Cathy's Story
Leonor blocked the fireplace for the Floo Network and locked the front door before going back to the upper floor. Severus leaned still against the low window ledge toying with a little box.
"For you!" he said getting up. The dark grey eyes flashed peevishly.
"You've heard Matteo?" said Leonor calmly.
"I didn't eavesdrop; it was impossible to block out the barking."
Severus was hurt. Surprisingly the indifferent and self-confident outward demeanour suffered by the insult. Matteo had crossed the lines.
"And? You are still here, they are gone," answered Leonor matter-of-factly. Severus seemed to grow an inch and cleared his throat, thrusting the card box into Leonor's hands.
"Congratulation! Hattie sends her regards too."
Leonor opened the bow of the gift ribbon carefully. A small smile curled her lips opening the box.
"Thank you. It's a Swiss Army Knife," she said happily. Severus nodded, and a mischievous grin appeared on his face.
"It's better than that. It will slice and unlock almost everything. The blade and bottle opener will change colours in case the food is poisoned. It will only work for you."
With the words, he took Leonor's hand and adjusted the knife in her palm. He circled his wand and spoke an incantation. Fine lines created a gleaming reticule until knife and hand were covered for a short moment in a white light. Leonor looked at Severus in awe listening to the velvety sound of the incantation. His face was stern and concentrated. His hand cupped her fingers warmly.
"Did you do an unbreakable vow?"
"A kind of it. It's the incantation that comes with the knife. It only shows the special magic for the owner. You should always take it with you. There are a lot of weird people that might be calling healers, and they'll target your wand first. What's with your right arm?"
Severus changed the subject deliberately. It was dark outside in the meantime. His ocean grey eyes looked demanding; the concentration was replaced by the usual scowl.
"I'll tell you. But let's sit downstairs. The complete right side is sore. It was already difficult to manage all day. The painkiller wears off."
The door to the cleaned sales room stood ajar. A curtain to the surgery was open and the mess in the middle room was gone, only several boxes stood in the edge.
"What's this room going to be?"
"It will be the lab, the potions' arena!" Leonor grinned. "The boxes will all go into a high shelf in the edge and the kitchen will be upstairs. I hope to complete also the upper floor soon to move out of London. It's not planned to work as an apothecary all day, maybe I only open for walk-in customers on Saturdays. I hope to do more like a healer and sell ready-made potions; it's better to work on appointment or by mail delivery than standing all day behind the counter."
"What do you do with the house in London?"
Leonor shrugged. "Sell it, if I can, but the muggle agency says it would be better for rent. The house is too small in a quite expensive neighbourhood to get a reasonable price. I cannot say why, but I do not want to sell it if there's another way. It's a half-hour walk to St. Mungo's, it's close to every muggle transportation, Regent's Park is near and a nice place to relax and to find some magical plants—"
While talking, Leonor checked the fridge and took some ciabatta, prosciutto, cheese, butter, olives and a red wine. They sat in silence and started to eat. Leonor's tenseness shrivelled. Severus seemed more relaxed too and Leonor wasn't afraid anymore to tell the story, it was better to talk it through.
"The curse hit me hart in the front. I fell. I cannot say how long I lay there, but the fall bruised the complete right side. Everything is still blue, green, yellow, purple— like an ugly field of pansies. I think it goes better, slowly."
"So, the curse created physical pain?"
"Yes, for me. I'm not sure if it would be the same for everybody. Some may have suffered mentally. I couldn't identify myself with Catharine's decisions and I believed she understood her own foolish behaviour in the end. But I would never do something like this. It was as if she warned to do the same mistakes again."
"What did she do?"
"Cathy participated in séances, with old hags, dark magic of its best to get Ollivander back and weaken the relationship to his new love. It took all her strength and the unborn child, she killed herself finally. I'd never beg for a man. I expected something like this, I prepared well, knowing parts of the story from you."
"Why didn't you send your Patronus? I was close."
"The Goblins and Greengrass watched the coast. Greengrass would have recognized you. The treasure chest contained gemstones, likely the marriage settlement of Cathy. But there was something strange. The curse released a flood of pictures. It started bright and happy and became darker and darker until Catherine drowned in the icy sea. It doesn't bother me, and I don't dream of it. I would have expected the curse to end with her death, but there were more pictures afterwards. I cannot figure out the persons, they are faceless. It's a man, a woman, a house, the ocean. They appear to be happy, but they live under a huge threat. I don't get those pictures out of my mind, as if I need to warn somebody. I just don't know whom and where."
"Likely you were unconscious. Maybe your own memories? Do you have nightmares?"
"Not exactly. It's more like a research topic; it doesn't leave you alone until solved."
Severus shrugged. "Are you sure it's not the wishful thinking of Cathy?"
"I see a small house, no manor. The appearance of the couple is rather dark, not as pastel coloured as the rich girls usually are. I wouldn't know how Cathy imagined it; the pictures don't match her memories nor the location. I hope I figure it out sometime soon. You said you were close. How can that be? The location was a secret."
