Chapter 136 – The Second Wave

The year moved slowly toward its conclusion, with tensions mounting every day.

The supporters of Lord Voldemort, while not coordinating their efforts, were definitely concentrating them in London. Voldemort remained quite fond of his muggle television, and was given to regaling his minions about events that were reported on the various programs. It had taken them all a while to understand fully what were "false reports" (known to most in the muggle world as "regular programming" or "the movie of the week") and what were actual news programs, but everyone noticed that their Lord got excited and pleased when any muggle calamity, real or imagined, was presented on his television. When one of their own attacks in London made the evening news, it dawned on the more clever among them that events in London tended to be on the television faster. Each of the Death Eaters wanted their moment of praise and attention, so many focused their attention on London, bettering their chances of making the news and being able to claim responsibility for an event that captured their Lord's eye.

The Death Eater attention was not focused exclusively on London, however. Grudges fuelled some attacks, places were simply closer to home, sites were chosen for other symbolic reasons, and a few in the group were just too dim to realize that news coverage was more likely in London. Even some Death Eater attacks on purely magical targets were so vicious and messy that they were obvious to muggles.

As a consequence, no place in England felt completely safe from the violence. People were on edge, everywhere.

Those who were already immersed in the anti-magic movement were suddenly leaders of a much larger movement. The once-radical off-shoot powered by Sir Harold Beckwith was becoming more mainstream by the moment. A veritable army of weekend soldiers formed up around the few hundred men who'd actually been to Sir Harold's estate for training, enthusiastically learning how the old-time weapons worked.

Vernon Dursley was thrilled to find himself suddenly at the forefront of a movement that was taking off. Why, he'd even been interviewed on the telly! He went on about the scourge of magic and the efforts of the men "on his team" to take action to deal with this menace. He basked in his new-found celebrity, which even extended to a higher profile in Grunnings. Not only was he a key contributor to the biggest year the firm had ever known, he was now getting quoted in the newspapers and interviewed on the television. Even the Chairman had noticed!

Petunia had been beside herself with pride watching her Vernon on television. The excited calls from friends and neighbors that followed had been very gratifying. Dudley even began to boast about his Dad at Smeltings, making sure all his classmates realized his father was the guy on the telly.

Tensions were running high at the Ministry of Magic, where Minister Bones had her hands full. She had barely enough staff to protect and investigate attacks on her magical constituents, yet there was constant pressure from the muggle Prime Minister's office for assistance in addressing every calamity in the muggle world, including quite a few that had no connection to magic at all.

The attacks were being attributed in general terms to all "magical people" by more and more muggles every day, despite the efforts of the muggle royals and Harry Potter to persuade the muggle populace that these attacks were the result of a small group of evil wizards and witches. The distrust of magic grew daily.

Critics of the new openness with muggles took advantage of every reported anti-magic rally or attack on someone believed to have magic to call for a retreat back to the old secrecy.

Hogwarts was not insulated from the growing sense of doom, either. Classes continued as always, and the students were growing more excited for the coming holidays, also as always. But most of them would spend those holidays at Hogwarts this year, joined by family. A few families were taking advantage of the apparent focus of the Death Eaters on England to plan holiday trips abroad. The Daily Prophet brought the news of attacks and mayhem in the world outside Hogwarts, as well, and more students than ever were now taking subscriptions. Once, the outside world felt very far away to most students, but the events of the fall had shown that Hogwarts was not so isolated any longer.

Harry continued to have daily visits from the ravens, who kept to his requested schedule and appeared every day just before lunch. Their news was fairly repetitive, thankfully now focused on a particular planned attack and no longer on the mayhem going on in general in and around London these days. