Rated M

New Beginning: The Same Refrain

Chapter 24

"Albus, wake up old man." Severus was on his knees in front of the floo. He yelled for the old man for the last few minutes and fast becoming frustrated.

"My goodness, do you know what time it is?" Albus asked stretching his arms and yawning.

"It matters not. I need you down here now." Severus scowled.

"Are you sure this can not wait until morning?"

"No," Severus stood up and stepped back from the floo.

"This better be good," Albus complained, stepping into Severus's chambers as he saw Severus rush back into his lab.

"Are you coming?" Severus called back over his shoulder.

"Yes, yes, of course I am," Albus shook his head. "You do know that between the hours you keep and my work here as Headmaster I am exhausted."

"You could always release me from my oath," Severus looked up from his work bench smirking.

"Get on with it." Albus crossed his arms and waited.

"Here, I need you to transfer your magic to it, any small spell will work." Severus said placing his new potion on the table in front of Albus. "Just levitate it and put it back down, a thing any first year can do."

Severus stood and crossed his arms waiting until Albus pointed his wand and said a simple "Wingardium Leviosa" then grabbing the potion he replaced it with a niffler.

"Now," Severus said solemnly, "A simple Curio should do it. Hold it at least a full minute."

"A minute?" Albus frowned. "That much on such a tiny creature may well destroy its mind."

"Albus," Severus rolled his eyes, "if you would rather use an elf I shall call Millie."

Albus promptly lifted his wand and flung the curse at the niffler holding it the full-required length of time.

"Good, you may leave now." Severus hurried back and began doing calculations on a piece of parchment and nodding as the numbers matched what he had already checked several times before.

"Severus?" Albus looked at his Potions Professor. "It has been three years since you have given Frank and Alice some peace. Surely you have not been working on this since."

"I am close." Severus lifted the niffler and forced four drops of serum down its throat. "The secrete lies in the same magic that cast the curse must be present in the serum. I am sure of it."

"Severus, even if this is successful how would you capture Bella's magic?" Albus frowned, looking at the niffler.

"I can get close to her again." Severus looked up at him with a smirk. "Now either sit quietly of leave."

"Your lesson is only six hours off," Albus said, remembering how long the Longbottom cure had taken.

"The niffler is much smaller. The potion administered every two minutes. I should have shortened the time on Alice well. If I were to do it over fifty three minutes may result in a better outcome."

At the end of an hour, the niffler was becoming wary of Severus. When the wizard came close, it would try to scamper backward and made shill squeaking noises.

"I believe the mind is coming back." Severus smirked as he grabbed the thing and forced the last dose down its throat. The niffler lunged forward and nipped Severus's finger drawing blood, and then reared up on its haunches, angrily looking around before jumping off the table and seeking the darkness under the potions cabinet.

"I would deem that a success." Albus smiled.

"I should have recorded its temperament prior to the administration of the curse." Severus scowled at the dark space under the cabinet. "I need to know if the anger was normal for the niffler or a result of the potion. I will not bring someone back to turn them to the Dark Lord because they found madness a better solution than mindlessness."

"Now Severus," Albus chided. "I do no think that is a possibility."

"No? I think I can testify to the fact that if you instil enough anger and rage in anyone and they will run to him willingly."

"It is almost time for the morning meal, and I find myself famished," Albus said sighing. "This is a great thing you have accomplished Severus, but it time to let it rest."

"No Albus, it is time to test one more thing," Severus said bringing up a second cage. "Cast your Curio again."

"Was not the first time enough?" Albus was hesitant to cast the unforgivable even on a niffler.

"I need to see if a family relationship between magic and wizard is enough to infuse the potion." Severus stopped writing in his journal. "I will ask Aberforth to cast a spell on the potion. I want to know if Narcissa can give enough of Bella's essence to make the potion viable for Frank and Alice Longbottom."

Albus again took out his wand and pointed at the niffler, releasing his curse and holding it for the full minute.

"I see you now are fighting nifflers," a silkily voice came from the doorway as Shacklebolt entered the room. "The Ministry noticed that an unforgivable was cast. I have been sent to investigate."

"The absence of the Dark Lord bored the Headmaster," Severus said with a smirk. "He has found a new cause to fight."

"I see," Shacklebolt grinned. "May I tell the Ministry that he has once again saved the world?"

"That would perhaps be too hasty. The nifflers of the world yet might unite. The Ministry may establish a new division to fight them. However I would put my faith in the nifflers if I were to bet."

