Hello, hello!
I'm just off work, and ready to tackle this chapter!
Onwards! Chapter 30! (milestone!)
***
Minerva opened her eyes slowly, and wondered if she was waking from a particularly wild firewhiskey party- bad firewhiskey party, of the day back in the 1940s when young graduates knew how to hold their liquor until the next day.
"Well, hello there, Headmistress. How are you feeling?"
The voice dispersed the make belief that she was twenty again and about to be shown a particularly embarrassing snapshot of her swinging her garters over her head to underline how emancipated her drunkenness had been, and she was seventy five and responsible for a school that had been under attack only-
"Nikos," she said with a slight sigh of confusion. "How- how long have I been… where is Isis?"
"Isis left, to hunt elsewhere for Osiris' needs," the Healer said softly, peering at the infirmary's bedside table where an assortment of little bottles and vials had been laid out. He picked one and smiled at her encouragingly. "And you must drink this, if you want any more information out of me." He dangled the phial in front of her nose.
McGonagall rolled her eyes at his decidedly healer-ish tone, and made a cursory effort to sit up. She found it wasn't impossible, even if the room did swirl once around her. Her temples beat with a splitting headache, and she reached for the potion half propped up as she was, hoping it was analgesic.
"Thank you," Nikos grinned, when she made a face but nevertheless drank the liquid to the last drop without complaint. "Few patients are actually adult about things like awful taste."
"Mh," Minerva looked around her. There was young Weasley upon a bed, sleeping peacefully and surrounded by a frightfully abundant pile of get well cards and gifts and chocolates, but otherwise the infirmary was empty, neat, and without any trace of the mess of emergency. "Where is Poppy?" she finally asked. "Aren't you still her patient?"
Nikos didn't look down or take on any bracing expression- he kept looking at Minerva, holding her glance with his amber eyes and said simply, in the voice of a person that has seen much death and announced a good part of it to others:
"She was murdered by Osiris, Minerva. She died wand out, a true defender."
Minerva simply stared.
"D-dead? Poppy is dead?" it tasted badly and alien in her mouth. Somehow, it was an unreal notion, that the Hogwarts matron would die a violent death- after having survived Voldemort himself and the Carrows. Nikos nodded.
"Yes. I'm very sorry. The rest of your staff buried her in the Hogwarts cemetery- I'm told she had no living relatives to claim her."
"No… no, she didn't," Minerva intoned, but her emotions were still inaccessible- she knew there was storm, havoc somewhere in her heart, but only the shivers of its shock registered at the pit of her stomach, and only vaguely. Well, just what you need. You need to be at the wheel now, not crying like a ninny. "Who else?" her voice was hoarse.
"Professor Bai," Nikos said. "There were some injuries, but none of them were allowed to be fatal. You have dedicated staff, Headmistress. I am not at all amazed; Severus would always say as much."
Minerva bit her lip, glancing around a little again, then back at Nikos again.
"We will need to talk. How much time have I lost?"
"Don't feel pressed," Nikos said gently, watching her carefully with the scrutiny of the medic. "You have been asleep for three days. Professor Flitwick is in charge, and he has kept both press and the Minister at bay. Nobody knows exactly what took place. I and Professor Frideswide have been filling in for Poppy, and everything except the Defense class is working as scheduled."
That was a relief, but Minerva had to see it, had to get out of the sick bed and do things- everything, everything that needed to be done, she would do, so that she wouldn't have to stop and think about how two members of her staff died on her watch, and she could do nothing about it.
"Mr. Galanos," she said in a curt, cut voice. "I need to leave this bed, and get to my office. See to it that I can do that now, please."
Nikos smiled, and didn't comment on the fact that he was not a member of her staff to be ordered around like that. He nodded and said:
"You need to eat what I've asked the house elves to prepare for you. After that, if you take those two potions and make sure you rest adequately, you'll be good to go."
The tray popped in front of Minerva, and she dutifully began to eat, forking the soft boiled food angrily. Had Albus felt that way when Voldemort had his way?
***
The man in the muggle post office had received his orders. Dolohov's death had made an impression on everyone, especially since, according to their new leader, it was done quickly, easily and for punishment of some sort. But Dolohov was not easy prey, and known to turn on anyone who threatened his life, or at least run away. For their new leader to have killed him with the ease of squashing an ant spoke volumes of the potency and the potential she had, including how well she could lead them to where Voldemort had failed. So even though she forced him to work in the place of human vermin, as were muggles, he did so, and directed the communication of the scattered gang through the muggle mail, depositing the black envelopes when told- and the addresses would appear on the paper after they were in the mail sack, away from his eyes. It was invisible to the wizarding world, and therefore completely safe for any clandestine wizarding activity.
It took a genius to think that way. The man smirked to himself as he deposited the pile of black letters. Some sort of gathering was afoot, he was certain of it.
***
Osiris was brooding, glaring at Isis as she paced in their room. The canopic jar lids, with their jackal heads were glowing powerfully, their hunger for the heart of the dead satiated.
"Unicorn hearts are not what we were aiming for, Usat," he said. "How is it possible that you could fail?"
"I did not fail," Isis growled, looking at her hand that had been shot by Frideswide. It was pristine now, with smooth tan skin. "I was extracting the heart for you, when you allowed the only wizard in that entire edifice to live long enough to cast the Protection Knot against you. If you hadn't, we wouldn't be using the unicorn hearts now."
Osiris clicked his tongue and scowled, effectively chastised. The Knot charms were too powerful if they were not stopped before the caster completed the knot pattern. Only a couple of wizards had ever managed to break them over the millennia of his knowledge, and being a prime one or not seemed to be irrelevant to the matter. Isis feared knot charms- it was the only thing that she feared as far as Osiris knew.
