Chapter Seventeen

Hardly Silenced

"In the Dark Forest," Severus snapped as he paced his office, trying his best trying to calm down. "You were found unconscious near Donovan after attempting to take on a Manticore in the Dark Forest? Were you not paying any attention when you were told on the first day of school that the forest was off limits?"

"Yes, sir," Aurelius said quietly.

"This is completely unacceptable behavior, Mr. Snape, and completely unlike you. Until you came to this school, you had a perfect record and were revered by your teachers as a model student. Now your performance in the classroom is beginning to dwindle to unacceptable levels and you are daring upper classmen to endurance tests when you knew it would break nearly every rule possible. Not to mention the fact that you were out on Halloween when you were told to go straight to the house rooms after dinner without question!"

"I wasn't at dinner, sir, I was at the party. I wasn't there to hear any announcements," Aurelius said.

"Yes, and that was a privilege you didn't deserve, I see. Since you have obviously abused your leeway, don't be surprised not to have certain "privileges" in the future. In fact, any activities outside the building itself, including going to Quidditch games, are hereby revoked. You, Mr. Snape, are officially on a tight leash, and if you have any sense at all in that head of yours, you will do everything in your power to keep me from tightening it further. Trust me, you don't want to be on my short list," Severus said darkly before sitting down.

"All I was trying to do was teach that boorish Donovan that he wasn't as superior as he seems to think he is," Aurelius muttered.

"Good intentions are no excuse for breaking the rules," Severus snapped. "That'll be sixty points off for this incident, Aurelius. Explain that to your fellow housemates if you will. You'll serve your detention tomorrow at lunch… no, tomorrow's Sunday, make that Tuesday. Your mother has a late lunch that day," Severus said, scribbling himself a note.

"So you aren't telling her?" Aurelius said with surprise.

"This is a school matter as far as I'm concerned, Mr. Snape. She's not your advisor, I am. Of course, she will still probably find out if she suspects anything," Severus mused.

"I'll try to make sure that she won't," Aurelius said quickly, a strange look coming over his face as he met his father's eye.

"Fine. But next time any incident like this happens, I expect she will be told, and on a parental level," he warned him. "You are dismissed. Now go straight to your rooms. I don't want to hear of you wandering around."

Aurelius nodded expressionlessly, turning around and heading for the door. As he opened it, he was surprised to see Dumbledore standing there poised as if to knock. Dumbledore smiled warmly at him and excused himself, letting the boy pass before wandering into the office.

"Minerva said you were looking for me when you arrived. I hope you weren't too hard on him," Dumbledore said.

"Detention and sixty points, but that was hardly what I wanted to see you about…"

"Really?" Dumbledore mused. "Didn't Minerva tell you she deducted seventy five points from Conner?"

"Yes, and also mentioned you gave him twenty points and an automatic pass on a test for rescuing a student from a Manticore," Severus said curtly. "Aurelius is a first year and didn't know what he was getting into. Conner knew better."

"Yes, perhaps Minerva will accept that argument," Dumbledore agreed mischievously.

"I want to know why you didn't mention this incident before. Perhaps even on the night it happened?" Severus snapped, his hand clenched over the note.

"Now, Severus, we weren't even aware that Aurelius and Conner had gone until after you had left," Dumbledore said calmly.

"That was two days ago!" Severus said.

"You've been quite detained since then," Dumbledore said. Severus' dark look told exactly how much he cared for that reminder. "You had more than enough to deal with, Severus, the school matter could wait. You do agree that this was a school matter, don't you?" Severus' scowl turned into a knowing grimace.

"Fine, but in the future, I would like to be informed any time any of my students are involved in this severe of an offense in school policy," Severus said in a firm yet much less heated tone.

"Very well, Severus," Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "There is also something else about this issue that you should know about, being Aurelius' advisor. Something that I did not think appropriate to include in the letter."

"Yes?" Severus asked warily. Dumbledore's expression became more serious as he took a seat, gazing steadily at the other wizard.

"Severus, there are some things about Aurelius that I am not sure even I fully understand as of yet," he said quietly.

"The boy has some pinned up frustrations like many Slytherin who strive for perfection. I'm sure it'll sort itself out," Severus said unconcernedly, moving to straighten his desk a bit.

"That is not what I'm referring to," Dumbledore said in a tone that made Severus meet his gaze. "I am sorry, Severus, very truly sorry. But I was not able to reach Aurelius in time."

Severus blinked, trying to make some sense out of that admission.

"In time? You mean you had to use…"

"No, Severus. I mean that Aurelius had taken a full sting of Manticore poison right below his heart. I would have been too late to save him. The truth of the matter is that Aurelius should be dead," Dumbledore explained softly. Severus stared at Dumbledore for a long time.

