is Anjou acceptable?
deSevera - Forget about Snape? Me? Huh! Wait until next chapter.
Ctina - *waives enthusiastically back*!!
Atheis - Your reviews always amuse me, not just with the dream. ;)
Draco luver - Puke yellow and sea blue? Eeewww.
Snapefan51 - You were late, for me? Awww.
Jig - You have no idea of what ran through my head with the Little Red Riding Hood comment. Hmmm, that could prove to be interesting a bit later...
Cqueen - ok, back to L/S this chapter.
The Housekeeping Chapter ~*~
Remus was feeling a lot better later in the day. He was still tired, but not having to deal with three or four days of migraines went a long way in helping him recover quicker.
It was a great comfort to have Lorien and Sirius around him, and Remus was beginning to see that they were falling into the realm of friendship better than he'd expected at first. He wanted to do something else to thank her, not out of a sense of indebtedness, but just to acknowledge the favor. He laughed when he realized he had run out of Slytherins to threaten for her.
Remus suddenly had an idea as the thought crossed his mind, and he smiled to himself and went to see Forsythia Sprout.
Sprout had been able to get him what he needed in a matter of hours, and Remus penned a quick thank you to give to the house elf as well. He intentionally didn't seal the note, and after the house elf left he laughed for the longest time.
He was still laughing when Sirius came in and looked at him like he must have finally gone off the deep end.
"What on earth is so damn funny, Moony?"
Snape went to his chambers when he grew tired of grading potions exams in his office and flung the door open and closed. He walked quickly toward the bedroom and then suddenly turned to look at what he had just seen out of the corner of his eye.
On the small table near his favorite armchair was a stunning arrangement of flowers. A vase full of tall elegant blues spires sat there with a note sitting beside it.
Snape looked puzzled and wondered if she had indeed sent them. Why would she do that? He picked up the note, opened it and read it.
Dear Lorien, Thank you for everything.
Love always, Remus.
Snape's eyes narrowed briefly and then it hit him. Lupin had purposely sent the flowers for Lorien to the dungeon as a payback. Snape replaced the note where Lorien would see it later and sat in the chair for a while contemplating the arrangement of lupines, and at long last he finally found the whole thing quite amusing.
Marlina and Noah were relieved to see Remus was feeling better that evening when he came by to say hello.
"Mom was worried 'cause you were sick." Noah volunteered.
Remus smiled as Marlina looked a little embarrassed and replied to the small boy. "Well, it's no big deal. I'm all better now."
"Good." Noah said cheerfully.
"You must have been pretty sick, huh?" Marlina asked.
"Yes. Migraine." He said. 'Partly the truth', Remus thought, guiltily.
"I had an aunt that suffered from migraines." Said Marlina. "She said they could be really debilitating, and that it was difficult to find a potion that helped without putting her into a deep sleep for a day and a half."
"That's exactly my problem." Another half truth. Marlina nodded understandingly and Remus knew she didn't suspect. Yet.
Sirius had a lot on his mind with the new concerns about security, and the decision that they had made to at least temporarily seal all the secret tunnels with powerful charms. All but the one on the third floor that they figured might be used for their own benefit.
Even though he needed to consider several other matters at hand, his thoughts went to Kaneene again and the incident in the tunnel.
It wasn't so much that he was surprised it happened, he was relieved it happened. The two of them had obviously struck up a rapport from the night she'd discovered he was innocent, and it had continued through the winter as she had made it a point to see him through as much of the Ministry inquisition as possible.
Sirius had been pretty sure that things were headed along those lines, but he had wanted to be absolutely sure before he did anything about it. Partly he didn't want to offend Kaneene, although her carefree flirting had been telling him she was probably thinking some of the same things he had.
Mostly it had been the fact that if he was wrong and stepped out of line with the green-eyed witch, he might also have to deal with five angry aurors named Moody. Probably six angry aurors named Moody. It gave Sirius the willies to think of being confronted by her uncle, and he shivered as he wondered how he got himself into these situations.
And then he laughed. By kissing him the way she did she let him know he was off the hook. And the way she'd kissed him.... Sirius thought about it and shivered again for a very different reason.
In a dark place very far away from Hogwarts, Lucius Malfoy stood before Voldemort and waited quietly for the dark lord's reaction to the information he'd just delivered to him.
"You're sure of this?" The cold voice finally asked from where the dark lord stood looking out a window with his hands clasped together behind his back.
"Yes, Master. It came from a most reliable source." Malfoy replied humbly, keeping his eyes slightly averted even though Voldemort wasn't looking at him.
"Reliable? How reliable?" Came the next question from the window.
"My son." Was all Malfoy said.
"I see." Voldemort answered distantly. He was thoughtful for several long minutes before he finally answered Malfoy. "Well then, we shall have to find a way to take advantage of your son's....usefulness." He said.
"Yes, my Lord." Malfoy said respectfully, bowing lower. He couldn't help but be pleased at the information that Draco had been able to provide them.
