It was to be weeks before we saw Viktor again. When we returned to the school tempers were running high. Neville Longbottom was leading his group of resistance fighters in a relentless campaign of harassment against the Carrows. Surprisingly enough, he left Sev and me alone. I made sure he and his group had adequate food and supplies without being too obvious about it. January, February and the first part of March passed in a blur of preparations. I wanted to make sure that Remus and Dora were not a focus of the Death Eaters, so that their child would not be in danger. I had re-instituted the Duelling Club to prepare the students with practical means of defence. Nearly all the students attended the meetings. The only holdouts were Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. Sev and Remus were checking and reinforcing the wards on the school. Minerva and Filius were working with the other teachers on evacuation plans and strategies. I knew Minerva was spending as much time as she could at the cottage where Moody was staying. He was chafing at the inability to do anything useful. Sev and I went to visit him one evening to enlist his cooperation in guarding the school. Sev told him it would mean he could leave the cottage but would have to stay out of sight of the Carrows while at the school.
"You listen to me, Severus Snape. I can Disillusion myself just as well as you can. I am well aware that we share the same goals, protecting our wives being chief among them. I would fight Riddle again to protect my Min from him." Alastor was both delighted to be getting out of the cottage and frustrated that he could not do more to help. But the chance to be with his beloved wife was the main motivating factor.
When we returned to our rooms that night I asked Sev about Moody's comment. "What did he mean 'I would fight Riddle AGAIN...'? Is that how...?"
"He received the injuries that took his eye and his leg fighting the Dark Lord, Thera, one-on-one. At the time he was the best Auror the Ministry had. A false report had been sent to the Ministry to lure the Aurors out into an ambush. There were fourteen men killed that night. Only three of them were Aurors, thanks to Alastor's training and courage. They captured several Death Eaters, but the Ministry let them go on the word of Cornelius Fudge. Alastor and the Dark Lord battled for over an hour before a sound distracted Alastor and he was hit by a spell. It was supposed to kill him but it had been deflected when one of the Aurors directed a barrage of rocks at the Dark Lord. Minerva was hysterical when he was brought to St. Mungo's. She lost the child she was carrying because of the shock. It was a girl, she lived only hours. Minerva never got over it. I should never have told you but, perhaps, you will understand why it was so miraculous that they got back together. He has loved her all this long time. The loss of the child explains, in a way, why he mentored Dora so closely. She became the daughter he had lost. Please promise me that you will do nothing to risk our child, my love."
"I will never risk the babe, Sev. Nor will I lose you to the Dark Lord's forces. We will prevail. We must prevail."
Instead of answering me, he simply held me close to him. I could feel the tension in his body. The stress we were all subjected to each day was enormous. We ate dinner very late that night and had just gone to bed when Remus sent his Patronus to ask Sev to come to their cottage. He dressed and left through the tunnel. He was back within minutes.
"It is very bad news, Thera. The trio was taken by Snatchers tonight. Harry got mad and said the Dark Lord's name. Hermione had time to perform a Stinging Hex to make it harder to recognize him. Viktor tried fighting them, but there were too many. He is at Remus' cottage. He is not badly hurt, but he is afraid to face you. He thinks you will blame him for their getting caught."
"He should know better. Let me get salves and potions. Let's go back together. I want to check Dora over while I am there. She should be having that baby very soon now. Bring the bottle of Stoli with you. He will want to drown his feelings of guilt."
When we arrived at the cottage, Remus and Dora had managed to get Viktor's shirt off and the burns on his shoulder cleaned. I was surprised. He was growing a very rakish beard now. It crept along his jaw line and spiked up on either side of his chin just a bit. He had a moustache too. It was extremely sexy. I wondered what Hermione thought of it.
"Viktor, I am not mad at you. You cannot help what Harry does. He does not use his brain when he is mad. It is not your fault. Let me put something on those burns. Sev has brought you the bottle of Stoli. Do try not to drink it all tonight. Remus, can he stay here for tonight? We will move him to the castle tomorrow. Dora, how are you doing? I know you must be uncomfortable but the baby should be coming soon." I knew I was talking too much and too fast, but I was worried.
Dora replied that she did not want to be any trouble before Sev brought a chair for her to sit in. He smiled at me, knowing that soon I would be as unwieldy as Dora. I ran a quick diagnostic spell and saw that the baby would make its appearance in just over a month. I left potions for Dora and for Viktor. Then Sev handed Viktor a pair of pyjamas and told him to get some sleep and let the others sleep, too. Viktor shot me a very worried look, but nodded in response to Sev's instructions.
