Chapter Thirty

To Be a Parent

Anna met up with Severus in the Ministry the next day as he made copies of maps of several of the towns he didn't know so well.

"There are definitely old magic signatures at these sites, Anna, pockets of dense Ancient and Wild magic that seem to have no true source or purpose other than being there…those kinds of places are always mapped in case some strange occurrence happens to a Muggle from traveling too close to them."

"Sounds a bit like magnetic fields," Anna said, watching as he neatly filed each one in a specific order. "There are strange high and low magnetism places on the earth. I wonder if they correspond?"

"Yes, well, write your own paper on it, I hardly have the time," Severus said, getting an annoyed look from his sister for the answer. "I need to check out one other thing before we go."

Severus was not surprised to find the Law Enforcement Ministry bustling with activity, but Anna was, wondering why it was so busy on a weekend…not that it hadn't always bugged her at how few there usually were; it was almost as if the Ministry didn't believe crimes were committed on Saturdays and Sundays. But today, that was not the case, as they seemed to be cleaning and rearranging and even clearing out offices.

"Oh! Mrs. Black," Anna stared when she saw it was DeMille heading towards her. "I'm glad to see you here. I've gathered up Ederick Thurspire's personal affects and arranged to have them sent to Lindsay's trust vault. Here's a list of what's there in case you need to go through them," he said, taking a list out of a folder and handing it to her.

"Thank you," Anna said, but was still staring at him when she took the paper. "I thought you were fired."

"Oh, yes, I was, but the new LE Minister hired me back as an undersecretary," DeMille explained.

"Do you happen to know if Sal Ricks left me a scroll or folder or something?" Severus asked.

"Yes indeed, Professor, I'll get that right away," DeMille said solemnly, nodding to them before heading towards the back.

"There's a new Law Enforcement Minister?" Anna said the moment he was out of range.

"So I've been given to understand. It was decided upon last evening, I believe, and it is someone I can say without bias that I heartily approve of," Severus said.

"Harry?" Anna asked in a low voice.

"No, Draco would have none of that."

"That's what I thought," Anna said. "But I can't think of anyone else who would be even remotely capable of the job and still put up with someone as bullheaded as Draco can be."

"Oh, I can guarantee that the new minister is even more bullheaded than Draco," Severus assured her.

"Not Jennifer, right?" Anna asked cautiously. Severus looked slightly amused by the idea.

"She would neither be inclined nor interested in such a position. But close," he admitted, but then became distracted when he saw DeMille approaching.

"Okay, Severus, I give up, who is it?" Anna asked with a sigh.

"Here it is, sir," DeMille said, handing him a folder.

"Grant, who is the new Minister?" Anna said impatiently.

"And when does he begin?" Severus inquired.

"It's the ex-Warden of Azkaban," DeMille told Anna with amusement then turned to Severus. "I believe he's coming in on Monday." Anna stared at DeMille. Then she stared at Severus. "Do you need anything else, sir?"

"Just this, thank you," Severus said.

"Severus, are you telling me that your father-in-law is the new LE Minister?" Anna said.

"I believe DeMille was the one who just told you," Severus said evenly.

"But he's a murderer!"

"Actually, if you read the morning paper, you would have seen he was officially pardoned for his actions," Severus said in a low voice. "No mention of the job yet, of course. I believe they're planning to give it a couple of days before they announce that part of it. Anna, I know you've always had reservations about him and are one of the many that shake their heads every time they see how loyal the Aurors are to him. But the fact of the matter is that they are loyal to him, and he has earned the respect of the Enforcers as well, which is something that Thurspire was never able to accomplish. Furthermore, his work at Azkaban was nothing short of exemplary, and his contempt for the current system in many ways matches Draco's own, meaning he will be completely open to change. I also believe that his current family life and devotion to his newborn son will improve his sensibilities, despite my wife's skepticism on the issue," he said turning to the folder.

Anna didn't comment, although it was rather obvious from her expression that she still wasn't thrilled with the idea. But Severus' attention became more fully absorbed in the list he was reading until he paused, staring at an entry thoughtfully before looking over at Anna.

"What is it?"

"The answer, perhaps," Severus said. "'Portals of the Ancient World; the Closed Door to Faerie History…circa 1550, handwritten, hidebound,' he said, glancing down the list of books destroyed but quickly coming back up to it. "No, I'm quite sure that is it. I'm quite sure that is what I've found."

"What?"

