Chapter Forty-Four
A Night of Mares
By the time Severus, Leu, Viorica, and Quintin arrived back at the castle on Thanksgiving, a rather miserable mix of rain and slow had began to fall, and they quickly transfigured some umbrellas and cast footprint spells to get inside.
"Apparently I should have left Andrew this key and taken the other," Severus said, ushering them inside. "Straight to your rooms, now... here, take this for those sniffles," he added, handing Viorica a small phial. "I'm sure there will be hot drinks waiting. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," the two of them said. Leu headed for the stairs and Viorica went into a secret passages. Severus took Quintin through the Doorlift and got him settled before finally stepping into the Headmaster's Study where Andrew was sitting, munching on an apple as he marked some homework.
"Good evening. I take it Anna's not back yet," Severus said.
"No, but from what she told me, they normally don't even start eating until later in the afternoon, so we might not see her until morning," Andrew said. "Everything's been quiet for the most part, but there is a letter from Essie on your desk that's labeled 'Open on Arrival."
"Oh?" Severus replied and went over, opening it and reading it carefully, then glanced up at Andrew who was watching him curiously. "Apparently, this weather is the beginning of a storm that is going to get progressively worse over tomorrow and followed by a nasty ice storm on Saturday,"
"She's sending you her weather report? That's unusual, isn't it?" Andrew commented.
"She says she has a very bad feeling about this storm, accompanied by a strange sense of foreboding coming from somewhere in the vicinity, and recommends we cancel all planned outdoor activities this weekend," Severus explained.
"Isn't this weekend the last Hogsmeade trip before the holidays?" Andrew pointed out. "And there's also a Quidditch game... we typically don't cancel those regardless of the weather."
"Yes, well, now is an exception. Essie doesn't send me warnings unless she's quite convinced that she needs to intervene. We'll simply have to move Hogsmeade to next weekend. As for Quidditch, football season is always canceled after the first snowfall, so we'll postpone it until Wednesday afternoon and have it in place of that," Severus replied. "Armando, let Demura know the plan so that Hermione can put notices on the boards in the morning. Andrew, while you're doing bed checks, why don't you go ahead and inform the prefects of the situation now so they have a head's up? Oh, and all outdoor activities are canceled... make sure that Diana knows that includes lake activities."
"I will," Andrew said, putting away his work and leaving to finish his duties for the night.
Andrew didn't have a chance to speak with Laura until he came down that night for his sandwich. But when he got there, he regretted not checking in earlier when he found Mopps fast asleep on the floor. It wasn't like her to fall asleep down there, he thought with a frown, gently shaking her.
"Mopps?" he said, still trying to wake her. "Laura, are you okay?" Finally, the Cu Sith awoke and slowly sat up, soon changing back to her other form. Andrew helped her over to a stool. "What's wrong, another nightmare?" he asked with concern.
"Yeah. Worse than I've had in a long time," Laura admitted somberly.
"Chamomile tea," he suggested, and a cup appeared in front of her. "Anything that might have triggered it? This week's therapy session, maybe?"
"If it was this week's session, it'd have happened last night," Laura pointed out, and watched as Andrew brought his sandwich over at sat beside her.
"Maybe it was just random then," Andrew suggested, but somehow he instantly knew it wasn't. He gazed at Laura thoughtfully, and she slowly shook her head.
"Is it just me, or does the castle seem darker and colder tonight for some reason?" she murmured, sipping the tea reluctantly.
"It's probably the storm coming in," Andrew replied. "Father believes it's going to be bad all weekend. In fact, he's canceled all outdoor events, including Hogsmeade and Quidditch."
"Oh, really? Well, it wasn't as if I was going to either anyway, but the students will be disappointed," Laura said.
"You were going to check on your grandfather this weekend, weren't you?" Andrew asked with a frown. "Maybe you should hold off on that?"
"Andrew, I don't know if the storm will affect where his boats are moored at, but if it does, that gives me more reason to go, not less. I really need to check in," Laura said. Andrew sighed at that and nodded.
"Yes, alright, you have a point. It was only a suggestion," Andrew said. "Finish your tea and I'll escort you back to your room. Or do you need ice cream too?"
"No, I'm not in the mood for ice cream. What all do you have on that thing, anyway?" Laura asked. Andrew immediately took the hint, breaking off a portion of his sandwich and handing it to her.
Andrew ended up sleeping on the couch in her sitting room with one of his hands dangling over the side to provide a comforting hand on the large dog lying on the floor beside him. Darwin flitted down on the windowsill, and for once, he wasn't singing as if he thought it was a glorious morning. Instead, Darwin was chirping in a loud, complaining tone. Andrew woke up fully and saw the icy rain coming down, quickly stepping over the dog and going over to collect his finch out of the miserable weather before glancing over at the clock.
"Mopps, time to wake up. Time to get ready for class," he told her. "Lizzy, come out and wake her up." The irate cat hiding under the couch let out a growl of protest. She did not like having her favorite sleeping spot stolen all night. "Come on, Mopps! I need to head back to my room and get ready, and you should too," he told her again. Sluggishly she woke up and changed forms, apparently still reluctant to get up.
"I had another nightmare," Laura grumbled.
"Another one? Even with me here?" Andrew asked concernedly, helping her up, and she nodded. "You didn't seem restless at all last night when you slept. Mopps barely moved the entire time from what I remember."
"Then why don't I feel like I got any sleep at all?" she muttered.
"I don't know, but I certainly didn't get much sleep either. Fortunately, all my classes have quizzes today and I don't have to worry about review lectures until next week," Andrew said.
"Yeah, I planned quizzes today too," Laura yawned. Andrew kissed her gently.
"Then we'd best get them over with. I'm sorry it didn't help," Andrew added.
"It's okay. Maybe it's just one of those things," Laura said.
"Well, make sure you mention it to Conner next week. If you don't, I will," he warned, Laura grimaced at him, knowing that he would. Andrew smiled gently at her and slipped out the door to head back to his room and Laura went to the table to grab the coffee pot.
Mari stretched with a smile, glad to get a good night's sleep for a change. It was the first time she had slept so well since she entered Hogwarts castle, in fact. She slipped out of bed and over to a window to crack it open so that she could looked out over the lake. It took a bit of effort, to the point that she wondered if the lake had flooded enough to prevent it. Finally, she thrust it open, garnering the protests of her dorm mates at the shockingly cold air, causing them all to bundle up and roll over. It was dark outside, to the point that you could barely tell that the sun was up, and everything was covered with a thick layer of ice, encapsulating the lake, the boathouse, and even the trees and bushes in the distance.
