Disclaimer:  Everything recognizable from the Harry Potter universe belongs to J K Rowling, no infringement is intended to any copyright holder

Beloved on this Earth

                                                                                                                   ~ 0 ~

Lois lay on her back on the bed she had slept in the previous night, staring blankly up at the ceiling.  The larger of the two books Dumbledore had lent her lay open, heavy across her stomach.  She had stopped reading it almost an hour ago, but had been unable to work up the energy to lift it off her and put it on the bedside table.  Her mind was still reeling from the shocks she had received today, but she was slowly coming to terms with it all.  Every time she began to doubt her sanity, she simply had to pick up the copy of, So you Think you're a Witch: 180 Easy Tests and Quizzes and stare again at the animated image of Theola Thrum smiling back at her.  That was when she was there of course.  When she had first picked up the book to re-examine it, she had been amazed to find the front cover, other than the title, completely bare.  She had stared at it for long minutes, utterly convinced that she had lost her mind, when the round-faced witch had sidled back into view, looking uncomfortably as though she had been caught out in some wrong doing.  That was the moment when Lois had finally and irrevocably accepted that this was real.  Witches and wizards and magic existed and she was part of it. 

What she didn't know however, was what would happen next.  She bitterly regretted asking Dumbledore to leave her alone and was wishing desperately for someone to talk to.  Her most pressing concern was that now she had discovered this whole new world existed, she was afraid that she might not be allowed to stay in it.  Certainly it would be easier to pretend none of it had happened and go back to her normal life, but truthfully she no longer wanted to. 

She had read through the books Dumbledore had given her and had been intrigued by what she had found inside.  The Encyclopaedia of Wizards and Wizarding had been the most useful.  She had sat, mouth open in awed wonder as she read about flying brooms, goblin rebellions and giant wars, the founding of Hogwarts, the existence of unicorns, werewolves and other fantastic beasts and the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy of 1692, which had formed the final break between the wizard and the Muggle world.  She had been astonished to find that even given the huge length of time that had passed since that had occurred, many of the legends and fairy tales she had been told as a child had a basis in truth. 

Her pleasure and delight in what she was learning had come to an abrupt halt when she had reached the pages dedicated to Voldemort, or You-Know-Who.   Harry's name had featured prominently in that section and she had felt a cold chill encompass her when she had realised how close he had come to death.  She dreaded to think what would have happened if Voldemort hadn't been defeated by Harry when he had – he would probably have taken over the whole world by now.

Despite the unpleasantness along with the wonder of magic she had found in the book, she had discovered that the idea of embracing her newly-found wizarding heritage was hugely appealing.  Her normal life, if she was totally honest, had become a grim, bleak, lonely existence, consisting almost entirely of work and nothing else.  When her father had died she had been utterly distraught, but she had at least had David to comfort her and get her through the agonising time when she hadn't known one day from the next.  She had only just been coming to terms with her loss when six months later David was gone too.  This time however, she had been without his stabilising presence and consequently had retreated almost totally from the world.  The friends they had shared had been mostly couples and although they had done their best to stay in contact, Lois had persisted in keeping them at a distance until finally no one was left.  She knew that there had been a certain relief for them when she had begun slowly severing the ties of friendship.  Lois was a walking reminder of their own mortality, not a pleasant concept at their young ages.

Now though, there was this, the possibility of beginning again with new challenges and new experiences and she suddenly found that she wanted it.  There was however, one potentially large stumbling block in the path of her possible new life – she was terribly worried there had been a horrible mistake and she wasn't a witch at all.  After skimming through the encyclopaedia she had moved on to 180 Easy Tests and Quizzes.  The test she had done had taken the form of a multiple-choice question; no pen and paper were required, as you simply touched the circle that corresponded with your answer. 

Half way through her first and only test, the pencil drawing of Theola Thrum that sat alongside the quiz, had begun to look very nervous.  As Lois had consistently given answers that clearly pointed towards her not being a witch, she had started to worry too.

