Morgan usually looked forward to her planning period, but not today, she had too much on her mind. She sighed as she gave up on grading homework and contented herself with staring out of her window. She watched as a flock of birds rose out from the shadows of the Forbidden Forest and flew over the quidditch pitch.
She drummed her fingers against the window, looking for a more permanent distraction. She suddenly found herself hoping that Severus would return earlier than he had been planning on. She rested her hand against her flat stomach and fought back tears as she wished that her husband could be with her right now. "It's no use wishing for something that won't happen, you know he said he wouldn't be back till the end of the week," she scolded herself.
"Feeling sorry for ourselves now are we?"
"Minerva, I didn't here you come in," Morgan turned and tried to plaster on a smile for the headmistress.
"It's no good girl; you always have been bad at hiding your emotions. We both know that as slippery as Eric can be, your husband is perfectly safe with him in Paris, so stop worrying about him," Minerva spoke in her usual brisk, business-like manner, but not unkindly. She felt a special affection for the potion master's wife. Morgan had been one of her favorite students, a bright girl, who had found in Minerva a semblance of the mother she had lost.
Morgan sighed softly, "Its not that, I mean, yes I do worry about him. But I just feel like I need him here, I can't explain it..."
"You're probably just tired and feeling a bit run-down," Minerva patted her arm reassuringly, "I know what its like, there were times when I was feeling down, and I thought that if I could just see my Aidan everything in the world would be right. You just need to get more rest."
"I suppose so."
"Good girl, now I want you to come have tea with me today, I'd like to discuss possibilities for a new text book for your NEWT classes, some idiot decided that the book we have been using for your upper level Ancient Runes classes should go out of print."
Morgan couldn't help smiling, there were times when Minerva still treated her like a student, "of course Minerva, I would love to have tea with you, and maybe between the two of us we can come up with a particularly nasty letter to write to those incompetent gits at the publishers.
"You're quiet today; I gather that this silence is due to the fact that Severus spent last night telling you what kind of monster I really am?" Eric's silky tone did not quite mask the malice behind the words.
Kalliope leveled him with her calm gaze, "he did tell me the truth about you, however that is not the reason for my silence, I was merely worrying about what kind of trouble my ward is getting herself into in my absence."
"Yes, I can see the cause for your concern, after all, she is not really human, there could be difficulties leaving one of her kind alone in the wizarding world."
Kalliope was only able to mask her surprise at Eric's simply put observation thanks to many years of hiding her emotions at the temple, "how did you know?" her tone was cool, and didn't belie the raging emotions she was feeling.
"The priestesses of your temple and the ladies of Avalon are not the only ones who are able to See, granted that I use a device of my own creation to do so, and I don't rely on this 'goddess' that you claim has control over your visions. But, I have my ways..."
"Do not belittle my goddess," Kalliope responded automatically, while her mind was racing.
"You really should tell the girl, she deserves to know her lineage."
"I'm afraid that the truth will hurt her."
"Or maybe you're afraid that if she knows the truth she will seek out her real parents and abandon you, after all, her father is at..."
"That's enough!" Kalliope drew herself up to her full height, exuding all the regality of her position as a priestess. "I will tell her when the time is right."
Eric laughed, a dry wheezing sound, "I admire your courage girl, I would kill most people who would dare talk to me like that, but there is something about you..."
"I fear no man, why should you be any different?"
"Brave words from a woman who has been violated by more than one man."
"When one has faced the evils that I have, when they have been subjected to the humiliations that I have, when they have suffered the losses that I have, then there is nothing left to fear, I have seen the worst that life has to offer me, I can live without fearing what will be waiting for me along the path of life."
"Well put girl. But take the advice of a man more than old enough to be your grandsire, listen to what your heart tells you is right. You know that your girl is ready to here the truth about her parentage, and as much as you fear losing her, it may be that she will reject her parents and claim you as the mother of her heart."
"Hey Weasel!" Alberto spoke softly as he came to Charlie's side.
"I hope you realize you're about the only person I let get away with that nickname."
"It's because I'm so charming," Alberto grinned, displaying several gold teeth.
"Not hardly. By the way, I like the eye-patch, it really helps that pirate look you're always striving for."
"Thanks amigo, you're the only one who ever liked my pirate look, I've missed working with you. Sometimes Romania seems like ages ago..."
"And this from a man who is only twenty-six, you sound like an old man the way you talk."
