A/N: Blah blah blah. It's two in the morning you know what goes here. For those of you I know are reading this, btw, thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou! I'm sorry I've been so lagging in updates, but I had moving, christmas, getting married, and my new husbands birthday all in a 5 weeks span.. I'm so happy I fianlly have time to relax and write again. Yay! To those of you I don't know are reading this, thankyou thankyou... you'll get two more if you review.

Love all, smirks n smileys and all that jazz...

xJL

Chapter 43

"And what, exactly, do you think your doing?" Severus demanded, using their mind link because of how close they were to the Great Hall.

"It's my turn to be the fearsome potions master," Andraste retorted. "Don't worry. You'll have your reputation back as a bastard in no time." She slowed her half-run to Severus' normal gait, glancing backwards quickly to shoot him a fierce glare. "Are you coming, Andi?" she asked him, effectively using his voice to achieve the demanding quality he had so often before storming into the Great Hall and taking Severus' normal seat. Severus, hoping he could keep her damage causing to a minimum, followed her in.

"So glad you two have decided to join us for lunch," Albus said as they sat down.

"I thought it best," Andraste replied as a small smirk formed across the face she was enjoying wearing, "that we keep an eye on the mess my dear wife has created this time."

"It may be a mess at first," Dumbledore said after a moments contemplation, "but I think that the end result will astound us all. Speaking of." Andraste and Severus both looked up to see Draegon leading in the newly formed Unity House, with Hermione at his side. They watched as students took their seats, each one sitting with students from their own year instead from their original house. Hermione was the last to sit, leaning towards Draegon and saying something that he replied to with a nod before he turned and headed towards the head table.

"I like the seating arrangements" Andraste said as he sat down beside her and began to fill his plate. "It was a good idea."

"It was Hermione's, not mine," Draegon replied. "She seems to be getting really in to this whole unity thing."

"One that knows her would suspect she would enjoy it," Severus said, still trying to adjust to having Andraste's voice come out when he spoke.

"It seems to be going well so far," Draco continued with a smirk. "I think they're too afraid of me to do anything wrong."

"At least," Andraste said, "it should cut down on the crushes they get on you."

"Yeah," Draegon shrugged, "there's a downside to everything."

"There will no doubt be difficulties," Albus broke in, "but I believe that you will be able to handle them properly. However, do not be shy about asking for help if you feel it is needed, Draegon."

"Thank you, sir," he answered, staring down at the plate of food in front of him. It was obvious that he was still uncomfortable with facing the Dumbledore, even though he was told that all was forgiven.

"There are other things that must be discussed," the Headmaster continued. "There will be a short staff meeting concerning the situation directly after lunch, you are expected to attend."

"Yes, sir," Draco stuttered, finding himself suddenly worried, something that both Andi and Severus were quick to notice.

"So, Draegon," Andraste said, trying to lighten the subject. "Have any of the students asked you to sing for them yet?"

"A few," he responded as his smile returned. "But I think I made it clear that it wasn't going to happen. We all had another talk before lunch and it came up."

"Really," Severus asked. "And what was the talk concerning?"

"Well, it was Hermione's idea again. I'm offering them their use of magic back if each year can come up with one way to help make Unity House run smoothly. We're supposed to talk about their ideas after lunch."

"What a wonderful idea," Albus said, his eyes twinkling as usual. "It's good to get them involved in the decision making." Andraste, as much as she tried to banish the thought, couldn't help but wonder if he ever took his own advice. She knew that the old man had secrets that could answer everyone's questions, but for unknown reasons felt it better to leave those most involved in the dark. Suddenly finding herself very irritated, she slid a vial of Snapdragon Fire into Severus' hand, and discretely drank her own. As soon as she felt the familiar vacuum feeling and looked down to see her own hands instead of her husband's, she stood up.