"That the sites Ederick had listed were actually some of many portals to the Otherworld," Severus said, musing then over the maps he had copied. "And that I think in turn explains the strange concentrations of ancient and wild magic in the area. I am certain that each site will lie somewhere between the two concentrations of magic in each case…"

"Wait a minute, Severus. I thought there was only the one portal. Stonehenge," Anna said.

"I believe it probably is, now, at least in this part of the world. I recall it being mentioned that the one at Western Isle was permanently closed and moved there… I have doubts that it was the only one. If I'm not mistaken, all of the ones in all the British Islands were pulled into it. Consider its shape and its construction…the monoliths form what looks to be gateways in a circle. My guess is when it was first constructed that the central gate was to Tir Na Nog, and those around the circle may have tied to lesser worlds or different locations. Stone Henge then was made so that it could be manipulated rather like a switchboard with each arch tuned to a different place,or a different universe. And then, to safe keep the portals, Merlin brought in Callum's Seal, which once protected the gate on the Western Isle, and used it to ward the entire system."

"Has she made any attempt at all to try and steal the items?"

"The only time she has made a direct attack on the castle this year was the day she killed Fawkes, otherwise she haunts dreams," Severus said, leaning back in his seat with a dark look on his face. "So in that, I truly have no idea."

"At least we don't have to worry about the Tome with Merlin's spells in them, since you destroyed that," Anna sighed. But Severus looked startled, sitting straight up.

"Corey," Severus murmured, getting up. "We need to see Corey right away. Come on."

"Why do we have to see Corey? Does this have something to do with why Ederick had been planning to see him?" Anna asked. Severus froze in the hallway, staring at her.

"Where did you hear that?"

"Lindsay," Anna said. "She said something about her father wanting to go see Corey the night of the fire when Arnie was questioning her. I just thought about it when you mentioned it. What's wrong?"

"A sudden realization that perhaps Draco was right about Ederick all along," Severus said, continuing down the hall. "It is true he was brash and jumped to conclusions; capable of offending the most tolerant of people. But the more I follow in his steps, the more I realize how much I had underestimated him, and that is a very painful admission." Anna couldn't help but smile slightly at him as she followed him out to the entryway, Apparating behind him.

The apothecary was bustling as it always was on the weekend. Ever since the death of Lucius Malfoy, Corey had been slowly reintroducing his open bins and barrels back out onto the sales floor; the enthusiasm of his customers encouraging him to do more. Now as he glanced around the shop, it looked like the apothecary he had always wanted. He was able to start saving up to buy the building outright so he could add a small wand repair and customizing room, especially now that Rose's greenhouse was now providing a greater supply of the fresh herbs they sold, allowing more profits to come in.

He had been standing to one side of the counter with a pestle in hand, listening to Eliza chatter and getting tongue-tied about all the questions she was asking him about He brightened when he saw Severus and Anna, for they provided the perfect polite excuse to get away. But as he came over, he didn't miss the serious expression on Severus' face.

"What's up? Run out of something important, Dad?" Corey asked.

"Time," Severus said. "I need to speak with you about a dream you may have had." Corey frowned at him. "Any unusual nightmares lately?"

"You're going to make me look, aren't you," Corey said flatly.

"It would be advisable, yes," Severus agreed. "I need not tell you what's been going on lately."

"Yes, although I'm not sure what it has to do with me," Corey said, but sighed. "Come on, we might as well talk about this downstairs."

Anna had never been down in the basement, although she knew at one time he had kept some of his cold supplies there before his upstairs walk-in was finished. She had been expecting a fairly bare area, perhaps with storage boxes for the shop stacked high along the walls.

She certainly wasn't expecting to see a wall-to-wall cubby-style shelving unit that stretched the length of the building…and more than half of them were filled with Pensieves. Seeing her amazed expression, Corey raised the light level a bit.

"This is where I keep all my trivial memories," Corey explained to her. "Dreams and Nightmares, especially, and other bits of knowledge that is absolutely useless to me. For example, I have a whole section of Pensieves dedicated to people handing me lists to read," he chuckled.

"How many thoughts can a Pensieve hold?" Anna asked curiously.

"Depends on the size of the memory, actually. A few hundred short ones…the long ones eats up memory capacity. Anyhow, what exactly are we looking for?" Corey asked.

"Anything that involves the Tome of Merlin and Stonehenge," Severus said. Corey looked thoughtful. "Have you dreamed of either?"

"Yes, at some point," Corey said, looking thoughtful a moment before walking down the aisle, a stool appearing in front of one column of Pensieves for him to stand on. "Let's look it up under Stonehenge. I don't suppose you have any sort of date?"