It was Madame Pomfrey's night to be on call and Lorien was glad to have the evening off. It hadn't been a particularly busy day since most of the students were taking exams in many of their classes, and had been too busy studying to get into much trouble, either in the classroom or outside of it, but she was glad anyway. She planned to spend the evening with Severus.
Lorien turned in front of the mirror to inspect her choice of wardrobe, fixed her hair a little and smiled to herself. She looked at the time and grabbed a heavier robe since the dungeon was always quite a bit colder than the floor where her rooms were.
Snape was back in his office grading the endless piles of potions exams on his desk. He hated when he had several years that had exams at the same time, but it usually worked out that way, and he had meticulously separated the parchment into piles by year and then by which had been graded and which had not.
He didn't look up from what he was doing when the knock came. "Enter." He called, irritated at being disturbed. He wanted to get through this. Lorien came in and shut the door behind her. He didn't look up. He knew it was her.
"Something you need, Lorien?" He asked impatiently as he scrawled a scathing comment on a third year's exam.
"No." She answered. "I just came to see how you were doing with your grading."
"As you can see, I'm still in the middle of it." He was picking up the next page.
Lorien stood in near the door and smiled as she watch him at his desk, quill in hand, buried in piles of exams to grade. The fire in the fireplace was roaring and Lorien hung the heavy robe she was wearing up near the door, and turned back to look at him with a mischievous smile while he wrote.
She spoke to him after a minute as he continued to ignore her and write. "I thought maybe you'd like to take a break." She said casually.
He continued to write without so much as a glance in her direction. "I will take a break if I feel that I need one, which at the present time I.....DO.....NOT." He punctuated each of his last words with a dot on an "I" or cross on a "T" and placed the exam in one of the done piles. He picked up the next one.
Lorien stood in front of his desk, amused by the fact that he hadn't even looked up, and was obviously irritated that she was there interrupting him. He continued to write so she sat in the chair in front of his desk. "Are you sure I couldn't....convince you?" She asked.
Snape was in no mood for games and he slapped the quill down in exasperation. He spoke to her sharply. "Lorien, I think it's quite clear that....." He stopped dead when he looked up at her.
She was sitting before him draped over the chair, wearing all black again, and very little of it. She smiled as she saw she finally had his attention.
Lorien spoke again as she watched him get up and move around the desk to stand before her. She looked up at him. "I thought you didn't need a break." She teased as he pulled her gently out of the chair by her arms.
He said nothing but looked her over from head to toe and then suddenly he was kissing her fiercely.
She teased him again somewhat breathlessly when he stopped. "What about the exams?" She asked innocently.
He moved quickly, and Lorien was surrounded by a flurry of parchment as she suddenly found herself on the desk where the neat stacks of paper used to be. Severus was kissing her insistently as he leaned over her and after a moment he spoke. "I suppose you know this means I'll have to spend part of my weekend grading exams?" He growled softly.
She nodded as she smiled at him.
He smiled back at her. "You are an evil witch, Lorien Desjardins."
"At times." She sighed.
The next few weeks at Hogwarts went by quickly as the students finished their first round of exams.
Lorien fell into the habit of finishing her paperwork for the day in her office or rooms, and then often joined Severus for the remainder of the evening in his chambers. One might have expected that this constituted a familiar routine, but there was nothing routine about dealing with the surly potions master.
There were evenings when he seemed to openly welcome her company, and on many of these they sat for hours together talking and drinking wine. (Red, of course) On other nights he seemed distant and distracted and it took her a little time to get used to the fact that it didn't necessarily mean he didn't want her there. Now she would often sit quietly and read something she had brought with her, or something from his own numerous bookshelves and just remain in his company quietly until the mood passed.
He seemed to appreciate being left to himself at these times, and she found that his episodes of aloofness seemed to pass quicker if she left him unmolested about it.
There were other things that made her now more intimate relationship with Snape challenging as well. His sleeping habits were something she was not prepared for, and they were something else that she was forced to confront in the time that she began spending some entire nights in the dungeon.
The problem never presented itself when they first retired, as often they were romantically engaged, and Lorien usually found herself drifting off to sleep in the embrace of the black haired wizard. The difficulty came later, often in the middle of the night when the nightmares or insomnia that plagued him frequently manifested themselves.
One of the first nights that Lorien encountered this new problem she had been asleep for some time but not soundly. He had been restless for a while and she was vaguely aware of him tossing and turning next to her. It was actually when she realized for a few moments that he had stopped that she opened her eyes.
She was startled when she looked to see if he was awake and found him propped up on one elbow staring at her.
"What are you doing?" She asked sleepily. "Is everything alright?" She could barely make out the black eyes in the darkness but she could tell he gazed at her steadily.
"Everything is fine." He said softly.
"Why are you awake? It's late isn't it?" She asked, not convinced that he was ok.
He smiled a little at her concern. "It is very late, Sylvanesti."