By the time she had reached the last question, Thrum had been looking awkward and shifty.  She had quickly waved her wand over the results box and scarpered sharply over onto the next page and out of sight.  Lois had watched the tiny witch vanish in consternation, before reluctantly looking down to see what had been revealed:  Bad news – you're most likely a Squib.  Please try another test.

After looking up the term "Squib" in the encyclopaedia, she had slammed shut Theola Thrum's book and had refused to look at it again.  Could this be it?  To have this wondrous possibility waved under her nose, only to have it snatched away at the last minute?  But then again, Dumbledore had said she had been invited to attend Hogwarts; they wouldn't have invited her if she was a Squib, would they?  Oh, how she wished she had stayed with Dumbledore to ask more questions, instead of scuttling off to her room like a frightened rabbit.

Just as the thought was running through her head, she heard a gentle tap at the door.  Thank goodness, someone had come to fetch her!  She leapt off the bed wrenching the door open to find Harry standing there beaming at her; his previously bruised and battered face unblemished.

'Harry!' she said in wonder.  'You're standing up!  What happened to your casts?  Does it hurt?' she asked rapidly, reaching over to run an assessing hand over his right arm.

Harry grinned wiggling his fingers and leg to show he was fine.  'Professor Dumbledore did tell you that you were a witch didn't he?' he asked, amused by her amazement. 

'Magic did that?' she murmured, entranced.  'That's marvellous!  How long did it take?' 

'Well, Madam Pomfrey, she's our school matron, can heal a broken arm in a few minutes but it took Professor Dumbledore a little longer.  Lois,' he said suddenly serious, 'I'm so glad you're a witch – isn't it fantastic?'

Lois gave him a half nervous, half excited look.  'I think so.  It's just a lot to take in all at once.'

Harry grinned broadly. 'I know, but it's great having magic, Lois, you'll love it, honest!  Will you be able to stay at Hogwarts do you think?'

'I don't see how,' Lois said her face creasing in worry.  'Is there an adult version of Hogwarts, do you know?'

Harry shook his head doubtfully.  'I've never heard anyone mention it,' he said finally.  'If Hermione was here, she'd know.'

'It doesn't matter, I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will be able to tell me.'

Harry agreed, completely confident in Dumbledore's ability to solve problems such as this.  'Are you ready for lunch?' he asked and Lois nodded, eager to see the Headmaster again to ask him the million and one questions that she had occurred to her in the last few hours.

The journey to the Great Hall this afternoon wasn't the furtive dash they had taken that morning.  This time Harry strolled leisurely down the hallways, rhapsodising on the utter brilliance of magic and Hogwarts in general, with special attention given to Ron, Hermione and Quidditch.  All too soon they were back in the Entrance Hall and Lois felt her stomach roll over in nervous anticipation.  This was it – now she would find out once and for all whether her future belonged in this world or the Muggle.

Harry pushed open the door and she walked in, her eyes quickly assessing the room and finding it almost exactly the same as this morning.  This afternoon however, Professor McGonagall was missing from the small table and only Snape and Dumbledore sat there.

'Ah, Lois,' Dumbledore said standing. 'Are you feeling a little more calm now that you've had chance to let it all sink in?' he asked kindly.

'Calm isn't precisely the word I'd use,' Lois said with a rueful laugh, 'but I'm getting there.'

'Miss Scott,' Snape said in his silken drawl as he politely stood also.  'Professor Dumbledore has informed me of your news – are congratulations or commiserations in order?' he asked with a mocking twist to his lips.

'I'm not entirely sure right now,' Lois replied, amused rather than offended by his sardonic query. 'Perhaps cautious congratulations with an option on commiseration further down the line?' 

Snape only nodded in response and pulled out a chair for her.  This time, she noticed, he made very sure no part of clothing came into contact with her skin.

'Where is Professor McGonagall?' Lois asked, worried that her non-appearance meant the other woman somehow disapproved of her being here.

'Unfortunately she has had to leave – she was hoping to be able to see you again before she left, but was unable to delay her departure any longer.  She has a number of personal matters to attend to before the new school term starts,' Dumbledore answered.

