J.K. Rowling owns HP and I own the plot and OC's. Thanks! :)

Alone No More

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: green-eyed monster

13

Silvery and full, the moon hung low above the horizon. Flying was a great escape from the responsibilities of this world. Snape felt himself relax and breathe for the first time in a couple of decades. It seemed that Lumora was indeed a good influence on him. First she had brought back dance into his life, and now flying. The night was clear, the stars glowing brightly against the darkened sky. The weather was crisp, but not too chilly. It was perfect for flying.

Lumora couldn't believe her eyes. Of course she had seen London before, but never under the blanket of night. The lights twinkled and glistened into the blackness as beacons of safety and hope. The motor vehicles and people still bustled about below them. Severus had placed a glamour on them so they could fly above muggle London unseen. They had flown for nearly a half hour when Snape pointed to a row of houses.

Grimmauld Place could not be seen from the street, as it was magically not there. Lumora had apparated to the steps of Grimmauld Place many times to avoid being seen, but she had never flown into the Order. Snape brought them down just across the street. Then he offered her his arm. Still not crazy with the idea of apparition, Lumora took a deep breath and placed her hand on his arm.

After a few seconds of violent twisting and rushing wind, Lumora and Snape arrived on the door step of the Order of the Phoenix headquarters. Quickly, Severus opened the door and ushered them inside. The foyer was narrow, a small ancient hat tree sat next to a long skinny cracked mirror. Lumora could see her breath coming in faint puffs of fog, the chill of the room making her recoil into Severus' side. Time had coated everything in sticky gray dust and the air had plenty of dust to complement the furnishings. Soft yellow light beckoned them into the kitchen. The narrow, but lengthy room contained a ridiculously long table with matching benches. A tiny black stove sat against the wall next to the door, where Mrs. Weasley stood.

"Lumora dear! How are you?" Mrs. Weasley shrieked, throwing her arms around Lumora's neck. Severus had moved to take his place by Dumbledore's side.

"I am well," Lumora replied, a slight smile on her face. Her eyes locked with Snape's as Mrs. Weasley released her.

"I trust Hogwart's is treating you well?" Remus Lupin asked, taking the wolfsbane potion from Snape. He nodded his thanks.

"Yes," She whispered. Sirius entered the room next.

"There she is!" He exclaimed loudly, drawing a dark look from Snape. He drew her into a huge bear hug, and winked at Severus behind Lumora's back. He drew back, but kept her in his grasp. "You look absolutely radiant Lumora."

Lumora felt a slight blush creep up her cheeks. "Thank you." The blush wasn't from embarrassment, it was from frustration. When would Sirius understand that she wasn't interested in him!

Sirius then let go of her and went to his place across from Snape. Lumora rounded the table and with a hug to Nymphadora sat down between her and Severus. She kept about an inch between them, trying to alleviate the attraction still crackling around them. As Dumbledore called the meeting to order, Snape closed the distance between them. His gaze was still focused on the Headmaster, but his hand had other plans. Lumora felt his finger tips brush her knee, and she caught herself before she jumped at the contact. His warm palm caressed her knee, then slid upwards to rest on her thigh. Above the table, things appeared completely indifferent between them. They hadn't moved, the inch of space still remaining between them, save his warm palm on her thigh.

Lumora gazed steadily at the wall above Sirius' head. She was trying hard not to moan aloud with pleasure at the heat and sweet tension crawling through her veins. Lumora moved her left hand under the table to cover the one on her thigh. Severus' breath hitched at the contact. Lumora slowly began to draw hearts on the top of his hand.

Sirius' eyes narrowed at the slight shift in Snape's appearance. He noticed that Lumora was staring straight ahead, not even really focused on what was in front of her. He could tell that something was going on between them, yet they weren't touching. Maybe Severus was reading her thoughts? Maybe she was reading his? He dare not try Legillimency on Snape, he would be hexed for sure. Sirius decided that he would just have to bide his time until he could be alone with Lumora.

"Now, we need to discuss what we are doing to infiltrate the ministry of magic. We need people inside. We know that Voldemort has people on the inside. Both Lumora and Severus have confirmed this with me."