Lorien snuggled in closer to him. "This is the third night you've been awake, Severus."
"I know." He said. "I hope that I am not disturbing your own sleep too much."
"That's not what I was getting at." She said, more awake now that they were talking. "Tell me what's wrong?" She asked.
"I would rather focus more on what's right, for the time being." He said softly, avoiding her query.
"Is it me? Did I do something? Does it disturb your sleep to have me here?" Lorien was still worried.
He laughed a little. "No, my inability to sleep has nothing to do with you, although I dare say the fact that I am getting to sleep much later these nights is quite your fault."
She smiled in the dark and pressed tighter against him and he put his arm over her. "Will you tell me when you're ready?" She asked.
"Perhaps." Was as much as he'd say about it, and Lorien had to be content with that answer for the time.
He could tell that she was drifting off to sleep again and he held her close until he felt her breathing become slow and steady, and went back to watching her as she slept. It helped a good deal to have her here, and he knew that he should tell her that.
It really was also now the reason he wasn't sleeping much and possibly wouldn't be for some time. He had sworn off the addictive sleeping potion that he often resorted to on nights like these the moment Lorien had started sharing his bed.
Harry met with Lorien in an empty classroom again so that they wouldn't disturb Poppy while she was treating students.
"We're going to try something a little different this time, Harry." Lorien began. " I think in order to give you a better feel for the summoning that we'll try doing it together."
"Really?" Harry was very curious. "How are we going to do that?"
"It's a way of bonding that my mentor found worked well with me a few times." Lorien replied. She hesitated for a moment and then gave Harry an example. "You remember the night in the hospital wing when Professor Snape..." She hesitated for a second and then went on. "....almost died?"
Harry nodded. How could he forget? He remembered the night vividly.
"It was the phoenix tears, as well as the bond with Fawkes that enhanced the fire spell that saved him." She explained. "Are you willing to try it?"
"Definitely." Harry said, but realized that now something was nagging at him, and furrowed his brow a bit.
"It's going to require you to relinquish a bit of control at first, so you're going to have to trust me." Said Lorien. "Ok?"
Harry hesitated for just a moment. He certainly trusted Lorien and appreciated the fact that she was willing to take time to help him with all of this, but the one reservation he had about her was everything that had happened with Remus. And of course, Snape.
"What is it, Harry?" Lorien asked, seeing the look he was wearing now.
"Nothing." He replied softly.
"If we're going to develop a relationship of trust, you're going to have to let me know when something is bothering you." Lorien said kindly.
Harry sighed. "It's about Remus."
"I see." Lorien said quietly. "I'm sorry if that makes things a little awkward for you. I know that with all the time you spend with Sirius, that you and Ron and Hermione know a good deal about what happened."
Harry nodded but said nothing.
"Is that it?" She asked, knowing it wasn't.
"I guess so." He replied, looking at his feet.
"Really?" Lorien asked. "Or is it more that you're uncomfortable about Professor Snape?"
Harry looked grateful that she was the one to broach the unpleasant subject.
"Harry, I know that you don't have the most amicable relationship with him, but I assure you his opinions are his own, and I don't necessarily share his views on a lot of things," Lorien smiled at him. "You included."
Harry returned the smile, and then looked concerned again for a moment. "He must not be happy that you're helping me."
"Does it matter?" She asked.
Harry thought about it. Did it matter that Snape wouldn't like him studying Nemorosi magic with Lorien? He decided that he'd spend all of his time worrying if he was always concerned about what the unpleasant potions master didn't like concerning him. "No." He finally answered.
"Don't you worry about Professor Snape. I'll deal with him if he gives you more of a hard time because of it." Lorien tried to reassure the young wizard.
"I'm not really worried about that, I'm used to dealing with Sn...Professor Snape. I was more concerned that he might be unhappy with you." Harry admitted. He didn't care if it upset Snape, but he didn't really want Lorien to suffer as a consequence.
Lorien laughed. "Don't even trouble yourself about that, Harry. I'm used to dealing with him as well." She rolled her eyes a little.
Harry laughed and found that he was feeling a lot better.
"Shall we go to work?" Lorien asked.
Harry was finally excited. "Definitely!"
"Ok. We need to paint a very vivid picture of the winds for you, Harry. Have you ever seen a hurricane?" Lorien asked.
Harry thought about her question for a moment "No. Only pictures and television." He answered.
Lorien nodded, having encountered muggle t.v. several times in Boston. She went on to describe the devastation of the gale force winds that she had seen while living along the New England coast.
"Now keep that picture and close your eyes." She instructed, stepping immediately in front of the young wizard.
Harry complied and waited for her next instructions.
"I'm going to put a hand on your head." She warned him so as not to startle him. Her eyes went to his scar as she laid her fingers on his forehead, and she closed her own eyes in concentration.
When she felt that they were on the same plane, she removed her hand. "Let's do this together."
