Violet
I got mail (e-mail to be exact). To sum up the contents of my mail...I was laughed at.
I merely suggested being given copyrights to Harry Potter and Labyrinth, without earning a prophet I might add, even just copyrights to certain characters...I'm now a laughing stock to them...So I still own nothing (t_t)
He continued to move his wand over his mouth in a smooth, controlled, sinuous 'S' motion, using scourgify over and over until his mouth felt cleaner than the cleanest lavatory cleaned by a clean-freak house-elf. He finished with his favourite potion, brewed by himself, that he used to eliminate bad breath, it smelled of the sweet Ceylon cinnamon, the true cinnamon, and not the Cassia cinnamon that was commonly used and sold in those muggle grocery marketplaces. 'If most of those muggles actually knew how bad the cassia cinnamon was for them they would switch to what wizards used, Ceylon cinnamon,' he mentally snorted to himself.
"And what has your wand all tied in a knot?" He smirked to himself and turned, simultaneously pulling the speaker into a crushing embrace that would make anyone blush just looking at them. He kissed her soundly before she could protest.
"Teasing does not become you, my dear," he said huskily into her lips while they both fought to catch their breath.
"I could not help it," she answered, giving a breathy chuckle. "I only saw the kiss after he did it," she laughed.
"I cannot believe I never picked up on it!" He growled. "One would have never thought the dog's wand was curved, he led everyone to believe it was perfectly straight!"
"One would also have never guessed that Sirius Black has a thing for you," Ambry chuckled and smothered a laugh at Severus's ensuing glare. "You do know this has to be handled delicately, do you not?" She asked lightly. He growled yet again, but gave her a firm nod.
"Good," she said, giving his cheek a soft pat. "I would otherwise hate to restrict certain activities," she said pointedly.
"You would not dare!" He growled. She smirked up at him.
"We shall see," she answered dismissively. "Soul-mate," she added, pointing out how similar, yet how different the two of them were. "I would have gotten here sooner if I did not have to help my brother pick out more appropriate flowers for your niece." She gave him a pointed look but he did not look repentant in the slightest.
O.o.O.o
"Don't touch it!" Hermione swiftly turned at Jareth's urgent voice. "Fairies may look sweet and innocent, but I assure you that their bite is worse than their bark," he informed her.
"Their bite?" Hermione looked at him dubiously, then back at the fairy's sweet innocent face she kept looking up at Hermione with.
"Fairies are only sweet and innocent when one is asleep, once one waked they can be nasty creatures despite their appearance," Jareth said.
"Ah," she said and turned back to watching the fairy smile while it gathered pollen, "the old 'don't judge a book by its cover' saying." Jareth gathered her into his arms and pulled her back against himself while they watched the fairy. "Who is this for?" Hermione asked softly, looking down at the bouquet of white and one red poinsettia he held in front of her stomach.
"For my sweetling of course," he said softly into her ear. "I hear they are your favourite." Hermione looked up at him, alarmed at his words. "Is something wrong?" He asked. "Are they not your favourite flower?" He asked apprehensively. "I can go back to the gardens and pick any flower you want. I'll do anything to make sure you are happy." Hermione just looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, causing him to become even more apprehensive.
"Only my parents knew that the poinsettia is my favourite flower," she whispered. Jareth wiped away a tear that fell down her cheek before kissing each eye.
"I did not actually know that," he admitted softly. "Ambry helped me pick them out. She implied that you are especially partial to this flower more than others. I took her implication to mean that it is your favourite. I promise I will not tell anyone if you do not want this known."
"It is one of the few things I have left that I shared with my parents," Hermione murmured. "The Christmas flower. It is supposed to symbolise success and good cheer and is believed to bring wishes of mirth and celebration." She looked up at him. "I would only be too happy to share this with you," she whispered. "You are going to be family after all," she smiled up at him, then raised herself to the tips of her toes and gently pulled his head down the rest of the way to leave a soft kiss on his lips.
O.o.O
"What do you think?" Catalina asked her companion.
"Maybe we should consult with Ambry or your sister-in-law first," Narcissa answered while wiping away her own tears.
"Are you upset?" Catalina asked her softly. Narcissa shook her head.
"I know Mi is not looking for replacements for her parents," she answered. "She knows she needs parental figures to help guide her, to answer those pesky questions in life that are too embarrassing to ask anyone other than one's own mother and father. I am just honoured she chose Lucius and myself to fill the parental roles in her life."