"Cadha," she whispered, then went over to her sister's bed and pulled off her earmuffs. "Wake up, Cadha." The younger girl stirred and then stretched with a smile. "Sleep well?"
"Better than I have in ages!" Cadha agreed, and Mari gestured over to the window. Excitedly, Cadha bounced out of bed and ran over to the window and the two of them sat as still as they could and listened to the howling wind. Finally they heard it, a faint cackling voice masked in the howling wind. They smiled at one another knowingly. "One of our friends are here! Do you think Father sent it for your birthday?" Cadha asked.
"He must have. As long as I've been here, I've never known any of them to approach this castle before," Mari said.
"No wonder I slept so well last night," Cadha agreed.
"Yes. Someone had a pretty nasty night last night, though, didn't they?" Mari smirked knowingly.
"Who cares? As long as it wasn't one of us," Cadha said. "Let's get dressed. Culver wants to meet us for breakfast. Can we take the packages down?"
"That'd be quite a feat," Mari said, but the two of them quickly got dressed and made their way downstairs. When they made it down to Conspiracies, they found Eben waiting for him, and he had already gone to the trouble of finding a sheet to set all of Mari's presents from her siblings and cousins and pulled it together in a bundle.
"Oh, lovely! You anticipated us!" Cadha said with delight.
"I knew you'd want to include Culver too, yes," Eben agreed, picking up the bundle of presents. "But we're going to have to be careful on where we meet at, because I am betting that some of these presents are on Mr. Carnegie's banned list. I know mine is," he said. Mari smirked at that.
"Let's go to one of the abandoned classrooms. There's one on the third floor that doesn't have any paintings in it," Mari suggested. "We can use the secret passages to stop by the kitchen first and Cadha can grab Culver from the Great Hall at the same time."
"I wonder why there are so many abandoned classrooms in the place? There are tons of them on the third and fourth floors," Cadha said.
"I don't know. I suppose they taught more subjects at one point, or perhaps a lot of classrooms started out on the third and fourth floors then were moved to where they are now for some reason... convenience, perhaps, so that students aren't constantly late having to wait for staircases," Mari conjectured.
"It doesn't save me from being late to my Astronomy course," Cadha said critically.
"Well, obviously some classrooms can't be moved," Mari said.
"True, although I wonder why they don't move the Divination classroom out of the North Tower? It isn't as if there's a good reason for it to be up there," Eben said thoughtfully, opening the door so they could step in the cooler.
It wasn't long before they stepped back out with a basket, and Cadha ran to get Culver, the four of them soon walking up the back stairs and into the old classroom that Mari indicated, pushing boxes away so that Eben could lay out the sheet for them to sit on as Mari went through the presents.
"So, did anyone else notice the wind today?" Culver asked, and the others smiled.
"Sleep well, did you?" Mari asked.
"Fantastic," Culver agreed. "Although I can't help but wonder who's paying for that birthday present of yours."
"As long as it isn't us, who cares?" Mari said, opening up the basket so they could each grab a roll out of it as she began going through presents.
Quintin sat on his father's lap worriedly staring in the school mirror when his mother finally answered.
"Oh! You're not who I was expecting!" Jennifer said with surprise.
"Mummy! Are you okay?" Quintin asked.
"Yes, but have you any idea of the hour over here?" Jennifer asked critically.
"2:52 a.m.!" Quintin reported readily enough.
"Yes, alright, finish getting ready to go to the daycare," Severus said, and he got down. "Sorry, Jennifer, I know you have to work tomorrow morning, but he was having nightmares and was certain you were in danger."
"I'm in danger of falling asleep on Sally tomorrow morning, if that counts," Jennifer snapped.
"I know how to make it up to you. I'll make sure you have Kingler's coffee in the morning," Severus suggested.
"That's very funny, Severus. I'll get even with you over Christmas for this," Jennifer assured him, and broke off contact.
"Am I going to the daycare today? It's Friday," Quintin asked in confusion.
"Yes, but your school is canceled today because of the storm," Severus explained. "Still, I have classes, so I would very much appreciate it if you'd stay in the daycare today. Perhaps you can play in the castle tomorrow."
"Are you going to play with me then?" Quintin asked.
"I don't know yet but more than likely not. I may have to help your aunt with security," Severus warned. "Now finish eating and get ready to go downstairs."
"Yes, Dad!" Quintin said.
A few minutes later, Hermione stepped inside with some papers in hand.
"Good morning, Hermione," Severus said.
"Good morning. I got all of the cancellation notices up, as well as some notices out for Sagittari... he's decided to hold his classes in the castle today so they don't have to traipse out in that ice," she explained. "He's going to teach a class on familiar care in the old art room."
"Very well," Severus said. He held his hand out for the papers in her hand.
"Here are the last budget figures for the school meeting... assuming they're still having it tonight?" Hermione asked.
"So far, I have not been told otherwise. This storm is probably only causing rain in London," he pointed out.
"Do you want me to stay until you get back from the meeting?" Hermione asked.
"I doubt that will be necessary. I'm sure Anna and Andrew can handle anything that might come up tonight," Severus replied. Armando cleared his throat.
"Speaking of which, Severus, your sister has requested that you drop by her classroom after you've taken Quintin downstairs," Armando informed him.
"Very well, let her know I'll be down straight after," Severus replied as Quintin ran into the nursery to finish getting ready.
Severus wasn't surprised when there were more children than usual in the daycare room with the school closings. In fact, even Rich and Gloria were there, sitting at a large table in one corner and supposedly working on homework, although it looked to Severus if they were doing more gossiping about each other's schools than working.
"I suppose this means that the storm was more far reaching than I originally thought," Severus mused with a glance at their direction before looking at Ashley again.
"It would seem so, but that does mean I have a lot of extra help today too," Ashley said with amusement. "I hope everyone gets done in time, Toby made me to promise to try and be home before nightfall tonight."
"Did he?" Severus said with a frown. "I don't remember him ever doing that before."
"Never before that I recall either," Ashley agreed. "But then, I'm sure all of the other professors going home will probably want to get back early too, considering how quickly the temperature is likely to drop tonight."
"Fair enough," Severus said. "If anyone is held up this afternoon, let me know, and I'll make certain someone covers for you so you can get out on time. I'm certain he wouldn't request such a thing unless there was a reason."
