A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Hmm...Severus in a fedora...I like!
Chapter 19- The Destruction Party
Banish air from air,/ Divide light if you dare.- Emily Dickenson
The stasis charm on the potion was cancelled the next morning, allowing the mixture to finish brewing properly. Harry wowed Ron and Hermione with a retelling of the daring break-in at Borgin and Burkes during breakfast, with Severus smirking over the rim of his cup at Samantha.
The rest of the day was spent in the drawing room while they waited on the potion. The apprehension and excitement of destroying two Horcruxes at once was palpable, so they all sat around trying to distract each other from the wait.
"Checkmate," said Ron as he gave Harry a smug look. "Again. How many times is that today, Potter?"
"One time too many," said Harry, frowning at his quarrelling pieces. "I'm done. I've had enough defeat for one day."
"I should say so, Harry," said Samantha with a grin. "That's seven games in a row that you've lost to chess master Weasley."
Harry glared at her and spoke in a deadpan tone. "Yes. Thank you Samantha. I wasn't quite sure of the count. Good to have you around to remind me." Ron laughed at his sour face.
"Better be careful, Sam," said Severus with a smirk. "Weasley's head will be too large to fit through the doorways if you keep it up."
Ron rolled his eyes at Severus as he reset the board. "It's not my fault Harry's so bad at chess. Anyone else want to play me? Hermione?"
"No thanks, Ron," said Hermione from behind her Arithmancy textbook. "I'm in the middle of something here."
Ron sighed dejectedly. Severus got up from the chair he was sitting in and walked over to where Harry was lying on the floor. Severus nudged his ribs with his shoe and motioned for Harry to move. Harry smirked at Ron's shocked face as Severus got down on his stomach on the floor, setting up Harry's black pieces opposite Ron's white. Harry sat cross legged off to the side to watch.
"I believe white moves first, Weasley," said Severus with a blank face. "Although I will warn you, I haven't played in some time."
"That's okay," said Ron with a smile. "I'll go easy on you this first game."
Samantha bit her lip to keep from laughing and went back to reading the paper as Ron made his first move. Less than ten minutes later, Ron's face fell and Harry laughed loudly.
"I believe that's checkmate, Weasley," said Severus smugly. "I suppose I should have told you before we started that I was the reigning school chess champion while I was at Hogwarts."
"And he was just as smug about it then as he is now," said Samantha as she finished the paper and put it on the table beside her.
"Well, we can't all be Charms prodigies," muttered Severus. He looked back at Ron. "Rematch?"
"Yeah," said Ron as he set his white queen back on the board. "And this time, I'll actually play you and not let you win."
"Whatever you say, Weasley," said Severus with an evil grin. The second game lasted thirty minutes.
"Well, would you look at that," said Severus in a light tone. "Checkmate again!"
"That was luck!" shouted Ron, pointing a finger at Severus. "Reset!"
Harry chuckled as the third game began. Samantha rolled her eyes and grabbed the potions book that Severus had been reading earlier and started flipping through it while Hermione ignored them all, still in the middle of her Arithmancy book.
After four more games, Ron swore under his breath and tipped his king over again.
"Fine," he said angrily. "I think I'm going to go and practice some Defense. Harry, you want to come partner me?"
"Sure," said Harry as he got up off the floor. "Hermione, you want to come?"
She sighed. "I suppose. I need a break from reading for a while."
Ron frowned at her and put a hand to her forehead. "Are you okay, Hermione? You just said you needed a break from reading." He doubled over slightly when Hermione backhanded him in the chest as she walked out of the room behind Harry. Rubbing his chest and mumbling, Ron followed them down the hall. Severus got up quickly and looked out the door. He shut it quietly and locked it. He turned and gave Samantha a predatory look.
"Thought they'd never leave," he said silkily as he snatched the potions book out of her hands. He pulled her out of the chair, sitting in it himself and pulling her back on top of his lap. He began to kiss her neck, sucking her skin softly between his lips.
"Severus," whispered Samantha as he trailed his tongue along her jaw line. "Severus, the kids are just down the hall."
"Mmm, good point," he muttered. He raised his wand and cast a Silencing charm on the room and smothered her protest with a searing kiss.
Several hours later, a freshly-showered Severus and Samantha were sitting in the kitchen, eating some leftovers from the kids' lunch. Severus looked at his watch.
"It's almost time, Sam," he said. He got up from the table. "Go get Harry and tell him to bring the Horcruxes. Meet me up in the lab." He walked up to his room and over to his bedside table. He opened his drawer and pulled out the jar of acromantula eggs.