"Why were you sent Kingsley?" Albus said. He knew these two would keep up their banter until the sun rose if he did not step in.

"I was up and about. There have been problems in the Muggle world," the dark wizard said looking to Severus. "We had a call from near your old home."

"I have no knowledge of raids on Muggles," Severus said evenly. "As far as I know Malfoy is just filling the time to suit his own needs. He gathers the Death Eaters more to feel his own importance then to set forth an agenda."

"Then I may assume that this is nothing more than a Death Eater out for the evening?" Shacklebolt folded his arms and looked at Severus evenly.

"What was the nature of the attack?" Severus asked as he finished putting away his experimental journal and turned to the dark Auror.

"Malfoy and McNair decided to pay a visit on a certain Muggle. I believe the intent was just to scare her." He locked his eyes with the Potions Master. "This is the third such trip they have made."

"She no longer wears the amulet," Severus said flatly. "How are you notified?"

"Malfoy casts the Imperius Curse," Shacklebolt said not flinching under Severus's glare. "It seems he is satisfied to have her serve him drinks."

"She would be terrified," Severus said in a shallow voice picturing Hannah forced to serve her would be rapist.

"Yes," Shacklebolt said. "Malfoy has impeccable timing. As we walk in one door he goes out the other."

"Perhaps you could talk to her Severus." Albus suggested, hearing this for the first time.

"No, I will only add to her fears," Severus said turning toward his chambers. "If we are done I must get ready for the day."

Severus returned to his chambers and called for a pot of tea. He hurried through a shower and then wrapped in his bathrobe, sat down to enjoy the dark strong brew. Millie popped in twice while he sat in front of the fire, the third time he was quick enough to call her before she could leave.

"I know you want me to do something," he sneered at her. "Just say it."

"You need to see your Muggle," Millie said, holding her ears flat.

"First, she is not my Muggle," he huffed at the creature. "Second, there is nothing to be done."

"You need to see her," Millie repeated her self then held up Hannah's amulet. "You need to give her this."

"If she needs protection I am sure Shacklebolt will take care of her." Severus stood up to dress. "Out, you have wasted enough of my time."

Once Severus was dressed, he sat at his desk and graded papers to take his mind off what he did not want to think about. Grabbing his red ink pot and slashing angrily across the pages, he dispelled some to the anger that he felt ready to spill over.

He did not think of her any longer. He did not imagine her eyes, or smell her scent. If he happened to hear her laughter, he knew he was just imagining things, and when she visited his sleep and invaded his dreams, he threw himself into his work and forgot about her. It had been three years since he had seen her, and he would not allow his mind to remember her. He refused to see the madness again.

The rest of the term droned on with out interruption and the next blending with this. He seldom left the dungeons, and seldom wanted more than his lab and the silence he could find in his cold stone quarters.

He still worked on his reversing portion for Frank and Alice. Further tests had shown that whereas he could heal a niffler, higher life forms were not affected to any noticeable degree. He had pushed the potion and his notes back on the shelf where it had now sat for a year, seldom thinking about it and seldom doing more to find a cure.

He heard the knocking at his door as he stepped from the shower and drawing up his bathrobe walked over to answer it.

"Sir," a small First year stood. "Headmaster told me to bring this to you. An owl delivered it at morning meal."

"Thank you Mr Collins," he sneered, "you may return to your common room."

"Yes Sir," the young boy swallowed and gladly scampered off.

Severus broke the seal and unrolled the parchment, seeing the signature at the end he had to sit down to read the words.

Dear Severus;

Please forgive my presumption in writing to you. I have need for your expertise. I would very much appreciate if you could visit at your convenience. I will understand if you refuse, but I beg you to come. I am, as always at Spinners End.

Regards,

Hannah.

Five years had past since he had heard of her more than the passing comments made by Shacklebolt, eight years since he had seen her, but now he held her request in his hands. He wanted to refuse her, to throw the missive in the fire, to rage at her arrogance and to drink a whole bottle of the whiskey he had not touched in years. Each time he brought the bottle to his lips he thought of her, and how she pulled back from the smell, the smell that her stepfather had carried.

She would be in her early thirty's now. Older than he could picture her. She would have a life of her own, she only thought of him because she was in need. Eight years, he thought, eight years and a lifetime ago.

Yet as he raised the parchment to his nose, and smelled Spinners End, he knew he would go to her, and would see her eyes and wish he could do more. Tucking the parchment into his pocket and tossing his robes onto the back of a chair he walked to see the Headmaster to tell him he would need to have someone else take over his lessons until he returned.