Chapter 6: some unexpected developments

Harry looked distinctly dazed and happy as he came into the kitchen. Krait was glad; at least that was one issue resolved. Ron and Hermione might take longer, though the blood-tie should help – especially if she emphasised the jolt each time one of them hurt the other.

"Buy her a ring" advised Krait as they walked out of the door. "You've no idea how much it means to a girl being fully engaged."

Harry flushed and glanced from Krait to Severus.

"Do you think so? You and Severus never…you don't wear your wedding ring…"

"I had a strange upbringing with no belongings….I wear my ring on my cross and locket chain anyway. As for engagement, we did that deep joining that was more than any rings or ceremony, which is what led to the whole blood group thing….I'd wait before you did that with Ginny, she's a year and more younger than I was when we did it…."

"But we may not have much time….if you're wrong about me not being a horcrux, you and Severus are going to have to kill me" he glanced up at Severus again. "Because if Fishface takes me over…..I don't think any of the others would be able to bring themselves to…"

Severus nodded, his jaw tight.

"If it comes to that…we'll not let him use you, lad" he said.

Harry nodded, relieved.

"I guess sometimes the choice to win is the choice to sacrifice, even if the sacrifice is of a major piece" he said, thinking of the bizarre chess game in the attempt to protect the Philosopher's Stone in his first year.

"Not that we shan't investigate other possibilities first" said Krait. "HE doesn't know that, even as we can add our power to any one, we could probably also drain it….on a happier note, how did your OWLs go?"

Harry brightened.

"'O's in DADA and Potions – never really expected the latter" he beamed jubilantly at Severus.

"You worked hard" said Severus "Though between you and me, you only scraped the 'O'; but a scraped 'Outstanding' still outranks an 'Exceeds Expectations'."

"I hoped for an 'E'….I did wonder if I could negotiate over relaxing your usual rule to let me take a NEWT….but I'm eligible anyway!"

"Even by my stringent standards….indeed you are" said Severus. "Lily was good at Potions…James could have been if he hadn't wasted his time treating the lesson as a means to make the sort of things Fred and George do. He never took it to NEWT. What else did you get?" he asked abruptly.

"I got 'E' for care of magical creatures, Charms, Herbology and Transfigurations – I was well pleased with that, 'cos it's what Madam McGonagall requires and I need that to be an Auror. I got an 'A' for astronomy and History of Magic, despite Fishface trying to interrupt it; and I failed Divination, which is no real surprise."

Severus chuckled.

"Ironic. Krait made up a load of rubbish and pulled off an 'A' in Divination without taking a lesson in her life…."

"Well, if you ask me, missing Trelawney's lessons would give her a better chance of passing anyway" said Harry. "I don't know why Dumbledore lets her live on in the unused wing after she got sacked. How were the rest of your results, Krait?"

Krait grinned.

"He lets her stay because her life's not worth a candle outside and he's a good man" she said "Because if I can tear the prophecy from her, so too can my father…and he'd kill her. She's awful, but not that awful. Anyway, I enjoyed myself, scaring the examiner with visions of Fishface, and writing about how Mars being in conjunction with Uranus meant all would be flushed with success…"

Harry laughed.

"You are awful….tell me about the rest, though…"

"Well. I pulled up my DADA to 'O' and Arithmancy too" she told him "And 'O's for Charms, Herbology and Enchantment….I got an 'E' for Care of magical Beasts, and I'm going to pursue that 'cos it'll help with Potions and with me transfiguring. Ten OWLs over two years is respectable. I'd say, for a latecomer."

"I'll say" said Harry. "Mind you, Hermione got her knickers in a twist just because she got ten 'O's and an 'E'…..she wanted eleven 'O's"

Krait and Severus both laughed.

"Hermione's a tad cocky" grinned Krait.

"Yeah, Ron teased her something rotten. He was glad to get seven passes, and a few 'E's among them" said Harry. "More than Fred and George got between them….Should you think he could do Potions, Severus?"

"Fred and George are NOT what you might call academic" said Severus dryly. "Yes, he will be able to do Potions…the new Potions master will accept an 'E'"

Harry paled.

"What? We – we're not LOSING you, sir?"

Severus surveyed him with a quizzical look.