'Oh, I see,' Lois said reassured that her absence was unrelated.  'By the way, Professor Snape,' she said turning towards him. 'Now that I understand about all this, I wanted to apologise for being so rude to you when we first met.'  As she thought back to their initial meeting however, her reasons for apologising became less clear, and her rambling words reflected this. 'Although to be fair, you really did seem to be up to no good and now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure it was you who was rude first,' she finished in a considering tone.

'I'm sorry, I think I must have misheard,' Snape said coldly.  'Did you say you wanted to apologise?'

Lois smiled slightly shamefaced.  'Yes, I think, "I'm sorry" were the words I was searching for there.'

'Apology accepted.'  Snape inclined his head gracefully, but didn't make any attempt to do the decent thing and apologise in return, Lois noticed, annoyed.  She continued to stare at him, eyebrows raised in an encouraging manner and a half smile on her lips, all to no avail.  Snape looked merely puzzled by her long gaze and eventually turned away to pour himself a glass of water, but not before giving her the kind of wary look generally reserved for the very old or very simple.

Lois directed her attention back to Dumbledore, determined not to speak to Snape again.  'I've been reading the books you gave me Headmaster,' she said while helping herself to the delicious food, very surprised she could eat considering the enormous butterfly's currently circling her stomach.

'Excellent, excellent.'  Dumbledore smiled.  'You have questions I assume?'

'Well, sort of,' Lois said in a nervous voice.  'I'm worried I might be a Squib.'

'Most certainly not,' the Headmaster answered firmly.  'You were clearly invited to attend Hogwarts; I have seen the paperwork myself.'

'That's good,' Lois said relieved, but still not completely convinced.  'In the books you lent me though Professor, they talked about children performing magic when they were exceptionally angry or upset.'

'True, that is the first clue to many Muggle-born witches and wizards'

'The thing is, that's never happened to me – unexplained things happening,' she elaborated when he looked at her blankly.

'Are you sure?'

'Well… yes.  I think I'd notice if I turned someone into a pumpkin during a temper tantrum.  And in any event isn't that rather dangerous – allowing me to just carry on obliviously?  What if I had done magic unknowingly and hurt someone,' she asked genuinely horrified by the possibilities.

'Well first of all,' Dumbledore began, 'Transfiguration is one of the most difficult areas of magic.  It is highly unlikely anyone without sufficient magical training would be able to perform that particular spell.  Secondly, although uncommon, there are those children from Muggle families who decide not to take up their invitations, so all the necessary safety precautions are already in place.' 

'What precautions?'  Lois asked curiously. 'Do they have their magic removed?'

'Oh my goodness me no,' Dumbledore said sounding slightly appalled.  'Magic is just as much a part of a person as any other body part.  Would you remove a child's hands if they did not wish to follow up on a natural aptitude for art?'

'Oh,' Lois said feeling slightly foolish.  'I suppose not.  What does happen then?'

'In cases like that, a very close eye will be kept on any reports of unauthorised magic and, if necessary, the Ministry does have the power to enforce attendance at a magical school.  In truth though, I don't think that has ever occurred,' Dumbledore said thoughtfully.  'Very few people turn their back on magic once it has been discovered, and for those that do, over time and without training, the ability to perform magic tends to dissipate.'

'That still doesn't explain why I've never showed any magical ability though,' Lois said slowly.

'Well, Lois, I think the most likely answer is that you did perform magic of some kind when you were much younger.  With your father's fear of losing you, and if I'm right about your inheriting your mother's empathic skills, you would have been very aware of how much the idea of your displaying magical ability would have caused him pain.  Even if you did not possess your mother's skills, you were still extremely close to your father – I imagine that alone would have caused you, even at such a young age, to have subconsciously repressed your magic for fear of distressing him further.'

'Lois is empathic?'  Harry asked interested.

'Probably not,' Lois said hurriedly.  'Apparently my family was, but I don't think it was passed on to me.' 

'No, I think you could be, Lois,' Harry said thoughtfully.  'You used to make me feel better in the hospital.'

'Well that's my job, Harry, not to mention all the drugs; any of the staff could have done that.'