"Spring to late summer of last year. Perhaps after," Severus said. Corey sighed at that, pulling a Pensieve from one of the shelves.

"Let's start with this one then," Corey said.

"Why do I feel like we're looking at a needle in a haystack?" Anna said. "Corey, wouldn't you know if Ciardoth was in one of your dreams?"

"Well, Dad only warned me about the possibility in September, so after that point I've been on the lookout for her," Corey said.

"Perhaps we should limit the search from the House Burning to the beginning of school then," Severus said. Corey nodded and put the Pensieve down, pulling out one more.

"It'll be in one of these two if anything's there," Corey said, waving his hand over the bowl.

As memories began to cross the surface of the Pensieve in tiny glimpses, Anna was compelled to look away, uncomfortable of the fact that she was looking at someone else's private thoughts. Severus, on the other hand, gazed at each one with a critical eye, unaffected by its contents.

"Stop," Severus said suddenly, and Corey, who had only been paying half attention himself grew more alert. "Go back a few." Growing interested now, Corey complied, and went back to what for him looked like one of his most typical nightmares.

For once again he was Athos on a rescue mission, and his loyal friends were shouting at him as a giant dragon, Ciardoth, began to snap at him, while in her claw dangled Aurelius from one foot. In the dream he had been completely paralyzed to do anything as he witnessed once more the tremendous teeth and the frightening view of the inside of the dragon's mouth as it came in slow motion and braced himself for he knew it was about to tear into his flesh. Strangely, it was as if he had fallen through the dragon's jaw for he found himself under it, despite the fact that his friends' horrified cries from that day rang in his ears. But the dragon was on the run; she had not yet let go of Aurelius, despite the fact that something told him she should have. Ignoring the shouts of his fellow Musketeers, Athos pushed his broom into high speed to follow her…faster than the night he had rescued Rose…faster than he knew his broom should be able to go…until finally he found himself hovering over Stonehenge, watching as she dropped him.

In deep fear for Aurelius, certain he was injured, Athos pressed into a hard dive, nearly toppling forward when he reached the ground and dashed around the monoliths. Strange echoes were around him that Athos didn't understand, but his search for his brother was too intense to pay much attention, calling out his name frantically.

"He cannot hear you," Ciardoth's dragonish voice said from all around him. "He's beyond your reach now."

"Where is he?" Athos barked angrily.

"I sent him to the Otherworld. It was a part of the deal," she explained, her voice becoming more feminine. "His services helping me destroy the world for his own safety. Of course, I doubt he'll live long, even there, after that fall," she said with amusement. "I'm afraid you'll just have to go back and tell your adopted parents the news."

"Do you really think I'd let you do something like that?"

"You cannot stop me!" she said amusement. "If you try, you shall only cause the world's destruction yourself! Let him go. After everything he's done to you, he deserves to die anyway, doesn't he?"

"No one deserves to die!" Athos snapped, turning and facing the center ring raising his hands.

Helpless to do anything but watch as the memory of the nightmare played out before him, Corey stared horrified as he saw himself open the gate, a bright blinding light issuing beyond as Ciardoth's terrible laughter began to ring out within, echoing louder and louder until finally the image abruptly changed to the image of Corey's bedroom ceiling and faded into nothingness.

"What have I done," Corey murmured, his voice trembling as he shook his head in disbelief. "What did I do?"

"You had no way of knowing, Corey," Severus said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "None at all."

"But because I did that, this means she knows how someone can bypass the seal and open the gate, doesn't she? She can actually drain magic out…"

"She's hardly interested in that, Corey, she's merely interested in destroying us all," Severus said.

"Gee thanks, Dad, that makes me feel much better," Corey said sarcastically. Severus patted his shoulder gently before turning to Anna.

"We need to know if she was able to glean how to open the other portals during the encounter. Let's go to the closest point on the map and look there," Severus suggested.

"Well, the closest would be Anglesey, but that's not a town, it's an island," Anna said.

"That's quite all right. I have a feeling I know where that one is," Severus said evenly.

Once they arrived, Anna realized that she knew the place as well, for they were at a Lake…a Lake she didn't feel comfortable being at without an invitation.

"It wouldn't be directly here, of course, but it wouldn't be far," Severus said in a low voice as if he too did not like the idea of stirring up anything near those waters. "I imagine your aunt used it often enough in her day. It would also be well away from the cave entrance."

"What about that cliff over there?" Anna said curiously.

"Possibly," Severus agreed. "Let's go have a look."

