Chapter Thirty-Four

Snakes and Unicorns

"Are you sure you know where you are going?" Heph asked.

"Yes, of course. I can sense where he is… I'm not sure how," Aurelius said, "Although I admit he's never made me go in quite this far before. In fact, this is the first time I've been past the brook."

"I swear, Aurelius, this had better be no sort of joke. If I find out you've been making this Unicorn business up, I swear I'll hire someone to kill you," Stock said.

"Never mind that, I'll kill him," Heph volunteered.

"Why is your wand doing that, Aurelius?" Stock asked, glancing at the shimmering wand. "You have a spell ready on it?"

"Oh, no, it always does that when we're getting close," Aurelius said. "I guess it's because of the Unicorn Horn in it."

"What? You never told us that!" Heph said. "A Slytherin with a Unicorn Horn wand?"

"Your parents let you go to school with that?" Stock stared. "That settles it, divorce them."

"It's not like they picked it out," Aurelius sighed. "And despite how much of a pain in the arse it is to have them as parents, I certainly don't want to divorce them. Besides, I don't mind the wand so much anymore. You'll understand why when you see Pali, there's nothing nancy about him."

But as they walked, Aurelius couldn't help but notice that his wand was glowing much more brightly then it ever had before, growing more intense with each step until suddenly he stopped to stare at it in amazement.

"Okay, what's going on now?" Heph demanded, staring at Aurelius' obviously puzzled expression.

"I'm not sure," Aurelius murmured. Then he heard a neigh and looked up, the neigh followed by a series of other neighs like the answer to a call, and Aurelius' eyes widened in realization, backing up as Pali appeared to gaze at him before turning back into the forest. "Come on," Aurelius said.

"So there really is a Unicorn," Heph whispered to Stock, impressed in spite of himself.

"A lot scruffier looking than I had imagined," Stock murmured back.

The two of them then saw there was a break in the trees up ahead and stepped into a meadow, covered with sparkling snow and ice that glittered in the moonlight. But that was not the only thing that was sparkling, for standing gathered in a herd before them was a group of over a dozen Unicorns, watching Pali intently as he led Aurelius over to them.

"Coming?" Heph asked, eager to get a closer look. But Stock had a strange, grey look in his face, his feet feeling like lead in his boots.

"Coming where? I'll stay right here, thank you," Stock said, his voice sounding shaky and perhaps a little angry. "It's just a bunch of nags with horns. I hate animals," he said with disdain. Heph shrugged, even though he had a strange feeling there was more to it than that as he cautiously walked forward.

They were beautiful, every one, and oddly enough even Pali seemed regal standing with the rest of them. He was nearly a full hand taller, standing over them like a revered prince, shaking his mane a bit as he let out a low, short neigh. In response the rest of the Unicorns came forward to meet Aurelius, holding out their heads to him companionably as he reached out to touch each one in turn.

"So this is your family?" Heph heard Aurelius say when he got close. Pali neighed a bit as if in response. "My family? Oh, well, they're not all here yet. Next year we will be, why?"

"Don't tell me you talk Unicorn as well?" Heph asked skeptically.

"No," Aurelius said, turning towards him with a distant hazy expression and an intense look as if having to concentrate to answer at all. "It's, well, it's more inside than outside. Almost as if the meaning has to travel through me before it reaches my head."

"Do you think one would let me touch them?" Heph asked nervously.

"Ask one," Aurelius shrugged.

"All right," Heph said, picking the one with the least threatening looking horn. "Mind if I pet you?" he asked. Shyly the young golden filly took a step away, whinnying softly. The Unicorn beside her seemed to respond and she timidly moved forward again, lowering her nose just long enough for Heph to get in a gentle nose pat before shying away again.

"That's Jule," Aurelius murmured, still petting Pali. "She's Pali's niece. Esta there is her mother. The one with the long mane on the other side is Cody, Pali's younger brother. I don't really know any of the extended family yet."

"Stock! Come on over, it's all right, really!" Heph coaxed. Frisky little Jule, who hadn't noticed the other boy until then, took a few curious steps over to look at him. Then she suddenly neighed and put her head down, baring her horn as she backed away from him and then ran to hide behind her mother.

"Thanks, but no thanks," Stock said, watching them warily. "Come on, we saw the Unicorns. Time to get back to the school before we get caught. It's freezing out here."

"Use that warm spell Professor Weasley taught us," Heph said with a sigh. But there was no denying that neither the Unicorns nor Stock wanted to have anything to do with one another. Reluctantly, Heph turned to Aurelius, who still had that strangely distant look on his face. "He's probably right, actually. We should be getting back."