"Thank you, Severus," Ashley said with a smile, and he nodded to her as he stepped out.
He frowned, walking towards the stairs. Was he reading too much into that, he wondered? Was Toby simply protecting his wife from the weather knowing the storm was predicted to only get worse? Or was there more to it than that?
It didn't take Severus long to get down to the Muggle Studies room. In fact, Anna looked a bit startled when he gently knocked on the open door.
"Wow, you got here fast," Anna said.
"Quite a number of primary schools were canceled because of the storm, so I only had to take Quintin to the daycare," he explained, stepping in. "What did you need? I take it all of the excursions to the farm are canceled for now."
"Yes, they are, but that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about," Anna admitted, and Severus shut the door. "First off, this could be nothing, and I could be just imagining things," she prefaced, and Severus squinted at that. "But I had a lot of trouble sleeping in the castle last night. I kept hearing strange voices in the wind for some reason, and I couldn't seem to stay asleep. I kept having nightmares," she explained. Severus frowned at that. "I don't know, maybe it's just from timezone lag or something, but normally, that makes me sleep better, not worse," Anna admitted.
"What kind of voices?" Severus asked.
"I don't know, exactly. It was almost like the wind outside was speaking to me for some reason," Anna said, then studied how serious Severus had gotten. "You don't think it was nothing, do you?"
"No, I don't. Quintin was complaining about nightmares last night as well," Severus said.
"It could have been just a coincidence," Anna admitted.
"That's true enough, but if there is even a slight possibility that something else is going on, we should take some precautions," Severus replied.
"Yes, that's why I brought it up," Anna replied with a sigh.
"And you were correct in doing so," Severus agreed. "Let me speak with Icarus and find out if anyone among his students also had strange dreams last night. I believe once everyone who is leaving for the evening is out of the castle, I'm going to lock the place down to be safe."
"Don't you have a board meeting tonight?" Anna asked.
"Yes, but I believe I'll send Eric a letter saying not to expect anyone from the school, I can very easily blame the weather conditions. In fact, they may be grateful to have an excuse to postpone it. I think it'd be better for me to stay close to the castle to be on the safe side," he decided. "Thank you for letting me know, I'll speak to you about it again later, maybe at dinner, so I can run you through lockout procedures."
"Alright," Anna agreed.
"See you then, if not before," Severus replied, then strode out of the room again, passing students wandering through to get to their first classes. He then went to his office to quill a letter to Eric and sent it off, carefully organizing his notes for the board meeting so that would be easy for him to find them when he looked for it next time. He kept an eye on the clock and then walked over to the North Tower, halfway up the stairs when Icks' first class got out. It was an advanced class, he realized, when he saw Mari and Eben dart out; both of them in an unusually good mood, considering how serious they normally were. Some of the other students, however, did look a bit tired, he observed, stepping into the classroom just as the last of the students wandered out.
"Good morning, Severus," Icarus said upon him entering. Severus watched as both cards and coins seemed to float through the air and put themselves away as Icarus got ready for his next class. "Quite a storm, isn't it? But at least it's not a thunderstorm."
"Yes," Severus said, simply stepping into his office. A moment later, Icarus appeared behind his desk. "Icarus, I know you've only had one class so far, but was there any strangeness to the amount of nightmares among your students today?"
"In frequency, no, in intensity, yes," Icarus replied. "The children who are more prone to nightmares in general seemed to have had dreadful sleep last night, actually. It's probably because of whatever those voices are coming up over the mountains," he conjectured.
"Voices? You've heard them as well?" Severus asked.
"Yes, traveling along the wind... sentient beings of some kind," Icarus decided. "I don't know what, exactly, they are staying well outside of the school boundaries. It faded the moment that the sun came up this morning. My guess is that whatever is up there, the school's defenses are powerful enough to keep them out."
"Directly, perhaps, although I'm not sure I like the fact that it seems to be intensifying nightmares. Were they only in your more sensitive Divination students?" Severus asked.
"No, just in the ones that tend to have a lot of nightmares naturally... except for Mari and Eben, strangely enough," Ick said. "When I checked over their journals, it seemed that last night they had no dreams at all and were decidedly well rested. It's unusual because they tend to be light sleepers and dream quite often, but to be fair, Mari's charts were quite favorable this morning."
"Favorable?" Severus repeated.
"Yes, it's her birthday and she was born in the morning. When I have students that are taking Astrology and Divination at the same time, I let them bring in their birthday charts and make some observations for extra credit. She did unwisely accentuate the positive points and not mention some of the negative points in her chart, but many students do that. Even so, I know that she's probably going to have a very nice day today. Of course, just getting enough sleep for a change could have predicted that," Icarus admitted with a chuckle.
"Yes, well, I'm more interested in the students it affects rather than the ones that seemed to have no effect at all on them," Severus said. Icarus blinked.
"You misinterpreted what I meant, I believe," Ick said. "What I was attempting to explain is that while the entities in the mountains may have had something to do with some of the students having worse than usual nightmares, it also seemed to help other students sleep much better than usual." Severus stared at him in confusion.
"I see," he said. "Keep an eye on it and see if the pattern continues, and let me know how things go at the end of the day."
"Of course, Severus," Icarus said.
Severus walked out of the office with a frown and decided to stand at the open door on the stairs for a moment, opening it despite the continuing sleet pelting down on the castle. He gazed up at the frost-covered mountains thoughtfully, but the wind was calm and the clouds were very low, making it difficult to see. Getting an idea, he walked to the Headmaster's Study, stopping first at his appointment book. He was glad to see that it was relatively clean of entries due to the fact that he had planned to spend the day preparing for the board meeting.
"I'll be spending lunch in the nursery... actually, if Sagittari is free, I'd feel better if Quintin had a quick check-up," Severus told Armando as he went up to the Observatory Deck. He turned the telescope around and also twisted the dial to put him back to how it looked last night, setting it to midnight before peering at the mountains. But the dreary storm had made visibility virtually impossible, and even putting on the settings to clear up fog and clouds, all Severus could see was a black, hazy silhouette. Sighing, he left the scope pointed at the mountains and stepped back down again.
"Sagittari says that you may bring Quintin over for lunch, Severus, and he'll give him a check-up then," Armando relayed.
"Thank you," Severus said, using the time to prepare for his next class.
At lunch, Sagittari gave Quintin a basic check up and a long chat before bringing him back out to his kitchen table where Severus waited, helping Quintin onto one of the tall benches when they arrived.
