A/N: Thanks to those of you who are still with me! A little more lightness and fluff in this chapter...it has just a little drama. Hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as I do.
I even put in a little more romance for you, Mark Darcy. Hope you like! The next few chapters will be more action-oriented, so I thought I'd add some now.
Chapter 24- Speak Nothing But the Truth
Grown-ups never understand anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Severus spent the next week totally immersed in brewing the poison for Nagini. Samantha and Harry worked on Harry's transfiguration, as Severus had barricaded himself in the lab for the past four days. They were now working on master-level transfiguring.
"I'm afraid that you're beyond anything I can teach you now, James," said Samantha as she watched him manipulate a large desk. Harry grinned at her as he made the desk do cartwheels across the room. He set the desk back down in a corner.
"I wish Dumbledore could see me now," said Harry softly.
Samantha pushed his shaggy hair back from his face. She smiled at the young man before her, brushing his cheek gently with her fingers. "You've grown so much just since I've known you, Harry," said Samantha softly. "Albus would be amazed at the sight of you now." Harry looked down, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. She tilted his head up.
"I'm so proud of you, Harry," said Samantha. "Severus is too, even if he never comes out and says it. You can see it in his eyes when you and Draco are training together. He cares so much about you both. And he'd kill me for telling you that." Harry chuckled, scuffing his shoes on the floor. "We will do anything and everything for you and Draco, anything, at anytime."
Harry looked at her with glassy eyes. He took a deep breath and exhaled shakily.
"Thanks, Sam," said Harry. "Being here with you and Severus – sometimes wonder if this is what it would have been like with my parents."
"Oh, Harry," said Samantha with a grin. "They would be much more fun than we are. Severus and I were never as suave and sophisticated as James and Lily were. They would never spend time together researching potions and charms." Harry chuckled softly.
"I think these are extenuating circumstances," said Harry. "I would never do more work than was necessary to learn stuff like advanced transfiguration." He chuckled. "McGonagall would drop dead if she could see the stuff I could do now."
"That would be a sight for sore eyes," muttered Samantha. Harry grinned slyly at her.
"You want to go bug Severus?" asked Harry. "Maybe we could get him to emerge out of his bat cave and eat lunch with us."
Samantha laughed hard. "I think that is a marvelous idea."
"Are you two done being all mushy and emotional?" drawled a voice from the door. "I was getting kind of queasy for a minute there."
"Hello to you, too, Elias," said Samantha, smiling. "What is it with men and expressing emotions?"
"It a girl thing, that's what's with it," said Draco as he walked into the room. "Now, on to more important and manly things. I got a letter from a certain Gryffindor, saying that the three of you had found me a potion to feed to our pet snake."
"We were just on our way to lure the Potions Master from his lair," said Harry. "I actually haven't seen him since he started brewing."
"Merlin," said Draco. "And I though I was really into illicit potions."
"You two don't know what being really 'into' anything means until you've seen Severus in the middle of a complex potion," said Samantha as they walked towards the staircase. "In fact, I don't even know if he'll be recognizable, so just be prepared."
"Your warning has been noted," said Harry. They climbed the four flights of stairs and Samantha knocked softly on the lab door.
"Severus?" she called through the door. "Severus, I haven't seen you at all in four days. You need to come and eat something. And sleep." She heard footsteps behind the door and stepped back as it opened.
"You look terrible," said Draco as a bedraggled man opened the door. Samantha frowned at the sight of her intended, noting the dark circles under his eyes and his unshaven face.
"Elias," said Severus roughly, his voice cracking slightly from disuse. "Good to see you. We have some things to discuss."
"How about you come into the land of the living, and we can talk about your amazing brewing skills over some food?" said Harry, frowning at him. "You're looking really peaky."
"I can't leave the potion," said Severus wearily. "Something could go wrong with it and the last batch of ingredients needs to be added in about two hours."
"Who's going to touch it?" said Draco incredulously. "We'll all be downstairs in the kitchen!"
