A/N: first of all, I want to apologise for the delay in posting last chapter: ff.net was being stubborn, and then the University's internet connection crashed. Add on top of that my finals and a report due on Monday, and you'll even forgive me for not making this a very action-filled chapter….. although we will find out what Svetlana was left thinking about last chapter and how Mandy's murder was carried out!

Disclaimer: I don't own them, though I wish I did. Don't sue me, it isn't worth your time.

FAMILY MATTERS

PART XV

"Can I come in now?" asked Svetlana, looking carefully at the living room from the doorway; Snape looked up from the essay he was marking and nodded.

"Yes, of course you can. Thank you for helping me settle the child in with such short notice….. I didn't mean you had to actually *leave* the dungeons"

"I supposed the Potter boy would have talked more freely if I wasn't present" said Svetlana with a faint tone of distaste seeping through her voice; her husband looked at her more attentively "Besides, it was time to return the babies to Mrs Vector"

Snape hesitated on whether it would be wise to ask Svetlana why she didn't seem to like the Boy Who Lived, but he decided against it for two reasons: first, he wasn't sure if the 'blunt' method would work as well with her as it did with the Gryffindor, and secondly, he knew he wasn't the best person to give a talk about Potter-worshipping. So he pretended he wasn't looking as Svetlana preformed an Air-Cleansing charm and picked up the remnants from the tea before moving towards her desk; just as she was sitting down, a piece of parchment came out of the fire, landing at Snape's feet. He picked it up and looked at it with mistrust.

"This is for you" he concluded, the wariness in his eyes more evident as Svetlana moved quickly to take the note from his hand and read it immediately.

"Thank you" she said with a bright smile, which only contributed to make Snape more suspicious. //Suspicious? You're jealous, face it, I told you you were growing soft// "It's from Draco" explained Svetlana, hiding a smile at her husband's frown "He wants to know if it'd be OK to train Serguei with the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch team….. he wouldn't play this year, of course, but Draco thinks it'd be a good distraction"

"Yes, a distraction, because only Potter is allowed to play in his first year" said Snape, weighing her reaction to the name; Svetlana frowned slightly and changed the subject.

"Of course, we'd have to tell Serguei to keep his grades up, and not allow this distraction to become much of a distraction" The witch trailed off when Siena made a noise in her sleep. "Are you coming to Mandy's funeral or will you stay with Siena? I can always call a house-elf to look after her while we're gone….."

"Yes, I think I'll go" concluded Snape after a brief inner deliberation "What time does it start?"

"In an hour" answered Svetlana, checking the grandfather's clock on the corner.

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So half an hour later, Snape moved to his bedroom to change into a more appropriate set of black robes, all the time wondering why Svetlana, against all reason, seemed to dislike Potter. The nagging thought just wouldn't leave him alone, not even when he was working on the surprise quiz for the seventh-years, when Svetlana's delicate frown when he had mentioned the Gryffindor kept replaying in his mind. Deciding he would search for more evidence at the funeral, he finished checking his reflection in the mirror and went into the living room, where his wife was already instructing a bowing house-elf not to disturb the sleeping baby.

"Shall we go?" he asked, offering her his arm. She took it with a small measure of hesitation and they made their way to the grounds in silence.

Due to the dangerous situation in the outer world, the funeral would be held in a small grave dug near to the Forbidden Forest. Everyone was there: all the teachers, all their relatives (even those who were leaving), a fair number of Gryffindor students and even a few friends of the dead witch who had come from different parts of the country. The ceremony was brief and in the end all the women were crying, as were a couple of male students (not including Harry, who had his poker face on) and Mr Hooch. Minerva seemed at the verge of a nervous breakdown, but once again she insisted to everyone who would hear her that she would continue teaching her classes and would not take a time off.

When it was time for the condolences, the little group dissolved in a flurry of everyone hugging everyone, confirming once again that Mandy had left more than one orphan in the school. Svetlana received a few low-spoken words from most of those who knew of her close friendship with the dead witch, and Snape watched like a hawk as Harry went towards his wife and said something with a moved voice; then, the Gryffindor moved forwards to embrace the Russian witch in an awkward hug, and Severus couldn't miss the tensing on Svetlana's back and the fine flush on Harry's face as he stumbled back and went over to his friends, ignoring the rest of the greetings that needed to be said. //What the Hell was that?!//

"Can we go now?" asked Svetlana immediately after that incident; there was the slightest of pink tinges on her cheeks, and she seemed suddenly affronted.

"Of course" said Severus, who had already offered his condolences to Minerva. He watched as Svetlana started walking quickly, without waiting for him and without turning back. He walk behind her, catching up effortlessly; he was dying to ask her what was wrong, but he still wasn't sure her reaction wasn't the normal one for a funeral. //And what about Potter's? Are you going to tell me that is normal too?//

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They reached the dungeons in record time, and Svetlana seemed a lot more composed as she dismissed the house-elf and checked upon Siena herself. Severus was dying to know what was happening, and he decided to risk the denial.