"There we are, now let's have a nice lunch, shall we?" Sagittari said.
"How is he?" Severus asked, more than a little annoyed that he even needed to prompt him.
"He's quite all right, Severus, other than suffering from some lack of sleep from jumping time zones and his nightmares last night," Sagittari replied.
"Icarus made a point in saying that the strong nightmares last night only seemed to be happening in students who generally tended to have frequent nightmares, but he's never complained about them at all until last night."
"I'm not allowed out of my room before six," Quintin explained. Severus frowned at that.
"He's been having bad dreams, Severus, he simply hasn't been mentioning them. It is only that last night's dreams were so strong that it terrified him enough to speak up," Sagittari explained. "But you need not be concerned about him having more frequent nightmares in general, Severus, it is quite common for children his age to have a great deal of them. Typically the nightmares may continue to come at a high frequency until he gets a bit older, and then they will lessen naturally. It's really all a part of growing up. Between his body growing at a rapid pace, attempting to understand his world, and other natural stress factors, he'll have his fair share of panic moments. If it weren't for the fact that you were seeing indicators that something unnatural was going on, I might blame some of this on the stress of not having his mother around as often as he'd like," Sagittari admitted.
"I do miss my Mum," Quintin said, but Sagittari put a plate in front of him to distract him.
"So other than whatever happened last night, it's natural growth causing it," Severus repeated for confirmation.
"Yes, very much so. But muting the room against alarming noises and perhaps having a candle going until he gets to sleep might help. You might also consider giving him an opportunity to talk about dreams if he has them in the morning. Having him talk about them and waylaying those fears will go a long way towards his getting some control over them," Sagittari suggested.
"Yes, fine, I do know something about psychology, you know. I simply wanted to make sure it wasn't something else," Severus said with annoyance.
"Always better to be safe about such things," Sagittari agreed solemnly.
"Speaking of which, once everyone who is going to leave for the night has done so, I'm going to be locking down the castle this evening as a precaution, just in case that whatever is causing this gets bold enough to get closer," Severus replied.
"Very well, I'll make certain I have all of the animals attended to by then," Sagittari said, nodding in understanding, and they turned their attention to lunch.
After his Runes class, Severus went straight to the library, and then after pulling out a couple of books Sagittari recommended, he went into the research library to grab a couple more. Andrew was sitting at the table, gazing a book sleepily.
"Andrew. Perhaps you should have used your conference for a kip," Severus observed.
"I look that bad, do I?" Andrew acknowledged with a chuckle. "I've only one more class left today. I'll make it through."
"A lot of good you'll be tonight if you go to bed straight after classes. Did you have a lot of nightmares last night?" Severus asked in concern.
"Me, no. Laura, yes," Andrew explained, putting a bookmark in the tome in resignation. Severus frowned at that. "She was a mess already when she got up at two, so I helped her back to her room and took the couch to try to help her get back to sleep while she was in Mopps form. I think I got even less sleep than she did, really, but I doubt she got much either."
"Yes, well, she's hardly the only one," Severus said. He sat down, opening up different sections in each of the books he had brought. Andrew looked at his father blankly.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked.
"Apparently, there was something in the mountains last night causing it... a Fae or Undead perhaps, something that causes nightmares to be accentuated," Severus explained.
"That can be a lot of things. There are so many Dark Creatures that can do that," Andrew said.
"Yes, I know, that's why I need to try and narrow it down in case it comes back," Severus said.
Deciding at once that what his father was working on was much more important than his own research, Andrew set it aside and started to help him go through it. Before he knew it, the hour was up, and Andrew had to return to his classroom. Severus stayed with it a few minutes longer before finally putting the books he had borrowed from the Research Library in his cubicle. Then he hurried back to his office so he could pick up Quintin and to start getting ready for the lockdown.
Leu went straight to the library after classes and into the Owl Room, unsurprised to see Diana in there since she was the only other Owl who had an empty time slot during last period on Friday afternoons.
"Hi. Do you have any more research papers that you need me to check?" he asked.
Diana had been voted the leader of the project's History team, so was in charge of gathering up everyone's research and proposals while Leu, Noah, and Keir were helping her check them for errors before their final submission to Boulderdash and Scribe. Diana handed him over a large stack.
"Are you going to have time to get these done before the holiday break in two weeks?" she asked him, as if doubting that he was capable of such an undertaking.
"Sure, I'm far ahead this year, actually... all caught up on my work and ready for reviews. I'm even going to turn in my thesis for my last research paper before we leave for break so I can get it approved and start on it over the holiday. See, we're going to be spending most of the holiday on the boat, so I figured I could try to do some research at the same time, since I'm going to do another ocean culture," Leu said. Diana squinted.
"Which one?" she asked suspiciously.
"Fomorians. We're going to be spending time in the Aegean Sea," he explained, while Diana's deadpan expression betrayed just how much she disliked his choice.
"They're not there anymore," Diana said flatly.
"Yes, I know that. Most of them live out near the Westernmost Isle now, and I know just from family history that they don't care much for visitors," Leu said with amusement. "But I bet there are probably a lot of places near Greece where I might be able to dive and find some interesting archaeological evidence of their culture from back before they left the area. I'll admit I haven't had much luck pinning down any books on the subject that offer more than a page of information on them, but if I find anything, it may give me enough to do a full report on it."
"I have a better idea," Diana said. "Your parents employ Merrow sailors, do they not?"
"Oh, yes, they have since they got the boat," Leu agreed.
"Then why not do your research on Merrow culture instead? There is a lot more information about Merrow culture in the library so you will not struggle finding references, and you can still gather plenty of information on your journey from the Merrows themselves, since Professor Scribe allows for interviews," Diana suggested. Leu sighed.
"I'll admit you have a point, but I was looking for something that was more of a challenge for my last project," Leu explained.
"It is only a research paper. There are many more important challenges in life. If you want to challenge yourself, challenge yourself in something that matters," Diana said seriously.
"Like beating you in a race across the lake?" Leu asked her teasingly.
"Yes," Diana said simply. Leu shook his head, smiling in exasperation. But Diana frowned. "It is frustrating that the lake is frozen over now. Much time will be lost before we'll be able to use it again."
"Well, you could always go with us to Greece and challenge me there," Leu taunted her. Diana's jaw dropped at that.
"How could you possibly suggest such an inappropriate thing as that!" she exclaimed, growing bright red.