"I reflect again that so short a while ago you would have viewed that prospect with enthusiasm…" he mused. "No, it is merely that Albus is concerned about the risk of the curse to the position of the DADA teacher. Since Albus refused the position to Fishface, Hogwarts has never kept a DADA teacher for more than a year….Sirius has held the position a couple of weeks short of that, coming late…so he will be teaching a new subject, Geomancy, for those who might wish to escape from Azkaban or anywhere else, it will be a voluntary Saturday class for all ages at first. As Horace Slughorn decided that Hogwarts was a safe place to be and contacted Albus, volunteering to teach too for a couple of terms, it has been decided that he would disarrange my dungeon whilst Albus asked me if I would be prepared to risk the job of Defence teacher."

"You've always wanted it though, haven't you sir?" asked Harry.

"Yes…." Severus spoke softly and his eyes glowed. "When I was young, the Dark Arts themselves fascinated me; the more I learn, the more I see the subtle fascination of being able to counter its ever-changing wiles….it is worthy of my not inconsiderable talents, for its very complexity is what defeats most….some people try to simplify, to see the fight as order against chaos, good against evil; but the best must allow some mutability and ruthlessness into their fighting style in order to combat it effectively, maybe even gain an upper hand. Even so is the chaos of darkness still bound by the laws of the universe. The MSHG will find the case of me preaching to the converted, but they should be able to lead the rest in class….I shall be starting with non-verbal spells; for a skilled occlumens can cast such without any clue to his opponent."

"something for me to work on" said Harry. "I'm not great at non-verbal spells."

"You're overenthusiastic" said Severus "And you have this urge to shout….all your school life you have had the tendency to open your big mouth and swallow your foot to the knee, you get THAT I'm afraid from your father. Considering how you were forced from your earliest years into a secret sort of life, it surprised me at first, but I'd not be surprised if in fact it were a reaction….so much anger in you at times, I suppose, son."

"It'll be easier with Ginny at your side" said Krait "An easier and more settled emotional life does wonders."

Harry nodded.

"I WILL succeed" he said.

"I know you will….so long as you don't let Fishface goad you the way you always let me goad you." Said Severus.

"I think having my Kindred as backup helps that" said Harry. "It's feeling so awfully alone and picked on, feeling that you have to be noisy just to hold your end up, even when it's the worst thing to do…."

Severus nodded and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I know….believe me, I know" he said. "You'll find other….support too, for what it's worth; you'll probably be invited to join the Slug Club" he added dryly.

"The WHAT?" Harry was nonplussed.

"Horace Slughorn's little unfunny joke….he picks out students who have connections that could do him good, and makes pets of them…sometimes he picked those of us who were just plumb good, but for some it took a while…..I am glad to say by the time he picked me I had already made up my mind to turn him down" said Severus with a grim smile.

"Was it because you were half blood, Severus?" asked Harry.

Severus shook his head.

"No, your muggle born mother was one of his favourites….he doted on her. Actually, it's one of the reasons I refused to join….jealousy of her. As well as not liking Horace particularly….he is a friend of Albus' so I will be civil enough, and plenty of people do like him; so don't let me prejudice you against him, for he COULD further your career as an Auror, he has a lot of pull at the Ministry through his old contacts and protégés. And I believe you ARE going to have a career when Fishface is dead."

"Thanks….I could use the unwonted optimism right now" grinned Harry. "All right, I'll make up my own mind on him…but I value your opinion, and I don't see Krait leaping in to contradict it. And she sees through most people…"

"I don't like him much" said Krait cheerfully "And the feeling is mutual…I threatened him something dreadful…."

"Chilling wasn't in it" grinned Severus. "She scared ME….the job of scourge of Hogwarts is hers for the taking if ever I should retire!" he wrapped an arm around his tiny wife and kissed her tenderly.

Harry sighed, wishing Ginny were there.

-/-

They stopped off at the nursery before reporting to Dumbledore, and various small people flung themselves at them. With Jade and Lydia screaming "Daddy! Daddy!" was the minute figure of Mimi; and Sirri grabbed her.

"Bad girl, mustn't call Mr Severus Daddy!" she scolded. Mimi's eyes filled with tears.

Severus bopped down.

"Did you want to borrow me as a daddy, Mimi?" he asked. Mimi nodded. "Sirri, if you've no objection, why shouldn't she?" he said. "You are effectively family….do you mind?"

Sirri blushed violently. Severus blinked.

"Oh" he said. Sirri hung her head.

"Sirri won't make any trouble" she said.

"Sirri….what a tangle" said Severus. "Not easy to solve….if it can be. You…."

"Sirri is just a house elf" said Sirri.

"No question of 'just'" he said sternly. "But…."

"Sirri understands, Sirri loves Miss Krait to bits!" said Sirri.