"Well, here goes nothing," he muttered under his breath. He shut the drawer and left his room, pausing outside his door to put up some mental walls to shield himself from the pain of the Mark. With his Occlumency solid, he climbed up the three stories to the lab.
The blackbirds stood staring at the goblet and locket sitting on the table between two cauldrons. Samantha was leaning against the wall behind them. Severus walked over with the eggs, setting the jar down and looking up at the clock.
"Hermione, if you could come and assist me with adding the eggs, please," said Severus softly. "Take out your wand and levitate one egg out of the jar. Wait for my signal to drop it into the cauldron."
Hermione stood beside him, and hovered an egg above her cauldron. Severus watched the second hand of the clock.
"Now!" he said as he dropped his egg into the cauldron. Hermione did the same to hers, and both cauldrons emitted a bright white light.
"Hermione, get back!" said Severus loudly. She backed away quickly, as the other three backed themselves against the wall, shielding their eyes. After a minute, the light suddenly faded away. Severus blinked rapidly and peered into the cauldrons. He resealed the lid of the egg jar and placed it on a shelf out of the way.
"It's ready," he said. "Now, this will be the most dangerous part. Sam, come over here next to me. Weasley, Harry, you both go over by Hermione. Listen carefully. One person will need to lift and drop the Horcrux into the potion. The others will need to cast the strongest shield charms they can over the top of the cauldron to keep any -- ah -- bits from escaping. Is everyone clear on what we need to do?"
Everyone nodded at him. "Good. Sam, I want you to lift the locket and drop it. As soon as you let it go, cast your shield charm. Weasley, I want you to do the same with the goblet, with Harry and Hermione casting shields. Shielders, stand out of the way. Levitators, after you drop, move back a step or two as you cast your charm. We lift on three."
Samantha took a deep breath as Severus's voice rang out loud and clear. "One…two…three! Lift!"
Ron and Samantha waved their wands at the Horcruxes, lifting the objects above the cauldrons.
"Wait for it," said Severus as he pointed his wand at his cauldron. "Drop them now!"
The Horcruxes dropped into the cauldrons and immediately began to sizzle loudly. Three shield charms were cast, followed by two more. The shields bulged under the pressure building in the cauldron.
"Hold the shields steady," shouted Severus over the noise. The cauldrons rattled on the table. Harry and Ron's foreheads broke out in a sweat as the minutes trickled by.
"How much longer?" shouted Hermione. "I don't know if we can hold the shields!"
"Just hang on," shouted Severus. "Just a minute longer!"
The shields stretched to their limit. With a huge explosion, all five of them were lifted off the floor and slammed into the wall. The room was filled with an earsplitting shriek and then fell completely silent. Severus opened his eyes slowly, looking around the room. The cauldrons had melted, neutralizing the potion, which dripped off the burnt table onto the floor. He got up slowly, his back stiff and bruised from where he had hit the wall. He helped Samantha to her feet.
"You alright, Sam?" he asked.
"A bit sore, but nothing that can't be fixed with some rest," said Samantha. "Blackbirds, you alright over there?"
There was a groan in response. Severus and Samantha ran to where the three kids were sprawled on the floor.
"Harry?" said Samantha softly as she shook his shoulder gently. His glasses had been thrown off his face and lay shattered a few feet away. Severus helped Hermione sit up as Ron used the wall to get to his feet. He felt the back of his head and grimaced.
"Harry!" cried Samantha. She pulled her wand and started running diagnostics. Her wand glowed red as she ran it over his face. She lifted his head gently, feeling the back of his head with her fingers. She felt a large lump and pulled her fingers away, staring at the redness that covered them. Harry moaned.
"Severus, get him up," said Samantha as she moved to let Severus through. "Ron, help Hermione please." Severus lifted Harry in his arms and carried him from the room, following Samantha's running footsteps down the stairs to the third floor. Samantha threw open the door to Harry and Ron's room and moved over to the opposite side of the bed as Severus laid him down gently. Ron and Hermione hobbled into the room a few minutes later, Hermione leaning heavily on Ron.
"I think Hermione's broken her ankle," said Ron. He helped her over to his bed and set her down, brushing her brown hair back from her face with a shaking hand.
"You know how to set the bone, Ron," said Samantha as she looked up at him from where Harry was still unconscious. "Cast a Numbing charm from her knee down and then heal the bone." Ron nodded and looked to Hermione, who nodded her head.
