Disclaimer: All Harry Potter people, places, things, and ideas (all Harry Potter nouns) belong to J. K. Rowlings. All Elf-related topics, the Elvish language, references to staff magic, and any other Lord of the Rings nouns belong to J. R. R. Tolkien and the Elvish dictionary at Nevrast. The titles of the chapters were inspired by "Once Upon a December" from the cartoon movie Anastasia. Professor Heryn O'Sheen is mine.
Chapter 6: Things I almost remember.
After dinner, Albus walked Minerva to her rooms, stopping when they reached her door. Somehow his arm had moved from being linked with hers to being wrapped around her waist. He whispered, "Goodnight, Minerva," and paused. She watched him with curiosity, about to tell him goodnight when he leaned toward her and kissed her warmly.
A shade of crimson spread across her cheeks as she found her voice. "Don't go. I could use a good chess game after today and I was hoping you would join me," she offered.
He smiled politely. "I would love to, my dear."
The two sat in opposite chairs after she had found her chess set. During the two games that they played, Minerva and Albus discussed recent events. "We still don't know how long we have until the thief comes here. Isn't there something we can do to calculate when that might be?" Minerva asked.
Albus sighed and his brow furrowed as he concentrated on the chess board for a moment. Despite the gravity of their conversation, the chess game provided a welcome distraction. "All we can do is owl the Ministry of Magic, telling them what we know and hoping that they have a lead of some sort while Severus and our Elvish friend find ways to defend the school. Those two, whether they realize it or not, are our best hope in this situation."
He glanced over at her, knowing that she had more to say. She hesitated, waiting as her bishop took one of his pawns. "Albus, was it really the right thing to do, throwing them together again like that? Poor Severus was deeply upset by that last night," she conveyed.
Moving a rook to a more strategic position, he faced her. "It is the best way to help her remember, and him to heal. If anyone can help her, he can. My hope is that they will rediscover their feelings for each other by the end of this."
Minerva won both games, the first only marginally, the second by the usual flare that showed off her chess skills. Albus stood to leave and she walked him to the door. "Thank you for the tea and a couple of superb chess games," he told her.
She smiled graciously. "You're quite welcome, Albus. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, my dear, and I'll tell you that I have greatly enjoyed your company," he added softly as he gently caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers, also brushing her neck and stopping at her shoulder.
She leaned into his touch and began to purr. He smirked at her and then she blushed a candy-apple red from the neck up at the realization that she had been purring. "There is no need to be embarrassed, my dear. I find it very charming when you purr," he told her with a grin.
Of course the compliment only made her blush more. "Thank you," she managed.
"I recall a nickname you used many years ago to go along with your animagus form, 'Tabby,' I think it was," he began.
She nodded. "Yes, that is correct. Is there a particular reason that you brought it up?"
"With your permission, I would like to call you 'Tabby' from time to time," he requested.
Smiling back at him, she nodded again. "Only you," she whispered. Before he left, their lips met for a gentle kiss.
Severus woke with a start and grabbed his wand from the nightstand as he felt something run into his bed. Letting the tip of the wand glow, he observed his visitor with scrutiny. The Elvish woman, wearing a forest-green nightgown, seemed to be walking into the edge of his bed, bouncing off, and trying again. A closer look revealed that her eyes were closed. "Blasted woman is sleepwalking again," he said under his breath.
He grabbed his bathrobe, black as his teaching robes, and walked over to her. When he called out 'Moira,' he did not receive a response. Then a curious thought struck him. "Heryn," he whispered.
To his profound shock, the sleeping woman replied, "My Severus, I am blocked here. My waking self cannot remember. Help my waking self to understand." Once the statement had been mumbled, she collapsed onto his stone floor.
What the deuce did I do to deserve this? Granted, I've been a deatheater among other things, but I didn't realize that my penance for that one extended this far. I honestly don't know what is going on anymore. Racing over to her side, he attempted to revive her gently. Suddenly she sat up and looked at him with distress. "Professor Snape, where am I?" she asked.
He helped her to her feet and then lit a lamp. "As you can see, you are in my rooms," he responded, a slight pink streak flashed across his cheeks just long enough for her to know that he was mildly embarrassed to find her there. Then he looked toward her and gave her his interrogating glare. "What I would like to know is how you came to be here and why, considering that I do have a password."