O.o.O.o
The feeling was stronger today. Through the days, the feeling that he was missing an urgent appointment was becoming stronger. He could not help running through every important date in his head for the millionth time.
'What was that?' He became distracted by the sight of light brown hair turning a corner. 'It couldn't be,' he kept saying over and over while following the familiar head, not noticing the corridors he walked, the corners he turned, or the chambers he entered and exited at the other end.
When he finally stopped in a dead-end corridor, the person had disappeared and he thought he might have been hallucinating and settled on that decision. Then he noticed the feeling of the meeting he was supposed to be at was on the other side of that door at the end of the corridor.
The door that had not been there before, he was sure of it. The door that just appeared out of nowhere. The door that was beckoning him to twist the knob, push the heavy wood open, and enter.
"Sirius!" He heard the urgent voice from far away before he found himself looking up at a scared redhead that looked very familiar. "Fight it Sirius! Fight the fog! Fight the dark!" Ginny Weasley cried while shaking the grown man by his lapels.
"Miss Weasley!" Severus shouted over her screams. "Ginerva!" He roared, finally gaining the young woman's attention. He swiftly pulled her off her knees and stunned Sirius Black while Ginny wiped her eyes of the tears she had been crying with Severus's proffered handkerchief. "Follow me," he said softly, levitating Sirius down the hall, then doubling back to pull her with him.
"What is this?" Ambry asked when Severus knocked and entered her private drawing room with the two.
"Would you care to explain?" Severus asked Ginny when she cleaned and handed him back his handkerchief.
"I don't know what was happening," she whispered while twisting her fingers. "I just saw him walking down the corridor in a daze and followed while trying to get his attentions. When he stopped at that door that appeared out of nowhere I tried more desperately. It had to be dark magic if it was affecting him that strongly and that door was suspicious to begin with, so I knew he should not open it to enter or let out whatever is inside so I pushed him," she explained.
Severus and Ambry shared a glance before he spoke up. "Miss Weasley," he said softly. "What is on the other side of that door is neither dark nor light." Ginny was confused and it showed when she looked up at him. "The door is called The Door to Nothing and Everything," he explained. "Wizards have their own version of the door in the Department of Mysteries." He waited for her to make the connections.
"The Veil," she whispered with wide eyes. "But why?"
"Sirius crossed over, yet he didn't," Ambry answered quietly. "The spell that hit him just before he entered might have killed him if he had not fallen into the Veil, yet he lived and had an infinite amount of time to throw off the curse inside the Veil. Severus and I expected something like this to happen," she said quietly.
"Something like what?" Ginny asked.
"The Veil is calling Sirius back because it has a claim on his soul. The call will only keep becoming stronger the longer he resists," Severus answered after a few moments. Ginny covered the unintentional gasp that escaped her lips.
"What about Harr-
"When were you planning on telling me?" Sirius demanded of the two adults.
"Severus wanted you to have your time to do what you wanted to do without feeling like you were living inside Grimmauld Place again," Ambry answered. "He wanted to grant you and Harry the time to reconnect without the inevitability of this hanging over both your heads."
"He just wanted me gone again and cause my Godson more pain!" Sirius shouted. "Now I know how you truly feel about me, Snivellus," he sneered.
"I only feel that way about you because that is how you ensured it is how I felt by your words and actions towards me throughout our acquaintance," Severus hissed.
"Enough!" Ambry ordered. "You know very well you would have done the same in his position Mister Black so you will not put another burden on that man's shoulders!" She finished in a scream.
"It's all right Ambry," Severus whispered, wrapping her into his arms to calm her heavy breathing. "I am already used to being blamed for things such as this."
"It is not right!" Ambry protested.
"That is the way of the universe for me," he answered.
"Where has all your fire gone?" Ambry whispered, looking up at him with sad eyes.
Severus placed his index finger under her chin before answering, "I have learned when and where to pick my battles."
"How am I to explain this to Harry?" Sirius whispered, dropping back into the settee in which Severus had levitated onto him earlier. He felt his head being lifted with small soft hands and looked up into watery brown eyes.
"He deserves to know right away," Ginny said softly. "Keeping this from him would only result in him acting out spontaneously and dangerously and shred the only remaining trust he has in adults who are only so many years older than him."
"How can I tell him?" Sirius asked her, burying his eyes into her neck to hide his tears while pulling her to him.