"Diana, calm down. I was joking," Leu spelled it out for her. "I didn't really mean it. I know you probably have other plans."
"I do not. I am staying here during the holiday. But I would also not go anywhere with you, even if I were to answer your challenge just now," Diana said. "I would get myself there."
"I'm sorry you have to stay here over the holiday, Diana," Leu replied. "I don't suppose you can spend some time with Noah while you're here?"
"Noah again," Diana said critically. "That is all you've been concerned with this year! Have you no other friends or interests than that ghost?" Leu sighed.
"Yes, well, there's a reason," Leu said, glancing at the door and checking the time to make sure they weren't in danger of the last classes getting out. "Can you keep a secret?" he asked. She simply stared at him as if wondering if he had temporarily forgotten who he was talking to. "You see, I don't think Noah is going to be here much longer. I think... I think this is his last year as a ghost of Hogwarts," he explained.
"It is all of our last year here," Diana pointed out. Leu sighed.
"That's different. None of the rest of us are going to fade away and disappear forever. But I am going to lose my best friend. That's why I've been spending so much time with Noah this year, because if my theory is right, he's only got a few months left before I lose him for good," Leu explained with open grief on his face. Diana frowned at him, studying him quite carefully.
"I understand why this troubles you," Diana replied. "But I do not think neglecting your other friends is wise. You have many friends here that will graduate along with us, and we will go our separate ways. He is not the only one of us that will be out of your reach once this school year ends," she said firmly. Leu sighed with exasperation, getting up.
"No one else in our class is in danger of disappearing forever, Diana. It's just not the same thing," Leu said, standing up. What was he thinking, he wondered to himself. He should have known from the start that Diana, of all people, wouldn't understand what he was going through. "I'll get these to you as soon as I get them done, Diana."
Diana nodded to him and watched him go, then stared at the papers in front of her. Suddenly realizing that tears were welling up in her eyes, she angrily wiped them away, reminding herself that she was beneath such signs of weakness. Shakily getting herself a quick glass of water, she finished it and took a couple of calming breaths before returning to her research.
With practices canceled, Leu found that the Great Hall was already filling up with students ready for dinner. And as the last classes got out, more and more students began to trickle in. Noah floated through the wall and took his place by Leu at the end of the table.
"Surprised to see you here. Didn't you have work on the history team to do?" Noah asked.
"Yes, I already picked it up," Leu explained.
"Hello, you two," Dasher said as he and Edward sat down. "Storm's getting nasty again."
"At this rate, we'll never get back outside again," Colby bemoaned further down the table.
"Well, there was a prefect meeting with Andrew a little bit ago, and we've been told that everyone's going to be sent to their rooms after dinner. There's going to be a lockdown," Dasher informed them.
"Really? What for?" Leu asked curiously.
"I don't know. We were told it was just a precaution," Dasher said.
"Ugh! That is all they ever tell us!" Colby complained.
"I completely agree. If they're going to the trouble to lock us down, they should at least have the decency of telling us why," Deborah Balmweed said.
"Perhaps it's the storm," Culver conjectured unconcernedly.
"I suppose that is possible," Dasher said. "Perhaps they're afraid someone will try going out in it. But really, nobody is going to want to go out in this weather. I don't think we'll have trouble with anyone not wanting to head straight to the house rooms tonight."
"Cold weather just inspires me all the more to want to find a cozy spot in the common rooms to curl up and do my reading assignments," Edward said, several other students agreeing with him. They all looked up when Anna tapped a glass at the main table. But by then, the word had already spread to the other houses as well, and so nobody was surprised at all to hear they were to go straight to their rooms that evening.
Upstairs in the Headmaster's Study, Severus and Hermione were waiting by Armando, while managing to get one or two last Owls sent out.
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Hermione asked concernedly when she let the last of the Owls go, noticing that the wind was starting to pick up.
"No, I'm sure we have everything well in hand here," Severus said. "I'll send you a Flame in the morning."
"Yes, alright," Hermione replied.
"Is Rich still here?" he inquired.
"No, Ginny dropped him off when she and Margaret left," Hermione replied. "That way Ashley could go ahead and leave."
"Headmaster, John is asking if you want him to stay over," Armando asked.
"Oh, yes, this was supposed to be his weekend to go home also, wasn't it? Did he truly want to stay, or was it simply out of some silly sense of duty?" Severus asked.
"I have been told it was with obvious reluctance, Severus," Armando said.
"Then send him along as well. Has Laura and Danyelle left already?" he asked.
"Yes, Severus. I believe once John has left, Hermione is the only one who was planning to go home this evening," Armando reported.
"Student counts?" Severus asked.
"Andrew and Anna are doing them now, Severus," Armando reported.
"It seems that we have this well in hand, Hermione. Why don't you go on down?" Severus said.
"Alright. Have a good night," Hermione said.
"Yes, stay safe," Severus replied, and Hermione picked her cloak up off the back of the chair and went to the Doorlift.
"Start locking down unessential areas first and then begin full lockdowns once Anna and Andrew have confirmed student checks and John and Hermione are safely out of the building."
"Yes, Severus," Armando said, and Severus went into the nursery to keep Quintin preoccupied before bed, bringing in a red candlestick with him when he came in the room.
"What's that?" Quintin asked curiously, when his father took one of the sconces off the wall and changed the candlestick for a new one.
"It's a special candle I got from Ashley that has a soft red glow to it when its lit. You may leave it on when you go to bed this evening to help you get to sleep," Severus explained.
"Will it help bad dreams?" Quintin asked curiously.
"Perhaps in a small way," Severus said, Quintin frowning at that. "The best way to keep bad dreams away is to learn how to turn them into good dreams."
"How do I do that?" Quintin asked, pulling his jim-jams out from under his pillow.
"When you notice you're having a bad dream, wake yourself up, and try to think up a way to turn the dream into a good one," Severus suggested. "For example, if you have a dream like last night where you thought your Mum was in trouble, you could make up an ending where someone comes and rescues her."
"Oh. I think you should rescue her. You always rescue her when she's in trouble," Quintin decided.
"Yes, and she always rescues me when I'm in trouble," Severus replied. "What other sorts of nightmares do you have?"
"That bad creatures get in my room," Quintin explained.
"That one is easy, then. Rasputin can always come out from under the bed and stone them for you," Severus suggested. Quintin checked under his bed. Sure enough, Rasputin was curled up under it, licking his nose with his tongue as if something had tickled it.