She thought for a moment with her eyes closed. As she opened them and faced him, he recognized the knowing expression. "Your password is 'banshee in red,' yes?" she questioned.
He nodded. "Perhaps do you recall something from your days here after all."
Raising an eyebrow, she eyed him quizzically. "I understand why it was necessary for you to know my password, but why do I know yours?"
I should have known she'd ask that, he grumbled to himself. "You should return to your own rooms."
She was not put off by his attempt to change the subject. "That's not fair. You owe me an explanation."
Part of him was enjoying her stubborn side, but he was not about to let her know it. "I will be blunt: now is not the time for such a discussion and it would be better if you headed back to your own rooms before it gets any later. I also suggest that before you do, you transfigure your nightgown into something a bit more… conservative, lest someone see you as you are, exiting the dungeons," he said crisply.
Though her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she remembered the thinness of her outfit, she smirked. "That might be a bit difficult, considering that I don't have my wand with me to change my nightgown."
He sighed with resignation and grabbed an extra bathrobe from his closet. "Alright, since I can't seem to get rid of you and since it is unlikely that either one of us is going back to sleep any time soon, I will make tea. I have a few questions for you after we deal with your questions," he acquiesced.
"You can go first then," she mentioned.
Just before they left his room, she noticed a small, flat green snake on his dresser. She lifted it up and stared at it oddly, starting to place it along different areas of her arm. "I've seen this somewhere before, but I think it was on someone's skin," she said as if she were looking through fog.
"That's just an old bookmark," he stated. She set it down and they entered the sitting room.
He used a short upward swooping hand gesture to light the two hurricane lamps in the room as well as the fireplace. Later, they were seated in two wingback chairs as they drank their tea. He spied his clock on the mantel, noticing that it read 3:15, and then he spoke first. "First off, call me Severus. What are your dreams like?"
She took a sip and faced him. "When I dream, I know where I am, who I am, and what is going on around me. I have memories of people and places that seem incredible, but when I wake up and try to recall them, I don't understand anything that I saw or experienced and I'm confused. It is as if my sleeping self knows much more than my waking self," she admitted.
"Were you dreaming tonight?" he inquired calmly.
Nodding quickly, she set her cup down on the coffee table. "Yes. I was wandering through the castle, looking for something. I knew exactly where I was going though. I remember heading to the dungeons, saying your password, and entering your rooms. However, when I reached what is currently your bedroom, it was empty. Where your bed should have been were a few loose chunks of flagstone. I was trying to get to them because I needed whatever was under them. That's when you woke me."
His brow furrowed as he tried to analyze the situation. This is certainly a puzzle. "When you were asleep, I called out 'Moira,' but you did not respond. However, when I called out 'Heryn,' you spoke. Do you have any idea why that would be?"
"No, but perhaps when I'm dreaming, I am Heryn. That would explain why I seem to know so much more. It could be that somehow my long-term memories were stored in my subconscious and are still there," she assessed.
He opened his mouth to comment, but then shook his head and decided to take another direction. "Can you remember what it was you were looking for?"
She focused her gaze on her hands, folded in her lap, thinking for a while. "I was looking for something important, powerful, and hidden."
"Do you think it could have been the staff?" he suggested.
"It sounds like an excellent possibility," she remarked. "Now on to my question: why do I know your password?"
You still don't let much slip by, he reasoned, rubbing a crick out of his neck. "As much as I'd rather have a glass of brandy while explaining things, I will give you your answer, but only because you have answered a few of my questions. You and I used to visit each other quite often and knowing each other's passwords saved time."
Crossing her knees and folding her hands on top of one knee, she sighed. "I think you can do better than that, Severus. You only gave me half an answer," she stated primly, appearing and sounding incredibly like the teacher he remembered her to be. "Why would I visit you so frequently?"
Why can't she just be either consistently the clueless guest or consistently herself? I am not entirely sure whom I'm talking to again, he thought uncomfortably. "I will not play this game any longer. I will tell you what I wish to and nothing else. Furthermore, you should go back to your rooms while everyone is most likely still asleep!" he spat.
He had expected her to leave and was mildly surprised when she crept over to him with an odd, catlike grace. She stopped directly in front of him and he could see deep emotion reflected in her eyes. "I will go if you permit me to answer one question for myself."