"I can't," Aurelius said. "Pali wants me to go with him. Stay here, you'll be safe."

"What?"

Pali knelt and Aurelius climbed on board and a strange change came over his expression, not even looking at Heph as Pali quickly stood and bolted off into the forest. The rest of the Unicorns seemed unconcerned with their leaving as well as Heph's presence among them as they all broke out of the line, grouped like a normal herd of beasts as if nothing had happened at all.

"What is going on? Why did you let him do that?" Stock shouted at Heph.

"What did you expect me to do about it?" Heph shouted back, walking towards him.

"Stop him, of course! Who knows what he's going to do to him! This is not normal Unicorn behavior, you know. They're loners, they avoid us, and if we had any sense, we'd avoid them. I can't believe you talked me into this. And now he's out there totally bewitched, heading to his death most likely."

"The way you talk you sound like they're Nightmares or something," Heph said, eyeing him. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were actually afraid of them."

"I'm not afraid of anything," Stock said, "But you seem to be completely oblivious to our current situation. Didn't you see Rel's eyes when he got on that thing? It's like he wasn't even there, that thing stole his soul!" Heph sighed and looked at the others, who were gathered strangely together, pawing at the icy meadow almost experimentally.

"You're right, he was acting a little odd," Heph admitted. "But it seems to me if they meant any harm, they could have done worse. We'll just have to wait here until he gets back."

"Not bloody likely. I'm going back to bed," Stock said.

"What, and just leave him out here alone?" Heph said with alarm.

"He's not alone, he's with that mongrel Unicorn of his. Have you ever seen such an ugly creature? Not exactly pure, was he? No wonder Rel can ride him," Stock snorted.

"Um, Stock, I think they understand you," Heph murmured, looking nervously at the herd. Stock looked over to see that the Unicorns' heads were raised and looking in their direction, their ears perked almost attentively. Suddenly they began to move forward and Stock and Heph began to back up unsurely.

"I didn't mean it, I was only joking!" Stock protested loudly when he suddenly bumped into something behind him. Turning around in surprise he broke into a scream of horror, Heph following suit when he realized who it was.

Severus grabbed them both by the shoulders, pulling them harshly away from the herd and glaring at them with a look ready to kill.

"What exactly did you three think you were doing? Have you any idea how many rules you've broken, what danger you could be in here, the consequences of putting a professor at risk having to come and fetch you? Where is Aurelius?" Severus demanded. Heph was still trying to come up with some sort of diplomatic answer when Stock blurted it out.

"He got a funny look and took off, sir," he said, pointing back at the herd. "Riding one of them!" Stock said. Severus stared at him for a long time.

"I'm sorry, but I'm sure I misheard you. Do you mean to tell me…" Severus became distracted as the Unicorns came closer again, looking over to see that the entire pack were now cautiously moving toward the other figure that had been standing beside him a few moments before.

Jennifer couldn't believe it… real Unicorns! And so many of them! She couldn't help but hold her breath as little by little they inched their way towards her as a group until they all paused just a few feet away. Then slowly one by one each one lowered their head and knelt in front of her in an act of such reverence that she was completely overwhelmed.

"Oh please, don't do that!" she pleaded softly. "Nothing as beautiful as any of you should kneel to anyone, certainly not to me. Did any of you know Keki?" Esta and Cody took steps forward, and Jennifer cautiously put a hand out and touched Esta's neck, a warmth spreading through her. "You're Keki's daughter!" Jennifer wasn't sure how she knew it… something in the touch had told her. "And you're her son!" she realized touching Cody. "And you've an older brother, but where is he?"

Suddenly a filly sidled up between Cody and Jennifer as Esta's daughter demanded attention, and Jennifer wrapped her arms around her while the rest gathered around curiously.

"Oh, God, what did I almost do?" Severus murmured to himself. Heph and Stock glanced at each other with equally puzzled expressions at the exchange between the herd and Jennifer.

"She has that same funny look on her face that Rel had," Heph said after a moment. "Is she going to take off on us too?"

"No. There can only be one Unicorn, and she is gone," Severus said, sounding a bit strange. Suddenly he seemed to be aware of the two boys again. "Which way did the Unicorn take Aurelius?"

"Across the hill, towards Hogsmeade," Stock said.

"Then there can be only one place they can be going," Severus said, suddenly letting them go. "Stay here until I return. If either of you leave Madame Craw for one instant and I find out, I'll have you both expelled," he snarled at them threateningly. A moment later, he was gone.