"He hardly looked dead to me a moment ago," Severus said expressionlessly but his face had paled noticeably.

"Yes," Dumbledore mused. "Something saved him, although what I'm not sure. I do know he is not immune to poisons, and that he's just as human as we are."

"And just what do you mean to imply by that?"

"Only eliminating possibilities, Severus. But one thing I am sure of is that Aurelius seems to have some deep connection with the Dark Forest itself. Perhaps that connection had something to do with his still being here. Perhaps greater intervention was at work." Dumbledore leaned back, his gaze taking on a gentler look. "Your children all have some rather amazing strengths, Severus… some because of heritage, and others I think because of events that Jennifer went through carrying them. Aurelius seems to have a combination of both, and I think it'd be in our best interests to make sure that a student with such unknown potential is presented with plenty of avenues to lead him away from a wrong path if he happens to stumble onto one."

"As happened to me, you mean," Severus said, unwanted memories floating to the surface.

"Perhaps an even worse one," Dumbledore said seriously. "We cannot allow him to go without proper guidance. And of course, as his advisor, that would fall upon you." Dumbledore got up then, nodding gently at the haunted look on Severus' face. "He is not a bad boy, Severus, despite his mother's frustration with him. He is merely one that has trouble communicating with others. His talent for hiding things, I think, is to blame for that. But so long as he has his friends and siblings around him, I dare think we shouldn't be too concerned. It is when he is alone that he is in the most danger, and that is when I advise you to keep an eye on him." Severus nodded slowly. "Don't worry, Severus, I will be watching too. My, but you Snapes do tend to need some watching, don't you?" Dumbledore teased with a smile as he left the room.

Severus, however, felt quite deflated, and found himself reluctant to head towards his rooms. Should he tell her? Could he tell her? Perhaps she would just read him and know, as she most often did. Severus sighed. She was already worried about the boy, and adding this to it would only make it worse. Of course, every student could potentially turn out exceedingly good or exceedingly bad, Severus mused, although it was not often that Dumbledore pointed one out individually. Forcing himself up, Severus turned on his equipment and meticulously put together a complex potion, concentrating solely on his work before pouring them into two cups and carrying them upstairs.

They were still steaming when he arrived in his wife's study. Huddled over a table filled with class notes, Jennifer looked up with surprise, smiling when she saw him and gratefully taking one of the cups from his hand.

"I thought we might need these after the last few days," Severus said, putting his cup down long enough to organize her notes a bit to make room for himself at the table.

"Your customized Subtle Slumber," Jennifer said taking a sip contentedly. "I'll never forget the first time you made this for me. I dare think I had already started to fall for you, even as crass as you were."

"I am never crass," Severus said expressionlessly, making Jennifer chuckle.

"You were. You were horrid," Jennifer teased.

"Well, I suppose I can admit to be horrid now and again," Severus mused. Jennifer put down her work and got up and into her husband's lap, leaning her head against him as she sought a bit of comfort. It was then that Severus decided that now might perhaps not be the best time to bring up Aurelius.

"Oh, Severus, what are we going to do?" Jennifer sighed.

"I am sure I can come up with some suggestions," Severus offered.

"I mean about the Fomorians," Jennifer said, poking him gently in the chest. "I keep wondering if the Magus is all right, or if he's even alive. I can't imagine how angry Ciardoth was. And yet here we are… knowing where they are… and we can't do a thing about it. How can everyone just stand there and let this happen? How did standing up against such evil become so political?"

"Politics and evil have always gone hand in hand," Severus said dryly. "Voldemort would never have gotten as powerful as he had without them."

"But to be forced to stand by and do nothing? Something has to happen, someone has to talk to the goblins! Can't Boulderdash do something?"

"Boulderdash is a librarian with few holdings, and I don't think Dumbledore is ready to pull that card yet," Severus replied, putting an arm around her.

"What about old Grendelbane? Do you think he might be willing to say something?" Jennifer suggested.

"Not on our behalf, especially considering the goblins don't want us in any of their areas short of Gringotts, which means Myrkinbrek is off limits to us," Severus reminded her.

"And with Christmas on the horizon too," Jennifer muttered.

"Perhaps Corey might be willing to talk to him," Severus mused.

"I'm sure he would," Jennifer agreed, sitting up to look at him. "Let's go see him tomorrow. He's probably wondering by now what all the fuss is about in the paper anyhow," she admitted. "Besides, it'll make me feel like we're actually doing something besides sitting on our hands."

"Yes, tomorrow," Severus agreed, gazing intently at his wife. "Why don't you finish your potion and set aside your work so we can settle in for the night."