"Then get back into speaking properly, Sirri" Krait cut in firmly. "Nobody can help how they feel….but then, nobody has ever been nice to you before, and there might be the element of that in it….let's worry about Mimi's needs most for now, and she needs a daddy. Anything else we can discuss in due course." She hugged Sirri and the tiny elf woman hugged her back, blinking hard.

As well as the three little girls there were only the three babies there, Lilith mobile enough to be in trouble regularly and Salazar eager to follow her; the little elf Sevvy was too small to be a part of their games yet. Grace, Erich and Romulus had gone, with David, to London to stay with the Malfoy twins and get into mischief with Kinat and Ellie too. Bil was with her Muggle grandparents, as had been arranged by Sirius. The little ones were delighted to see Harry as well as Krait and Severus, and Jade and Lydia clamoured to know of his doings since the end of term!

-/-

Krait slipped into her husband's mind.

"Poor little thing, she is desperate to be loved" she thought at him.

"Yes…my love, there is nobody like you, even if there were not the practical considerations…I want to take her in my arms, but more in the way I would the girls…."

"But she is an adult with adult emotions….I think it is most important for now for her to see we do love her….to show affection with hugs. She has found that even free house elves still think in a not-free way….the bloodgroup has broken that in her and Beloc, any vestige they may have had; she needs an independent minded lover. It will not be easy to find one for her that is not human…."

Severus sighed.

"I do not want to hurt her….but I could not give her what we have between us."

"She wants to be loved….something will turn up"

"Mrs Micawber…."

-/-

Professor Dumbledore was waiting in his office when the trio went up to him. The Pensieve sat ready and several flasks with the milky white memories contained in them.

"Well now, I trust you had a good journey"

"Yes sir" said Harry, who hated side-along apparating. Dumbledore smiled.

"It seemed to me that the time was ripe for leaving the path of firm and solid facts and journeying together through the murky marshes of memory into the thickets of wildest guesswork. There is a possibility that I may be as woefully wrong as Humphrey Belcher who thought the time was ripe for a cheese cauldron."

"With due respect I would personally place more reliance on your wild conjecture than on a signed affidavit and several boxes of proof out of the ministry" said Krait dryly.

"Kind of you to say so, Krait, my dear….the information you obtained from Horace is revealingly suggestive, but not conclusive…."

"We are going to, if I understand it aright" said Krait "Going to look at some memories that will explain more than you have told me in brief of my family background; and give insights into the murky world of my father's developing mind….and maybe see such objects as he would have felt of sufficient significance to make into horcruces."

Dumbledore looked a trifle startled.

"That states the case most succinctly….you have a knack of logical deduction, Krait."

She shrugged.

"The memories must serve a purpose….we need to understand the enemy, it is true, but not necessarily his family, unless there are places or things that become significant…the inference was plain."

"Very good….I take it you and Severus and Harry have discussed this too?"

"A little, Sir…we discussed the possibility of Harry being a horcrux."

Dumbledore's colour drained.

"Surely not…."

"Nagini is more than a snake…and less. She is an extension of Fishface. If an animal can be a horcrux, why not a person? But we think it unlikely for the reason that he would have merely possessed Harry's body, not gone to the trouble of the mandragora homunculus and the rebirth."

"Unless" said Severus "The reason he wanted Harry there by Portkey was a ceremony to take over his body…."

"Then he'd not have been all set for the other form of transformation" said Krait.

"Ah yes…." Severus sighed with relief "He was not expecting us….but he had all the ingredients ready…paranoia."

"You had already come to the conclusion that Nagini was a horcrux then?" Dumbledore asked.

Krait nodded.

"I believe so….for the reasons I stated. I may be wrong. It would be convenient for him….if something once happened to him he'd have her body to use straight away to make a getaway, and less helpless than when Harry knocked him out of Professor thingey."

"Quirrell" several people provided.

"Quirrell, quite so. He had to possess before the renewal, how much easier it would have been then to have transferred to Harry if he'd been a horcrux."

"That is so" said Dumbledore. "I believe that Harry's death when he was a baby was supposed to fulfil the final and sixth horcrux; and that Nagini became a stand in over the killing of the muggle in Little Hangleton two years ago. I might be wrong."

"We need to identify all possible Horcruces and destroy them….if necessary going over the hypothesised six" said Krait. "Only thus can we be totally certain."

Severus nodded.

"Shall we plunge on into the er thickets of conjecture?" he said.

Dumbledore nodded and pulled the stopper from a flask to pour the fluid strings of memory into the Pensieve.

I don't often reference Dickens because I find him a dickens of a job to read….. David Copperfield, Mr Micawber always expected 'something to turn up'.

And elves are people too.