The whole way back to our rooms Sev was muttering to himself. He did not even stop to see me inside but Disapparated to Malfoy Manor immediately. I knew he would have a ready excuse for the Dark Lord. As usual, the Carrows were injuring students right and left, so he felt it necessary to report that even pure-blood students had been gravely injured by the pair.
By the time he got there though, Peter Pettigrew was dead, Hermione Granger had been subjected to the Cruciatus Curse by Bellatrix and all of the captives had escaped. The Dark Lord was livid with fury. He was screaming at Bellatrix relentlessly, threatening her with the Avada Kedavra for her supreme stupidity, both for this incident and for harming Severus previously. She was grovelling on the floor, too drained by repeated Cruciatus Curses to do more than crawl. Sev took in the scene with wide eyes. He noted each and every nuance of expression on each face: Narcissa's distaste, Lucius' apathy, Draco's revulsion and, best of all, the corpse of Pettigrew lying in the hallway. He managed to calm the Dark Lord and assure him that the escapees should surely be re-captured soon.
The insane look of hatred Bellatrix shot at him for saving her convinced him things were unravelling rapidly. He took Draco aside to ascertain what exactly had happened. It was a tale of sound and fury; the first faint glimmer of hope.
When he returned to me that night he was elated. He repeated the tale Draco had told him verbatim; the fight, the taking of the wands and finally, Dobby taking the three to safety.
"I believe it is time to make the poppet, Thera. She lost her wand to them. Draco also lost his wand to Harry. You know what that means. It is what we had hoped for. Harry has now taken mastery of the Deathstick. Dobby rescued them. Bellatrix swears she hit one of them with her knife, thrown as they were Disapparating. But she has always lied. Who can say she isn't lying now? There were other prisoners in the cellar. Miss Lovegood was there along with Ollivander and Dean Thomas and a goblin named Griphook. Miss Lovegood had a supply of potions with her and other things too, didn't she?"
"Yes, she did and she will have brought them with her wherever they have gone. She knows enough about healing to be able to help Hermione. Let me send to Viktor."
No sooner had I sent the Patronus to Viktor than he responded. "I must find her. I am coming to the school now. I will come through the tunnel. I cannot trespass on the Lupins while I am worried about my Hermione."
Sev went out to meet him and we all tried to figure out where they could have gone. It was past three in the morning when a silvery hare appeared in our rooms. I had forgotten Luna would know she needed to contact us.
"We are all safe. Hermione is weak and achy, but she will be fine. Ron and Harry are very worried. Dobby got us out but Bellatrix threw her knife and it struck Dobby. Harry and the others buried him in the garden at Shell Cottage. Bill and Fleur are giving us house room for the present. I will contact you again tomorrow,"
Viktor slumped into a chair, putting his head in his hands. "I need to go to her. She is my life. She was hurt because I did not protect her. Kill me now, cousin, I do not deserve her."
Sev looked at Viktor, aghast. "Are you out of your mind, Viktor? She is out of danger and recuperating. Why are you acting this way?"
I intervened, saying, "Slavic temperament, Sev, he needs to wallow in his imagined guilt for about another three minutes and then he will go to bed or I WILL kill him!"
My husband rolled his eyes at the two of us and went into the bedroom. Viktor shrugged and Transfigured the couch into a bed for himself. I slammed the bedroom door when I followed Sev.
There was a pot of tea waiting for me in the bedroom. Sev was pouring himself a glass of mead.
"Is he always like that? I don't remember Igor being so fatalistic about everything. Or is it because he really does love her? If it had been you, I would try not to act so in front of others." He was still shocked at Viktor's behaviour.
"But you have been schooled to always being the stoic, my love. Viktor has lived for a long time in the spotlight because of Quidditch and because he was the protégé of Karkaroff. He developed the habit of dramatising everything when he was still a young boy. Hermione will not stand for it so he will grow out of it. If you will assist me, I will prepare the poppet very soon. Did she really glare at you because you saved her?"
"If she had had a wand and been able to stand, then, yes, she would have killed me. What little sanity she had left is flown now. She is ravening beast intent on harming whomever she sees as a threat. That definitely includes both of us. Are you feeling alright? You are not eating well these days. Is the morning sickness too much for you to stand?" He moved to wrap his arms around me.
"I am fine, love. But I am worried, naturally. I hope Harry thinks to question Ollivander about the wands. He needs to understand how the process of wand allegiance works. The Dark Lord is going to want Dumbledore's wand. He will come for it at some point. We must work out a contingency plan."