All eyes were on the reserved, darkly dressed pair towards the head of the table. Tonks squeezed Lumora's hand that rested on the table. Sirius was smiling at her, his eyes twinkling curiously. Lumora then realized that he looked proud. Of her?

Snape cleared his throat, and directed his gaze from his fellow colleagues back to Dumbledore. Lumora choked back a smirk. All attention shifted back to what Dumbledore had to say next.

"Lumora joined us last fall after the death of her aunt and uncle. She has been successful at attaining membership among Voldemort's Death Eaters. She now bears the Dark Mark." Dumbledore nodded to Lumora.

WIth a deep breath, she undid the buttons on her left sleeve. Pushing up the sleeve, she stood up, revealing the ugly mark to the room of Order members.

"We are grateful to you Lumora," Remus whispered, his gaze remaining on the mark glaring up at them from her forearm. He then met her piercing glare. He smiled sheepishly, and looked away. She began buttoning her sleeve again, sitting back down next to Snape.

"Yes, your bravery is highly valued dear," Dumbledore continued, "Voldemort had suspected that the Death Eaters had been compromised. He believed that a vampire and a magick that he had recruited were ministry sent double agents. They met last night at Club Night in the magick district in London. Severus and Lumora were not suspected. We are still safe within the Death Eater circle thanks to them." He continued to discuss topics like Nymphadora's new job at the ministry, but Lumora's mind was focused on the hand that was now unbuttoning her sleeve.

Warm, long, and nimble fingers gently unbuttoned her sleeve. The material encasing her forearm was pushed up to expose the dark mark again. The fingers spread over the mark soothingly. She could feel an energy passing from the tips of the fingers to her irritated skin. With great skill, Snape was casting a calming charm without wand and without speech. Still appearing to be indifferent to the room, Snape returned her sleeve to its original state of order. He then returned his skilled hand back to his lap.

Lumora let her hand wander over to his leg, working her way over the top of his thigh to his lap. She then entwined her fingers with his, a soft sigh escaping from her lips. An almost audible groan escaped Severus when her fingers had graced his lap. He was grateful that she did not press the issue at the moment.

Sirius seemed to focus on her face right then. He caught the brief flicker of pleasure that graced her face. His eyes narrowed at the sight. Something was going on. He had a feeling that Snape had everything to do with it.

Lumora again tried to focus on what Dumbledore was saying, "With Nymphadora at the department of Mysteries, we have secured another vital position under cover in the ministry. Let's continue to keep updates coming via owl using concealment charms. I am proud of all of you. Please continue to rely on each other for strength as we face the imminent conflict that awaits us. Thank you." With that, Dumbledore stood up and the meeting was dismissed.

Snape squeezed and then let go of her hand as Tonks spoke to her, "Lumora, come to the library, I have a book I would love to show you." Lumora forced herself to not look over at Severus as she got up to follow her friend out of the kitchen.

As soon as the two women had disappeared from the kitchen, Remus moved to sit beside Sirius. After a few moments of silence, he asked, "Severus, is Lumora loyal to the Order?"

Snape elegantly arched an eyebrow. Realization slammed into his chest. Remus and Black had a reason for not tell him anything. They had been testing Lumora's loyalty. He stayed silent, watching Sirius fidget in his seat. His eyes narrowing slightly as the dog opened his mouth to speak.

"Severus, we wanted to test Lumora before we truly relied on her." Sirius interjected into the silence, giving Remus a desperate look, "Having you do this blind was the best way. That way you were suspicious but forced to accept her for the moment." He returned the Potions Master's hard glare rather cooly. Severus could only detect a slight twinge in the animagus' brow.

They all knew that he would have refused Lumora as a partner. Mostly because she was a woman and because of her talent. She easily matched and even exceeded his own magical ability.

Remus took a deep breath, "Is she loyal Severus?"

He had asked himself that very question many times. Right before he first kissed her before the duel club. He stopped asking himself the question after experiencing her memories and thoughts during their meeting in the night club. After a moment, Snape nodded, "Yes."

Remus and Sirius had both been leaning over the table, and they both sat back with sighs of relief. "She's amazing isn't she?" Sirius said with a wide smile, "She reminds me so much of Lily-"

"Do not speak of her." Snape spat. Lily was his first and only love. He was livid. How dare the dog dig up her memory like that. "She is nothing like her." His voice was low and deadly.