"Just lock the door, Severus," said Samantha. "Please, come and eat. Elias and James can watch the potion while you take a nap and get cleaned up. It's not good to be this tired and trying to focus on a really touchy potion."
Severus sighed. "Perhaps you're right."
"I'm always right," muttered Samantha. She grabbed his hand and pulled him gently from the room. "Come on, love. Let's go eat." Draco closed the lab door and tapped the lock with his wand as the others walked down the stairs.
Lunch was a very quiet affair. Once Severus sat down, his head kept nodding forward and snapping back up. He ate some soup mechanically. Samantha frowned at him the whole time. She glanced at the boys, who were shooting Severus concerned looks. Her lips thinned to a white line as she stood from the table.
"Severus, let's go upstairs," said Samantha. "I'll run you a bath and then you can get some rest."
"I don't need any rest," said Severus over a yawn. "I'm perfectly fine, Sam."
"Yeah, sure you are," said Draco as he helped Samantha get Severus out of his chair. Severus stumbled sleepily towards Samantha, who grabbed his arm to steady him.
"Boys, go keep an eye on the potion," said Samantha softly. "Be careful with it unless you want to end up as little bits on the wall."
"Got it," said Harry. "Just make him go to sleep." They went back to the fourth floor as Samantha led Severus to the bathroom down the hall from his room. She walked into the large room, kneeling down beside the marble tub set into the floor and turning on the water. She moved over to Severus, who was staring blankly at the opposite wall. She untucked his shirt from his trousers. Severus tried to help her with the buttons, but his fingers wouldn't cooperate. She pulled his thin hands away from his chest and unbuttoned the shirt, slipping it off his shoulders. She turned back around and shut the water off. Severus slipped out of the rest of his clothes and got into the tub.
He hissed at the heat of the water as he slowly lowered himself into the steaming tub. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the rim, soaking his sore muscles in the water. Samantha wet a sponge and washed his tired body, massaging his tired limbs.
"Lean up so I can wash your hair, love," said Samantha softly. He slowly moved forward as Samantha wet his hair. She worked the shampoo into his black locks in slow circles, massaging his scalp and the top of his neck. She rinsed his hair and leaned his head back down on the rim of the tub as she finished leisurely washing his body. His breathing became slow and rhythmic. She smiled softly, her arms dripping water down the side of the tub as she leaned on her elbows, gazing at his relaxed face. She dried her arms and left to get him some clean clothes. She returned and laughed softly at him still sleeping.
"Severus," she said gently. His right eye opened to look at her. "You can't sleep in the bathroom."
"Why not?" mumbled Severus as he shut his eye. "It's your fault anyway, you and your warm water." She pulled on his arm, lifting his upper body from the side of the tub.
"Come on," she said as she helped him out of the water. She dried him off quickly. His head fell onto his chest. She tapped his face lightly. "Wake up and get dressed. Then you can sleep." She handed him a clean shirt and some loose trousers. He struggled with them until Samantha felt sorry for him and helped him dress. She put his arm around her shoulder and guided him to his bed. He was asleep before he could get under the covers.
"Sleep well, my love," whispered Samantha as she covered him with a spare blanket and kissed his forehead. She shut the door and went upstairs to the lab. Harry was standing over an open book on the table, while Draco peered cautiously into a smoking cauldron.
"What color is it supposed to be after you add the valerian roots?" asked Draco. Harry's forehead crinkled as he scanned the page.
"It says the potion should be a deep pink," said Harry. "Then it says to stir in the hellebore, stirring it continuously counterclockwise for four and half minutes. It should turn blood red when you're done." Draco picked up a small dish with diced hellebore. He grabbed a glass stirring rod and poured the herb into the potion, stirring as directed.
"Time me, James," said Draco as he concentrated on the potion, hardly daring to breath. Harry watched the clock as the seconds ticked by.
"Time," said Harry after a few tense minutes. Draco pulled the rod from the liquid, holding it at arm's length from his body. A crimson drop hit the floor and immediately burned a hole through the wood.