"I have a few things to do; I'll meet you in the Headmaster's office." Without waiting for a response, she headed over to the Unity House table.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" she asked them all, forcing a cheerful smile onto her face. When she had gone through the required niceties, she went over to Harry. "Can I have a word with you?" He nodded and stood, following her just past the main door. Once she was sure they wouldn't be overheard, she stopped and turned to him.She quicklyexplained the change in plans for the day's lesson, and suggested she meet him after the Unity House meeting.

"Can Ron and Hermione come to Diagon Alley with us?" he asked hopefully.

"Not this time, we need to hurry," Andraste said, and then stopped, and stared into space for a moment. "You know what? Screw it. I need a break. Go ahead and bring them, we'll have dinner at Chateau de Toujours se Rappellent."

"At where?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow at the mile long name that he assumed was some sort of fancy restaurant.

"Professor Snape's house, and the name is a long story. I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

"Cool," Harry said, giving her a huge smile before he turned and ran back to the Unity House table. Andraste quickly headed back to the rooms she shared with Severus and contacted Hermione and Ron's parents, getting permission from them before she informed Albus or her husband of her decision; and then quickly flooed the house elves to let them know to have dinner ready. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she sighed and headed towards the Headmaster's office, still unable to shake the irritation she felt. When she got there, she found that she was the last to arrive. Noting that once again only the teachers that were also Order members were present, she ungracefully threw herself onto the couch between Draco and Severus and waited for Albus to begin.

"What's wrong?" Severus asked, whispering into her mind as they paid only a token of attention to what Albus was saying.

"Nothing."

"Don't lie," he insisted. "You're not very good at it."

"I'm just in a mood, I'm sure I'll get over it," she said, and then blocked out his ability to mentally communicate with her. When she had completely returned her focus to the ongoing meeting, she found herself being asked to once again explain Draco's situation. She quickly squeezed his hand to reassure him, and then launched into the full story of how he ended up playing the role of Draegon. After Andraste had snapped at both Remus and Minerva everyone realized that, for some reason, it wasn't a good time to raise concerns. Albus suggested that they focus on arranging the tutoring sessions for Draco, since that was the purpose of the meeting. It was quickly done after a brief explanation by the Headmaster that Draco was required to continue his courses, even if it was privately, as long as he was at Hogwarts.

"Andi, can I have a private word with you?" Albus asked as the rest of group headed for the door. She told Severus she would be along shortly, and then waited impatiently for the room to clear out.

"Just so you know, Albus," Andraste began before the Headmaster had a chance to speak, "we have to go to Diagon Alley to find a wand I can use in Harry's form. I've already contacted Ron and Hermione's parents for permission for them to come, and then we're going to have dinner at the Chateau."

"You should have asked me first, Andraste," he said, using the tone that made the other teachers shut up and listen. "But seeing as how you accidentally forgot, it is fine this one time. Please do not forget again."

"I didn't forget, Albus, and you well know that so let's stop with the games. I simply felt that the information was not needed."

"As the Headmaster of this school, what goes on with the students is information I need Andraste. Without it, I can not make my decisions properly."

"Your absolutely right, Headmaster," she said, almost spatting the last word at him. "It is hard to make decisions without all the information." Andraste took the moment of hesitation on Albus' part as her chance, and briskly left the room without another word. Refusing to give in to the emotions coursing through her, she forced herself to walk slowly and calmly back to the dungeons. When she reached her rooms Severus and the students were there and waiting for her, bright smiles on their faces that faded when they saw the look on hers.

"Let's get this done," she said, downing the potion that Severus had already set out and signaling for Harry to do the same. "If I don't have a drink in my hand in thirty minutes, I'm going to throw a temper tantrum that will make snakeboy look like a nice guy."

The students sat back open mouthed, not sure what to say because they'd never seen Andraste in such a bad mood. "Well then," Harry said once he was in Andi's body. "Let's get this done so I don't have to watch myself mope." Andraste smirked lightly at Harry from where she was sitting on the couch, arms folded across her chest.