The gentle breeze surrounding the Lake began to grow into a strong wind as they walked up the incline and Severus took a moment to consult his notes. The wind did not worry either of them; after all, they were fairly close to the sea. But as they reached the top they felt a strange electric tingle through them, strong enough to make them stop and look each other. It was then that Severus realized that his sister was glowing again. Severus squinted at her.

"We're definitely close," Anna said, her voice sounding strange as she approached the top.

"Yes, but things aren't quite right either. I don't like this," Severus said, taking something out of his cloak pocket. "You had best come back over here until I've done a few tests."

"I can't exactly help it," Anna said, looking out over the Lake. "It's like something here is calling out to me that I can't quite control."

"Well, get a handle on it!" Severus snapped. "Come away from the edge."

"There were sacrifices made here once," Anna said strangely. "Blood sacrifices."

"Nonsense. There's no way your aunt would put up with that sort of rubbish," Severus said, glancing at the meter. "There does seem to be an active rift of some sort here…Anna, come away from that ledge!"

"I'm hardly going to jump," Anna said with growing irritation.

"I'm not worried about that, but things are not right…" Severus said. It was then when a clap of loud thunder sounded despite the fact that the sky was clear. "Anna! Get back!" he barked, but by the time she turned around, Ciardoth was between them, an amused expression playing upon her pale face.

"So you are curious to see what's beyond, dear cousin? Care to see what's on the other side?" Ciardoth said mockingly. "Then allow me to assist you," she said, raising her hands. Anna too, raised her hands, growing brighter as she did so, but the blow from Ciardoth's power had hit her before she could completely protect herself, knocking her back off the cliff while Severus cried out in horror, scrambling for the edge.

Although Anna was nowhere in sight, Severus did not miss the sight of a faint shimmer in mid-air, running across the surface of a rather large, slanted portal just below the face of the cliff.

"Anna!" Severus shouted out, realizing the futility of it immediately after doing so, while Ciardoth's laughter rang in his ears.

"Well go on! Go after her! You know you want to. Run along! It'll save me the trouble of killing you later," she taunted him.

"STOP!" said a powerful voice from behind them, and both Ciardoth and Severus both turned to stare wide-eyed with surprise at the figure standing there; for there could be no mistaking it was none other than Merlin himself. "You have gone too far this time, Ciara! You have done something now that I cannot ignore!"

"My name is CIARDOTH!" she said furiously. "And you no longer hold any power over me! Not here, and not now!"

"What you do to the rest of this world is your own business," Merlin said evenly. "But what you do to Anna is…well, her business, actually…" Merlin admitted as the water in the lake shot up like a geyser. Unmistakable fear and fury shone in Ciardoth's eyes as the water itself seemed to pass through the portal, disappearing for a moment until suddenly shooting up through it, tossing Anna out the other end. Quickly Severus reacted…perhaps too quickly in fact, he realized, after he leapt to her aid with his wand in hand, planning on bringing her out of danger. Somehow in the confusion he had walked too close to the edge of the cliff…but instead of falling found himself standing on a sheet of crystal. Cautiously he ran over to where Anna seemed to be laying upon it unconscious, feeling as helpless as he had so many times when she had gotten into trouble when they were children.

"I shall kill them both now!" Ciardoth bowed gleefully, turning her attention to the crystal underneath them.

"No, no… now you're interfering in my business," Merlin said, pulling up his sleeves.

"And yet I myself am not your business?" Ciardoth said angrily, lightning sparking in the air around her but fading before it actually reached where anyone was standing.

"I'm afraid you ruined any chance of that centuries ago, Ciara," Merlin said quietly.

"Then I will destroy you!" she said furiously, walking up to him. "I will destroy you both for what you have done to me! I will destroy everything you've ever attempted to save and you will be powerless against me!"

"Perhaps you shall," Merlin said calmly. "But not, I think, today."

"Ciara!" said another powerful voice, and Severus couldn't help but stare at Viviane as she rose up upon a pedestal of water and stepped onto the crystal itself. "I bade you not to return!"

"There soon will be no reason to return!" Ciardoth swore. "There will be nothing here to return to!"

"And until that day, this sanctuary is mine!" Viviane said, her eyes looking almost red in her fury. Her stature became even taller than Ciardoth, making Severus decide very quickly to pick his sister up and get her out of harm's way. Even Merlin himself took a very healthy step backward just before several lightning bolts flashed over the other woman, so blindingly bright that even after Severus closed his eyes he could still see the light through his lids, a loud deafening roar following behind. But the roar, Severus realized, was not thunder at all but the sound of blasting water, like standing at the base of a waterfall within an echoing cavern.