"If it will ensure that I can return to what is left of my good night's sleep shortly, then by all means go ahead," he commented sardonically.
When she moved even closer it was as if the world had stopped. She leaned toward him, resting one knee on the chair's cushion and one hand on the arm of the chair. Carefully reaching out, she caressed his cheek with the back of her fingers and closed her eyes when they were almost nose to nose. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her there with all his heart, but for her sake he resisted and allowed her to pull back to look him in the eyes again.
"Severus who am I? I need to know who I am because I don't think I can take much more of this. I have all these feelings for people that I don't know how to sort out because I don't know where they came from," she admitted in a whisper.
"It's nice to know that I'm not the only one of us trying to deal with awkward emotions," he responded almost as quietly.
"I think I should leave now," she stated, quickly making her way toward the door. Upon reaching it, she turned back to him for a moment. "We were much closer than you first led me to believe, weren't we?" she left before he could answer properly.
Knowing that sleep would not return to him that evening, he began to reflect on what had just occurred. I should have transfigured her nightgown myself and sent her on her way. I did not think that she would remember enough to have troubling emotions. I can only keep her in the dark about our relationship for so long, and it's beginning to look like she might even remember parts of it. Whatever sort of amnesia she has, it is quite strange indeed. What if she really did see something in her dreams? Perhaps I should move my bed and check after all, he decided.
Using magic to move his bed, the found flagstone tiles underneath. At first glance, he did not see anything unusual. However, when he felt the flagstone, he realized that the pieces felt different, more crude. He used magic to pull them up and gasped as he spotted a small oval-shaped object. Looking at it near one of his lamps, he realized that it was wrapped in an old piece of leather. He removed the covering to reveal the head of a staff.
"What's going on here? I thought the locating spell didn't work on her," he said aloud. "This isn't adding up at all. Perhaps I'll have that brandy now."
Breakfast came and went without any significant problems. As the professors left to teach their Friday classes, the Elvish woman returned to the library to find out more regarding the staff. She was deeply engrossed in her research and only stopped for lunch because the librarian had reminded her. When she returned, she found another leather book. Later, Severus found her as she continued to read the book. He cleared his throat and she looked up at him.
"I trust that Madame Pince reminded you to eat lunch," he stated. She nodded and showed him the book.
"I've found something useful. Apparently the staff within this castle has many abilities. One is to call up old minions from the days of Middle Earth to engage in battle again," she informed him.
He watched her for a minute. "There is something I want to show you. Follow me," he told her, sauntering out of the library.
She trailed him down to the dungeons and into his rooms. After he shut the door, he reached over to his coffee table and unwrapped the object sitting there. Staring wide-eyed, she gasped as he showed her the head of the staff. "Where did you find this?" she inquired.
"I found it under a few loose tiles, under my bed. Somehow you knew it was here," he commented.
The French roll she had kept her hair in began to pull at the roots more than she would have liked at that moment. She unwound it, noticing the immediate relief, and simply pulled it back with a hair band. "I do not know what to say. I thought the locating spell didn't work on me, yet here we are with the first part of the staff."
"This probably has something to do with your dream," he mentioned.
Sighing heavily, she sat down on the couch and was silent for a moment. Then she looked up at him. "Severus, what really happened last night? The whole thing feels like a dream. When I woke up at 6:30, I was on top of my bed in a black bathrobe."
He took a seat next to her. "If I must recount the whole thing to you, then I'll keep it short," he began bluntly. "You were sleepwalking and found your way into my room. I spoke to you, but it was Heryn I received an answer from while you were asleep. Then you woke and we discussed the dream which led you here, about you knowing where you were going in the castle, looking for something."
She looked at her hands and then faced him. "There is a reason I asked you. I remember things in an odd way, as if they weren't my memories," she paused and took a deep breath. "Severus, when you were talking to me last night, especially toward the end of our conversation, you were talking to someone else. Being here has had a strange affect on me."
"In what way?" he asked.
"I've been experiencing what I'd describe as memory splits, moments when I'm not the one doing the thinking. I don't know how, maybe it had to do with you waking me up while I was sleepwalking, but somehow for a few brief moments, you were talking to Heryn. This is all so terribly confusing," she admitted.