"I promise my mood will improve once I'm over the legal drinking age again," she mumbled as she stood. "I'm going to apparate us there, its quicker." Not wanting to push her luck, Hermione suppressed her questions about Hogwart's wards, and held on to Harry's body, just as the others did. With a quick pop they were standing just outside Ollivander's, and Andraste shrugged them off and walked ahead without a word, either ignoring or not seeing the looks they were giving each other.

"People have tried to kill her without her being in this bad of a mood," Ron observed as they watched her disappear into the wand store. "What's up?"

"I'm sure we'll find out eventually," Severus said calmly before ushering them all inside.

"Severus," Ollivander greeted as he rushed past Harry and the other students. "And you've brought your wife with you. It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Snape," he said, kissing her hand.

"Mr. Ollivander," Andraste interrupted, thinking to herself that it was amusing to see Harry's reaction to having his hand kissed. "I'm sorry but we're in quite a hurry. I need a new wand."

"Ahh, yes, Mr. Potter. May I ask what happened to the one that you had?"

"Nothing happened to it, I just need a new one." Ollivander gave Harry a strange look, but shrugged it off and headed to a nearby shelf.

"What is this?" Andraste asked him as he searched through wands, looking into a glass case that made up the front counter. Inside was a single wand that looked nothing like the ones that she had seen wizards carry. Instead of being made of wood, it appeared to be carved of crystal, and the core was made of clear liquid.

"A display piece," Ollivander said, thrusting a wand into her hand. She gave it the obligatory wave and a spark shot off from it. Ollivander quickly grabbed it from her, mumbling something that sounded like 'here we go again' as he headed back to the shelves.

"What kind of display piece?" Andraste asked as he continued to search.

"A very old one," he answered as he shoved another wand into her hand. Without even waving the wand he had given her, she set it back in its box.

"How much?"

"It's not for sale, Mr. Potter, and it would be of no use to you – it is a display piece and nothing more."

"Okay," Andraste said, putting her hands on her hips impatiently. "If it was for sale, how much would it be?"

"Mr. Potter," Ollivander said, obviously getting just as exasperated as Andi was, "that wand is over 5000 years old, and there is not a wizard alive capable of wielding it. Merlin himself found it useful as nothing but displaying a piece of our history, and even if it was for sale, I seriously doubt that you could afford the small fortune that it would cost, even if you are the-boy-who-lived!" Andraste quieted for a moment, wondering if the others could feel the power emanating from it.

"Could you come here a moment?" Andi asked the others who had been watching the on goings in silent amusement. Ollivander backed off to make room for the others that were stepping forward. "Can you feel it?" she asked in a whisper as they gathered around her.

"Feel what?" Harry asked, seemingly voicing the question in his friend's eyes. Severus, however, looked at Andraste contemplatively for a moment before looking to Ollivander.

"What is it?"

"It's Therion's wand," Andraste said, answering for him.

"And how would you know that, Mr. Potter?" Ollivander demanded, his eyes narrowed with suspicious confusion.

"I'm not sure," Andraste responded quietly, ignoring the questions of who or what Therion was that were coming from the other three.

"I am going to ask you myself this time," Severus said, meeting Ollivander's eyes. "How much is it?"

"Does that mean you can feel it, Severus?" Andraste asked quietly, forgetting that she was supposed to refer to him as Professor.

"No, I can't," he said, before looking to Ollivander for an answer to his question.

"I won't sell it, Severus. Especially not to a teenage boy."

"Ollivander," Andraste said, her voice quiet but firm, "if I can use it, will you sell it to me?"

"If you can use it, Mr. Potter," Ollivander said, laughing "I am obligated to give it to you, but I doubt it will come to that."

"Why would you have to give it to me?"

"Because my ancestor made it," he said, his tone turning serious. "When Therion died, it was given back to him and it has been in my family since then. For 5000 years only one other has been capable of using it, and when they died it was returned to us again. If you can use it, by the laws of my inheritance, it is yours until your death."