They went through the components of the summoning spell together, and as they invoked the north and final wind, Harry could feel it coming a second or two before the door slammed open.
The blast flew into the room causing chairs to slide across the floor and parchment to scatter everywhere. Harry felt it pull wildly at his robes, and swirl past him and throughout the room. The blackboard rocked on its legs a little and Harry looked at Lorien as she spoke again.
"I'm going to let go." She told him, and she broke her concentration completely.
The gale they had conjured was more than Harry could hold on his own at this point, but it was several seconds before it died down to a light breeze that gently ruffled his hair.
"Finite incantatum." Harry ended the spell.
"Well done, Harry!" Lorien was excited and grabbed the boy in a quick hug. "That was very well done." She repeated as she released him.
"Well done, indeed." Came the voice from the doorway.
Harry and Lorien looked up to see the headmaster smiling at them from the opening. "I was nearly blown over by the gale you two called down the hallway when I stepped out of Professor McGonagall's office, so naturally I had to investigate."
"Did you see him hold the winds for a bit before they died?" Lorien asked Dumbledore proudly.
"I most certainly did." The older wizard said distantly. "Seeing you invoke the Calling of the Winds brings back such fond memories of a time long ago..." Dumbledore said, a bit dreamily.
Lorien and Harry looked at each other and then back at the headmaster.
"You learned the call the winds too?" Harry asked, sounding quite surprised. He realized after a minute that he probably shouldn't be surprised by anything that Dumbledore knew. After all, you had time to learn an awful lot over that many years.
The blue eyes met his. "Yes, yes." Dumbledore said softly. "Although I was quite a bit older than you are now, young Harry." He smiled again. "Not to say that it wasn't still a very long time ago."
Lorien looked at Harry again and then back at Dumbledore. "Headmaster," She began hesitantly, "would you consider...."
"I'd be delighted." Dumbledore said, always happy to help with a lesson. "I may be a bit rusty, though, so bear with an old wizard."
Harry doubted that despite his great age, Dumbledore was rusty at anything.
Lorien and Harry took a couple of steps back as the headmaster cleared his throat and spoke the necessary incantation. With the final word of the summoning, Harry realized that not only could he feel the wind coming this time, he could hear it. A great rushing noise was whistling down the hall, and Harry braced himself, excitedly anticipating the blast that was going to hit the classroom.
A cry was heard from the hallway as the noise drew rapidly closer - evidently someone (it sounded like McGonagall) had stepped into the hallway at an inopportune time, and had been blown into the wall.
Harry winced a little and then smiled at the noise, and then the blast rushed through the doorway, sweeping the headmaster's robes into a flurry around him and then slamming Harry back against the wall. The blackboard toppled over completely and Lorien hung onto the nearby desk frantically as she laughed amidst a blizzard of parchment. Harry's glasses were blown askew as he tried to peel himself off the wall, and after a minute longer, Dumbledore waved his hand and silenced the gale.
Harry reached up and tried to smooth his hair which was now more untidy than usual as he stepped away from the wall, and looked to the headmaster.
Dumbledore grinned a little. "It would seem as though perhaps I'm not as out of practice as I had feared." He said, perhaps the slightest mischief in his voice.
Lorien was straightening her own hair and robes, and stepped out from behind the desk. "Thank you for that remarkable demonstration, Professor Dumbledore." She said. It was obvious by the look in her eyes that she was more than impressed.
The headmaster smiled behind his half-moon glassed. "Harry, I think it's good that you are pursuing this gift of yours, and I would like to encourage you to continue to take advantage of Mistress Lorien's instruction."
"I want to very much." Agreed Harry, especially after seeing what Dumbledore had just done.
"Well, I'll leave you to your lesson. I assume that Professor Vector's classroom will be back in order for tomorrow?" The blue eyes twinkled as he spoke.
Lorien spoke first when Dumbledore had left. "Shall we call it a night?"
Harry was reluctant for the lesson to end, but it occurred to him as he stood there that he was quite tired. "I think so."
He looked at Lorien for a minute. "I'd like to thank you for taking the time to help me with this. I want you to know how much I appreciate it."
"I'm happy to do it, Harry." Lorien smiled at the teenager as he headed for the door.
Harry hesitated at the entrance for a minute. "So, how do I say thank you?" He asked.
Lorien looked at him curiously. "Doci." She answered.
Harry nodded and smiled. "Well, then Doci, Sylvani atora." He said and then he was gone.
Lorien stopped in her tracks. It was the first time that anyone had addressed her in the same way she addressed her own mentor, and she was touched by Harry's gesture. She took one last look around to make sure that the room was neat, and headed to the dungeon for the evening.
A/N : Now the title makes more sense. I updated Remus, Remus/Marlina/Noah, Sirius/Kaneene, Voldemort, Lorien/Severus, and Harry's lessons, with a smidgen of Dumbledore thrown in for good measure, all in one chapter. Whew!