"Then it is possible," he said quietly to himself.
The Elvish woman raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"
He stood and began pacing for a minute, trying to explain what he had realized. She stood to leave, but when he turned to face her, the look of knowledge in his eyes stopped her. "I think I know what happened with the locating spell, and I might have a theory about what else you have mentioned. Somehow, the part of you that is Heryn is in your subconscious mind. Because Heryn has all the memories, as well as the true personality, the spell was cast on Heryn. There may yet be a way to fix your memory," he conveyed.
"Wait, I may not be a medwitch, but I don't think amnesia works that way. The muggle nurses told me that most of my memory loss would never return," she mentioned.
"Sometimes muggle nurses do not know how to treat magic folk. It's possible that your memory may have been affected differently than they figured," he suggested.
"I think we should tell the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall what we have discovered," she suggested.
As the two made their way to the Headmaster's study, Albus and Minerva were waiting for a reply from the Ministry of Magic. They looked up as the others entered. "Minerva, Albus, we have news about what the thief is looking for and how to find it," Severus stated.
"Then by all means tell us," Minerva responded.
The Elvish woman spoke. "The thief is looking for a staff that was broken into five parts, hidden within this castle. We tried to use a locating spell to find it, but when I didn't go anywhere immediately, we surmised that it did not work. I found the location of the first part while sleepwalking," she explained.
"Apparently her real self is in her subconscious. There may be a way to retrieve her memory," Severus added.
"Finally we have some good news," Minerva exclaimed. Then she told the two what she and Albus had learned about the thief.
Abruptly the Elvish woman placed her hand on Minerva's arm. "Wait, what sort of tattoo did he have, Professor McGonagall?"
"It was a green snake on his arm," she replied.
The other woman's eyes widened and Severus met her gaze. "What is it?"
"Do you remember how I mentioned that your green bookmark looked familiar, that I had seen it on someone's skin?" she questioned. He nodded and she continued. "Maybe my mind is still playing tricks on me, but I think I can remember the tattoo. I just don't remember what might have been connected with it."
"Well at least it's a start," Severus added dryly.
The Elvish woman opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it, as if sewing together thoughts on the matter. Then she looked over at Severus. "I know I'm the one with the faulty memory here, but I just thought of something that might help us. Most schools have file systems of who attended the school and when. Shouldn't this Mr. Holt, if that is his real name, be in the files somewhere?"
Severus grasped her shoulders lightly and looked at her wide-eyed. "That's brilliant. I don't know why I didn't think of it before. We should check the Slytherin House files for him."
Minerva had been watching the two, trying to keep her mind focused on the conversation. She kept worrying about what they still needed to know and find. Lunch had not been an option for her due to lack of appetite and after the previous night's chess games she still had not felt like going to sleep. Now the day had taxed her of any energy reserves she might have had and she took a deep breath to clear her head.
None of the other three had noticed that Minerva seemed at all tired. Then a tapping was heard at the window. Albus walked over to it and let the grey owl into the room. He carefully untied the note from the bird's leg and sent him back. Sighing heavily as he read it, Albus passed the note to the others.
When Minerva read it, she looked over at him with panic in her eyes. "Albus, what are we going to do? The Ministry of Magic says we have a week at most to prepare!" she declared.
"Minerva, we are doing all we can and we find more each day," Severus said, attempting to calm her.
His effort did not work and she began pacing near the desk. "We are running out of time! We have to find something more concrete to use as a defense!" She stopped pacing suddenly and took in a few quick breaths, placing a hand on the desk. Albus watched her, knowing that something was wrong. "I'm sorry, it's just that…" she suddenly trailed off, losing her balance and falling in front of the desk on the side with the inkwells.
The others rushed to her side, Albus being the first, lifting her up and deciding to carry her to the infirmary. Everything else was forgotten as he stared down at her. The Elvish woman gasped as she neared Minerva, not because the professor had feinted, but because of what was on her robes. "Merlin's beard, she's got blood all over the front of her!"
(I apologize for not explaining what a claddagh is in the previous chapter, it is a circle with two hands at the end that hold a crown above a heart, symbolizing love, loyalty, and friendship, sometimes it can also symbolize and engagement; my thanks to S.S.S.570, Quill of Minerva, Leta McGotor, and excessivelyperky for reviewing :D)