Disclaimer: All Harry Potter people, places, things, and ideas (all Harry Potter nouns) belong to J. K. Rowlings. Mordecai and Elisabeth are mine.
Chapter 23: The picture.
As the students returned from the break, another decree was passed, this time prohibiting teachers to discuss anything outside of lessons with students. Harry's meetings with Severus were then explained as tutorial sessions for him to improve in Potions. Having met with him for a few months, Severus was annoyed at how little progress they had made.
On the other hand, he had also begun training Mordecai. Severus noticed that the Ravenclaw seemed to have a natural understanding for how the mind worked at their first meeting. Only two weeks after Harry's training had started, the Potions Master met with his son in his office.
"In the times we live in, keeping one's mind closed to attack is essential. I assume you know what Occlumency and Legillimency are, Mr. Maddock," Severus began. Mordecai nodded. "A good deal of what I teach you will be concentration. By concentrating on how your mind works, you can project or withhold thoughts, feelings, and memories."
"Are stray thoughts and memories what people use to penetrate other people's minds?" Mordecai inquired.
Severus nodded, inwardly pleased. "Now I am going to try to enter your mind and I want you to attempt to block me."
Mordecai was surprised when suddenly a childhood memory was dragged up. It was of an early meeting with the Potions Master. The Ravenclaw realized what the professor was doing and attempted to block him out by changing the memory to one of him playing in the snow. Severus left his mind and faced him.
"That was a good start, superimposing a memory over one that someone is trying to look at," he told him.
The boy raised an eyebrow. "Sir, why am I the one you are helping to do this?"
The man sighed. "Because you are just as much in danger for what you do not know as for what you know." By the expression on his face, Severus could tell that Mordecai was still puzzled, but the boy left.
A few months later Minerva looked up hastily as Severus slammed her door open and skulked into her office. Then he slammed the door shut and faced her. "I will not allow that brat any further access to my mind, or my belongings!"
"What happened, Severus?" Minerva questioned, leaping up from her desk chair.
"Potter found my pensieve and saw some of my worst memories! I don't understand why he felt the need to snoop," he vexed. "Mordecai, who probably has greater reason to snoop, fortunately does not."
Minerva grew pale. "Severus, did Mr. Potter happen to see anything else out of your school days? Could he possible know about-"
Severus shook his head adamantly. "No. Those memories and all things associated with them do not belong in a pensieve. They are locked away in my mind too deeply for anyone to find."
"How is Mordecai's training progressing?" she inquired.
His dragon-like rage seemed to simmer down. "Quite well. He has a natural knack for it, the skills just need focus and concentration."
She smiled. "That should not be a surprise. I wonder what he inherited from me though," she commented wryly.
"My dear professor, I wouldn't worry. From you he has the ability to lose himself in the library, and he also has enough courage to be protective of his little friend," he reminded. Then he glanced over at the clock on her desk. "I should be going. With all of the other activities I've been dragged into as of late, the papers I have to grade, illegible as they are, have piled up."
They walked to her door, but she stopped him. "We haven't played chess in a while. With the Order and all that is going on, it would help us to keep some semblance of normalcy," she suggested.
He sighed heavily and kissed her hand. "I don't have the time right now, and though I see your point, I know you don't have the time either." He left quickly and she reluctantly returned to her own grading.
Mordecai and Elisabeth had been attending the meetings for Dumbledore's Army and began to help with demonstrations. She had mastered several hexes and spells to counter them, but he noticed that the club seemed to be one more thing to use time. He worried, but said nothing for a while.
Then he found her asleep in a chair in the common room one morning. He walked over to her slowly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Lisa, Lisa breakfast is in half an hour."
She groaned. "Breakfast? But I just finished my homework at midnight."
"Well, you fell asleep in a chair. What do you have today aside from our classes?" he asked as he knelt down to her eye level.
"I have to learn the new counter spell for the club, Quidditch practice finally resumed, and then I have two essays to finish," she recalled.
He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Lisa, you're trying to do too much. I think you should just stick to your classes today. They will all understand if you missed practice in order to stay sane."
"Why do you always have to be right?" she growled.
"I'm not always right; I just know when someone looks like the walking dead. Come on, let's go to breakfast," he encouraged.
"Oh fine, just let me change my robes," she grumbled as she stood and headed for her room.