"Severus, Harry's got a bad concussion," said Samantha softly. "Help me turn him over so I can get to the back of his head easier." Severus gently lifted Harry onto his side and flipped him over. His face paled slightly at the blood running down Harry's neck as Samantha immediately began healing the bump. Severus turned to the other bed, where Hermione lay perfectly still. Ron was sweating and concentrating hard on his spell, surrounding Hermione's ankle in blue light. He ended the spell and gently rotated her foot.
"How is she, Healer Weasley?" asked Severus. He put a pale hand on her forehead, feeling for fever.
Ron exhaled. "I'm going to take off the Numbing charm now. If she's still in a lot of pain, I'll have to get Samantha to look at it." Ron took Hermione's hand and cancelled the charm. She smiled at him.
"There's just a bit of soreness, nothing more," said Hermione. "Thank you, Ron." Ron gave her a huge grin.
"Very impressive, Weasley," said Severus. He smiled at Ron. "Well done."
"Thanks, Professor," said Ron. He turned to Hermione with a serious look. "Now, Hermione, you'll have to stay off your ankle for a while." Severus turned back to Harry while Ron explained the details of recuperation.
"Sam, what's the prognosis?" asked Severus. Samantha straightened up and gave Severus a small grin.
"He'll be okay," she said. "He'll be asleep for a while and have a massive headache when he gets up, but otherwise he'll be back to normal in no time at all." She tenderly turned Harry back over onto his back and reached down to the end of the bed to pull a blanket over him. She brushed his hair back from his head, running a thumb over his scar. Harry shivered slightly and pulled the blanket closer to him. Severus dimmed the overhead lights to a soft glow and turned to Ron.
"We'll leave them in your capable hands, Weasley," said Severus as he and Samantha walked towards the door. "Alert us to any changes."
"I will," said Ron.
Severus and Samantha went back up to the lab. The used potion had congealed on the floor, leaving a gooey puddle of blackish muck. Severus walked over to the table and reached slowly for the locket. He lifted the chain, unsticking the locket itself from some gelled potion. The casing had cracked down the middle. Severus cast a scourgify and beheld the shining, empty locket.
"It's safe to handle, Sam," said Severus as he handed it to her. She took it hesitantly, running her thumb over the mark of Slytherin. Severus picked up Hufflepuff's cup and cleaned it as well.
"Where are we going to put them?" said Samantha as she handed the locket back to Severus.
"Well, they're not staying in this house, that's for sure," said Severus. "I think I'll take them to Gringott's and have them put inmy vault."
Samantha nodded. "Good. I don't particularly want it known that they're here and have people ask questions that can't be answered."
"My thoughts exactly," said Severus. He grinned at her and kissed her cheek. "Great minds think alike."
"You should save your flattery for when you need it, Severus," said Samantha, giving him a coy look.
"It's not flattery if it's true, my lady," said Severus. He bowed in front of her and kissed her hand. "Let's go get some food and take it to Weasley. I'm sure he and Hermione are hungry."
The rest of the week passed in relative calm. Samantha and Hermione cleaned up the potions lab, having to use knives to pry the dried potion off the floor. Harry's head healed completely and he was back to losing match after match of chess to Ron.
Three weeks after what was being referred to as the Destruction Party, Severus came into the kitchen one morning disguised as Jacob Prince.
"I'm going to go to Gringott's to drop off the Horcruxes," said Severus told the Samantha and Harry as he went to the stove for coffee. He poured himself a cup and walked back to the table, drinking his coffee quickly and scanning the front page of the paper.
"And I guess it would be pointless in thinking that I could go too," said Harry sullenly as he swirled his own cup.
"Oh, I don't know," said Samantha in a light tone. "It never hurts to ask politely for a chance to practice one's transfiguration skills. What do you think, Jacob?"
"Hm," said Severus as he eyed Harry over the rim of his cup. "I assume the other two are still asleep?"
"Yeah," said Harry with a grin. "They were both in Ron's bed sound asleep about thirty minutes ago when I got up."
"Interesting," said Samantha. "I guess they will never learn that it doesn't pay to sleep in around here, will they?" She stood up and motioned for Harry to stand in front of her.
"Let's see here," she mused, raising her wand to Harry's forehead. She cast a glamour over his scar and altered his hair color from black to dirty blond, changing his eyebrows to match and lightening his eyes to a pale blue. She pulled off his glasses and tapped them, changing the thick, black frames to thin silver ones. She ran her wand down his cheek, changing Harry's soft, boyish features into hard, angular lines. She smiled as she conjured a mirror and put it in Harry's hand.