Antinua -must it be a Bartlett pear, or is Anjou acceptable?
deSevera - Forget about Snape? Me? Huh! Wait until next chapter.
Ctina - *waives enthusiastically back*!!
Atheis - Your reviews always amuse me, not just with the dream. ;)
Draco luver - Puke yellow and sea blue? Eeewww.
Snapefan51 - You were late, for me? Awww.
Jig - You have no idea of what ran through my head with the Little Red Riding Hood comment. Hmmm, that could prove to be interesting a bit later...
Cqueen - ok, back to L/S this chapter.
The Housekeeping Chapter ~*~
Remus was feeling a lot better later in the day. He was still tired, but not having to deal with three or four days of migraines went a long way in helping him recover quicker.
It was a great comfort to have Lorien and Sirius around him, and Remus was beginning to see that they were falling into the realm of friendship better than he'd expected at first. He wanted to do something else to thank her, not out of a sense of indebtedness, but just to acknowledge the favor. He laughed when he realized he had run out of Slytherins to threaten for her.
Remus suddenly had an idea as the thought crossed his mind, and he smiled to himself and went to see Forsythia Sprout.
Sprout had been able to get him what he needed in a matter of hours, and Remus penned a quick thank you to give to the house elf as well. He intentionally didn't seal the note, and after the house elf left he laughed for the longest time.
He was still laughing when Sirius came in and looked at him like he must have finally gone off the deep end.
"What on earth is so damn funny, Moony?"
Snape went to his chambers when he grew tired of grading potions exams in his office and flung the door open and closed. He walked quickly toward the bedroom and then suddenly turned to look at what he had just seen out of the corner of his eye.
On the small table near his favorite armchair was a stunning arrangement of flowers. A vase full of tall elegant blues spires sat there with a note sitting beside it.
Snape looked puzzled and wondered if she had indeed sent them. Why would she do that? He picked up the note, opened it and read it.
Dear Lorien, Thank you for everything.
Love always, Remus.
Snape's eyes narrowed briefly and then it hit him. Lupin had purposely sent the flowers for Lorien to the dungeon as a payback. Snape replaced the note where Lorien would see it later and sat in the chair for a while contemplating the arrangement of lupines, and at long last he finally found the whole thing quite amusing.
Marlina and Noah were relieved to see Remus was feeling better that evening when he came by to say hello.
"Mom was worried 'cause you were sick." Noah volunteered.
Remus smiled as Marlina looked a little embarrassed and replied to the small boy. "Well, it's no big deal. I'm all better now."
"Good." Noah said cheerfully.
"You must have been pretty sick, huh?" Marlina asked.
"Yes. Migraine." He said. 'Partly the truth', Remus thought, guiltily.
"I had an aunt that suffered from migraines." Said Marlina. "She said they could be really debilitating, and that it was difficult to find a potion that helped without putting her into a deep sleep for a day and a half."
"That's exactly my problem." Another half truth. Marlina nodded understandingly and Remus knew she didn't suspect. Yet.
Sirius had a lot on his mind with the new concerns about security, and the decision that they had made to at least temporarily seal all the secret tunnels with powerful charms. All but the one on the third floor that they figured might be used for their own benefit.
Even though he needed to consider several other matters at hand, his thoughts went to Kaneene again and the incident in the tunnel.
It wasn't so much that he was surprised it happened, he was relieved it happened. The two of them had obviously struck up a rapport from the night she'd discovered he was innocent, and it had continued through the winter as she had made it a point to see him through as much of the Ministry inquisition as possible.
Sirius had been pretty sure that things were headed along those lines, but he had wanted to be absolutely sure before he did anything about it. Partly he didn't want to offend Kaneene, although her carefree flirting had been telling him she was probably thinking some of the same things he had.
Mostly it had been the fact that if he was wrong and stepped out of line with the green-eyed witch, he might also have to deal with five angry aurors named Moody. Probably six angry aurors named Moody. It gave Sirius the willies to think of being confronted by her uncle, and he shivered as he wondered how he got himself into these situations.
And then he laughed. By kissing him the way she did she let him know he was off the hook. And the way she'd kissed him.... Sirius thought about it and shivered again for a very different reason.
In a dark place very far away from Hogwarts, Lucius Malfoy stood before Voldemort and waited quietly for the dark lord's reaction to the information he'd just delivered to him.
"You're sure of this?" The cold voice finally asked from where the dark lord stood looking out a window with his hands clasped together behind his back.
"Yes, Master. It came from a most reliable source." Malfoy replied humbly, keeping his eyes slightly averted even though Voldemort wasn't looking at him.
"Reliable? How reliable?" Came the next question from the window.
"My son." Was all Malfoy said.
"I see." Voldemort answered distantly. He was thoughtful for several long minutes before he finally answered Malfoy. "Well then, we shall have to find a way to take advantage of your son's....usefulness." He said.