"And what of the Key? We still only have our own."
"It is here, in this country. That much is ascertained. And it is around in the area of Godric and Salazar and their school. We will find it- I have issued orders."
"But we must not only find it but regain its mastery. As far as I know, Salazar is dead."
"Whoever has beaten his heir, can be fought over for the mastery," Isis muttered. "That should not be worrying you at all, Ausar. Or did those cockroaches manage to trouble you?"
"No," Osiris snapped. He glanced around, twirling his wand. They would need to find some other place than the British Museum to be. "Our brief stay in the land of Celts does not trouble me, Usat. What will happen in Hellas does."
"Nothing will happen in Hellas," groused Isis, her eyes flashing. "Now, get ready; my followers have prepared our abode for us."
The way Isis said it made Osiris smile, and forget his dejectedness about using Unicorn hearts, that would, should they fail to assemble and use the Keys, keep him asleep for three centuries after their expiring. Even though the hearts of unicorns always kept for a century or two, he loathed the downtime they imposed- something that human wizard hearts never did.
***
Nikos had to actually go looking for Rasmus- the boy had been cooperative and obedient at first, where Nikos needed all the help he could get, but as soon as Frideswide was able to assist him instead, his nephew had all but completely disappeared. He did attend classes; that much he knew.
So he lurked in the corridor right outside the dungeons, waiting for Frideswide's advanced Potions class to end, and snag his godson before he could find an excuse and take off. Soon enough, the doors opened indeed and some ten students filed out, chattering between them- it was almost as if nothing had happened, Nikos thought. In Greece, the gossip and slanted numbness would be obvious for at least a month, and then go on to be latent for a few more. Here, while the gossip was virile as ever, the outward behavior seemed to snap back into place with an amazing rebound rate.
Except for Rasmus.
He filed out last, books tucked under his arm, and was thoughtful, eyebrows furrowed and the edges of his mouth turned downwards. He was wearing a black sweatshirt that day under his school robes, and for a moment he looked so much like Severus that Nikos had to shiver out of his place. He reached out and gripped Rasmus' upper arm. The boy raised up his eyes to him, his expression closed off.
"Hey," Nikos said in Greek quietly. "Don't you think it's time we talked?"
"I am not ready for it yet," Rasmus said in a voice that was painfully flat. "I am not, godfather."
"Listen," Nikos pressed nonetheless, trying to coax Rasmus to walk with him. "I fear I may have been unfair to you, with some things I told you- I was under pressure, and wasn't thinking right. Please, come on. We really need to talk."
"I said," Rasmus said in a mix of aggression and desperation as he pulled his arm from Nikos' grasp, "I am not ready yet, uncle. Please. And you were very fair. You were," he repeated again as an afterthought, and then sprinted away, saying he needed to go to class.
"You mustn't let him avoid you," Frideswide said, leaning against the heavy oak door, hands in her pockets. "He is self-flagellating."
"Did he tell you anything?" Nikos asked quickly. He wasn't really good with that sort of thing- that had been Aello, her area of expertise and even her muggle profession. Nikos constantly second guessed himself when needing to speak to Rasmus. Frideswide shook her head and sighed wiping her glasses on her sleeve.
"No. But I know kids, and I know how kids work when by themselves. I've been watching him brew in class today. Rasmus is letting what happened eat at him, and I'd wager good money he isn't talking to anyone. And Septima did say that the rest of the Slytherin students don't exactly line up to befriend him."
Nikos sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He nodded.
"Thank you, Erna. I really appreciate it- everything, really, that you've done for us so far. Everything you've done for me." He smiled thinly at her. Erna arched an eyebrow, then smiled as well.
"Well, for you especially, I only did what we Healers do," she said and chuckled. "The rest involved defending my school and kids."
"It still was above and beyond," Nikos insisted, "and I feel I must thank you."
Erna took a mock bow.
"Thank you, kind sir," she said, and Nikos grinned thinly too, and turned to leave. "Nikos!" Erna called after him. The Auguror turned. "Did you thank Septima, too?"
Nikos looked confused for a moment.
"For sure," he said, and then continued on his way.
And Erna smiled to herself, and set on preparing for her next class.
***
And that's that! A rather calm chapter today, setting the levels for the second part of this story. Second parts in stories are always my preferred ones, as most of the setting is in place and we can just enjoy actions and reaction.
I hope you like it- tomorrow we get to see a scene I had been waiting for since chapter two, and maybe set up for another. Drop me your thoughts at will!
Celtic Goat: Yes, yes, thank you! I love getting responses from my readers. It's very refreshing and constructive most of the times. I actually am one of those who hate OCs in fanfiction, and I intended only two OCs just because I didn't want Harry as Snape's son. But then, it just kept getting more OCs because of the sheer time frame I'd picked. (I also didn't want an AU ) I'm happy you like it!
Duj: Quite true. For the first round I thought something mild was the ticket.
Sindie: Well, if this was a shorter fic, you may have been right to feel so. As it is now, we are more or less in the middle of it.
Zoe Bright: That's true :( I hadn't actually planned on him dying, but he told me that would happen some chapters ago. He wouldn't be persuaded otherwise. As for Sybil: I think there's always more than meets the eye with her. We'll see. And yes, Hermione probably thinks she's a class A coward, the poor girl. I think everyone will be blaming themselves for a while. Thank you for such a great review!
Angeleye68: Yup, I tend to update daily or every two days :) I only have time for speed-writing. And it DOES look to be a women fest all of a sudden, doesn't it? Hee hee! As for Rasmus, yes- he really just wanted to take Nikos to the safe room with him. He will fight fiercely to keep Nikos alive. And that does make him somewhat like Harry. And well, it wouldn't be Harry Potter if he caught a break, right? ;)
RebeccaRoy: Very true :(