The woman known as Lora heard a soft "Meow" and opened her swollen eyes. Her lips curved at the sight of the furry face close to hers. "Hello, Kitty."
Startled, the cat darted away. Lora slowly pushed herself to her feet. She was fortunate not to have been picked up as a vagrant sleeping on the street. With shallow breaths, she hugged her aching ribs and glanced at the row of houses before her, looking for the house numbers.
"Number five, number nine…c'mon, lucky number seven." She concentrated and a new house proceeded to materialise between its neighbours. On the door, a brass number seven gleamed.
She staggered forward and gave the door three short raps. After a moment, the door opened. "Goblin Green, my favourite," she said, gesturing towards the fresh paint.
Clever, dark eyes narrowed as the Goblin looked up at his visitor. His small, swarthy face tightened with concern. She was sure the morning sun highlighted every bruise. "Lorelei!" he gasped.
"Hello, Piper."
He gently grasped her arm with his long fingers and led her through the cluttered lounge to the kitchen beyond. "Sit down before you fall down."
Piper moved briskly around the small kitchen. He made tea, gathered certain items, and finally lifted a large box onto the table. He ran a hand across the intricately carved box. "I knew you'd need this when you didn't turn up last night." He tutted loudly. "I've worried these last seven summers that this would happen. Bound to, really, working for that lot. Ministry Intelligence my arse—a load of old tosh is more like."
"I've thanked Merlin every day since I met you that first summer," Lorelei said.
"Too right," Piper replied. "You were a good singer, my dear, but a horrible spy." He gave a bark of laughter, displaying a mouthful of sharp white teeth. "How you cried when you realised we'd charmed our posters to encourage attendance at our concerts!" He chuckled. "It broke your heart to think our little group might end up in Azkaban."
"I confessed, we got rid of the evidence, and pledged eternal friendship over a bottle of Firewhisky."
The two smiled for a moment at the memory.
Piper said, "I'm no mediwizard, but I am a decent medic." He sniggered. "Goblins being so rebellious and all. So I can tell you right now that you're lucky this time. I expected multiple fractures of the nose and jaw, broken ribs—"
"I'll be fine."
"After treatment. Professional would be best."
"No," Lorelei said firmly. "St. Mungo's is the first place someone looking for me would go."
"Who did this to you? Was it the wizard?" Piper said with a growl. When Lorelei shook her head, his voice lowered. "Death Eaters?"
"Worse. Groupies."
Piper listened as Lorelei told him her tale of a final assignment gone wrong.
"Is the goal you've been working toward worth all of this effort?" he asked. "This has consumed your life for the past seven years. You've taught at a different school each year, taking a Ministry 'assignment' each summer. Now you've gone and gotten yourself a beating and an enemy—why the Hades are you smiling?"
"Because of this." Lorelei opened her box, and removed a flagon. She drank the clear liquid. "Abeyance Potion temporarily suspends pain. It should last until I reach my destination. Don't worry," she said, " I'll head straight to the mediwitch once I arrive." She took out her wand and one final item from the box. "And with this Invisibility Cloak I won't scare any children."
She noticed the time and jumped to her feet. "I have less than two hours. Piper, help! While I'm in the loo, grab something for me to transfigure into a hooded cloak, find some hyssop leaves for my eyes, and make me something to eat! If we hurry we can get all of that done and still have time to perform a Stasis Charm to suspend bodily needs before I have to Apparate."
"Where's the fire?" Piper called after her.
"No fire," she yelled back. "I've got a train to catch!"
.
.
In the darkness of his bedchamber, Severus groaned. He opened a bloodshot eye to peer blearily at the timepiece that seemed to be doubled, or perhaps tripled. Damnation. Only a few precious hours left before the school is besieged by a legion of cheeky snot-rags.
There was no time to be lying about. When he lifted his head, however, the room spun wildly. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes until the rising flood of nausea subsided. His hands clenched the coverlet in frustration. The body's temporary mastery over the mind was insupportable.
"Slinky!" he bellowed as loudly as his aching head would permit.
"Yes, Master?"
The Slytherin house-elf clambered out of the fireplace and moved across the room to stand by the bed. If Severus didn't know better, he would think that the creature was amused. "Bring me Morning After potions and coffee. Lots of coffee."
Instantly, a silver carafe materialised on the bedside table along with two flagons. Severus drank the potions and a cup of coffee. Colour and sardonic humour restored, he said, "Fetch my breakfast while I shower, Slinky. Don't forget the paper. I want the Daily Prophet only. I wouldn't line a flobberworm box with that Quibbler rag."
"Yes, Master."
"I've told you repeatedly not to call me 'Master.'"
"Yes, Master."
Severus waved his hand toward the fireplace. "You may go."
The sight of his unshaven image in the bathroom mirror brought a sneer to Severus' face. "What woman in her right mind would be attracted to you?" His reflection raised a satiric brow in answer. Severus said, "Right. A barmy one."