"Yes, my Lord." Malfoy said respectfully, bowing lower. He couldn't help but be pleased at the information that Draco had been able to provide them.
It was Madame Pomfrey's night to be on call and Lorien was glad to have the evening off. It hadn't been a particularly busy day since most of the students were taking exams in many of their classes, and had been too busy studying to get into much trouble, either in the classroom or outside of it, but she was glad anyway. She planned to spend the evening with Severus.
Lorien turned in front of the mirror to inspect her choice of wardrobe, fixed her hair a little and smiled to herself. She looked at the time and grabbed a heavier robe since the dungeon was always quite a bit colder than the floor where her rooms were.
Snape was back in his office grading the endless piles of potions exams on his desk. He hated when he had several years that had exams at the same time, but it usually worked out that way, and he had meticulously separated the parchment into piles by year and then by which had been graded and which had not.
He didn't look up from what he was doing when the knock came. "Enter." He called, irritated at being disturbed. He wanted to get through this. Lorien came in and shut the door behind her. He didn't look up. He knew it was her.
"Something you need, Lorien?" He asked impatiently as he scrawled a scathing comment on a third year's exam.
"No." She answered. "I just came to see how you were doing with your grading."
"As you can see, I'm still in the middle of it." He was picking up the next page.
Lorien stood in near the door and smiled as she watch him at his desk, quill in hand, buried in piles of exams to grade. The fire in the fireplace was roaring and Lorien hung the heavy robe she was wearing up near the door, and turned back to look at him with a mischievous smile while he wrote.
She spoke to him after a minute as he continued to ignore her and write. "I thought maybe you'd like to take a break." She said casually.
He continued to write without so much as a glance in her direction. "I will take a break if I feel that I need one, which at the present time I.....DO.....NOT." He punctuated each of his last words with a dot on an "I" or cross on a "T" and placed the exam in one of the done piles. He picked up the next one.
Lorien stood in front of his desk, amused by the fact that he hadn't even looked up, and was obviously irritated that she was there interrupting him. He continued to write so she sat in the chair in front of his desk. "Are you sure I couldn't....convince you?" She asked.
Snape was in no mood for games and he slapped the quill down in exasperation. He spoke to her sharply. "Lorien, I think it's quite clear that....." He stopped dead when he looked up at her.
She was sitting before him draped over the chair, wearing all black again, and very little of it. She smiled as she saw she finally had his attention.
Lorien spoke again as she watched him get up and move around the desk to stand before her. She looked up at him. "I thought you didn't need a break." She teased as he pulled her gently out of the chair by her arms.
He said nothing but looked her over from head to toe and then suddenly he was kissing her fiercely.
She teased him again somewhat breathlessly when he stopped. "What about the exams?" She asked innocently.
He moved quickly, and Lorien was surrounded by a flurry of parchment as she suddenly found herself on the desk where the neat stacks of paper used to be. Severus was kissing her insistently as he leaned over her and after a moment he spoke. "I suppose you know this means I'll have to spend part of my weekend grading exams?" He growled softly.
She nodded as she smiled at him.
He smiled back at her. "You are an evil witch, Lorien Desjardins."
"At times." She sighed.
The next few weeks at Hogwarts went by quickly as the students finished their first round of exams.
Lorien fell into the habit of finishing her paperwork for the day in her office or rooms, and then often joined Severus for the remainder of the evening in his chambers. One might have expected that this constituted a familiar routine, but there was nothing routine about dealing with the surly potions master.
There were evenings when he seemed to openly welcome her company, and on many of these they sat for hours together talking and drinking wine. (Red, of course) On other nights he seemed distant and distracted and it took her a little time to get used to the fact that it didn't necessarily mean he didn't want her there. Now she would often sit quietly and read something she had brought with her, or something from his own numerous bookshelves and just remain in his company quietly until the mood passed.
He seemed to appreciate being left to himself at these times, and she found that his episodes of aloofness seemed to pass quicker if she left him unmolested about it.
There were other things that made her now more intimate relationship with Snape challenging as well. His sleeping habits were something she was not prepared for, and they were something else that she was forced to confront in the time that she began spending some entire nights in the dungeon.
The problem never presented itself when they first retired, as often they were romantically engaged, and Lorien usually found herself drifting off to sleep in the embrace of the black haired wizard. The difficulty came later, often in the middle of the night when the nightmares or insomnia that plagued him frequently manifested themselves.
One of the first nights that Lorien encountered this new problem she had been asleep for some time but not soundly. He had been restless for a while and she was vaguely aware of him tossing and turning next to her. It was actually when she realized for a few moments that he had stopped that she opened her eyes.
She was startled when she looked to see if he was awake and found him propped up on one elbow staring at her.
"What are you doing?" She asked sleepily. "Is everything alright?" She could barely make out the black eyes in the darkness but she could tell he gazed at her steadily.
"Everything is fine." He said softly.
"Why are you awake? It's late isn't it?" She asked, not convinced that he was ok.