"It is quite simple, Thera. They will all converge on the school when the time is right. The correct wand must be handed to Harry along with the memories I must give him. You must do that. The Easter holidays are nearly over. He will come soon; the fiasco at the Manor will have shaken him badly. Once he comes for the wand—the WRONG wand—my days will be numbered. He will definitely feel he must kill me to be the true master of the wand. He no longer uses a wand to kill. Nagini is his weapon of disposal. Forewarned is forearmed, love. We can formulate strategy now."
"Come to bed. We must rest. I need you to make love to me tonight, please."
"You read my mind, love." He whispered endearments as he removed the combs from my hair and lowered his lip to mine.
The next few days were hectic. Viktor was frantic for word of Hermione. I finally went to Minerva with an assortment of potions and salves that my husband recommended for those suffering from the Cruciatus. I did not tell her how I knew where Hermione was, but simply suggested that the potions and salves be given to the Weasley family. She understood that there was more to it than that but she asked no questions. There were enough supplies to have treated the entire village of Ottery St. Catchpole, but I knew Molly would use them wisely. Therefore, when Luna contacted me later that day she thanked me profusely for the supplies. Ollivander was improving, she said and Hermione was not having any more cramping or soreness.
"She is fretting because she fears Viktor is mad at her. I will keep the others away from her this afternoon so that, perhaps, a person could get a message to her. There is so much love around me that I am cheered beyond measure." Luna was much more sensible than anyone had ever given her credit for.
I told Viktor to send a Patronus to Hermione, that she needed his reassurance and love. He poured his heart into that message; telling her of his hopes and dreams for their life together and his agony at being separated from her. He begged her forgiveness for not being able to save her from pain or injury. She sent him a reply of very few words. She told him she loved him and they would be together very soon. He told me he was going to introduce Luna to his friend from Durmstrang because she was a friend to Hermione and me. "She deserves a strong wizard, Thera, a brave man who would treasure her. My friend Nikolai is partial to extraordinary females. You know the family; Tatiana Nevsky is his younger sister."
"Do not go out on a limb, Viktor. Luna is very strong-minded even if she is a bit odd. Maybe she wants to find her own soul mate. I know your heart is so big that you want to take care of the whole world but don't push anything, okay?"
"You are the one that told me she could see your rings when they were Disillusioned. Nikolai can do the same thing. He hears the voices of the animals, too. He talks to Thestrals, Thera. His mother read my fortune before I came to the Triwizard Tournament. She said I would win the greatest prize of my life. At the time I thought she meant the Cup, but the prize was my Hermione. "
"Oh, Viktor, maybe you are right. I want you to tell Hermione that story. It will make her cry with happiness. Ok, when this is all over, and we have all survived, then you can introduce Luna to Nikolai. You are a softy and I love you, my big, silly cousin." In answer, he swept me an elaborate Cossack bow then grabbed my hands and twirled me straight into the arms of my husband. He saluted us and sauntered out of the tunnel to Disapparate back to Spinner's End.
"What was that all about? I only heard the last of it. Who is this Nikolai he wants to introduce to Miss Lovegood?"
"Nikolai Nevsky is his Tzigane friend from Durmstrang. They are Romany, Severus, gypsies, as was the first Karkaroff who was an advisor to Aleksey I. Viktor and I are no more pure-bloods than the Dark Lord is. But we have a history of strength and honour that he cannot match. Viktor wants to find a mate for Luna. He thinks his friend may be a match for her. I told him to wait until the monster has been defeated."
"A wise piece of advice, Thera, there is certainly no telling who may or may not survive. I take it that he has sent a message to Hermione and received an answer."
"Yes, their love life is back on track. I only wish all of our lives were. Viktor seems to be taking comfort in the fact that he and I are descended from the last of the Delphic Oracles. Her name was Chione and she was taken hostage by a man from across the Great Green. He spoke little Greek and she spoke not one word of his language but they fell in love. They settled in Constantinople in the fifth century. I have never shown any tendency for Divination, indeed, Sybill Trelawney drives me to the point of screaming. Viktor's mother, Aunt Pasitheia, has had flashes of danger for the family. She warned my parents not to let Sergei play in that Quidditch match. I wish they had listened to her."
"Put it out of your mind, love. There is naught that can be done now. Classes begin again tomorrow. We will have to see which students do not return. Have you talked to Longbottom lately? Does he know where his Grandmother is?"
"Neville spent the Easter holidays with Augusta in Glasgow. They are both arriving back here tonight. Augusta is going to the cottage when Alastor moves into the castle."
"And I presume Neville will be going back to bunking in the Room of Requirement? He is safer there than in the Gryffindor dormitory. And your small army of house-elves can take better care of them there, can't they?"