As they entered the Great Hall, they noticed that some of the staff members as well as Dumbledore looked uncomfortable. The reason came shortly when Umbridge announced that Trelawny would no longer be teaching there. Elisabeth looked over at Mordecai with worry.
"Cyrus, this is bad. Umbridge is planning something and she's trying to get rid of people to do it," Elisabeth surmised.
Mordecai raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I agree that she's a vile person, but what do you think she's planning?"
She leaned close to him and whispered, "I think she wants to take over the school. We already know that she's more dangerous than people thought."
He was about to comment, but then spotted a student over his shoulder who was paying more attention to them than he thought was appropriate. "We shouldn't discuss things like that here. In case you haven't noticed, the Slytherins seem to be making a time of ratting people out to Professor Umbridge."
She saw them and nodded. "It's not just the Slytherins; it's some of our own too."
The following day Elisabeth returned to Quidditch practice, with Mordecai tagging along to watch. It was entertaining to watch the expression of excitement on her face as she flew as fast as she could. He felt someone's presence before he turned to see a Slytherin second-year behind him.
"What are you doing out here?" the boy demanded. "You're not on the team!"
"I'm spotting for my friend so that she doesn't get hurt," Mordecai explained candidly.
"Where's your paper saying what you're doing?" the boy questioned.
Mordecai could not mask his surprise. "I didn't know I needed one."
"Professor Umbridge says that everyone does," the Slytherin retorted.
Doubting his sincerity, Mordecai decided to see of the boy was bluffing. "Since when?"
"Uh…" the Slytherin thought for a while, looking away. Mordecai took the opportunity and made a run for it, disappearing behind a few trees. Discouraged at having lost his way to earn house points, the Slytherin stomped off in another direction.
Practiced ended and Elisabeth was surprised when she did not immediately see Mordecai. He emerged from the trees and told her what had happened. "So that's what she's doing, setting students against each other for house points."
When they walked back to the castle, Mordecai spotted the Quidditch case and looked over the more prestigious names. "I wonder if my mum is here somewhere. I don't even know her name," he mentioned.
"Do you know what she looks like?" Elisabeth asked.
"Sort of. Aunt Fiona went to school with her," he replied.
"Then we should check the yearbooks in the library some time," she suggested as they headed back to the common room to finish some school work, trying to clear their minds of Umbridge for a while.
Severus wished he could clear his mind of the woman. Her distasteful way of giving the Slytherins points reminded him too much of that traitor, Pettigrew. He was in the middle of brewing more healing potions for the infirmary when Umbridge let herself in. Why won't you just leave me alone and go back to the bloody bog you crawled out of? You repulsive toad, Severus thought as she sashayed her way over to him.
"Hello Severus, I've seen so little of you lately," she began in a light tone.
Please don't suggest anything about changing my robes. "I've been very busy lately," he commented as he stirred one of the potions and added a few herbs to another.
"You know, just because I am now the High Inquisitor does not mean that you should avoid me. I am also your colleague," she mentioned as she stepped closer to him.
Her foul breath is making my skin crawl. "You really must excuse me. As you can see, I have five potions going at the same time and this visit is far to distracting."
She nodded and headed toward his door, turning to say one last thing before she left. "I will have your attention, Severus, as soon as I find what is standing in my way."
After delivering the potions to Poppy, Severus headed over to Minerva's rooms. She
opened the door when she heard a knock, teacup still in her hand. "More problems with the toad?" she asked a she shut the door.
Severus shivered with revulsion. "I absolutely despise that woman. In her own twisted mind, I believe she considers me an item. I think that before I feel a gag reflux we should retaliate."
Minerva could not erase the amused expression from her face as Severus glared at her. "As much as I loathe that woman, it is mildly entertaining to hear about how she has been chasing you."
"You wouldn't think it was half as funny if you were the one she was chasing," he commented sardonically.
She shook her head and sighed. "Then what do you suggest as retaliation?"
"I have overhead the Weasley twins Fred and George wanting to play practical jokes on the woman to annoy her. You and I could play subtle roles in it," he suggested.
She smirked. "Do you mean to tell me that you would actually brew those two boys stink potions if they asked you?"
"If it gets rid of the toad, yes," he confirmed. "I would even consider involving Peeves."
"Then let the games begin," she toasted with what was left of the tea she had been drinking.