"What happened between Potter and you?" Svetlana whirled towards him, her cheeks sporting a blush and her blue eyes burning.

"Nothing has happened between that insolent child and me!" she exclaimed fiercely. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"They way you act around him, and he acts around you" answered Snape, congratulating himself on the success of his manoeuvre; he was so caught up in self-complacence that he failed to be surprised at the ease with which Svetlana had opened up to him.

"It is nothing" she denied, trying to hide her still blazing eyes.

"Then why are you lying?"

"I am not lying!" she insisted "There was, there is, and there will be nothing between Potter and myself," She slammed a pile of blank parchment upon her desk to emphasise her point "and that's final!"

Severus remained in silence for a moment; she was adamant on the point of there being not an ounce of involvement between the Boy Who Lived and herself, but she didn't seem surprised (even if she did seem disgusted) by the suggestion of there being anything. That only fuelled Snape's suspicions in one way…..

"Did he propose to you?!" Disbelief and anger rode side by side in those words. Svetlana tried unsuccessfully to hide her head in the collar of her robes.

"Not as such" she answered after a while "Not in those exact words but….. a woman *knows* when she's wanted and….. Merlin, this is so embarrassing!" The woman hid her face between her hands to shelter her bare-faced lie from her husband's stern gaze.

"Why haven't you said anything?" Snape still couldn't believe it, but why would Svetlana lie?

"What did you want me to say? That he keeps staring at me, that he follows me around, that he insists in starting a conversation every time we meet? Mandy was the only one to whom I told something, and even she didn't believe me….." Svetlana looked down to her pointy black shoes and tried not to cry. Silence hung heavy between them before Svetlana remembered something "I didn't leave Mandy her flowers!" She looked at the abandoned bouquet on her desk "I was so caught up trying to get away….. I'll go and leave them now, go onto dinner without me" She wiped her face, grabbed her cloak and started for the door; just as she was about to reach it, she turned to her husband and opened her mouth to say something, but she changed her mind and left without a word.

"This is simply unbelievable!" muttered Snape, helping himself to some of his rapidly-dwindling bottle of Firewhisky "Potter proposing to my wife, to Svetlana….. the idea is simply ludicrous!!! But she has no reason to lie, and she seemed ashamed of even having to admit it….. and it would explain the boy's attitude when he avoided her eyes here, but keeps staring at her in the Great Hall. And what about the hug at the funeral?! The miscreant shows no respect! But I still cannot believe it….. he might be Potter's son, and Black's godson, but *this*?" The Potions Master sipped at his drink and sighed "But, then again, hasn't the boy broke every single rule in the book? Why would he stop at this? And Svetlana is quite attractive, even for her age….. she's beautiful!!! If it's true, and I had him in for tea and cookies, the scoundrel will regret it!!!" With that final promise, Snape moved to his desk and started on the surprise quiz again.

Outside, in the Hogwarts grounds, a slight black figure braved the roaring wind towards the freshly-dug grave of Mrs Mandy McGonagall. Clutching the bouquet, Svetlana gave leaden step after leaden step, dreading her next duty. Inside, she felt glad the first part of her new plan had apparently worked, but she knew there was a lot to be done still, and none of it as easy as lying to Severus. Finally, she reached the marble headstone and checked her watch: five minutes to the exact time when Mandy had died.

Minutes passed slowly, heavy clouds filtering the uncertain moonlight. Svetlana clutched the flowers tightly, drawing out the small charm she had hidden between them and preparing herself for a nasty shock; it came in the form of a sliver mist shooting out of the removed soil and taking the shape of a very angry Mandy McGongall. The ghost hovered for a minute, her eyes adjusting to the light and finally spotting the witch in front of her.

"You?!" said the hollow voice, resounding like a cracking bell.

"Hi, Mandy" said Svetlana softly, raising her head and looking at the phantom sadly.

"How could you?" wailed Mandy, whirling in the air.

"I had to. I am sorry" muttered Svetlana, not hoping to be heard.

"Sorry? Sorry for what, exactly? For putting me under the Imperius and making me hang and Petrify myself in the Great Hall? For poisoning me afterwards, and leaving me to suffer the pain of that horrible death, immobile and within sight of the entire school?" Mandy flew excitedly through the stormy air, re-living the events leading to her death and throwing them in the face of her murderer. "Remember drawing out your wand and performing the Imperius while we were all trying to avoid the flying armchairs? How you made me leave the Hall unnoticed and find the rope and box you had hidden in a corner of the Entrance Hall? How you forced me to cut my own arm to write that notice, how you made me hang  myself, Petrify myself…..? And then, while I hung there, the tiny prick of a needle as you made your way past me, how you pushed the box away with your skirts even as you knew I was convulsing behind you….." Mandy's eyes were glowing furiously, and she looked almost corporeal as she floated in front of Svetlana. "Is that what you're sorry for?"