"Damn," said Draco as he quickly stuck the rod into another cauldron full of neutralizer. "Severus isn't kidding around with this stuff, is he?" The rod hissed as he lowered it into the solution.
"He most certainly is not," muttered Samantha. "James, what's next?"
"It's done," said Harry. "The hellebore was the last addition. It's ready to be bottled or whatever we're going to do to it." He watched apprehensively as Draco carefully turned off the fire beneath the cauldron.
"Then I'll go ahead and cast the time-release charm on it," said Samantha as she motioned for the boys to leave the room. "Downstairs with you both. Find something quiet to do so Severus can sleep." They went to Harry's room while Samantha cast the charm. After she was done, she walked quietly back down to her room and started researching the best way to feed their potion to Nagini.
Severus awoke with a start, blinking in the bright light streaming in through the window. He rubbed his face, feeling the stubble on his cheeks. He leaned up on his elbows and turned to the other side of the bed. He watched as Samantha slept peacefully beside him. He propped his head up on one hand and brushed her cheek softly, reveling in the silkiness of her skin. Samantha sighed as she opened her eyes and grinned at him.
"Good morning, my love," said Severus in a silky voice. She stretched her arms above her head.
"Good morning," answered Samantha. She leaned up and kissed him. "How'd you sleep?"
"Best I've had in a while," said Severus. He got up out of bed, grabbing his wand as he walked out of the room. He returned a few minutes later clean shaven.
"How did the potion turn out?" he asked as he tied his hair back. "Did you and the boys finish it?"
"Yeah, the boys did," said Samantha as she sat up in the bed. "They were still up when I went to sleep. I don't know when Elias left."
"Hmm," said Severus as he smirked at her. He stalked slowly towards the bed. Samantha raised a coquettish eyebrow. "Most likely it was late. They will probably be sleeping in this morning." He knelt on the bed in front of her, crawling towards her. She giggled.
"I imagine you're probably right," said Samantha as he bent down and kissed her. She flicked her wrist at the door, closing it with a soft click before unbuttoning his shirt.
A little while later, they walked down to the kitchen and opened the door. Draco and Harry were sitting at the table, each with a cup of coffee. They grinned at each other as Samantha and Severus came into the room.
"Good morning," said Severus. "I didn't expect to see you over here so early, Elias." He poured himself a cup of coffee and took a long drink.
"What did you guys do last night after I went to bed?" asked Samantha as she sat across from Harry. They both smirked at her.
"Well, let's see," said Draco, raising a finger to his chin. "We did a little reading down in the library."
"Practiced a little transfiguration and charms," said Harry, mimicking Draco's tone. Draco smiled at him.
"Oh yeah, and we poisoned a snake at a Death Eater meeting," said Draco dismissively. Porcelain shattered on the floor.
"YOU WHAT!" yelled Severus and Samantha at once. Harry flinched while Draco continued to be unconcerned, although his cheeks reddened slightly.
"It was really a bit of genius, even if I do say so myself," said Draco. "James and I were in the library, reading up on the transfiguration of glass."
"We figured that since the potion ate through the floor, we'd need a pretty strong vial to hold it," said Harry quickly. "I reinforced one of the ones we found in the lab. It took me a couple of tries, but we finally got it to hold the potion without melting."
"We filled it with enough potion to kill a few dragons," said Draco. He reached over and plucked an apple from the fruit bowl. He was about to bite into it when Severus grabbed it out of his hand, glaring at him.
"We were just messing around with the transfiguration of it," said Harry, eyeing Severus carefully. "I finally managed to turn the vial into a mouse-like creature."
"It was a pretty nice piece of work," said Draco. He took a sip of coffee. "Then, it just so happened that the Mark started to burn through my arm. James disillusioned himself, and I apparated him to the meeting with our snack for Nagini. One thing led to another, James got our reptilian friend to eat our little present while I played the part of loyal servant."
"I had to walk about a quarter of a mile away from the meeting so that no one would hear me leave," said Harry. "But Elias got us some really important information to pass."