Before any of their plotting could come to action, Umbridge was tipped off by a student named Marietta about Dumbledore's Army. Elisabeth had just walked back to sit with Mordecai after helping with a demonstration when Dobby came running in to warn them that Umbridge was coming.
Mordecai took Elisabeth's hand and they were the first out of the door. They managed to walk all the way back to the common room without running into trouble. "What will happen now?" she asked him as they sat by the fireplace.
He shook his head and watched the flames slowly lick the wood. "I don't know."
Suddenly Elisabeth sat up straight and looked over at him. "Do you know what? There are more of us than there are of her, despite her Slytherin assistants. We should just kick her out!"
He snorted. "As much as I would like to try that at this point, I doubt that we could get enough people to actively try it, unless you want to resort to untraceable pranks."
She looked at him incredulously and grinned. "Cyrus, there are times when I think there is a Slytherin inside you."
The following morning the school received the shocking news that Dumbledore had been sacked and had vanished for places unknown, the Ministry of Magic appointing Umbridge as headmistress in his place. At that point the staff and most of the student body decided that it was time to wage a little war.
Stink potions in odd places were just the beginning for the Weasley twins after Severus decided to help them. And Peeves showed them how to place old-fashioned itching powder on top of the door so that when Umbridge opened the door to the staff room, it fell directly on her. Even after taking two showers, she was itching for the rest of that day.
Umbridge began taking away points mostly from Gryffindor, but also from the other houses and blaming them for the pranks, with the exception of the Slytherins. Elisabeth and Mordecai had also decided to participate. They had sneaked down to the pens holding the larger creatures and had located a hippogriff.
Elisabeth opened the gate and greeted it properly with a graceful bow. The winged creature took to her and allowed the girl to lead her out. Mordecai glanced at her with worry. "Are you certain that this is a good idea?"
She giggled. "Of course, now are you going to help me or not?"
He knew his part in this was to get Umbridge's attention. "I suppose."
They led the hippogriff to the castle and into the halls and walked all the way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts office, which Umbridge had been using because she could not get the Headmaster's office to open for her. Mordecai used a door-knocking spell to have her open the door. Once she had the door open, Elisabeth used a scent-moving spell to make Umbridge think that something was on fire somewhere.
Once out of her office, the two let the hippogriff meet Umbridge. Any students around laughed when they saw the toad being chased by an irate hippogriff. Severus was leaving the library when he noticed the spectacle and headed to Minerva's office. "You'll never believe what I just saw," he relayed as he entered.
She raised an eyebrow. "At this point I'd believe almost anything."
"That loathsome toad was being chased by a hippogriff," he told her.
She laughed. "You don't say? I wonder who came up with that one."
"I don't know, but it will definitely keep her busy for a while," he added.
"What are you suggesting?" she probed.
He shrugged. "I haven't had a good dual in a long time. Care to accompany me outdoors?"
She thought for a moment and then stood. "I suppose we both need practice. Let's go."
The dual began with a few mild hexes and then both increased the power and bite of the curses they threw. Both were doing a splendid job blocking the other, in speed and coordination, when Severus decided to use one that was not as common. He had figured that she would easily block it, but she could not recognize it fast enough and was knocked on her backside. Worried, he rushed over to her.
"Minerva, are you alright?" he questioned when the others had left, crouching on the ground next to her.
She nodded briskly. "It would seem so. I really did not expect that curse, being that it isn't well-known."
He eyed her, as if inspecting her for injuries. "You were supposed to block that, but I am sorry. Are you certain that you are alright?"
I'm surprised that he is so concerned for me. "Yes, now if you would be so kind as to help me up."
He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her to her feet. At the physical contact, both seemed to be holding their breaths. He had her in his arms again, just as he had at the Yule Ball, and this time he was not going to let her walk away. Alone in the field except for each other, their gazes met, as if asking the same questions. Then he leaned down and kissed her with all the passion and longing that so many years estranged had caused.
When they were out of oxygen their foreheads met. "Why?" she asked in a whisper.
He caressed her cheek with his hand. "Minerva, I tried to keep my distance from you because I did not want to cause you any more trouble than I already had. I can't do it anymore; I need to hold you again."
"Oh Severus," she added before kissing him soundly.
They parted but did not break out of the embrace. "We should continue this conversation at the castle instead of outside," he recommended. She nodded and they walked back to her rooms.