'No,' Harry insisted. 'Sometimes when I was feeling sick or in pain, your eyes got all "glowy" and when you touched me I felt better.'

Glowy eyes?  Lois thought worriedly.  Great what was next, laser beams from the nostrils?

'Maybe,' Lois said warily.  It was a big enough struggle to come to terms with being a witch without looking for anything else to worry about right at the moment.  'Headmaster, what happens now?' she asked deliberately changing the subject.  'Is there somewhere I can go to learn to be a witch at my age?' 

'I'm extremely glad you're thinking along those lines, Lois,' Dumbledore said in a pleased voice.  'Although with circumstances being what they are at the moment, I did hope to move things along a little quicker than that.'   

'What circumstances?'  Lois asked confused

'Voldemort's return.' 

'Voldemort's alive?' she asked in horror.  'But you said he'd been defeated!  In that book I read it said Harry had destroyed him.  When did he come back?'

'At the end of last term,' Harry said painfully.  'They used my blood in a spell to bring him back to life.'

'Oh, Harry,' Lois said softly, her own panic subsiding on seeing his anguish. She reached over the table and placed her hand on his, giving it a briefly comforting squeeze before releasing him.

'Now that Voldemort is fully alive I am afraid we are once again heading for dark times,' Dumbledore continued in a grim voice.  'I have been unable to convince the Ministry of Magic of the seriousness of the threat and it is therefore vitally important that we have every single witch and wizard we can get on our side.'

'Yes, I can understand that, but what could I do?' Lois said, genuinely perplexed. She was no witch; she couldn't help anyone in a war against this Voldemort, other than maybe distracting him for a second with her truly spectacular death.

'I do not expect this to be a short war, Lois, while you do not possess knowledge that could be of assistance yet, you will, given time.'  He stopped and gave Lois an encouraging smile.  'What I am suggesting is that you begin training as a mediwizard under the tutelage of our Hogwarts Matron, Madam Pomfrey.'

'Could I do that?'  Lois asked stunned.  'Don't I have to be a trained witch or something first?'

'Usually, yes,' Dumbledore agreed.  'But at your age you are obviously far too old to attend Hogwarts as a student and sadly no establishments exist to train adults in the fundamentals of witchcraft.'

Lois was surprised at how disappointed she was by that news.  Really, with Voldemort back to life, her best bet would be to return to the Muggle world and hope braver witches and wizards than she could defeat him.

'Of course,' the Headmaster continued, a twinkle in his eye, 'once you are here training with Poppy, you will have the experience of our professors at your full disposal, who I am sure, will be more than happy to offer their assistance.  With hard work and extra tuition, I'm certain you would be able to qualify as a witch in no time at all.'

'Even so,' Lois said doubtfully, 'it will take years before I'd be ready to begin training as a mediwizard if I have to qualify as a witch first.'

'Mediwizardry is a branch of magic all by itself,' Dumbledore said.  'Even a fully qualified witch or wizard would be starting from scratch if they decided to pursue a career in medical magic.  Obviously we would have to get permission from the Ministry first, but with your family and background in Muggle medicine, I'm certain they would not raise any objections.'

Lois was in a quandary.  On the one hand, this was the answer to all her questions about how she could remain in the magic world at her age with her lack of knowledge.  On the other, now that it was all being handed to her on a plate, she was afraid.  This was huge step and by the sounds of it, her family did not have a good track record where Voldemort was concerned.  She looked around the table and saw Dumbledore's calm gaze, Harry's hopeful one and Snape's disinterested expression; his black eyes though, she noticed, glittered strangely.

'I'll do it,' she said suddenly.

Harry whooped in delight

Now that the decision was made, Lois immediately felt lighter than air, filled with a bubbling excitement for what the future held.  She knew that later the gnawing doubts and panic would set in, but for now there was only the blissful sensation of matters being completely out of her hands.  'I'll have to go home though,' she realised as real life intruded.  'There's my flat and my job – I can't just disappear.'

'Of course not,' Dumbledore agreed.