"Let me get this straight," said Severus furiously, his face a pale white, his lips trembling in rage. "You two idiots handled a deadly potion, foolishly cast high-level spells on an extremely volatile solution without proper supervision, and then proceeded to side-apparate to a gathering where the vilest wizard of our day was holding council with his loyal and bloodthirsty followers? You also managed to poison his snake without him noticing and escaped with your lives, along with Draco still remaining a trusted member of the circle?"
"Yeah, that's a good summary," said Draco. "Oh, but don't forget the information we have to pass to the Order."
"Oh, we'll get to that in just a moment," said Samantha through clenched teeth. "We've got some things to discuss before we get there."
"Uh oh," muttered Draco. Harry looked down at the table.
"I cannot believe you two would go and do such a thing!" shouted Severus menacingly. "What in the hell were you thinking?"
"I spent the whole day yesterday researching on how to transfigure the potion without damaging the traits it possessed!" said Samantha shrilly. "How do you know you didn't destroy the poison when you transfigured it?"
"We were really careful," said Harry quietly. "We still had the potion book that the instructions were in. We read for anything that might react badly."
"Yet, neither one of you boys have experience in handling a deadly potion such as Essence du Morte," said Severus angrily. "You both could have died and neither one of us would have known!"
"And then, to make matters worse," said Samantha loudly. "You go off to a damn Death Eater meeting together! The whole plan was to have Draco do it on his way to a meeting. It had less risk and would have been harder to pin on Draco had something gone wrong."
"Like if Voldemort had detected Harry," said Severus. "You are not the first to try and apparate someone into a meeting, although I must admit you are the first to do so and live to tell the tale afterwards!" Severus clenched his teeth, turning away from the repentant young faces staring at the table.
"Look, we're sorry," said Harry. "I just didn't want Elias to have to do all it by himself."
"So you went on the suicide mission with him," said Samantha as she rubbed her face. "Instead of having just the Dark Lord's fury to deal with, you raised the ante and made it both of your lives." She sighed. "What are we going to do with you two?"
"Award us an Order of Merlin for assisting in the destruction of the Dark Lord?" said Draco hesitantly. He glanced at Severus's livid face and looked quickly back down at the table. Severus growled and repaired his broken coffee cup. He vanished the spilled coffee and poured himself another cup.
"Get upstairs now, both of you," said Severus angrily. "I'm afraid of doing something I might regret later if you stay in this room any longer."
"Severus, we're really -" began Draco.
"GO! NOW!" yelled Severus, pointing a thin finger towards the door. Harry and Draco made a hasty exit as Severus sat down at the table with his drink. He put the cup down on the tabletop and held his head in his hands.
"I can't believe they thought that was a good idea," said Samantha quietly. "It was so reckless."
"It was so Gryffindor," said Severus as he ran his hands through his hair. "So very Gryffindor. I'm shocked Draco went long with it."
"At least something good came out of it," said Samantha. At Severus's incredulous look, she raised her hands in front of her. "I'm not at all condoning what they did. Quite the opposite, in fact. But we can't ignore the fact that the snake has been drugged, and Draco is still a valuable member in the circle."
"I don't like this, Sam," said Severus. "I don't like them risking their lives like that. They were completely on their own."
"But they weren't alone, Severus," said Samantha. "That was the whole point of them both going. Harry didn't want Draco to be in this by himself. Just like he needs Draco in order to feel as if he's not by himself. They have us, yes, but they don't have anyone their own age to talk to about things. Ron and Hermione both left Harry, and Draco can't go to his old friends. They need each other."
"Yes, but if they keep this up, one or both of them will end up dead," said Severus harshly. "Neither one of them will handle that well, and I certainly won't be capable of handling it." He placed his hands around his warm coffee mug, looking deep into the brown liquid. Samantha reached across the table and took his hands in her own.
"You need to tell them how much you care for them, Severus," said Samantha softly. He stared at their joined hands, avoiding her gaze. "Severus, they need to know."