In what seemed to take forever instead of mere minutes, Severus weakly looked up to see the backside of Merlin's robes, who had at some point taken a position in front of them. Ciardoth was nowhere in sight. Viviane, on her end, looked little worse for the wear except for a bit of reddened skin on her face and slightly singed hair. Anna had woke up and was propping herself up, looking dazed. It was at that point that Severus found himself feeling incredibly foolish, greatly disturbed that he hadn't faced Ciardoth when he could have…and yet, somehow in their presence he had suddenly been transformed to a younger version of himself, helpless but to watch the events that had unfolded around him.

"Now, now, boy, none of that," Merlin chided him gently as if he had heard his thoughts, helping him to his feet. "You did well looking after your sister. There, now, Viviane, she's awake already. I think she's going to be quite all right."

"How dare you make such presumptions!" Viviane snapped furiously, pushing him away from Anna. "This is all of your fault, Merlin! They wouldn't even be in this position if it wasn't for you!"

"I believe, my dear, that this started out your idea, considering…"

"I am not talking about that!" Viviane boomed angrily at him, helping Anna to her feet whether she liked it or not. "My descendant just got thrown out of her element! That wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Ah, no, of course not, but a very many things seem to be happening right now that…in your opinion, of course…are not supposed to happen. Am I to be blamed for those as well?"

"Absolutely!" Viviane said viciously.

"Despite the fact that I have stayed out of the entire situation for the most part?"

"Stayed out of it?" Viviane said. "Do you think I'm I fool? What about your Tinker Shop and all that Toby rubbish!"

"I am merely doing that to pass that time," Merlin protested.

"Pass the time? Until what, our extinction?" Viviane said, and then glanced at the two figures staring at them. "Know this. If we are destroyed, I fully intend to hold you utterly responsible!" she said furiously.

Merlin merely pursed his lips, more than likely controlling the urge to explain to her how impossible her statement was as she walked off the ledge and lowered herself under the surface of the Lake.

"Well, I think that's enough excitement for one day," Merlin decided. "Are you quite all right, Anna?"

"I felt like I was passing through a large maze," Anna murmured. "But it seemed like it lasted for hours and hours…"

"The Labyrinth of Mona," Merlin nodded. "A famous sight in the Otherworld. You see, before the Romans came, this used to be a popular spot for shoving off animals and wives, and whomever else they didn't want to deal with to 'appease the gods,' as it were. Viviane, of course, didn't want such things clogging up the Lake so used the portal to run interference for her. Anyhow, there were so many people getting through that they built the maze to keep them in and turn them into a local attraction, being a rather bored folk as they were…that happens a lot when you're immortal. They were terribly disappointed when I closed the portal, of course, but I made it up to them. I taught them to play rugby; as you would have discovered had you traversed the maze and seen the field on the other side of it," he explained casually, watching as Anna and Severus squinted at him, attempting to digest that information. "There now, I see you're all right. Severus, Anna is going to be exhausted, you really ought to see her home now."

"Why?"

"Because she's tired, obviously…"

"No, not that," Severus said irritably. "Why did you move the portal in the first place?"

"Well, Severus, I think that'd be rather obvious. I did it to try to prevent what is occurring right now, of course," Merlin said.

"And you did such a splendid job of it," Severus said sarcastically.

"Don't mention it," Merlin said unfazed by the remark, taking something out of his pocket. "By the way, you may find this of some use, if you don't think about it too hard," he said, handing him an egg timer.

"And that was all he would say?" Jennifer said from where she sat in bed, hugging her knees as she waited for Severus to finish changing. "He just handed you an egg timer and then left, just like that?"

"No, he did stay with us until I got Anna home and made sure we sent Ginny a note to keep Lindsay over," Severus said. "And he said some sort of nonsense about if that didn't help, try an onion. I don't know why I ever listen to that old goat."

"Perhaps because that despite appearances, he's hardly as eccentric as he seems," Jennifer said.

"Yes he is," Severus said, Jennifer chuckling in response. "All I can think of with the silly egg timer is the fact that time as running out, but I didn't need him to tell me that. Slowly the days are getting shorter, the winds grow cold, and if Sinistra's charts are not mistaken, Solstice shall be here within a few weeks, and that, I think, is when she plans to make her move to destroy us all," he said, flipping over the timer and silently watching the sand sift away. "And so far I have failed to figure out how."