'Erm, how do I get home?  I'm assuming I'm not insane and I did arrive here by spatula in the first place?' she asked raising her eyebrows at Snape, who nodded in return.  'So then,' she said dryly, 'will there be a five o'clock ladle to London, or maybe a six o'clock fish slice?' 

Dumbledore smiled. 'I'm sure you're not eager to repeat your last journey by Portkey just yet.  Tell me do you have an open fireplace in your home?'

'No,' Lois said confused. 'Not in my flat.  There's one at my dad's house though.'

'Do you have a tenant in residence at the moment?' 

'No.  The last one left six months ago and I haven't got round to finding a new one yet.'

'Perfect,' Dumbledore said with satisfaction.  'You can travel back to your father's house by Floo powder.  That way you will be able to examine your mother's belongings, which I believe you said were in the attic?'

'That sounds fine, except what's Floo powder?'

'Simply a method of transportation between locations using fireplaces.  Severus,' he said turning to the younger man on his right.  'Would you be so kind as to escort Lois on her journey?  Obviously she mustn't travel alone this first time.'

Lois looked hurriedly across at Snape's shuttered face.  She had no idea whether he was in a towering rage at the request or completely indifferent.  He would be an unbeatable poker player, she thought, a slight smile crossing her face.

'Certainly, Headmaster,' Snape answered, without emotion.  'Will you be ready to leave after lunch?'  Snape asked addressing Lois direct. 'Or would you prefer to wait a while?'

'No, no whenever you're ready is fine with me,' Lois said, eager to get on with job of packing away her old life now that the decision had been made.

***

After briefly returning to her room to freshen up after lunch, Lois quickly made her way back to the Entrance Hall to meet Snape as arranged.  Finding him already waiting she smiled in greeting, before eyeing the black robes he was wearing with consternation; if they ran into anyone she knew while they were at her home, how on earth would she explain him?

'You can't wear those,' she said pointing to his robes, having decided even on their very short acquaintance that diplomacy was wasted on him. 

Snape looked down at himself slightly self-consciously, but answered firmly enough, 'I most certainly can.'

'What I meant was,' Lois continued determinedly, 'you're not going to wear those are you?'

Snape sighed in a very put upon manner and waved his wand, leaving him instantly standing in front of her dressed in plain black trousers and a navy blue shirt, looking indistinguishable now from any one of London's thousands of office workers.  Lois was pleased to see that dressed in Muggle clothing Snape was not at all scrawny looking despite his thinness.  He was in fact lithe and leanly muscled she noticed appreciatively, as his shirt pulled taut while he twisted to place his wand securely in his back pocket. Pushing the distracting thoughts aside Lois focussed on Snape once more.

'Were you wearing those under your robes already?' she asked curiously and Snape nodded tersely in response.  'Oh,' she said surprised, 'I assumed you were pretty much, well "au naturel" under there.  You know,' she continued awkwardly, quailing under his hard eyed stare, 'with it being so long and covering you so completely.' 

'A matter of personal preference,' Snape answered unamused, but his neck, Lois noticed interestedly, was slowly turning a nice shade of brick red.  'Now if you have finished imagining me naked, shall we go?'

'I wasn't!'  Lois squeaked, but couldn't stop the amusement bubbling up inside her. 'Now I feel like a dirty old man,' she said, her voice trembling with suppressed laughter. 

Snape gave her a condescending look, not deigning to answer as he swept down the hallway ahead of her.  Lois trailed behind him like a naughty schoolgirl, her lips still twitching in amusement.

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A/N Heather Granger – Thanks for the nice idea, but after having given myself huge headaches trying to work out the timescale, it wouldn't be possible now. Lois's mum died in 1972 and Snape would only have been around 12 or so then, which is probably a good thing because I may not have been able to resist having him involved in the murder and I don't know how I could convincingly have had Lois fall in love with someone who killed her mum - I'm no good at angst :)

Lila Mae - You've got it spot-on – congrats!

Snowdiamond – Yep, it's Snape and Lois

And thank you everyone for the enormously encouraging reviews – it's more exciting reading feedback than opening birthday presents!