"I don't know if I can, Sam," said Severus. He stood from the table, walking over to the mantle. He braced himself against the wall, hanging his head in thought. He spoke in barely above a whisper. "Saying it out loud makes it real. Saying it out loud means that I can lose them at any time. I wouldn't be able to handle that, not after everything that's happened. They're my boys, Sam. I can't lose them now."
"I know, love," said Samantha as she rose to stand behind him. She wrapped her arms around him, and he covered her hands in his own. "But Severus, you owe them the truth as to the real reason you're so upset with them right now." Severus sighed.
"Come with me, Sam," said Severus as he took her hand. She nodded and they climbed the stairs to the third floor. Severus rapped his knuckles against the door.
"Come in," said Harry. Severus turned the handle and pushed the door open. Harry and Draco were on Harry's bed, staring at a chess board. The boys glanced at them, but turned guiltily back to their game, gazing silently at their bickering pieces.
"We would like to talk to both of you," said Samantha softly. Harry lifted the board to the floor and pushed it underneath his bed. Draco pulled his knees up to his chest. Harry sat in front of Draco, his legs dangling off the bed. Neither one of them said a word, avoiding Severus's gaze with pale faces.
Severus cleared his throat. Samantha gave his hand a squeeze.
"I'm sorry that I shouted at you," said Severus gently. "I always hated when my father yelled at me, and then I go and do it to you boys."
"It's not like we didn't deserve it," muttered Draco. He picked some lint off his pants, flicking it to the floor.
"I'm not arguing that," said Severus sternly. "Your actions were reckless and beyond what I will tolerate from you two. We are very disappointed that neither of you talked to us before you went on to poison Nagini."
"We would have been more than happy to help you plan things a bit better," said Samantha. "When dealing with the Dark Lord, it never hurts to be overly cautious."
"But it was the fact that both of you seem to care more about destroying Horcruxes than either of your own lives that has us the most upset," said Severus. "While we're glad that Horcrux number five is on its way down, we will not go after these things at the risk of losing either one of you." He looked at Samantha and then back at the boys, taking a deep breath. "You are all we have left. We are fighting this war for you and your futures."
"You both have a huge influence on the people around you," said Samantha. "You do not live on a deserted island, where you are free to bargain with your lives and take dangerous risks as you see fit. You have each other to think about, you have the rest of the Order who are depending on you, whether they know it or not. You have both of us, who love you as our own kids." Harry and Draco looked up at them, slightly shell-shocked. Severus let go of Samantha's hand and walked over to the edge of the bed. He took each of the boys' faces in his hands, looking between them.
"I will not lose you," whispered Severus fiercely as he ran a thumb over the side of their faces. "I cannot and I will not.Do not ever do anything like that again. Do we understand one another?"
"Yes, sir," said both of them together. Severus nodded hard once as Samantha stepped between the two boys and pulled them into a hug.
"Merlin's beard," said Samantha as she pulled away. She grinned a little at them both. "Scare an old woman to an early grave, you will." They laughed as she ruffled their hair. She frowned a bit, lifting Harry's shaggy hair off the top of his head and holding Draco's blond locks up from his face. She smiled evilly and turned towards Severus.
"I think I've decided on a suitable punishment for their Gryffindor heroism last night, Severus," said Samantha. The boys paled and looked at each other with wide eyes. Severus grinned menacingly.
"Oh?" he said in a casual tone, smirking at the ashen faces staring at him in shock. He ran a hand slowly through his shoulder-length locks. "What have you thought of?"
"Just a little thing off the top of my head," said Samantha as she flicked out her wand. Harry scooted back on the bed away from her as Draco pushed his back up against the headboard. She pointed her wand at the door. "Bathroom. Both of you. Now." Severus chuckled as Harry and Draco edged their way past Samantha's drawn wand and ran from the room. They followed Harry and Draco to the third floor bathroom. Samantha conjured three straight-backed chairs in the middle of the room. Severus pulled one into a corner, turning it around and sitting on it backwards to watch. Samantha pointed at the other two with her wand.