The next day Severus was determined to come up with some sort of theory, meticulously going over every word that Thurspire ever wrote, desperately looking for something he might have missed. In the classroom beside him, Aurelius had spent his Sunday cleaning the Defense room, and just before dinner knocked gently on the open door, leaning on it as he glanced at his Father, who was searching through his books again.

"I'm done. Want to see?" Aurelius asked, but immediately got waved at.

"I know where to find you if it isn't right," Severus said distractedly, pulling out another book. Aurelius watched him thoughtfully for a moment before finally leaving, putting a hand in his pocket on the way out.

Sighing in resignation, Severus snapped the book shut and put it back, realizing he didn't have anything that would truly help him. Filling Rasputin's kibble and ignoring his protest at the offering, Severus whisked out of the room, intent on getting to the library. But suddenly he slowed, noticing that the Headmaster was walking down the Hall, pausing only briefly to have a word with Aurelius. Severus winced and decided to take a different route, well aware that the Headmaster was bound to bring up the changes he had asked him to make on his paper, and Severus quickly decided he didn't want to deal with it. Even after last week's breakfast with him, Dumbledore seemed maddeningly disinterested in the entire Ciardoth situation… despite the flooding… despite Fawkes… despite everything… and the fact that Dumbledore attempted to change the subject every chance he got onto such trivial matters about schoolwork made even Severus himself begin to suspect the old Headmaster was getting a bit senile. Not that anyone would even think of moving him from the position, he mused. Even the thought of such a thing caused a pain to go through him, despite the Headmaster's erratic behavior. After all, he had been the closest thing he had to a parent for years, and despite still having little desire to speak with him, Severus found himself feeling rather guilty for avoiding him.

Several days later, when Jennifer came to his office during their joint conference time, she sighed with exasperation to find his nose buried in a book again, so determined to find an answer that outside of classes he barely ate, coming back to the rooms simply to collapse. As much as Jennifer knew how important it was, she couldn't help but be a little tired of it, especially when she had to repeat herself several times to get him to respond.

"You didn't eat lunch again, did you?" Jennifer said, without expecting an answer, setting a bowl down on his desk. "I brought you some porridge. I know you don't particularly care for it, but it is sustaining and you have been running yourself into the ground with this lately."

"Perhaps, but I think I finally have a working theory," Severus said, leaning back and taking off his spectacles for a moment. Jennifer walked over and sat on the edge of the desk, leaning over to peer at the book on his desk.

"'Spatial Relativity and the Rip Van Winkle Effect?'" Jennifer asked, reading the title.

"Yes, something I found in the library…it's about how parallel universes each have their own individual time streams," Severus said, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh, so like the time when Dumbledore went to visit Merlin in Tir Na Nog, when to him it only seemed like hours when to us it was nearly a year."

"Correct…our Time flows faster than theirs…to put it in more tangible terms, it is as if their time is more dense than ours. Do you recall, Jennifer, how we spoke about how if the gates were opened improperly it would cause a rush of magic that would deplete ours as it rushes out…like air exiting a vacuum?" he asked, Jennifer nodding thoughtfully. "In essence, I believe this is what is happening, only with the sheer mass of portals that have been forced open, for I suspect there may be dozens…even hundreds we don't know about, it is literally sucking our Time Stream into theirs," he said, turning over the timer.

"What? But why would she want to do that?"

"I think it should be obvious now… in fact, it should have been obvious all along. Because she does not see her death, Ciardoth believes the one and only way she can be destroyed is through destroying Time," Severus said distantly. "She is a slave to it, and it is from Time she is attempting to be freed."

"But if this is what she's doing, how come we haven't seen more signs of it? I mean, shouldn't the hours of the day, or even the passing minutes, seem more irregular to us than just where the planet is positioned around the sun?"

"Think of it like an hourglass, Jennifer…we seem to always go back to that, don't we?" Severus commented grimly but turned the egg timer over, Jennifer watching it curiously. "When time flows through it, it's the top reaches that begin to show strain first…to warp and disappear in the center, while the rest maintains a steady pace. Why do you suppose the stars were the first to appear to be out of alignment? Before even sunsets and sunrises were questioned, astrologers and centaurs complained they could not read the stars. Perhaps that shift in time is what put off the seers as well, although I am not as certain. What I have realized is that cutting one portal off…" he said, snapping his fingers to make the sands literally become suspended, "is not going to be enough. Not only must all of them must be stopped, but the process must be reversed and slowly restored."