"You will tell him tonight in a private dinner," Ginny answered. "You will take him into your arms as you would to comfort your own child. You will explain that you have something important to tell him and that it is going to affect both of you, then you will tell him what you just learned, without the added biases," she ordered the grown man who nodded into her neck while he sniffed.
"After you have explained everything you will give him time to himself to think things over," she continued. "Then you will spend the rest of your time of this side of the Veil dominating Harry's time. He could only love that," she whispered.
O.o.O.o
Arthur Weasley sat on the grounds in a small garden he found, while unconsciously playing with a small blue flower he could not recognise. He took the time to think of each and every one of his children, the memorable moments, the low unhappy times that came with having to discipline one or the other, and the laughs he shared individually with each of his seven children.
"Dad." He looked up into the blue eyes one of his middle children.
"Percy," Arthur answered.
"What has you chuckling to yourself one moment and frowning the next?" Percy asked curiously. Arthur smiled at his ever inquisitive child.
"Hermione and yourself must be cut from the same cloth," he chuckled. Percy could only smile. "I am just remembering, my child," he said quietly. "You do know that I love you do you not?" He asked.
"Of course," Percy answered with a slight smile.
"Good," Arthur said. "I just wanted to remind you of that little fact." The two were quiet for a few moments.
"Are you going somewhere?" Percy asked. Arthur just shook his head with a slight smile. "Just a feeling," he said softly to his father. "I love you too dad." Arthur pulled him into a one-armed hug.
"Is there anything you need from your old man?" Arthur asked.
"Just making sure you still love me," Percy chuckled and Arthur laughed.
"Forever and Always," he said. "That is a father's love for his children."
O.o.O.o
"Alright," Lucius spoke, looking up from his tome to Severus. "The day before yesterday you were sulking, yesterday you were pouting, and today you are downright sullen. Just what is going on in that head of yours?"
"I do not sulk or pout," Severus said disdainfully. "Nor am I sullen," he growled.
"Of course," Lucius teased and Severus glared. "Once you get whatever it is off your chest I am sure you will feel much better."
"You just want blackmail material," Severus said.
"There is that too," Lucius smirked.
"I don't care what everyone else thinks about Lucius Malfoy, but you, Lucius, are still an opportunist," Severus rolled his eyes.
"Of course," Lucius answered. "I still have family to nurture and protect, thus I have to take every opportunity to keep myself informed of everything I can."
"And you have to protect them from me," Severus said flatly.
"No," Lucius said. "I believe this falls under 'nurturing'." Severus snorted. "When have I ever acted against you?" Lucius asked. Severus was quiet for a few moments. Lucius went back to reading his book.
"Do you know how I survived the Dark Lord?" Severus asked softly.
"With better Occlumency skills and stealth," Lucius answered.
"I had to protect the future," Severus whispered.
"Severus?" Lucius said his name in a question. Lucius recognised those haunted eyes Severus was looking at him with from the last days Voldemort was still alive.
"Back then the future was hanging on by a thread," Severus continued in a whisper. "I had to do everything and anything to ensure the Light came out victorious in the end." He looked at Lucius with a sight that had him frightened and reliving the last days of the Second war. "I Saw what would have happened had Voldemort lived on and none of us were a part of that world."
"What do you mean?" Lucius asked.
"There was a time when Voldemort almost had everything he could have ever wanted," Severus answered with a shiver. "I Saw that future as clear as I See our future."
"You never told me," Lucius gripped his book tighter, feeling betrayed, but understanding all the same.
"Back then only Albus knew," Severus said. "He was a strong Occlumens. Voldemort could not have broken his shields even if he wanted to."
"And oh did he want to," Lucius interjected. "My shields are still too weak."
"There is and will be nothing that will put them to the test," Severus assured him.
"What does all this have to do with you being so sullen?" Lucius asked. Severus chose to remain impassive.
"I played a little trick on Jareth," Severus said. "Ambry intercepted him before he could hand Hermione a flower she absolutely detests and instead pointed out to him her favourite flower."
"Mi has a favourite flower?" Lucius asked hastily, always looking to gather such information about the females in his life to gather what Hermione liked to call 'brownie points'. Those 'brownie points' were dead useful to him.
"It is something she chooses not to share," Severus said seriously. "Ambry said it had to do with one of the few things she shared with her parents." Lucius swallowed and looked away. "I believe she said something about it being her mother's favourite and Hermione made it her favourite without that knowledge, thus the flower became even more special to her when she learned that fact about her mother."
"Lucius?" Severus asked softly.