"You're right, he would," Quintin decided, then got dressed so that his father could then help him with his reading.
The moment he was safely asleep, Severus stepped out of his office and into the corridors to get a feel of the castle now that everyone had retreated to their rooms. There was still an uneasiness, he decided, as he worked his way towards the Astronomy Tower. As he walked through the quiet, dim corridors, he noticed a glint of light out of the corner of his eye and then turned curiously to see someone coming towards him.
"Anna?" he inquired thoughtfully.
"Lockdown is completed, and everyone is where they should be," Anna reported, but her expression looked as if she was a bit uncomfortable.
"Then why are you glowing?" he asked with a frown.
"I think it has to do with those voices in the wind... they're back again," Anna explained. "Only they're not anywhere near as loud as last night."
"Farther away perhaps?" Severus conjectured.
"I'm not sure... if they're further away, then why am I still glowing?" Anna asked, but it was obvious she was asking herself more than Severus.
"I was about to go up to the Astronomy Tower to speak to Aurora. I haven't had a chance to speak to her since last night, and I was wondering with her heritage if she may have picked up something we haven't," Severus suggested. "Not to mention that we might have a better view of the mountains from up there, so we may be able to get a better idea if there is any sort of threat."
"Both are good points. I'll go with you," Anna agreed, and the two of them walked over to the stairs, passing Lady Charlotte on their way up.
The two of them glanced in Aurora's classroom to find it empty, and was she in not her office. They kept on going up the stairs and found that the door leading outside was open despite the weather and they reluctantly went over to look outside.
Aurora Sinistra stood in a hooded cloak under one of the eaves, staring out at the ice storm. Away from the walls, the surface of the tower was covered with a sheet of ice, and although Aurora had taken the precaution of covering the telescopes, icicles hung from the covers themselves. The eaves also had plenty of ever-growing icicles, and there were several piles of broken icicles from where an irate gargoyle had decided to shake them off.
"Aurora," Severus said, cautiously slipping next to her while Anna opted to stay in the doorway. "A bit nippy to be out here."
"Listen," Aurora said, and the three of them became quite still, listening to both the pelting ice rain and the sound of the wind, which had definitely picked up as the darkness had set in.
Severus gazed out into the darkness at the silhouettes of the mountains in the distance, listening to the hollow moan of the winds. He closed his eyes, then finally was able to discern a very faint, melodic voice drifting on the wind too soft for him to even guess the language, but he was quite sure that the two witches on either side of him heard it much more clearly.
"There aren't as many as there were last night," Anna commented softly.
"Yes, I noticed that as well," Aurora said. "Last night it sounded as if there were about a dozen of them. Tonight there are only three that I can discern."
"Do you recognize the language or the species, Aurora?" Severus asked.
"They're definitely Old Hags of some kind, Severus," Aurora reported.
"Snow Hags or Shadow Hags perhaps?" Severus asked.
"No, I don't think so, from the accent it's something more localized. Lowland or Marsh Hags, maybe," Aurora conjectured. Severus frowned.
"What are they doing up here, then?" Severus asked. Aurora shrugged.
"Yeah, they're a bit out of their element. It explains why we've never had a problem with them before."
"Sorry, back up. Are you saying these Hags are some sort of creature? I thought a Hag was just a derogatory term for old spinster witches," Anna asked.
"Yes, it is that as well, Anna, but what we're talking about is a Dark Fae species... partially incorporeal," Severus explained. "They can manifest like a ghost can, but they are very much alive. They typically stay in an incorporeal form except when they're ready to attack and kill their prey; their material Fae form looks a great deal like a crooked backed, heavily wrinkled old woman, which is how that got turned into a witch reference. They invoke nightmares in those who are prone to them and feed off of their fear."
"Like Dementors do?" Anna asked with a frown.
"Similar in some ways, although not quite as powerful one on one. And they cannot destroy a soul, although they will kill their victims when they feel that they've consumed what fear they can off of them... they will even kill Muggles on occasion. Their method of attack is by compressing the lungs and heart, so that it looks like they simply died in their sleep of natural causes," Severus explained. "One on one, if a wizard or witch are aware of their presence, they're an easy match, especially if they have a strong Patronus. However, a large group of them can be a challenge to defeat. They have a great deal of Wild and Dark magic, and although they prefer to hunt alone, they are social enough with one another that they will gang up and take on a threat together if they feel they need to. That said, we have little to worry about while we're in the castle. The defenses here are more than adequate to repel that sort of creature... that was evident last night, especially if, as you say, there are less of them now. But we should have someone explain what's going on to the student body so that they understand what's causing the elevation in their nightmares. That way, they can take basic steps to minimize the effects. Perhaps Laura can speak to them about it at breakfast tomorrow."
"No, she's out of the castle tonight. She went to check on her grandfather," Anna explained.
"Oh, yes, that's right. I'll have Andrew do it then," Severus decided. "I'll also speak to Sally, Ick, and Janus in case something comes up with the students tonight."
"Do you want me to handle night patrols? It's not like I have anything better to do, because even with a demystifying telescope, I can't do anything in this," Aurora said, gesturing at the weather.
"Yes, that would be quite helpful, thank you," Anna agreed, and they all went back inside.
At the bottom of the stairs, the three of them went their separate ways. Severus began wandering in the direction of Andrew's room even before getting out his watch to check and make sure he was currently in it. But when he pulled out his watch, he stared at it in confusion, because Andrew's arrow kept floating strangely between his room to "Mortal Peril" and back again. More than a little alarmed and wondering if one of the Hags had managed to get in after all, Severus skipped quickly to Andrew's room and knocked on the door, much harder than what he normally did.
Andrew opened the door in surprise, blinking at his father.
"Is something wrong?" Andrew asked.
"Yes, apparently," Severus said, taking out his wand as he began running checks on Andrew's sitting room and bedroom. Andrew got out his wand to assist him, but after going over the entire room, they found nothing. Severus frowned again, glancing at his watch. "It stopped."
"What stopped?" Andrew asked.
"Whatever was throwing my watch into a tizzy," Severus said with a frown, staring at it. "I suppose I need to have it looked at. Anyway, I wanted to give you an update as to what is going on. Apparently the school has attracted some Scottish Hags for some reason, which is what's been causing the nightmares. They can't get in the defenses, so the worst they can do is cause some unpleasant dreams, but tomorrow morning, I want you to go downstairs when the majority of students are at breakfast and explain this to them and offer advice to those who are adversely affected."