"Think he was serious?" Stock asked thoughtfully. Heph nodded firmly, turning a rock he found into a bench and sitting down. Stock took a seat beside them while Jennifer stood with the herd, completely oblivious to both of them. "By the way, the next time you want to follow Aurelius, I'm not going."

The scent of pine and frost was in the air as Pali raced through the Forest and literally through the trees as if they weren't even there with a grace that made Colossus seem clumsy in comparison. Nothing else seemed to exist but Pali and himself, and Aurelius could barely believe the intense thrill that was going through them as they galloped at a pace he had never ridden before with such sure footing that he nearly forgot about the ice underneath them. As they finally began to slow, a tingle went through him that he couldn't explain as they entered a grove of majestic trees, perfectly spaced along cobbled paths. There was a timelessness there, and a feeling of safety like Aurelius had never felt before. Reluctantly at Pali's suggestion, Aurelius slipped off of his back, noticing then a feeling that he hadn't before, a strange familiarity that he couldn't place at that moment. It was important, he knew, but what could possibly be important besides himself and Pali, Aurelius couldn't fathom.

Pali paused then and neighed, and Aurelius knew then that Pali was thinking of his mother. Aurelius patted him comfortingly. He knew what it was like to lose a mother. But strangely, Pali didn't seem to feel any remorse. Why that was so, Aurelius didn't think he quite understood. It had something to do with the grove, he knew. He should know this, why couldn't he remember? All he truly understood was that it was very important to Pali to be with his mother tonight, and that the Unicorn had chosen to share that moment with him. He wasn't even aware when someone else came up the path and paused there, watching the two of them for a long time as they stood where the paths met… where the horn had been buried.

"Aurelius," Severus said at last, reluctantly coming a step closer and hesitating as Pali looked over at him. But Pali seemed to understand, bobbing his head slightly and backing up out of respect to allow Severus to put a hand on the boy. Aurelius turned with surprise, giving his father a long hard look as if trying to remember who he was. "Come along, Aurelius, it's time to go back to school. And in the morning, you and I are going to have to have a long talk."

Jennifer woke the next morning to bright rays of sunshine peering through the window, breaking through the layer of grey that had been prevalent over the last week. She glanced to the other side of the bed, but as usual no one was there. She got up and peeked into Severus' study, but apparently he wasn't there either. Glancing at the clock, she got cleaned up and dressed for class, hurrying down the staircases already filled with students going to breakfast or their early doubles.

As she got to the main floor, she couldn't help but notice the large amount of students outside of the Great Hall looking at the main point counters for the school, viewing them with complete bewilderment and in the case of Slytherin house sheer horror.

Camille and Xavier cussed outright when they saw that their two hundred point lead had dropped a hundred and fifty points overnight. To make matters worse, the Gryffindor's points had gone up forty, making them only ten points behind the leaders.

"What the hell is this?" Camille said after the shock began to wear off.

"No one has come to me about it yet," Xavier said. Stock and Heph, who had been lingering in the back took a step nearer.

"Call a meeting tonight," Camille snapped. "Wait until I get a hold of who's responsible for this. There are going to be some heads rolling for sure." Stock and Heph looked at each other again, then turned down the corridor as quickly as they could, deciding it might be wiser to let Camille cool off a bit first.

Jennifer's eyes followed them knowingly, shaking her head with a slight smile before continuing across and over to the main classrooms, passing a very glum Aurelius in the hallway. She slipped into the Defense room, and seeing Severus' office door slightly open she went inside to find him staring into a cup.

"Bad coffee?" Jennifer asked.

"Not as good as yours," Severus said, earning a warm smile in return. "I'm afraid I'll have to skip lunch today. I have an appointment with Dumbledore."

"About Aurelius?" Jennifer asked. Severus nodded, looking slightly irritated.

"Aurelius seems to have been bonded the Halloween before last, well before Dumbledore left for his little sabbatical. Strange that he didn't tell us that Aurelius was bonded then when he was nearly killed by a Manticore."

"A Manticore?" Jennifer repeated, slightly startled.

"Yes, our son got it into his head to dare another student to spend the night in the forest. Now I am beginning to see why we've had so much trouble keeping him out of it since."

"But Severus, what are we going to do? I mean, I agree that students shouldn't be allowed in there considering how wild it is, but how could we possibly keep him out of it? Even if we sat on him, shackled him to his bed… whatever. If Pali calls him, he'll have to go, he wouldn't be able to help himself."

"Yes, I know," Severus sighed, getting up to organize his books for the day. "That's one of the things I plan to talk to Dumbledore about. Perhaps he'll have some sort of solution. I'll talk to you about it at dinner."