Sirius laughed, or barked was more like it, "Severus, she is entirely like her. Only Lumora possesses an understanding of darkness that Lily did not."

So the dog was right. So what. "I do not agree." He sneered, standing to his feet.

"Well, Severus. It seems that Lumora is not what you expected." Remus remarked with a chuckle. Sirius laughed again. Snape growled with anger.

"She's everything I hoped she would be and more. Remus, I believe we have been successful in keeping Nymphadora in the ministry and out of Voldemort's grasp!" Sirius exclaimed, shaking hands with Remus.

"Yes, I dare say that Lumora will continue to astound us with her power and ability. I think Severus is at a point to enjoy that more than we will." Remus chuckled with a wink to his dark friend.

Snape turned his cold glare on his barely tolerable "friends." Remus and Sirius never changed. Once a Marauder, always a Marauder. Something told him that Sirius was more than just interested in his and Lumora's relationship for the sake of the Order. "Shall we ready your cell?" His voice was icy as he walked towards the kitchen door.

"Why don't we put purple curtains in the window this time old boy," Remus began, following Snape out of the kitchen to the attic. They would prepare the area for Remus' stay as a werewolf for the duration of the full moon. Snape rolled his eyes in disgust at the wolf's try at humor.

Hermione Granger could hardly believe her eyes when Lumora revealed her dark mark at the table. Snape had never shown his mark, it was just assumed that he bore the offending mark. She found herself extremely alarmed at the attraction crackling between her potion's professor and her defense against the dark arts teacher. Was everyone else in the room blind? Either adults were extremely ignorant of human attraction or they chose to ignore it. Either way, Hermione knew that there was more than meets the eye to her professor's relationship.

Lumora's animagus was also something to be considered. Sirius had told Harry that she was a black eagle, and not just anything black eagle. Lumora Ollivander was a violet black eagle, the rarest and most powerful animagus in the magical world. Aside from healing properties found in their feathers, violet black eagles have an ear shattering battle cry, extreme height and distance capabilities along with a charm that could speed them up through time. Violet black eagles that were not known and monitored by the ministry of magic were considered rogue, kill on sight in any form, human or animal.

Harry sat down next to Hermione as Sirius left the kitchen. "How about that?" He smiled.

Hermione scowled at him, "How about what?"

"Sirius seems to think Snivelus has a crush on our newest member!" Harry chortled, as i the idea of Snape liking a woman was tearing his side apart it was so funny.

"Professor, Harry. That's our professor you're laughing so heartily at." Hermione found herself defending the dark wizard.

"Defending him are we, 'mione?" Ron asked with a grin sitting opposite of the pair at the long table. The candles cast eerie shadows on the walls.

"Only because he's our teacher." She chided, "Besides Professor Ollivander seems like a rare breed of woman."

"Snape is definitely a rare breed of man." Harry chuckled.

"You got that mate," Ron laughed stuffing a roll in his mouth.

Shaking her head at their antics, Hermione launched into explaining all about Lumora's rare gift.

"Whoa." Ron whispered, swallowing the last of his snack. The two friends looked at him as if he was going to say more, "I mean, that's bloody insane!"

"Yeah, Ollivander is most definitely a rare breed of woman." Harry smiled.

"Will you two stop with that!" Hermione screeched. The boys blinked at her sheepishly. "Professor Ollivander is an invaluable asset to the Order. Maybe you should show her a little respect! Now we have to figure out what to do about finding more information of the Half Blood Prince-"

"I went to the library," Both boys cut in.

"And?" Harry asked with a grin.

"Nothing." Hermione sighed.

"Nothing?" Ron asked sitting back a little.

"Nothing. No Half Blood Prince exists as far as Hogwarts is concerned. I'm not sure, but it could be a self imposed title..." Hermione suggested.

"Yeah, it could be. Let's get back to castle, we can do more research tomorrow." Harry decided, giving Hermione a hand as they got up from the benches at the table.

Sirius waited until he heard the pair fading up the stairs to emerge from the kitchen. Tonks had left Grimmauld Place after pulling Lumora aside to hand her a book. The book was on rare magical animagi. Tonks had told her that the black eagle was the rarest and most powerful. Feeling a little smug at the prospect being one of the most powerful witches in history, Lumora emerged from the library. She was reading intently, and turned to head back towards the kitchen to find Snape so they could return to Hogwarts.