Alberto shrugged, "at least I still have the virility of a young man, that's all I ask for. Anyways, I came over here to tell you that you need to go stem the tide of the sea of raging hormones. If you don't do something soon that pack of girls might just jump our poor, unsuspecting Zach as soon as class is over."
Charlie glanced over at the group of girls who were whispering together, "wow... I think you're right, I think we need to warn Zach."
Charlie walked around the back of the group of gathered students. He stopped behind the group of girls, most of whom he noted were in Gryffindor, and cleared his throat softly. He smiled when the chatter stopped instantly.
"I'm going to interrupt you here Zach since class is almost over. I want twelve inches on the dietary habits of Common Welsh Greens from all of you for next time, class dismissed," Charlie caught Alberto's eye, and shook his head at the dark, younger man who was grinning broadly, "ladies, a quick word before you head to your next class..."
"This is so unfair!" Serena was in a rather violent mood as they made their way to Defense Against the Dark arts, their last class of the day. "I mean, I have no problem with Potter, and Potions is almost better with him filling in for Dad, but I can't believe he gave us homework."
"I don't mind, I actually think it's a rather good assignment," Dierna said as she looked over her notes.
"Then you won't mind doing it for me, will you?" Nick asked as he slid an arm around Dierna's shoulders.
"Not a chance, do your own homework."
"I'm hurt, I let you copy my Herbology notes and our assignment last week and this is the thanks I get," Nick put on a hurt tone.
"Yeah, well deal with it, Longbottom may not notice if I copied your work, but my Dad sure as hell will notice if you copy mine."
"But he's not here to grade it, is he?"
"Nice try Nick, but if you had been listening you would have heard Potter say that this is an assignment our Dad left, he's going to grade it when he gets back."
"Damn..."
"As soon as you two are finished come look at this," Serena grinned as she pointed towards the courtyard.
"When are you going to give us the help that we were promised Eric?" Severus' tone was dangerously smooth.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Eric coolly replied as he measured a vile of something that Severus didn't doubt was human blood.
"Then let me refresh your memory, you promised me a list of names of all those in the Ministry who are working towards the return of the dark lord," Severus towered over the older man, "I want the names now Eric!" he hissed.
"You'll have them when I'm ready."
"NOW ERIC! WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!" Severus grabbed Eric by the front of his robes.
Eric narrowed his eyes and whispered an incantation under his breath, he looked pleased with himself when Severus let go of him as he gasped for air, "perhaps I'll just let you die Severus, watching you choke to death will provide a bit of entertainment for me."
"Stop this now!" Kalliope stopped Eric's curse with a wave of her hand, "We won't get anything done if the two of you can't work together, no matter how bad both of your tempers are."
"Yes Eric, listen to the priestess, it's time you decided where your loyalties lie," Severus rubbed his throat as he glared at Eric. He had known that it would be only a matter of time before something like this happened. "When are you going to stop helping the enemy and give us your full support?!"
"THE ENEMY?! Dammit Severus, you should know better than anyone that there is no good or evil, no matter what the fools you are surrounded by believe. Do you honestly believe that you can classify whatever benefits you as 'good' and say that the whims of others fall on the side of evil?!" Eric's already mutated face was further distorted by rage.
"Eric, look at what happened the last time..."
"And you know that I feel responsible for that, if I could have stopped it I would have, but it was too late!"
Kalliope looked back and forth between the two enraged wizards, and she couldn't help thinking that this always seemed to be the way men dealt with differences, with a complete lack of rationality.
"You know what Voldemort and his followers are capable of Eric, how can you not consider that a cause worth fighting for?!"
"And how can you consider it to be one worth dying for?! Because they want you dead Severus, all of his supporters do, it is only a matter of time, and then things will be as they were before..."
"Then help us! You have always said that your family is dead to you. Why don't you listen to yourself, your family is on one side and I'm on the other, you may hate us both but you always respected Albus, what side do would he want you to take?" Severus lowered his voice to just above a whisper, but it seemed to echo against the stone walls of Eric's laboratory.
Eric stood where he was, not moving, "my family is none of your concern Severus."
"It will be if things keep going as they are."
After a long moment of silence Eric reached into his robes and withdrew a roll of parchment which he handed over to Severus, "all the names and positions of those that have infiltrated the Ministry of Magic are here, use it wisely."
"I think our baby sister may have finally learned how to stand up for herself," Serena couldn't help grinning as Dierna and Nick joined her, "you missed it, she just hexed some 5th year Slytherin."
"Yeah, and it looks like his friends are going to try and retaliate," Nick commented, as he surveyed the scene in the courtyard, where Nimue and Ophelia were being threatened by two burly Slytherins, while a third one was frantically trying to do something about the tentacles that had sprouted out of his ears.