"How much do you know of Andraste?" Andraste asked him, ignoring the look of confusion Severus and the others were giving her.

"Little," he said, giving Andraste's body a quick glance. "There are rumors of wandless magic, and some powers that we don't normally possess, but that is it."

"It is a long story that I don't intend to share with you," Andraste said, "but I feel it is best if you know. I only have the appearance of Harry Potter, just as he only has the appearance of being me… it is a safety precaution in case someone attempts to kidnap him." Ollivander nodded his head, obviously concentrating on her words. "That, of course, means that I am Andraste."

"Is this true?" Ollivander asked, looking to Severus for the reassuring nod he received.

"I'm telling you this because it is my death that you'll be waiting for, not Harry's. Do you understand?"

"Completely, but do you truly think you can use it? I have heard that you couldn't use any wand."

"I have no doubt," Andraste responded, raising her hand above the display case. "Come," she whispered, and immediately the crystal wand flew into her hand, somehow going through the glass case without breaking it. As it made contact with her, the core began to shimmer and a whirlwind of matching color surrounded her.

"I have…I am.." Ollivander stuttered, "it is yours."

"I appreciate your understanding," Andraste responded cheerfully, and then headed out the door without another word, leaving a stunned group behind her.

"Would you explain that for us, please?" Harry asked.

"Let's discuss it over dinner," she said, leaving no room for argument as she walked to the nearest alleyway. As soon as they were all touching her, she apparated them to the place she now called home. Before most of the group had even opened their eyes, she was flying, literally, towards the fence at the back of the property.

"I'll be in in a little while," she said, shouting to them over her shoulder. As she came to a stop at the fence, they heard her let out a long whistle.

"Let's go inside and give her a few minutes," Severus said in a way that made it clear it wasn't a request.

"Sir?" Harry started, hoping Professor Snape's mood wasn't going to be as volatile as Andraste's.

"Yes?"

"She still has my body." Severus sighed in realization that Andraste may lose track of the time and forget to take the second potion. He pulled two vials out of his pocket and handed them to Harry.

"Take these to her and get your body back. Just have the house elf that answers the door bring you to us."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said as he took off flying towards Andi, and the other three headed towards the house.

"Hey," he said as he landed next to her.

"I forgot I had your body." Instead of replying Harry handed her a vial as he drank down his own. Once they were back in their proper bodies, she looked at him with a smile. "You know how to ride?"

"Absolutely not."

"No time like the now to learn." With a quick wave of her hand a saddle appeared on one of the two horses. "You're going to take Sadalbari," she said as she climbed the fence and mounted the stallion bareback. "I've never ridden Homam and I want to." Harry shrugged his shoulders and followed her lead, using the fence to mount the saddled horse. Once they were both situated, Andraste started Homam off at a quick trot and Harry brought Sadalbari up beside her.

"Faster," Harry said, stating his request as a challenge. Before long they had barreled full speed down the long path that bordered the entire property and were back at the fence they had started from. "That was," Harry said, breathing heavily from the exertion and adrenaline of the fast ride, "one of the greatest things I've ever done. That is just a great as flying."

"To me," Andraste replied with a laugh as she climbed off her horse, "that is flying. You ready to go inside?" she asked him as he dismounted. They made the walk back in silence, and were almost to the manor before Harry finally spoke.

"What's wrong? I mean, you've been upset all afternoon."

"Nothing, really. I just don't like being lied to, and as far as I'm concerned, being denied the truth is the same thing."

"Oh," Harry said, a smile lighting up his face. "Dumbledore piss you off?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Andraste replied laughing. "Does that mean I should join the club?"

"Pretty much," Harry said with a smirk as he pushed open the door. They were immediately greeted by a house elf holding a tray with a glass of red wine on it.