"Well, that look is quite readable," Jennifer teased, kissing him.

"You were the one who changed seats," Severus pointed out, taking but a sip of his potion before following her.


Alex heard a loud bump followed by an "Ow!" and sat straight up in her bed, glancing at the clock. It was well past midnight, and the fact that someone in Ravenclaw was doing something that late without her knowing it was enough to make her want to find out exactly what was going on.

"If I knew you were going to chip the frame, I never would have agreed to let you in," said a voice. It sounded suspiciously like the painting of Captain Flynn, a renowned Ravenclaw who sometimes sang sea shanties from where he hung between the dorm rooms.

"I am sorry," said a boy's voice she recognized at once. "But we are very grateful for your assistance."

"Andrew?" Alex whispered, throwing on her night robe and slipping out into the hall. She saw no one but knew better than to let that fool her, especially when she squinted at the painting through the dim light and saw someone else standing on the ship deck besides the captain himself. "Alicia? What are you two doing here?"

"Investigating, of course," said Andrew's voice from somewhere in front of her. "We've been busy since we got your note. So are you going to invite us in?"

"Hurry!" Alex hissed, holding her hand out for her sister who gratefully took it from where she stood in the painting, stepping out. Andrew was suddenly there as well, and Alex quickly closed the door, glancing over at her sleeping dorm mates. Cautiously she lit a candle on the study table in the corner, telling them to sit down but hushing them whenever the slide or squeak of the wooden chairs made any sound against the floor. "I swear if you're caught here, our parents are going to murder all of us. Couldn't you have left a note?"

"It wasn't our fault, we were just doing what you asked us," Andrew said. "The painting led us here."

"What painting?" Alex asked.

"The one I did of the cup with the Wine of Satyrs," Alicia explained. "We've been trying to get to it for hours now, since we got put to bed. But every time we keep ending up here."

"But in all sorts of odd places here," Andrew said, shaking his head. "The dungeons, the library, a tower hallway… we never seemed to be able to pinpoint one place. But I think I'm going to know this castle fairly well before next year if this keeps up. We even ended up going through the painting of an old woman leaning against the wall in some sort of supply room."

"She was torn something awful," Alicia said aggrieved. "I do hope Professor Dumbledore is going to get Mr. Pyther to fix it."

"But you did keep coming here to this castle?" Alex said insistently. "You really think the cup is here?"

"I suppose I could be wrong, perhaps I drew it wrong," Alicia murmured.

"You've never been wrong before, and we have ended up here every time, no matter how odd the rooms were," Andrew reassured Alicia. "Looks like the Quaffle is back on your side of the Pitch, Alex. The cup is somewhere in this building."

"But how can that be?" Alex said. "Why would anyone here steal that cup?"

"Well look on the bright side, there are a lot worse places it could be," Andrew pointed out.

"Perhaps one of the professors took it to try to keep it safe," Alicia suggested. "I'm sure their rooms have all sorts of magic locks on them. It might be why it kept throwing us around so."

"Yes, I could believe that short of stealing it," Alex said, "But it was stolen. And apparently by someone in this very school! Perhaps someone who for some reason wanted to start trouble between the Ministry and the goblins?"

"Seems to me that there is trouble enough without any help," Andrew said. "From what I've been hearing in the Ministry, this has been going on for years and it's just finally coming to a head. Not only that, the goblins blame the Ministry for Ciardoth even being down there. They're claiming they've been negligent in their duties for allowing her to remain free."

"As if they had a choice! The goblins have no idea yet what they're dealing with, do they?" Alex sighed. "Find out anything else?"

"No, it's a weekend, hardly anyone in the Ministry on weekends," Andrew shrugged. "Except maybe the fact that the Goblin Affairs office is moving from their closet into a nice location on the first floor. Got to love the invention of bureaucracy."

"Well, keep on it," Alex said almost absently, shaking her head.

"You don't suppose Mum and Father have anything to do with this, do you?" Alicia asked worriedly. "I don't think I could handle them getting into trouble again. Parents aren't supposed to get into trouble, we are."

"And that's exactly why we need to be the ones to find the cup," Alex concluded. "We have a lot less to lose if anything goes wrong."

"What do you suppose Aurelius is going to think about all of this?" Andrew mused, rather missing his brother's presence in their plotting.

"I'm not sure. I expect he'll be cautious, considering he's in a bit of trouble with the school right now for nearly getting himself killed," Alex said.

"Sad to think that's a crime now," Andrew said evenly. "Everyone ought to have the right to nearly get themselves killed now and again."

"Let's just hope we don't get in that type of trouble," Alicia said.

"Again," the three of them murmured in unison, grinning at each other.