"That does explain a lot," Andrew said with a sigh. "Okay, I'll handle it."
"You may want to check into Gryffindor just in case, but I doubt there will be too much of an issue tonight, since apparently the majority of them seem to have gone somewhere else, there are only three left," Severus explained. "Once the weather clears, we can take a group up into the mountains and chase them off." Andrew frowned.
"Most of them left? Aren't those types of Hag attracted by strong nightmares?" Andrew asked sharply.
"Yes," Severus agreed.
"Laura," Andrew said, then went running for his boots and his cloak.
"Wait, you shouldn't go rushing out there willy-nilly, Andrew. Besides, the castle is in lockdown..."
"Then let me go before it does!" Andrew snapped. Severus' expression changed as what happened with his watch suddenly made sense, glancing at it with a frown as he checked the time, taking out the Time-turner and setting it back himself.
"Fine, go, but you're going to be in grave danger this trip, Andrew, my watch wasn't swinging towards "Mortal Peril" for no reason," Severus warned.
"If I was in danger, it's because Laura already was," Andrew snapped.
"Yes, you have a point. When you're finished, put the Time-turner in your cloak and I'll retrieve it out of your Cloak Chest. You can go to your sister's house if you need a way in during the lockdown. Report to me the moment you get back to the castle, regardless of how late it is."
"Got it," Andrew said, grabbing his broom before tossing the Time-turner around his neck and disappeared. Severus quickly got out his Chronojournal and filled out the different times he knew so far, then hurried back to his study.
But when he got back to the study, he couldn't help but stare at what was written in his appointment book, realizing he was going to be in for a long night, especially when he opened his desk drawer to find the Time-turner was already in there.
There could be only one explanation as to why.
It was nice to return home.
After spending a season in the Orkneys, Laura's grandfather was quite glad to get back to the familiar waters of Galway on the western shores of Ireland, and was only too happy to dock on the mainland close enough that he could still check in on Carol and Remus' house on one of the small islands.
Her grandfather had chosen to drydock the rentals in town until spring, only using the Silver Merrow for fishing. He had bought for himself a small private dock and stone cottage that was not on any maps and not easily seen by anyone not coming up the long gravel road through a densely forested shoreline, choosing the location in hopes of not having to be move again like he had to last year when his family had been targeted.
The storm, it seemed, was more rain than sleet, So although it was drizzly and dreary, it didn't seem to be as much of a problem for the old fisherman as Laura had feared.
"The boat's well winterized, and I've a deicer installed. It's a Muggle one... mostly," Finn told Laura with a wink. "But the seas are rough, and there's nae need tae go out in it til things improve some. I expect there will be prime fishin' the mornin' after the worst of it has passed. By Sunda', fer sure, if yer a plannin' to stay as long."
"As it happens, yes I can, because all activities were canceled for the school this weekend," Laura explained with a smile.
"Savage! It'll be good ta have ya about for a few days, since I've not seen you once since the start of school, I dun' believe," Finn said. "Didn'ya promise oul dear to come and look after yer weak an' feeble old grandfather?" he asked with a wink.
"I am sorry, Granda, but the school really does take up most of my time. Besides, we both know you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. And if you can't, the Merrows can," Laura teased. "Besides, I'll spend all the winter holiday here if you like... although I would like to invite you to come to Conner Donovan's house for Christmas day, we've been invited over to spend the holidays at his house."
"Donovan?" Finn repeated, thinking about it a moment. "Ah, that's the lad who married Lindsay Black, aye?"
"Yes, that's right. Aunt Anna is going as well and... actually, I have a friend planning to go with me," Laura explained sheepishly.
"Ah! I see! Then I expect I'd better go and inspect the lad," Finn decided with interest.
"Well, actually you've met him," Laura admitted, refilling their cups with hot water to have an excuse to get up for a moment, before finally sitting back down, his eyes still on her. "I'm seeing Andrew Snape... exclusively," she added quickly when she saw the change in his expression.
"Have you lost your senses? He's a bold one that is, surely you've heard enough stories to know that."
"I understand why you'd be concerned, but you'll simply have to trust me when I tell you that he's changed since then," Laura said.
"And what does Carol think of that, then?" Finn asked, completely unconvinced.
"Well... she doesn't really know about it, but I don't think she'll mind as much as all of that. My father will take a lot more convincing," Laura admitted, making a face. "Perhaps you can help me persuade him when he gets home?" she suggested hopefully.
"How can you expect me to do tha' when I'm not persuaded myself? Wasn't he a teacher of yours, no less, he must be 10 years older if not a day, and a laundry list of sins as ever anyone did e'er have when it comes to sleepin' around. Granted, he's a personable sort, but nae the kind I want courtin' my granddaughter, it'll only lead ta you getting' hurt," Finn scolded her.
"Well, if you can't trust me, then why don't we go to the Donovan's on Christmas day and you can make your own judgments on whether he's changed or not?" Laura suggested. "I'm sure as long as you keep an open mind, he'll impress you enough."
"It would take a lot to impress me, considerin' his reputation," Finn warned her.
"Yes, I expected as much, but I want you to get to know him better anyway," Laura said. Finn eyed her skeptically, but let out a sigh.
"Aye, alright, anythin' for my only granddaughter, but I reserve the right to throw him out if his intentions aren't honorable," Finn said.
"Great! I'll let Uncle John and Mitch know we're going. They didn't want to say for sure until they knew whether or not I could talk you into it," Laura explained.
"You're as silver tongued as your mother when it comes to talking folks into things," Finn declared. Laura chuckled and finished making her tea.
It was not long after the sun had gone down that they could feel the roof rattle and the sound of the wind as it began to pick up. Laura felt a hill, listening to the wind blowing against the cabin.
"That came up sudden," Finn said thoughtfully, listening to the wind. "I'd better double check the moorings on the boat."
"Oh, that's alright, Grandda, I'll go do it," Laura immediately volunteered, putting down her tea.
"Mind ya tighten' it well, and come straight in after," Finn said.
"I will," Laura promised, then glanced at the stove. "But I think I'll grab some firewood for the rack on the way in too. It might get colder if there's another storm coming in," she said, then went outside.
As she went over and took care of the boat, the icy wind picked up even more, chilling her hands and making it more difficult to fasten it. She used her wand in the end to shore it up, and even invited the crew in, who quickly opted to wait the storm out by swimming out of the bay and into the ocean. She hurried over to the rick of wood and was about to gather some up, when she heard voices on the wind. At first, she didn't understand them at all; but suddenly they switched tongues to an old form of Gaelic. The voices were coming from the dark cover of the woods behind the cottage.