"Sit, please" she said sweetly. Draco and Harry sat gingerly in the chairs. She flicked her wand at them, disarming them and binding them to the chairs.
"Hey!" cried Harry. He began to struggle against his invisible bonds as Samantha approached him with her wand. She took his head in both her hands, forcing him to look at her.
"Stay still, or you will like this less," she said firmly. Harry stopped squirming immediately, his gaze flickering from her wand to her face. She grinned at him. "Relax, James. I'm not going to hurt you." She flicked her wand again, conjuring a black drape. She wrapped it around Harry, fastening it behind his neck. She murmured a spell and ran her wand over the side of Harry's head. His eyes widened as he saw bits of hair fall to the floor.
"No," whispered Draco in horror. He started straining against Samantha's binding charm. "No, Sam, Severus, you can't be serious."
"Oh, I'm dead serious," said Samantha as she continued cutting Harry's hair very close to his scalp. Draco looked at Severus with a pleading look.
"Don't look at me like that, Elias," he said with a chuckle. "You brought this on yourself. Besides, Samantha is really good with this charm. She used to cut my hair all the time. In fact," he ran a hand through his hair again. "I might just get a haircut myself once she's done with you two."
"Best to catch me when I'm in the mood," said Samantha jovially. She tilted Harry face up, making sure the cut was even. She ran her wand over his very short hair once more, muttering a charm. She unclasp the smock and cast a cleansing charm on his neck and clothes. She cancelled the binding charm and handed his wand back to him.
"All done," she said as she pointed to the mirror. Harry got up quickly, running over to the sink. He gazed wide-eyed at his reflection, running a shaking hand over his now crew-cut head. He flicked his wand at his head and tried to lengthen it. Samantha shook her head at him as she covered Draco with the drape.
"Nice try," said Samantha. "But I made sure that you couldn't grow it back magically. You're just going to have to let it grow out the long way." She gazed for a moment at Draco, eyeing his shoulder-length hair. "I think we'll leave yours a little longer, since you actually go out in public far more often than James does." She began her spell. Long strands of platinum white joined the strands of black already on the floor. Draco sneered at Severus's smirking face.
"Hope you're enjoying yourself over there," said Draco sullenly. Severus laughed at his petulant face.
"You'd better believe it," he said as he watched Harry still in front of the mirror, trying to grow his hair back. "However, Sam, I think I want mine left a little longer then theirs."
"You just decide how you want it, love, and I'll do my best," said Samantha as she tilted Draco's face up slightly.
"How come we didn't get to have a say in how long we wanted ours?" asked Harry sourly. Samantha rolled her eyes.
"The offenders do not get to choose their punishment," said Samantha as she ran her wand a final time over Draco's head. "Azkaban would be out of business if the world worked that way. Severus is not being punished, therefore he can choose whatever hairstyle he wants." She removed the smock from Draco and cleaned him up. She released him from his chair. Draco bolted over next to Harry, gaping openmouthed at his very short hair.
"My hair," he moaned. "Oh my God, my hair." He put his face in his hands as Harry put a consoling hand on his shoulder.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake, it's just hair, boys" said Severus as he moved over to the middle of the floor with his chair. He vanished the boys' shorn locks with a flick of his wand and sat tall in his seat. Samantha gave him a questioning look.
"I want it about as long as Lupin's," said Severus. Samantha thought for a moment, then nodded. She murmured her spell, running her wand across his silky black hair. Harry sat on the edge of the tub while Draco stood in mute horror in front of the mirror. She finished with Severus in about ten minutes. She cleaned up while Severus stepped behind Draco to admire his new cut.
"Excellent, Sam, as always," said Severus as he ruffled his short hair. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Now, Elias, you mentioned something about some sensitive information you acquired at the meeting last night. We'll discuss this over lunch." He held the door for them, smiling slightly as they left the room, still rubbing their shorn heads. He winked at Samantha as she passed by him. He shut off the lights as they made their way down to the kitchen.