He smiled a little at her concern. "It is very late, Sylvanesti."
Lorien snuggled in closer to him. "This is the third night you've been awake, Severus."
"I know." He said. "I hope that I am not disturbing your own sleep too much."
"That's not what I was getting at." She said, more awake now that they were talking. "Tell me what's wrong?" She asked.
"I would rather focus more on what's right, for the time being." He said softly, avoiding her query.
"Is it me? Did I do something? Does it disturb your sleep to have me here?" Lorien was still worried.
He laughed a little. "No, my inability to sleep has nothing to do with you, although I dare say the fact that I am getting to sleep much later these nights is quite your fault."
She smiled in the dark and pressed tighter against him and he put his arm over her. "Will you tell me when you're ready?" She asked.
"Perhaps." Was as much as he'd say about it, and Lorien had to be content with that answer for the time.
He could tell that she was drifting off to sleep again and he held her close until he felt her breathing become slow and steady, and went back to watching her as she slept. It helped a good deal to have her here, and he knew that he should tell her that.
It really was also now the reason he wasn't sleeping much and possibly wouldn't be for some time. He had sworn off the addictive sleeping potion that he often resorted to on nights like these the moment Lorien had started sharing his bed.
Harry met with Lorien in an empty classroom again so that they wouldn't disturb Poppy while she was treating students.
"We're going to try something a little different this time, Harry." Lorien began. " I think in order to give you a better feel for the summoning that we'll try doing it together."
"Really?" Harry was very curious. "How are we going to do that?"
"It's a way of bonding that my mentor found worked well with me a few times." Lorien replied. She hesitated for a moment and then gave Harry an example. "You remember the night in the hospital wing when Professor Snape..." She hesitated for a second and then went on. "....almost died?"
Harry nodded. How could he forget? He remembered the night vividly.
"It was the phoenix tears, as well as the bond with Fawkes that enhanced the fire spell that saved him." She explained. "Are you willing to try it?"
"Definitely." Harry said, but realized that now something was nagging at him, and furrowed his brow a bit.
"It's going to require you to relinquish a bit of control at first, so you're going to have to trust me." Said Lorien. "Ok?"
Harry hesitated for just a moment. He certainly trusted Lorien and appreciated the fact that she was willing to take time to help him with all of this, but the one reservation he had about her was everything that had happened with Remus. And of course, Snape.
"What is it, Harry?" Lorien asked, seeing the look he was wearing now.
"Nothing." He replied softly.
"If we're going to develop a relationship of trust, you're going to have to let me know when something is bothering you." Lorien said kindly.
Harry sighed. "It's about Remus."
"I see." Lorien said quietly. "I'm sorry if that makes things a little awkward for you. I know that with all the time you spend with Sirius, that you and Ron and Hermione know a good deal about what happened."
Harry nodded but said nothing.
"Is that it?" She asked, knowing it wasn't.
"I guess so." He replied, looking at his feet.
"Really?" Lorien asked. "Or is it more that you're uncomfortable about Professor Snape?"
Harry looked grateful that she was the one to broach the unpleasant subject.
"Harry, I know that you don't have the most amicable relationship with him, but I assure you his opinions are his own, and I don't necessarily share his views on a lot of things," Lorien smiled at him. "You included."
Harry returned the smile, and then looked concerned again for a moment. "He must not be happy that you're helping me."
"Does it matter?" She asked.
Harry thought about it. Did it matter that Snape wouldn't like him studying Nemorosi magic with Lorien? He decided that he'd spend all of his time worrying if he was always concerned about what the unpleasant potions master didn't like concerning him. "No." He finally answered.
"Don't you worry about Professor Snape. I'll deal with him if he gives you more of a hard time because of it." Lorien tried to reassure the young wizard.
"I'm not really worried about that, I'm used to dealing with Sn...Professor Snape. I was more concerned that he might be unhappy with you." Harry admitted. He didn't care if it upset Snape, but he didn't really want Lorien to suffer as a consequence.
Lorien laughed. "Don't even trouble yourself about that, Harry. I'm used to dealing with him as well." She rolled her eyes a little.
Harry laughed and found that he was feeling a lot better.
"Shall we go to work?" Lorien asked.
Harry was finally excited. "Definitely!"
"Ok. We need to paint a very vivid picture of the winds for you, Harry. Have you ever seen a hurricane?" Lorien asked.
Harry thought about her question for a moment "No. Only pictures and television." He answered.
Lorien nodded, having encountered muggle t.v. several times in Boston. She went on to describe the devastation of the gale force winds that she had seen while living along the New England coast.
"Now keep that picture and close your eyes." She instructed, stepping immediately in front of the young wizard.
Harry complied and waited for her next instructions.
"I'm going to put a hand on your head." She warned him so as not to startle him. Her eyes went to his scar as she laid her fingers on his forehead, and she closed her own eyes in concentration.
When she felt that they were on the same plane, she removed her hand. "Let's do this together."