"Miss, you're back! Master told me to tell you he's in the dining room, and that it's been over 30 minutes but he doesn't want to be married to snakeboy, Miss." Both Harry and Andraste broke out laughing at hearing a house elf refer to the darkest wizard in over a century as snakeboy as the glass was placed in Andi's hand and the elf disappeared. The pair quickly headed towards the living room, Andraste surprised that she could still remember where it was. By the time they got there she had finished her glass of wine, and immediately went to the open bottle Severus had sitting on the table and refilled it.

Dinner went smoothly for the most part, with the exception of Andraste consuming two bottles of wine on her own. Severus finally stood up and announced it was time to return to Hogwart's when Andi started making snide comments about the headmaster being a hypocrite.

"He knows something, Severus," Andraste said quietly after a few hours of grading papers and another bottle of wine. "And we deserve to know too."

"Andi, what's wrong? You've known he's been keeping secrets since you got here, why do you suddenly care?"

"I'm going to go talk to him," Andraste said firmly, standing up.

"This isn't a good time, Andi. You're drunk."

"Yes, Severus, I am drunk, and No, Severus, this is a great time." Severus had no choice but to follow Andraste up the stairs as she stormed into the Headmaster's office without announcing herself. "You might want to leave," she said, directing the statement at McGonagall and Lupin without actually looking at them.

"I think it's quite alright if they stay, Andraste," Albus said, the twinkle in his eye diminishing as he spoke. "Please, sit down, both of you. Would you like some tea?"

"I don't want to sit down, Headmaster, and I don't want some tea. I want the damn truth for a change."

"And what are you referring to, Andi?" he asked, keeping his tone soft and even, even though the look on his face was very serious.

"Let's stop the games, Albus. You've been hiding something from us and we deserve to know what it is." The headmaster looked at Andraste for a moment, before turning to Remus and Minerva.

"My deepest apologies, but maybe it would be best if we had tea another time." Both quickly took the hint, and headed towards the door. "Please, sit down, both of you." Albus asked when the other professors had left. Against her better judgment, Andraste sat down beside Severus and took the cup of coffee that was thrust into her hands.

"You know, since you've come here I've began to love you as I would my own daughter, and you, Severus, know I look at you as my son."

"Albus, please," Andraste said, her voice close to pleading, "we know you love us, you know we love you – that I hold you in nothing but the highest respect, but just tell us, please."

"Very well," he said, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose briefly. "Severus, do you recall me telling you of the prophecy that Alexandra told me?" Severus nodded, but it was Andraste who spoke.

"You mean the Elvin Guardian that gave me the rings?" Albus shook his head and continued, looking at Andraste.

"I knew that you would come here years ago, and just a day before you arrived, Alexandra visited me to remind me of what was to come." He paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

"A fire shall ride in on night, though the power of night is the ashes – to clash with ice and temper both – four corners will unite – Earth and Wind and Rain shall bond together to save the saviour, but fire shall fade with nothing more than embers to start the flame anew. The fire will ride in on night, though the power of night is the ashes."

"You are, without doubt Andraste, the fire it refers to. Just as Severus is ice and the four corners, the four houses. Need I continue?"

"That would make Sarine…"

"The night, yes. I puzzled for years over the prophecy, it is just recently that I believe I truly understand it." They both watched as a variety of emotions crossed her face before Albus finally spoke again. "We're not going to let you die, Andi. We'll find another way."

"I accepted it before I came here, Albus. I don't think we will find another way."

"What are you two talking about," Severus demanded, an edge of panic in his voice. "The prophecy says that the flame will start anew, you're NOT GOING TO DIE."

"No, Love. The prophecy says that the fire will fade with nothing more than embers to start the flame anew."

"It's the same thing," he insisted, "that means you'll live."

"This isn't how I wanted to tell you," Andraste said, her voice caught by the tears she was refusing to cry, and her eyes dry as she stared blankly at her husband.

"Tell me what?"

"I'm two weeks pregnant, Severus. It means the baby will live, not me."