"The house of my parents is in middle England, closer than Hogwarts. I've been there for a while this summer," he answered sadly. "You've taken a huge risk to apparate in an exhausted state. You should have called me before going to the muggle restaurant." Severus' voice took a scolding undertone.
"You would have rescued me without ranting?" replied Leonor teasingly. Severus only snorted.
"I understand; Pauline was already in London. I wondered about the owl's speed but was too tired to investigate. It's been you in the bushes near the coffee house?" Leonor's eyes locked with Severus. There was a small blush in the pale face when he nodded.
"I apparated to Withby, wanted to see if everything was alright, your scribble was horrible. I checked also your backyard in London. But you arrived safely there as well."
"Thanks, Sev." She said it in a low voice and ashamed of herself. "It's good to have you around." Severus flinched at the words, but the tension vanished, and he considered her carefully, studying the dark brown eyes and the already familiar lines at the angles around.
"What's about the two guys that always hug you?" asked Severus sounding like it needed some willpower to say the question without an undertone. "One was with you on the photograph of the daily prophet and the other is a graduate too."
Leonor considered Severus for a moment thinking why it was so important to him. "Richard has been my mentor at St. Mungo's. He would have liked a position for me in his ward, but there's nothing free, and he won't sack somebody for no reason. Richard is fair, and he advised to only take a job at the hospital if it meets my qualification, but there's none. I would get stuck in an assistant role without many responsibilities and no research time. That's why I'm here and I believe he's right. I hid behind Richard for the official snapshot. The other might be Brian, he feels very self-important and is indeed a very adept healer for infections of all kinds. He's not able to make the easiest potion, but he has a good instinct to know what might cure a virus or bacterium. He gives very good input to the potions department and usually, it works out well. Brian likely joins a research group. A kind of unknown epidemic disease is spreading in South America and Brazil asked for international help."
"This Brian was in the same year as Lucius Malfoy. They both had their fingers with every pretty girl," snarled Severus. Leonor grinned noticing the unnecessary jealousy. Most women in St. Mungo's knew Brian in the meantime and just joked about his behaviour.
"Please give my regards to Hattie, will you?" asked Leonor softly. "How are things at Hogwarts?"
Severus shrugged. "As always."
"Who's teaching defence?"
"Alastor Moody, an ex-Auror!" Severus gritted his teeth and his jaw twitched speaking the name.
"I heard that name in the ministry. He makes your live difficult, doesn't he? Albus will visit me with somebody called Bagman. Do you know anything about it?"
Severus stood abruptly, almost knocking the chair to the floor. He crossed the arms over his chest and watched out of the window observing the darkness.
"What's wrong?" asked Leonor.
Severus glared at her, his temper flaring. "No clue what it's about. I'm not good enough guarding Potter and the Triwizard Tournament. Dumbledore is not even talking to me or giving tasks in preparation for the event. The school is like a bee house and Moody searches my office as if he's suspecting me to be a traitor."
"And Bagman is who?" Leonor preferred the neutral topic giving Severus some time to regain composure.
"He's from the ministry, was responsible for the Quidditch World Cup and now leading the Triwizard Tournament together with Barty Crouch. Guess they'll make sure your support for the competition."
"Sounds reasonable, Madam Pomfrey won't be delighted." Leonor watched Severus passing the room; subtle emotions crossed the agitated face.
"You'll stay out of the dark side, will you! Pettigrew was unlikely the one who conjured the Dark Mark at the World Cup, he doesn't have the powers. It's been nobody of the known Death Eaters either." Severus clasped his left arm as if in pain until he noticed the gesture and stopped, squinting at Leonor.
"I'm not your student," she said quietly noticing his tone, but she knew what he meant. The mayhem at the World Cup and Dumbledore's behaviour made sudden sense.
"You-Know-Who is about to return?"
"I used your spell. Potter was with Lupin and told Dumbledore about a prediction of Trelawney. A servant would return to the Dark Lord nursing him back to power. I'm wondering if the 'rat' is the only one who returned. Wherever the Dark Lord hid, he also found Quirrell. A ministry witch of Crouch's department is missing too. His followers feel the Dark Lords growing strength already," said Severus hotly.
"So, do you." Severus didn't answer and turned staring into the darkness. Leonor considered the mix of emotions in the dark eyes, it depicted fear and determination before the covers were up again. Whatever Severus planned to do; he would be in grave danger as many others with him. She understood.
"Two muggles have been found near Barty Crouch's home in July. Both tormented to insanity, likely the Crutiatus Curse. They are in the same ward as the Longbottom's. I tried to help, but there wasn't much to do anymore," said Leonor sadly and added carefully, "You've been at the World Cup then?"
He nodded repulsed by self-disgust, but the visit had been necessary to confirm the alliance. The Dark Lord would question the participation and would trust Severus to be clever enough to free himself from Dumbledore on such an event.
"I suppose I can apparate from the garden to the school's gates?" said Severus and went abruptly to the back door. The fresh air of the beginning of autumn flooded through the surgery. "Please, don't get involved," he repeated with a softer voice; his wand already raised and prepared to turn on the spot. Leonor was holding him back with a gentle touch.
"Severus be safe. You still owe me a dinner." A curt smile crossed both faces and the wizard was gone.