"Actually, would you object to seeing me sooner?" Jennifer said, Severus looking at her questioningly. "I have a conference today, and I was wondering if perhaps you'd let me sit in on one of your classes."

Severus stared at her.

"Why on earth would you want to do that?"

"Oh, well, you know Minerva and Albus have been trying to get me more used to teaching and all… they want me to teach a normal class again next year, so I was thinking that maybe observing some other classes might be useful?" Jennifer said with a grin, Severus' gaze looking less than enthusiastic about the idea. "Oh, come on, Severus, you know I've been just dying to see you teach."

"No," Severus said firmly. "I don't want you or anyone else in my classroom when I teach. I'm not going to have you or anyone else criticizing my teaching styles and I am not going to subject myself to any condition where it looks like it's being observed."

"Why are you getting so defensive? I thought it'd be fun," Jennifer said with exasperation.

"Under no circumstances. I prefer to work without an audience!" Severus snapped.

"And what's the class itself if not an audience?" Jennifer asked him.

"That is not what I meant. I don't want you or anyone else in my classroom when I'm teaching. I'm sure there's plenty of more useful things you could be doing instead. Now, if you don't mind, I do have an early class," he said, motioning her to do the door. She stood and stared at him with a frown as he waved her out over and over again until she finally left.

The Great Hall was bustling with activity, but no more then at the end of the Gryffindor table where students had gathered around Andrew and Halbert, adding scones and other tidbits to their breakfast plates in a sort of strange homage that seemed quite appreciated by both of them. Jennifer went over to the table curiously, smiling at them.

"And what's all this about? I hope I didn't miss a birthday," Jennifer asked.

"Doctor Sagittari gave Halbert and I fifteen points each for helping him take care of the animals after the ice storm!" Andrew said cheerfully. "And Rose got ten yesterday afternoon for helping Professor Sprout, and now we're almost tied with Slytherin!"

"Alex and Mandria got points for their house too," Rose put in. Jennifer glanced behind her at the other table where Alex was chatting excitedly to Mandria.

"Madame Craw, do you have any idea what happened to tank Slytherin's points last night?" Ted Gaffney asked curiously.

"Oh, I think you can just ask the one Snape not in a good mood today about that one," Jennifer said before moving on towards the staff room. Andrew turned around to look at the Slytherin table where Stock, Heph, and Aurelius were poking at their breakfast.

In the break room, Minerva and Hermione were talking quietly over their coffee when Jennifer came in.

"Hello, Jennifer! Are you and Glen ready for the big test crunch?" Hermione asked.

"Glen thinks that if they don't know what they need to pass their tests by now, they never will," Jennifer said with a grin as she got herself a cup. "But I'm making up a study guide for them."

"From what I've been hearing you've been doing a splendid job getting reacquainted," Minerva smiled. "And I am so glad. It just wasn't the same here when you were gone."

"Minerva, I was wondering something," Jennifer said, sitting down in the offered chair beside them. "Is it completely unheard of for someone on staff to want to observe some of the other classes?"

"Not at all. I rather like to encourage it for some of our newer teachers. In fact, Hermione here started out as a librarian and observed quite a bit with Filius before she got her position."

"It was much different watching the class as a staff member than it was sitting in it as a student," Hermione agreed. "Rather like the first time I had a chance to talk to Severus on this side of the staff room, boy was that an experience," she chuckled thinking back.

"You know it's interesting that you mention that," Jennifer said with a sigh. "I asked Severus this morning if it'd be all right if I observed his class and he nearly bit my head off. What do suppose is wrong that he'd snap like that? He's never really done it before."

"Oh, did he?" Minerva said, exchanging a knowing glance with Hermione. "Well, we'll just have to see about that. You know, I think you are right, doing a few class observations would be good for you, and do you know, I especially think that Severus would benefit from the experience as well and I'm also sure Dumbledore would agree. I think I'll go talk to the headmaster about it now, as a matter of fact," she said getting up, Hermione quickly moving to follow.

"Oh, please don't bother. I don't want him upset with me over this thing, it really doesn't matter, really," Jennifer protested.

"Oh no, I insist. Besides, I hardly think it'll be you he'll be mad at. But we will give him a few days warning to prepare his class, so I'll let you know later this afternoon which day to schedule it," Minerva smiled at her, "Have a good day, Jennifer."

"You are absolutely wicked sometimes, you know that Minerva?" Hermione murmured when they were out the door.

"Would you have passed up an opportunity like that?" Minerva asked her with an enigmatic smile.

"Definitely not," Hermione grinned. "Boy would I like to be a student again just for a day so I could sit in that class," she chuckled before breaking off to head to her classroom.