"Well, what do you think?" she asked as Harry lifted the glass. His face split into a wide smile.
"Wow, Sam, it's great!" cried Harry. He looked to Severus.
"All you need are some robes and we'll be set, James," said Severus. "Make sure you wear your bracelet too, just in case we get separated for some reason. Hurry up and get dressed, and do not wake the others if you can help it." Harry ran out of the room and returned ten minutes later in plain black robes and a black cloak that just barely fit.
"So dark and brooding," teased Samantha as Harry slung his cloak over his shoulders.
"Yeah, well, the only robes I have that fit are all black," said Harry. Severus shrugged.
"We can buy you some more while we're in the Alley, if you would like," he said. Harry smiled.
"Sounds good," said Harry. "I'll have to get some money out of my vault."
"Fine," said Severus. "Let's get going. I would like to avoid the morning rush if we can."
Diagon Alley was already getting a bit crowded when Severus and Harry arrived. They walked leisurely down the Alley, stopping at Quality Quidditch Supplies to eye the new merchandise. After ogling the window, Severus and Harry walked through the silver doors of the bank. They stood in line for an hour and a half until a goblin silently escorted them to an empty cart. They rode down to Severus's vault first, where he stepped out of the cart quickly.
"Stay here," said Severus, raising a hand to stop Harry from getting up. He gave the goblin his key, slipping inside the vault and walking all the way to the back. He found an empty wooden box that formerly contained potion vials. He set the cup and locket inside, locking the box securely. He also warded the box so strongly that the only people other than himself that would be able to open the box would be highly trained Aurors. He walked swiftly back out to the cart and sat back down next to Harry as it shot off down the track. It stopped again in front of Harry's vault, where Harry scooped handfuls of galleons into a sack. With their tasks done, they left Gringott's and made their way to Madam Malkin's.
The door chimed as they stepped inside. Madam Malkin came around from behind the counter to greet them.
"Good morning, gentlemen," she said. "How may I help you today?"
"We looking for some new robes," said Severus, putting his hands on Harry's shoulders. She smiled as Harry nodded.
"Well, then step right up on this stool, dear. I'll get you fixed up with some really nice ones."
Harry stood perfectly still while the matron pulled on robe after robe, all in different colors. Severus sat in a chair, watching leisurely. He sneered at one set of Gryffindor red robes that Harry tried on. Harry grinned mischievously and told Malkin that he would definitely be buying those. But to placate Severus, Harry bought plenty of plain black robes and a few dark green ones. They left the shop with quite a few packages. Harry shrank them all, sticking them inside the pocket of his new black cloak.
He looked around as he and Severus strolled down the sidewalk. "Where to now?"
"Flourish and Blotts," said Severus as he casually looked around them for anyone suspicious. "We need some books on a certain Hogwarts founder for our research." They walked down to the bookshop and went through the door. Severus walked to the back where the miscellaneous books were kept.
"Anything on Ravenclaw, James," said Severus as he pointed to the lower shelves. "Bring me what you find." He and Harry scoured the tomes, pulling out a few that looked promising. After twenty minutes, Harry came to Severus holding two books.
"Not a lot of selection, but these looked interesting," said Harry. Severus opened them and was scanning the table of contents when Harry gasped quietly, grabbing Severus's arm.
"Don't look now, but a big snag just walked past," whispered Harry. Severus shut the book with a snap and walked deeper into the store. Harry followed him to a darkened corner. Severus peered around the edge of the bookcase towards the counter and swore under his breath.
"Of all the days to come to the Alley," he muttered. He checked the prices on the books and handed Harry a handful of gold, along with the few books he had found.
"Just buy them all," whispered Severus. "We can always donate them to the school if we don't need them. I can't go up there because she's already seen me as Jacob. Don't act suspicious around her. She won't recognize you. Call me on your bracelet when you're done." Severus wandered through the stacks and out the door as Harry walked up to the counter behind McGonagall. As she gathered her parcels, she accidentally bumped into Harry.
"Oh, excuse me," said McGonagall as she looked at Harry. "I'm so sorry."
"It's okay, ma'am," said Harry. McGonagall stared at him for a second, but then shook her head and left the store quickly. Harry let out the breath he was holding softly and put the books up on the counter. With two bundles of brown paper, Harry walked out of the store and pretended to yawn bringing his left arm up to his face.