"You mean like with the real hourglass… the one with the diamonds, I mean? To allow things to slowly recover?" Jennifer said.

"Ideally, yes, only we have to be very careful when it's done. Don't forget there is at least one other universe whose time is being drastically altered because of this whole mess, and they have as much to lose as we do," he said quietly, snapping his fingers again. Jennifer watched as more and more sand seemed to pour in from nowhere, completely encompassing the glass until finally it shattered, making Jennifer jump up in surprise. "For if our time completely depletes into theirs, their own time stream would not be able to hold it. If we're going to stop this, I must first stop her…permanently, regardless of the consequences."

"But why you, Severus? Why not someone else? I mean, just because she saw what she saw doesn't mean we don't have choices…"

"Correct, Jennifer," Severus interrupted evenly, gazing at her straight in the eye. "But I am the only one who completely understands how to kill her now, and I am not about to pass that responsibility to anyone else. I will do it at the time I know she will be the most vulnerable; and that will be when time itself is most vulnerable…when we reach the Solstice. If time is all that can destroy her, it is that I must use. And if I cannot…well, I suppose there will be no around who will know about it anyhow, will there?" he murmured in a dark tone. But it was then that he noticed how visibly shaken his wife was, so trembling to the touch that he stood and pulled her into his arms in a vain attempt to try and comfort her. "I suppose all of this is a bit much," he admitted, gently brushing her hair.

"The thought of Ciardoth's prediction coming true… the thought of losing you… it's just more than I can bear, Severus," Jennifer said, and Severus realized she had begun to sob softly.

"This is not over yet," Severus said, firmly pulling her back to look in her eyes. "Do you hear me? I don't care what Icarus or any other mad wizard might say to convince me that a future path will come true whether I like it or not. It's true that ridding the world of Ciardoth and protecting you, our children and this school is paramount to me, but I will selfishly admit that self-preservation comes in a close fifth. And I'm terribly sorry to have upset you. I suppose I have been a disagreeable moaner lately."

"It's not your fault. These are dark times, really…"

"All times are dark times," Severus corrected her softly, pushing her chin up. "And I would suffer all of it personally to prevent it from showing up in those green eyes of yours."

"As would I, to keep you from rushing into danger all the time," Jennifer said.

"Yes, well, it's doubtful you can stop that as long as we stay employed here, at least. Even after our children graduate, there are godchildren and grandchildren and even worse…Weasleys on the way who are bound to pull us into their close calls, assuming you pull us in yourself," he teased gently, encouraged by her exasperated sigh. "I am sorry I upset you. Perhaps what I need is to find a way to clear my mind. Let's do this: allow me a half an hour or so to do some forms to settle down, and I promise I will spend the rest of the evening with you and attempt to bury our troubles for one night."

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Jennifer said, a genuine smile crossing her face before she hugged him tightly. Gently he kissed the top of her head and then glanced over at the table, watching contentedly as the quill wrote her in and all of the books on his desk snapped shut on their own.

As it so happened, however, a pleasant, trouble-free evening was going to be long in coming. For Severus had been so very absorbed in the dangers and terrible fate that Ciardoth constantly threatened them with and deciphering Thurspire's discovery of the portals, that his concern over Alicia's attitudes had seemed quite trivial in comparison, especially after she had uncomplainingly turned in that report about vampires and seemingly dropped the subject.

Had it been any other time, Severus would have watched her more carefully. Had it been any other year, he would have made a point to question her more thoroughly, and definitely Pyther himself. But as it so happened, it was the farthest thing from Severus' mind that night when he went to do exercises in the gym. Perhaps it was a twist of fate… or perhaps it was pure circumstance… that after a workout that made him realize he had gotten out of shape over the holidays, he had decided to take a short walk around the grounds to cool down. But instead of following his normal path past the Trophy Room, he happened to pass by the open door of the art studio and decided on a whim to see what they were working upon.

Scenery, it seemed. He inspected some of the paintings… some quite elementary, while others, like the watercolor, were very elaborate. Morfinn's, he supposed, remembering Alicia saying something about his talent in it. But where was Alicia's?

It was then that he noticed two paintings in the corner, a tad larger than all the others and strangely positioned out of the view of the center of the room and beside two rather high stools. Curiosity got the better of him and he went over to find himself looking at a painting of Alicia's face, surrounded by a white textured background like cotton-spun clouds and sheer white gauze draping off her shoulders as if placed to give her golden locks somewhere regal enough to lay upon. But it wasn't the presence of the dress or the evident blush in her cheeks and lips that terrified him so much as what he read from the look in her eyes.