When she closed the door they stood in awkward silence for a moment. "You do realize that our timing is horrible," he pointed out.
She sighed and smiled. "Hasn't it always been?"
Holding each other's hands they sat together on the couch. He spoke as he caressed her hands. "Minerva, I'm tired of just being your colleague. I want a real relationship," he mentioned.
His onyx eyes held so much feeling that she scarcely believed it. "As do I, Severus. I'm so tired of fighting what I feel and pretending that I don't care."
Her words held such conviction that he was compelled to pull her closer to him and kiss her gently. Soon he was holding her in an embrace as they sat together. "I am assuming that no one else should ever learn of this," he deduced.
She nodded and nuzzled his neck. "Things seem to get more and more dangerous each year. The last thing we need is to drop anything to someone that could make either of us more vulnerable."
"One day things won't be like this," he said quietly. "But I don't know if I'll live to see it."
Minerva heard the weariness in his voice as well as the pain. She looked up to kiss him again, this time passionately. He responded and the two took comfort in their polite snogging for a while. Just as he was about to take her hair down a knock sounded at the door.
They broke apart and walked over to her kitchen where he could not easily be seen. "We should pick up this conversation at a more convenient time," he mentioned with a wry grin.
She returned the grin and added, "Perhaps," before answering the door.
"Headmistress Umbridge, whatever brings you by?" Minerva feigned courtesy.
The rotund woman's hair was tousled; her complexion was a sickly red as if she had spent the day running somewhere. She glared at Minerva and placed her hands on her hips. "Hem, hem, in case you were unaware, I was chased by a hippogriff and I want you to find out who was responsible for it. Unlike the other injustices committed against me, if you cannot find someone, I will sack you and replace you with someone who can!"
Minerva was speechless, but Severus was not. He stepped out of the kitchen and Umbridge raised an eyebrow upon seeing him, immediately taking on a softer demeanor. He spoke gruffly. "You will do no such thing, Madame. She and I were just discussing strategies to catch the culprit. It was most likely that blasted poltergeist anyhow."
Umbridge looked back to Minerva. "Fine! I have decided to allow yet another thing to slide, but not again!" she spat.
Just then Peeves appeared. "You rang? Oh, it's you. Well, well, what do we have here? So you want to know who let the hippogriff in. If I were you'd I'd be more worried about all the mess those doxies are making in your office that I let in!" he told her as he vanished.
"What! One of these days I'll get him!" she fumed as she ran out of the room.
"I hate to say this, but I think we owe Peeves a debt of gratitude for all of this," Severus remarked with a smirk.
"Yes, I believe we do," she agreed as they stood close together again.
"You should be going. We have a school to take care of," she reminded him.
"Throwing me out are you?" he said with a wry grin.
"Not exactly. Circumstances just force us to work out the larger problems of our lives first." They kissed soundly before he left.
A few weeks had passed since the hippogriff incident with Mordecai and Elisabeth remaining unidentified in the prank. It was Friday and both had finished their homework in the library when Elisabeth had an idea of what they could do next.
"Cyrus, now is a good time to find an old yearbook and look for your mum!" she exclaimed.
"Alright," he agreed.
The yearbooks were coated with layers of dust, students not perusing through them regularly. Mordecai knew what year to look for and lifted the book, brushing dust and cobwebs from it, also two spiders which caused Elisabeth to jump. He took it over to the table and opened it by sheer chance to the section with everyone's pictures. He sighed and looked up at Elisabeth.
"What's wrong?" she inquired.
"I don't know Aunt Fiona's maiden name," he admitted.
"Did your uncle attend Hogwarts? If he did, you can try to find him and maybe her maiden name started with the same letter," she suggested.
He eyed her incredulously. "As strange as that sounds, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try it."
After locating Thomas Maddock, Mordecai continued through the m's until Elisabeth saw his finger completely stop. "What is it?"
He pointed with his thumb to a picture of his Aunt Fiona, Fiona McDougall. However, it was not her picture that he was looking at, but the picture next to her, of a girl named Minerva McGonagall. "Do you think this was Professor McGonagall?" he asked Elisabeth.
She studied the pictures. "It's possible. She looks quite a bit like your aunt."
"Aunt Fiona said that she's a cousin of mine, so I wouldn't be surprised that they look alike," he relayed rationally.