"Assuredly, whatever the Room does not provide the house-elves will. They have been so instructed. What is it?" Sev had gripped his left arm as if in pain.
"He is at the gates. He has come for the wand, Thera. It is the beginning of the end. We can count the time left in weeks or days. Hopefully, I will return to you tonight."
My heart was in my throat as he walked down to the gates. But before long I saw the lantern he carried returning to the school. I had run to the Great Hall to wait. He appeared calm and welcomed the Dark Lord when he arrived. They spoke for a few moments and then the Dark Lord approached me.
"Reports have it that you have started the Duelling Club again. That is a superb idea. And you have captivated the students with your smiles and calm ways. I think Severus is quite lucky to have won such a bride. Bellatrix has been suitably punished for her misdeeds. She will not raise her wand against your husband again, or against you. Good night, daughter."
He swept out the door closely followed by Sev. I watched the lantern bob its way to the gates and back again.
Once inside, Sev commented, "The Dark Lord believes that Harry and the others are stupid enough to be re-captured. I think Potter has learned a very hard lesson. When Miss Granger was tortured, he would have felt responsible because their capture was directly his fault. He will do nothing without a great deal of thought and preparation henceforth. There is only the cup and the diadem to retrieve, Thera. And Harry has Bellatrix's wand. They will be formulating a plan to get into Gringott's to destroy the cup. He is finally showing some sense. I always knew he had nerve, but he seemed much too much like James to be able to think things through. I am growing proud of him at last."
"I was so surprised the Dark Lord spoke to me. I want to make the poppet now, Sev. Tonight, we cannot wait any longer. If the Dark Lord has ordered her not to harm either of us it will further enrage her. I want to be able to damage her remotely. I do not want her at the school. There are too many young lives at stake. I want her nowhere near Lupin's child or the one beneath my heart."
"Let us proceed to it then. Have you created the core of the poppet yet?"
"Yes, I made it the night you were injured. The hair was long enough for me to use only half. The other half and the scrap of lace are in the same flask with the core. It need not be elaborate, just a female figure wrapped in the lace and with the last bit of hair stuck to the head. I have clay from Stoke-on-Trent to fashion the head, and a bit of the leather from the stiletto to mix with the dust to fill the body. I will then transfigure it to look like her. She must have once been a beautiful woman, but now she is a hag. Her obsession with the Dark Lord has unhinged her mind. I pity her. It will take just a few minutes to create the poppet."
I could tell he disliked the idea of the poppet but assisted me anyway. The thing was done quickly and I put it into the pocket of my robes. It would be ready to my hand whenever I needed it. There were still a few days left in March and the weather was uncertain. Alastor had arrived at the castle to the great joy of his wife. He and I were working on defence techniques and hexes to be taught to the students. I cornered Neville Longbottom one day and asked him to meet me in the hallway outside the Room of Requirement. The Carrows never went close to it because of Peeves. I quickly taught Neville the best Disillusionment charm and told him there was someone he needed to talk to in the greenhouse. I knew Alastor wanted to mentor the boy before the inevitable battle at the school. They talked for about an hour before Neville exited the greenhouse. A flower was floating in mid-air and was presented to me with a whispered, "Thank you both for saving him."
After a minute or two I saw the transfigured Alastor come towards me.
"That boy has a good head on his shoulders. You really did him some good when you were tutoring him. He is no longer hesitant or nervous. He has some excellent ideas about strategy and morale. There are quite a few in the group now. They all mean to stay and fight. You had best be getting back to your husband, girl. And go tell Slughorn he can come out now. I saw where the tomb had been broken into. Does that mean what I think it does?"
"It means the fool has Albus's old wand, not the Deathstick. You and Minerva come through the floo tonight; we will have a late supper all together."
"You can count on us. Min has some things for you. And does my eye perceive a poppet in the pocket of your teaching robes? It appears to be Madame Lestrange. Are you carrying that for a reason?"
"Yes, it is a poppet, yes, it is Bellatrix and yes, I am carrying it for a damn good reason. She has tried to kill my husband and her niece, too. Therefore, the poppet means I can reach out and thrash her remotely without putting Sev, myself or Dora in danger. She has lost whatever wits she had since Harry, Ron and Hermione escaped from Malfoy Manor. I neither like nor trust her enough to let her escape unscathed. Are you going to turn me in?"
"Hardly, I was going to ask if we couldn't make one for each of the rest of that sorry crowd. It would make the whole thing a lot simpler."
"You are a great deal more tolerant than I expected you to be. Why?"
"You will see tonight, girl. And tell your husband I want to talk to him privately, too."
"It shall be as you wish, Alastor. We shall see you later then."