"Her loss is our loss," Lucius said quietly. "I am just honoured that my Mi allows me to call her my daughter."
"Yes," Severus quietly agreed.
O.o.O.o
"Sirius?" Harry question his Godfather over their quiet dinner. "You're usually bouncing around, telling stories and jokes, or causing mayhem," he chuckled. Sirius let out a soft laugh for his Godson and smiled.
"I just want to...savour...my time with you," he answered and smirked down at their dessert bowls. Harry gave him a quiet laugh.
"Something is happening," Harry said seriously while looking down at his bowl, then up at Sirius. "Something you are not telling me," he added. "Don't you trust me," he said brokenly.
"Of course I do my pup," Sirius answered, noticing how true Ginny's words were about Harry's tentative trust in adults, even though he was a young adult himself. "I wanted to tell you after dessert, in the sitting room."
"Tell me now," Harry glared. Sirius put down his dessert fork and stood from the table, motioning for his Godson to follow. Sirius took a seat on the settee and Harry across from him in an armchair.
"Over here," Sirius protested his choice in seat by patting his lap. Harry gave him a confused glance, but conceded to sitting on his Godfather's lap. Sirius wrapped his arms around him and started a gentle rocking motion, encouraging Harry to relax.
"What I have to tell you I just learned today," Sirius said quietly. "Something has been happening to me, you know about those times I go for my 'exercise'." Harry nodded. "I spend that time going over every important date in my head because I feel like I am missing something that is dire, an important meeting, a birthday, an anniversary...yet I always come away with nothing, but yet I am always missing something.
"Today I found out that I am not 'missing' something, but that I am being called," Sirius said. Harry glanced up at him quickly. "It's not dark magic at work," Sirius answered before he could ask. "Nor is it 'Light' magic."
"Then what is it?" Harry asked. Sirius paused in his rocking motions then restarted again, but added pats to Harry's back.
"It's the Veil," Sirius answered. "It has a claim on my soul." Harry shoved him away.
"Wh-Ho-"
"The call will only get stronger, it has been getting stronger," Sirius said. "Ginny stopped me from actually entering again today. I didn't even know I was going to cross."
"How could you not know?" Harry asked. "How do you even know that it is the Veil calling you back?"
"Its call has been subtle," Sirius answered. "I am sure it meant it to be that way so I would not catch on. I only learned of it because I overheard Severus informing Ginny earlier."
"Snape knew!" Harry hissed.
"He knew," Sirius confirmed. "But I do not blame him for not telling me," he said before Harry could begin a rant against the Potions Master. "He wanted to give me the freedom I didn't have at Grimmauld before everyone became my literal bodyguard. The Veils call is only going to get stronger," Sirius said quietly. "Even now I can feel it, whereas I didn't yesterday."
"Tomorrow Severus and Ambry plan on informing everyone," Sirius said. Harry looked away, wiping away the angry tears that were rolling down his red cheeks. "If you feel like having a few moments to yourself..." Sirius motioned to himself and the exit while extracting himself from his seat.
"Where do you think you are going?" Harry hissed, pulling his Godfather's arm back, stopping him from taking his leave of the sitting room.
"Giving you a few moments to think," Sirius answered.
"You are not leaving on your own," Harry said determinedly. "We are going to get Ginny to mind you, and then I will take a few moments to myself." Sirius gave him a nod, already feeling the intangible tendrils of his freedom slipping away from him.
I said who Ambrosia's companion is! Though I think it was obvious...Honoria Granger (please forgive me for acknowledging without your previous consent) mentioned something about her companion in a previous comment (^.^) Back then I could not decide if it was to be Draco or Severus who was to be her companion, thus what he was not to inherit was to be Severus's nose or Draco's arrogance.
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter (^.^') Sorry I take forever to write new ones. I had trouble saving my files on my old laptop :p but that has been solved now (^.^) Now this story has to compete with two other stories I am in the middle of (that have yet to be posted).
Have I mentioned that I am posting this story as I write? I really dislike doing that. I like completing a story before putting it up, but this story was a 'challenge' from a friend. I am not allowed to change anything, I have to roll with it (lol), and post as a new chapter comes to me...sucks to me :p
Anyway, I hope everyone had an enjoyable Valentine's Day, and (Please do not kiss me because I am not Irish lol...) a fun St. Patrick's Day (^.^)
P.S. Please forgive any mistakes in the story, I try to filter them out as I find them, but alas, I am only human and I tend to overlook some...