"No, I'm sorry for this" answered the Russian witch, drawing out the amulet she had kept hidden and showing it to the ghost; a few muttered words, Latin mixed with Celtic, and the ghost began to disintegrate, thin silver hands unsuccessfully trying to grab the air to stop itself from being sucked into the silver charm. Finally, the ordeal was over, and all that remained was an apparently undisturbed grave and a somehow tarnished charm.

Svetlana sighed and wiped her brow: she had always hated exorcising ghosts, but never before had she had to do one that she herself had killed, and even less a dear one like Mandy. Looking around, and satisfied that no-one had seen that particular firework display, she started making her way back under the pouring rain she had just began to notice.

Harry went back to his dorm after the funeral, with a whirlwind of thoughts going through his head. Thoughts of death, of revenge, of grief, of confusion, but also thoughts of how nice Svetlana smelled, then warmth she gave out through her black robes and her strange reaction to his hug. He wondered if it had been an inappropriate gesture. He had seen everyone hugging everyone, and knowing that Svetlana had been particularly affected by Mandy's death, and given the conversation they had had….. he considered it natural, but looking back on it, it didn't seem such a good idea. He blushed when he remembered the nice feeling of her figure pressed lightly against him, and how she had tensed and drawn away. Merlin, the woman probably thought he had been hitting on her! She didn't have a reason to do so, because he had seen her interact with Draco, and casual touches were frequent, but….. he wasn't Draco, that was for sure, and maybe his action had been misinterpreted.

Harry groaned and buried his head on his pillow; everyone was gone for dinner, but he had said he wasn't hungry. How was he going to face Svetlana again, after The Incident? He silently hoped Snape hadn't noticed, because the teacher was sure to skin him alive if as much as a suspicion came into his warped mind; and it would be a pity, now that he was behaving so humanly….. Harry's stomach growled and the boy decided that maybe he *was* hungry; he took his Invisibility Cloak and Marauder's Map and slipped into the common room and out of the portrait. Lighting his wand in a dark corner, he checked to see if everyone was gathered in the Great Hall for dinner before heading for the kitchens. Outside the meal, there were only the faint dots of the ghosts, Filch up in a storage room and …… Svetlana Snape, outside in the grounds? Harry looked out the window to watch the pouring rain and back at the map. There she was, next to Mandy's tomb. Was there one or two dots there? The light wasn't very good, but when he directed his wand to the map, he saw it was only the Russian witch, and she appeared to be making her way back.

//She might need help// reasoned Harry, holding back the shame and thrill of seeing her again. He folded the map and started making the long way down to the Entrance Hall. He reached it soon, and partly took off his Invisibility Cloak, not wanting it to get wet, and not wanting to scare Svetlana by appearing out of thin air suddenly either. He started to walk towards the door when it creaked open and not one, but two figures went in. Harry hastily retreated behind a pillar, not wanting to use the Cloak in case its shimmering light called the attention of whoever was entering.

"I heard the rain while I was eating, and remembered Severus had said you were out….. what possessed you to go out in this weather?" said Draco Malfoy's voice in the darkness. Svetlana didn't answer, but took off her soaking cloak and shook it; in that precise moment, the door to the Great Hall opened and a ray of light illuminated the pillar, and Harry.

"Mr Potter, be done with whatever mischief you are carrying out behind that column, and join your fellow students at dinner. Ten points from Gryffindor" said Snape's icy voice; his black eyes glinted dangerously as a red-faced Harry folded his Invisibility Cloak and went into the Great Hall, not daring to look back. "Svetlana, I suggest you go back to your quarters and change out of those wet clothes; I'll see that the house-elves provide you with dinner" Svetlana silently complied, shooting a final grateful look to Draco, who gave her a nervous smile in return.

"What the Hell was Potter doing there?!" muttered Draco sullenly once she was gone, giving an inquiring look to a *very* angry Severus Snape, who didn't answer, unless glowering at the Boy Who Lived across the Hall could be considered an answer. Draco followed his Head of House towards the Slytherin table, and he swore the teacher was muttering something that went like 'If he ever goes near her again I'll rip his head off and use it as a potion ingredient', but he didn't put two and two together until he was seated and half-way through his meal. Then he chocked on his roast pheasant, prompting Blaise to give him an inquiring look and a pat in the back. //Was it me he was talking about or was it….. Potter? Potter spying on Svetlana? That would explain his dazed looks from time to time. I swear, Potty, if it is what I think it is, you won't have to worry about Snape killing you, because I'll get you first….. don't you know that I have a whole house behind me, ready to jump at my words? Be very careful, Potty, I don't even need an excuse to kill you…..//