Sirius stood in the kitchen doorway, watching Lumora stroll towards him, her nose stuck in a book. With a few quick steps he snatched the book from her hands. "Lu, you need to watch where you're going!" Sirius laughed, closing the book to read the cover, leaving his thumb in the page where she was reading.

"A History of Rare Magical Animagi?" Sirius read off the cover, cocking an eye brow with mock interest.

Lumora's hands balled into fists at her sides. Sirius was now reading the page she had been, aloud, "The Black Eagle is strictly a magick creature. Their feathers have great healing powers. Violet-black feathers are the most powerful source of healing in the magical world." Sirius closed the book, and handed it back to her. "You are a rare and very valuable woman Lumora." His voice was gruff, as if he had something in his throat. He was slowly advancing on her, forcing her against the wall opposite the staircase.

Severus had finished administering the potion and prepping Remus' cell for the duration of the full moon. He had come out into the hall, only to hear Sirius laughing in the hall downstairs. Silently he made his way to the railing on the second floor hall. Peering over the side he could see Sirius trapping Lumora against the wall. He could hear every word.

Sirius trapped Lumora against the wall, similar to the way Snape had pinned her against the door of her classroom. He whispered in her ear, "Now I know you are not only bright you are extremely intelligent my dear." At his words, Lumora shifted her head away, trying to ignore his lips against her skin. "We have grown close, you and I," His hot breath tickled her neck.

"Don't," Lumora warned through clenched teeth, "Sirius, stop!" She tried to push him away, but Sirius held her fast, pinning her wrists painfully against the cool stone wall. Snape stayed where he was, watching Lumora's eyes flare with anger. He waited for the opportune moment.

A chuckle rumbled deeply in his chest. "We have become great friends Lu, why would you want me to stop?" Lumora bared her teeth in warning, a growl of contempt ripping through her chest. Turning his nose towards her ear, Sirius inhaled the enticingly flowery scent of her golden hair. "Mmmm," he breathed, "I want you," the words were meant to be a plea, but all Lumora heard was selfishness and conquest. Lumora had begun to panic, Sirius was obviously stronger than she. Another chuckled rumbled in her ear, "Oooh, honey! You are feisty!" He exclaimed as she attempted to knee him in the groin, he had effortlessly blocked her. "I like feisty," his voice was cool, and as in control as he was of the situation. Then Sirius attempted to kiss her, but suddenly he was gone.

Upon hearing the last phrase escape the mongrel's mouth, Snape had swept down the stairs and ripped him off of Lumora. Now Sirius was pinned against the wall, Severus staring into his eyes with as much contempt as he could muster.

A gasp of surprise tore at Lumora's throat as she watched Snape stare into Sirius' face.

"You are a mongrel and a swine," Snape drawled, his voice low and menacing as he gripped the front of Sirius' shirt. "How foolish of me to assume you understood the word STOP." He shook him a few times, growling,"Keep your grubby paws off her."

Warm hands brought Snape back to reality. For a moment it was just him and the mongrel in the world. Lumora had come up behind him and whispered in his ear, "Severus," her breath tickling his earlobe. Gently she pried him off of Sirius and turned him to face her. "Hi," She whispered, his eyes were wide and black with anger, his mouth was set in a deep frown. She gave him a soft kiss, smoothing the hair away from his face. She stepped back, a smile of satisfaction playing on her lips.

She turned to face the cowering figure of Sirius Black. Sirius straightened, and opened his mouth to speak. Suddenly Lumora slapped Sirius hard across the face, causing him to stumble away from the wall. "Touch me again, and you'll be sorry dog." Lumora turned her back on him, as if dismissing him from her presence. Snape's face was again cool and artfully composed.

Sirius stumbled back, "This isn't over, Snape!" He exclaimed. His eyes were wide with anger, as Snape put himself between Black and Lumora. "She's mine." Sirius whispered coldly, then before Severus could reach him, he disapparated with a loud pop.

My Dearest Readers,

so the "green-eyed monster" has revealed himself. Sirius seems to want what he cannot have, or can he? please review and let me know what you think :) up next is "in the mix."

xoxo

Lumora The White