"It's too bad that the pictures are a bit faded, but never mind. Let's look for the Quidditch section," she suggested.
He flipped through the pages until they reached the pictures. "Now I don't know if this is even the right yearbook to have the picture I'm looking for, but we might as well…" he trailed off as he scanned the photos.
Elisabeth gasped. "Cyrus, they're moving!"
He chuckled. "I forgot for a moment that you grew up basically in the muggle world. Enchanted pictures are not all that rare."
Some of the captures were slightly blurred. He was about to give up and try another yearbook when he turned the page to find the picture he sought. "Lisa, look! This is the picture! She was a chaser, like you."
Staring at the picture, Elisabeth glanced down at the caption. "Hmm, it's smudged, but let's see what I can make out. The name is almost unrecognizable, but from what I can deduce, she helped Gryffindor win the house cup. Do you want to try one of the other yearbooks to see if she played Quidditch in any of the other years?"
He glanced at his watch and shook his head. "We don't have time. You and I need to head back to the common room and drop our school things off before we go to dinner."
She nodded and they replaced the yearbook before leaving the library and making sure that no Slytherins accosted them about hall passes. They did not speak again until they reached the common room. "Cyrus, you should ask Professor McGonagall about your mum. If she was in the same yearbook as your aunt, she may have known her, especially because Professor McGonagall likes Quidditch."
"I think I'll try that," he decided.
On Monday he went to see Professor McGonagall after class. She had just finished giving a fifth-year student career advice. "Can I help you, Mordecai?" she asked as he entered.
"Cousin Minerva," he began. She knew that whenever he addressed her as 'cousin' it meant that he was saying something important and also something personal. "I was wondering if you knew my mum when you went to Hogwarts with Aunt Fiona."
Minerva was dumbstruck for an answer and found her voice a few moments later. "How did you know that she and I went to school together?"
"I saw your pictures in a yearbook. I was looking for a picture of my mum that Aunt Fiona had showed me," he explained.
The Transfiguration Mistress fiddled with her hands briefly. I've got to think of something to tell him. "I suppose you could say that I knew her. She was a chaser for Gryffindor."
"She had to have been good at it if she was in the yearbook," he stated. She tried not to blush, but his next comment caused her to grow pale. "What was her name? Why can't anyone tell me the names of my parents?"
The look in his onyx eyes tore at her heart. It was almost a pleading expression, but also one that was demanding, both methods asking for the same answers. She sighed heavily and looked away. "As I imagine you have been told by Fiona, it is for your own safety that their identities remain a mystery to you." She decided to try to change the subject. "Did you get the book on illusions and Transfiguration that I sent you for your birthday?"
He had received birthday presents from his adopted family, but also from Minerva and Severus for the last several years. "Yes, and I also received the set of unusual ingredients from Professor Snape for working with more advanced potions." He was about to bring up his mother again when there was a knock at the door.
Umbridge burst into the room, covered in a peculiar sticky-green substance. "Minerva, I have had enough of your Gryffindors and their perpetual shenanigans! If you don't control them better-" she stopped, seeing Mordecai. "I hope you are only discussing lessons with your student."
The Deputy Headmistress could see that the toad expected and answer. "I was merely doing a bit of career counciling, which is part of what I usually do," she answered frankly.
"You seem to have forgotten that I am taking over that, but I will excuse it this one time if he tells me the career he is seeking," she said snidely, looking directly at him as if she could stare holes through him.
Mordecai spied a vial of anti-migraine potion on her bookshelf. "I want to be a Potions Master."
He had looked her straight in the eyes, not seeming to be afraid. She looked from Mordecai to Minerva and back, as if trying to figure out why she could not startle this student. There was something else in his eyes, something in the look that she was not able to place. She snorted in a very unladylike manner and let Mordecai leave the room.
Before leaving herself, she turned back to the other woman. "We aren't finished, Minerva. I am the headmistress of this school and I will remove you when I can prove that you have been undermining me. It's a pity that the Board of Governors likes you, but if I were you, I would make sure I didn't have any dirty little secrets roaming around."
"You first, Dolores, you first," Minerva said under her breath as Umbridge waddled out of the office.
(My thanks to lullaby moon, Isabelle (), Leta McGotor, and excessivelyperky for reviewing :D)