"Gabriel," said Harry softly. His bracelet warmed as he walked casually down the sidewalk, pulling on his ear.
"I'm in front of the Apothecary," said Severus. Harry rubbed his face slowly.
"I'm coming to you," muttered Harry. He walked down the street and saw a brown-haired man looking in a window at powered bicorn horn.
"This stuff is more expensive every time I come here," said Severus softly as Harry handed him the packages of books. "Anything else you need to do before we go?" Harry looked around.
"No," said Harry. He saw a bright colored building out of the corner of his eye and turned to look at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes as they walked toward the apparition point.
"Have you been in Fred and George's shop?" asked Harry. Severus turned and sneered at the bright building.
"Yes, I have," said Severus as he kept on walking. "Albus kept insisting that I drop by. I finally did one day and was appalled at the amount of dangerous items they are selling to young children."
"Not all of it's dangerous," said Harry. "Some of their stuff is really great."
"Yes, like that wonderful Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder that my godson was able to purchase," growled Severus, "which, I might add, is illegal to import into any country on the continent. Britain is the only place in all of Europe where you can buy it legally."
"Yes, well, they know now to check who they're selling things to," said Harry in the twins' defense. "But you can't deny that they are extremely creative."
"Those holy terrors are just a little too creative for my liking," said Severus as the reached the point. He turned and disappeared with a faint pop. Harry sighed and disapparated to the Square. Severus was already out of the park by the time Harry caught up with him.
"How do you disapparate without making any noise?" asked Harry. Severus smirked at him.
"Lots and lots of practice," said Severus. "It's rather difficult for beginners just learning to apparate, but if you work at it, eventually you can reach the point of near silent apparition." He pushed open the door and waved Harry in. Shutting the door behind him, Severus walked with Harry to the kitchen. Samantha was still sitting at the table, sipping a cup of tea.
"That was fast," she said as she stood to take their cloaks. "I take it the Alley wasn't crowded?"
"It was a little too crowded for me," said Harry. "We ran into McGonagall getting some books on Ravenclaw from Flourish and Blotts."
"Did she recognize you?" she asked Severus.
"No, I snuck out while James paid for our books," said Severus as he set the parcels on the table. He flicked his wrist and cancelled his glamour. Harry mimicked him, undoing all the changes Samantha made except for his glasses. He went and poured two cups of coffee, setting one in front of Severus. He was sitting down just as Ron and Hermione staggered sleepily into the kitchen.
"Morning," said Samantha brightly. "You two sleep well last night?"
Harry smiled as he took a sip of his coffee, giving Samantha a wink over the rim of his cup.
"Yeah," said Ron. "I slept really well."
"I'll bet," muttered Severus into his cup. Harry chuckled softly while Samantha covered her grin with her hand.
"Well, get something to eat and bring it with you into the library," said Samantha as she gathered up the new books. "Severus and Harry went to the Alley and got us some books on Ravenclaw. We need to get cracking on finding this other Horcrux."
They spent all morning and most of the afternoon, reading the new books from Flourish and Blotts and several others that happened to already be in the library. Ron closed the book he had and threw it into the finished pile, grabbing another one off the table. Hermione was rereading Hogwarts, A History when she gasped.
"I think I found something," she said excitedly. She cleared her throat and began to read. "'In the year 978, Salazar Slytherin finally decided that he could no longer teach side-by-side with Godric Gryffindor. Such was the nature of their disagreement over which students should be admitted to Hogwarts that Slytherin left the school permanently. However, before he departed, he entrusted several items to Rowena Ravenclaw to pass on to the students of her choice. He left several tomes and a chest that was rumored to have once held several relics belonging to the great wizard Merlin. Over the years, the relics were lost but the chest was handed down to Ravenclaw's descendants, generation after generation. The last reported family member to have possessed the chest was one Miranda Wakefield.'"
"I've seen that name before," said Samantha as she rose to search the stacks. "It was in a genealogy - this one." She pulled a thick book off the shelf and opened it to the table of contents. She set the book on the table and flipped to the page indicated on the table. She followed the lines of lineage down the page and came to a stop at one name.
"I don't bloody believe it," she said.
"What?" said Harry warily.
Samantha looked up at him. "Miranda's great-great-great-great-grandson was Abraxas Malfoy."
Just then, a large eagle owl flew through the library doors and landed on the table. It stuck out it leg, waiting for someone to remove the white envelope it was carrying.