They went through the components of the summoning spell together, and as they invoked the north and final wind, Harry could feel it coming a second or two before the door slammed open.
The blast flew into the room causing chairs to slide across the floor and parchment to scatter everywhere. Harry felt it pull wildly at his robes, and swirl past him and throughout the room. The blackboard rocked on its legs a little and Harry looked at Lorien as she spoke again.
"I'm going to let go." She told him, and she broke her concentration completely.
The gale they had conjured was more than Harry could hold on his own at this point, but it was several seconds before it died down to a light breeze that gently ruffled his hair.
"Finite incantatum." Harry ended the spell.
"Well done, Harry!" Lorien was excited and grabbed the boy in a quick hug. "That was very well done." She repeated as she released him.
"Well done, indeed." Came the voice from the doorway.
Harry and Lorien looked up to see the headmaster smiling at them from the opening. "I was nearly blown over by the gale you two called down the hallway when I stepped out of Professor McGonagall's office, so naturally I had to investigate."
"Did you see him hold the winds for a bit before they died?" Lorien asked Dumbledore proudly.
"I most certainly did." The older wizard said distantly. "Seeing you invoke the Calling of the Winds brings back such fond memories of a time long ago..." Dumbledore said, a bit dreamily.
Lorien and Harry looked at each other and then back at the headmaster.
"You learned the call the winds too?" Harry asked, sounding quite surprised. He realized after a minute that he probably shouldn't be surprised by anything that Dumbledore knew. After all, you had time to learn an awful lot over that many years.
The blue eyes met his. "Yes, yes." Dumbledore said softly. "Although I was quite a bit older than you are now, young Harry." He smiled again. "Not to say that it wasn't still a very long time ago."
Lorien looked at Harry again and then back at Dumbledore. "Headmaster," She began hesitantly, "would you consider...."
"I'd be delighted." Dumbledore said, always happy to help with a lesson. "I may be a bit rusty, though, so bear with an old wizard."
Harry doubted that despite his great age, Dumbledore was rusty at anything.
Lorien and Harry took a couple of steps back as the headmaster cleared his throat and spoke the necessary incantation. With the final word of the summoning, Harry realized that not only could he feel the wind coming this time, he could hear it. A great rushing noise was whistling down the hall, and Harry braced himself, excitedly anticipating the blast that was going to hit the classroom.
A cry was heard from the hallway as the noise drew rapidly closer - evidently someone (it sounded like McGonagall) had stepped into the hallway at an inopportune time, and had been blown into the wall.
Harry winced a little and then smiled at the noise, and then the blast rushed through the doorway, sweeping the headmaster's robes into a flurry around him and then slamming Harry back against the wall. The blackboard toppled over completely and Lorien hung onto the nearby desk frantically as she laughed amidst a blizzard of parchment. Harry's glasses were blown askew as he tried to peel himself off the wall, and after a minute longer, Dumbledore waved his hand and silenced the gale.
Harry reached up and tried to smooth his hair which was now more untidy than usual as he stepped away from the wall, and looked to the headmaster.
Dumbledore grinned a little. "It would seem as though perhaps I'm not as out of practice as I had feared." He said, perhaps the slightest mischief in his voice.
Lorien was straightening her own hair and robes, and stepped out from behind the desk. "Thank you for that remarkable demonstration, Professor Dumbledore." She said. It was obvious by the look in her eyes that she was more than impressed.
The headmaster smiled behind his half-moon glassed. "Harry, I think it's good that you are pursuing this gift of yours, and I would like to encourage you to continue to take advantage of Mistress Lorien's instruction."
"I want to very much." Agreed Harry, especially after seeing what Dumbledore had just done.
"Well, I'll leave you to your lesson. I assume that Professor Vector's classroom will be back in order for tomorrow?" The blue eyes twinkled as he spoke.
Lorien spoke first when Dumbledore had left. "Shall we call it a night?"
Harry was reluctant for the lesson to end, but it occurred to him as he stood there that he was quite tired. "I think so."
He looked at Lorien for a minute. "I'd like to thank you for taking the time to help me with this. I want you to know how much I appreciate it."
"I'm happy to do it, Harry." Lorien smiled at the teenager as he headed for the door.
Harry hesitated at the entrance for a minute. "So, how do I say thank you?" He asked.
Lorien looked at him curiously. "Doci." She answered.
Harry nodded and smiled. "Well, then Doci, Sylvani atora." He said and then he was gone.
Lorien stopped in her tracks. It was the first time that anyone had addressed her in the same way she addressed her own mentor, and she was touched by Harry's gesture. She took one last look around to make sure that the room was neat, and headed to the dungeon for the evening.
A/N : Now the title makes more sense. I updated Remus, Remus/Marlina/Noah, Sirius/Kaneene, Voldemort, Lorien/Severus, and Harry's lessons, with a smidgen of Dumbledore thrown in for good measure, all in one chapter. Whew!