"It's the girl, sisters!"
"It's the girl!" several other voices repeated.
"Monstre hostis!" Laura cast, taking a defensive stance.
Slowly she could make out nine silhouettes as a flash of light appeared around their hazy forms... three in the center, the others almost crouched to either side, still partially hidden in the shadows. Finally they began to materialize, the grotesque, gnarled faces partially covered by long dark hoods, while strands of white hair flowed out over their robes.
"Moor Hags," Laura said in recognition. "Aren't you a bit far from home?" she repeated in Gaelic.
"We were following you," the one in the center said, sniffing the air pointedly. "Such delightful, entertaining, satisfying nightmares you have, my dear."
"I see now. You were what was causing the nightmares at Hogwarts last night," Laura said, taking a stance close to the building when the hags to either side seemed to be spreading out. She couldn't afford to be surrounded when there were so many. "You're wasting your time with me. I know perfectly well how to deal with one of your sort. You'd be better off going back to Scotland where you belong... and not back to the school either," she warned. The Hag in the center cackled.
"You could fight one of us, perhaps. But nine of us?" she asked, then said something in her native tongue that made the others begin to move in.
"Expecto Patronum!" Laura intoned loudly. A giant Cu Sith came bounding out of her wand straight towards the one in the center. But as the Hags in the center scattered to try and get out of the Patronus' way, the ones on the outside began to move in to get closer. Her head was beginning to cloud as her nightmares attempted to fill her head despite being awake, and her Patronus was forced to break off its attack so that it could guard her.
Suddenly, a Patronus appeared behind the creatures. A Unicorn mare charged the Hags attempting to get around Laura, actually managing to hit one. The Hag screamed and dematerialized, the glowing residue drifting on the wind. Andrew took the opportunity to dash through the opening it left and over to Laura's side.
"Andrew!" Laura said in complete surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"I told you I wouldn't let you fight these nightmares alone again," Andrew snapped. "That includes when creatures try to take advantage of it."
But Laura had become distracted by his presence and hadn't noticed that one had come up behind her, and Andrew pulled her back enough to send his Unicorn charging after it.
"Andrew, look out!" Laura warned as the one he had hit earlier managed to regain its form.
It came after him, pointing at his chest. Andrew gasped when he felt intense pressure, and was barely able to call his Unicorn back around to get the Hag to back off. Just as they realized they couldn't take on so many, a sharp-toothed Narwhal charged into the semi-circle of Hags closing in around them. "Grandda! Get back inside!" Laura scolded him as he came running over.
"'Tis foolish to run from creatures that thrive from fear, tha'd only get us killed faster," Finn snapped at her, and Laura sent her Cu Sith after one of the Hags so that her Grandfather could join them by the wood pile.
"There, now! Three agin' one is a might better odds," Finn offered.
"Not much," Andrew said rasped.
"Are you alright?" Laura asked Andrew.
"No. We need to figure out which one has her grip on me," Andrew said, a bit out of breath.
"If we can find out which one is trying to pull my nightmares to the surface, that'd be lovely as well," Laura agreed, then sent her Cu Sith after one that was getting too close.
But the chatter on the wind had increased along with the excitement of the Hags as they all raised their arms as one. Even if the pressure had temporarily been released on his chest, Andrew quickly realized they were in trouble, for the three of them had little chance of stopping an attack of all nine of Hags working in unison.
Suddenly there was a bright light and daylight momentarily flooded the area, lasting long enough that the Hags to recoiled, disrupting their attack. A giant raven Patronus descended out of nowhere and attacked one of the Hags, followed by a lightning fast bunny Patronus that was dodging in and out of the Hags and jumping on their shoulders as it weaved in and out, further disrupting them. Realizing that this was just what they needed to turn the situation around, Andrew grabbed Laura's hand long enough to cast the Synchronous Spell, and the two of them renewed their Patronuses. Both the Cu Sith and the Unicorn came out of their wands much brighter than they had been before, biting and spearing their opponents, the Narwhal soon joining them. This time when they connected, the Hags that dematerialized did not return. Faced by so any enemies coming at them from different directions, the few that remained shifted back to their incorporeal forms.
As the last one disappeared out of view, the wind quickly died down. In fact, it became so quiet that all that could be heard was each other's panting breath and the cold gentle rain beating down on them.
Finn put away his wand and stared up at the sky as if he had just realized it had been raining, then realized that the other two wizards who had aided them had already left from wherever they came.
"I expect another cup of tea and some dryin' off be in order after all of tha'," Finn decided. "Laura, have yer man bring in the wood for the stove, an' you head inside and change." Glancing out in the darkness a moment longer, Laura slowly put away her wand.
"Yes, Grandda," Laura said, doing as she was told despite the fact she could see her grandfather was holding back for some reason. She went inside, wondering whose Patronuses had saved them.
"How much should I get?" Andrew asked awkwardly, finally putting away his wand. He picked up a few logs when he noticed that Finn was eyeing him suspiciously. In fact, he wore an expression that reminded Andrew very much of the one that John Carnegie had that day he had stopped him on the stairs.
"Now, how might it be tha' someone with such a reputation of messin' about could have a Unicorn for a Patronus?" Finn asked bluntly.
"She was my mother's," Andrew said with a shrug, grabbing a few split logs off the the stack.
"Hm," Finn said and turned back inside. Andrew followed behind, realizing that his work was going to be cut out for him when it came to impressing this family.
Severus wasn't surprised in the slightest when Andrew didn't return to the castle until the lockdown ended at dawn. He dutifully came straight to the Headmaster's Study with his clothes rumpled and looking quite tired, but all in one piece.
"Sorry... I was a little afraid those Hags might come back so I decided to stay until dawn," Andrew explained.
"Really? I'm a bit surprised Dorset let you," Severus admitted.
"Actually, he made me stay on the boat," Andrew replied sheepishly. "I don't think he's keen on the fact that we're dating any more than John is. Anyway, thanks for coming after us last night. We would have been in real trouble if you hadn't."
"Why do you think we did it?" Severus replied evenly.
"Yes, about that, actually. I was wondering... who does that other Patronus belong to?" Andrew asked curiously.
"Someone you can thank by not asking that question," Severus replied, then changed the subject.