"Hmmm... looks like we might have to intervene, but after the way Connor was ogling me today between classes it might be kinda fun to hex a few Slytherins," Dierna's eyes sparkled as she contemplated revenge and reached for her wand.
"Hold that thought Dierna, you've already gotten into trouble for fighting, and I don't need to have one of my Chasers suspended," Nick held Dierna back, "besides, we might have to end up saving a Slytherin instead, I think your little sister's bullies are going to take on one of their own."
"Oh no, you'd think that he would have more sense then this," Serena groaned as she vaulted over a low wall and sprinted across the courtyard, Dierna and Nick right behind her.
But they were too late, Brandon Potter had already thrown himself in front of his sister and Nimue, "leave them alone!" the little first year proclaimed as he glared up at his house mates, who looked ready to kill.
"Get out of the way kid, defending a measly pack of Gryffindors like that is a disgrace to the name of Slytherin," one of the hulking Slytherins flexed his muscles threateningly, "or I could just hex you too..."
"This is just getting worse," Serena mumbled as Mark suddenly thrust himself into the middle of things.
"Nott, Perkins, leave them alone."
"Drop it Mark," one of them growled, "you can't stop us."
"Yes I can," Mark replied coolly, "remember, I am a Prefect, and I would hate to have to report to our Head of House that you hexed his daughter..." he let the sentence hang as an open threat.
The gathered crowd seemed to hold their breath collectively as they watched the scene play out, then, as one, they relaxed as the bell rang and everyone, including Nott and Perkins, headed to class.
"My boyfriend is a moron," Serena groaned, "I just hope that his fellow Slytherins don't decide to pay him back for that little scene."
As the last class of the day finished Alberto made his way through a student choked hallway to catch up with his young colleague, "hey Zach!"
"Yeah?" the younger man looked up.
"You want to baby sit with me tonight?"
"Do I want to baby sit with you?" Zach echoed, thinking that this was completely out of character for his South American friend.
"I'll take that as a yes," Alberto grinned widely, "I want you to meet my goddaughter."
"How much further is it?" Sophia whined as she tried to keep up with the brisk pace Remus set as they walked into Hogsmead.
"Not far now, there's a Gladrags at the end of this street, we should be able to find you something a bit warmer to wear there."
They finished the walk in silence and at the end of the street Remus ushered Sophia in to a warm little shop, with a display of purple and silver robes in the window.
"Professor Lupin, what can I do for you today?" a plump witch in bright green robes with greying hair bustled forward.
"Nothing for me Winifred, but I have a young lady here who is desperately in need of some new robes.
"Dear me, you're quite right," Winifred pulled Sophia to her side, "the poor thing must be half frozen," she spoke to herself and clucked her tongue, "well, I can certainly do something to remedy this. Why haven't you been taking care of her better than this Professor? Never mind, never mind, just let me work." She moved incredibly fast for a woman of her size and she had soon dragged Sophia back to a fitting room and instantly had the girl in new robes that she began pinning up.
"What is that man thinking, letting a little thing like you come out in the cold dressed like you were," Winifred continued to have a one sided conversation.
"It's not his fault!" Sophia instantly came to Remus' defense, "I don't have anything warmer than what I came in."
Winifred looked up sharply, "be that as it may, if you were my daughter... well you're not, so I best keep my mouth shut, but still... hmph, single men like that don't know how to raise a girl, I guess the blame isn't all his..."
Sophia giggled, "He's not my father."
"Well in that case I suppose I can belittle him all I want," Winifred said with a wink, "but if you're not his, why did he bring you shopping?"
Sophia couldn't help smiling at the way this witch kept prying, "he's a friend of my guardian, she had to go to Paris so Remus is supposed to be looking after me. Does it have to be black?" Sophia suddenly changed the subject as she looked at her reflection in the large mirror, she wrinkled her nose at the dark fabric.
Winifred ignored the question, "where are you from dear? You have the most darling accent."
"Greece."
"Well there certainly isn't a thing wrong with your English, though some people, the way they treat foreigners these days, if you ask me..." Winifred continued to hold her one-sided conversation throughout the rest of the fitting. When she was finally satisfied she shooed Sophia back into the main room.
"How did it go?" Remus asked, his eyes laughing.
"She is one of the strangest women I've ever met," Sophia responded, her eyes wide.
"Well now Professor, how many robes do you want for this young lady?" Winifred joined them, her arms laden with fabric.