Fear ripped through him even before he braved turning the other painting around, his heart nearly stopping cold as he stared at the painting of Francis Pyther, the chill running down his spine turning to ice as he lay witness to its impeccable detail… and the unmistakable, unquestionable look in Pyther's own eyes.

Feeling an explosion of rage inside him, Severus stormed out of the room like a train out of control. He didn't get far before his blood-pulsing eardrums somehow heard the voice of Jennifer calling him from the door of the gym.

"There you are, Severus!" Jennifer said, but then grew alarmed when she caught sight of his face, Severus not slowing as he walked by her. "Wait, what's wrong? Where are you going?"

"To find a stake!" Severus shouted with such fury that Jennifer backed off, wide-eyed. "Go look, Jennifer! The paintings in the corner. Go look at them!" he ordered, pointing her back towards the studio before he stormed down the hall. Fearful of what Severus was planning to do, Jennifer ran into the room, stopping short when she read the expressions on the two paintings. Covering her mouth to keep from crying out, Jennifer raced off to find Dumbledore.

No bolts, latches or spells, no matter how strong, were about to keep Severus Snape out of that room in the lower dungeon. With a single stroke of the wand, the door came blasting off, the metal door hitting the wall behind Severus with such force that the entire corridor seemed to shake as he strode through the room and blasted off the top of the coffin. In that moment, Francis found himself living his worst nightmare as Severus dragged him out by the collar with a look which would surely have killed him had he been alive.

"How dare you! How dare you paint my daughter like that! How dare you treat her as anything more than a student! How dare you take advantage of her situation!" Severus shouted at him furiously.

"No, no, you've got it all wrong! I would never do anything to hurt her, let alone take advantage of her!" Francis protested, quivering.

"I have it wrong, do I? Then who painted that picture of her, Francis? Who painted that one of you?" he demanded.

"It is only a painting!"

"It is much more than a painting and you know it!" Severus said, pulling him up and pushing him against the wall. "Do you think because I'm not an artist I can't see what you were doing? Did you imagine that I wouldn't notice it or that I wouldn't see how you insidiously used it to express inappropriate feelings towards her?"

"I have never touched her, Severus!" Francis shouted firmly back.

"Apparently, you didn't have to! Admit it, Francis. You have gone too far! She is a child!"

"I have done nothing but treated her like one!"

"She is fourteen years old!"

"She won't be forever!" Francis snapped. Severus suddenly found himself taken aback by the admission. "I have been nothing but a mentor to her. I have been nothing but a complete gentlemen and I would never do anything to harm her. What my personal feelings really aren't anyone's business, but I do have some morals, vampire or not. I would never cross that line, Severus."

Severus stared at him in shock and horror for a moment, but then began to shake his head.

"No. No, you may mean what you say, but you wouldn't be able to stand by it. Your eyes right now are as revealing as the paintings that have betrayed you. I want you out of this castle. I want you out this very night. And I swear if I ever see you again, especially around my daughter, I shall personally tie you to the ground at midday and watch you writhe in pain until I put a stake in your heart and Wish you to go to hell!" Severus snarled viciously.

"All right, Severus," said the voice of Albus Dumbledore from behind them. "Let him go now. You've had your say." Beside him stood Jennifer, her face pale and expression stone cold.

"Dumbledore…" Francis stammered, craning his neck to see him, for Severus had not made any motion to do as he was asked. "Dumbledore, please help me." Albus looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding.

"Very well, Francis. I shall help you pack," Albus said solemnly. "Come, Severus, he is not staying here. Let him go."

Roughly Severus complied and stood, glaring at him until Jennifer finally reached out and took Severus' arm, pulling him back enough so that Francis could get up.

"It's really no good, you know," Francis said shakily as he got to his feet. "Even if I do try to stay away, she will find me anyhow with those paintings of hers. You have no real way of preventing it."

"Maybe not!" Severus snapped, his temper returning as quickly as it had begun to cool. "But I know someone who does know a way, and I will not rest until I know how!"

"We will stay here and keep an eye on him, Severus, so he doesn't go anywhere near her while gathering his things, and then I'll be happy to escort him out of the school myself," Albus assured him.

Francis gazed up at the Headmaster with a broken look on his face, but Albus was unusually firm and resolute. Afraid his thoughts would betray him, Severus refused to look at either Albus or Jennifer as he strode out of the room. At a loss for words and filled with more emotions than could fill a single painting, Francis Pyther crumpled to his knees.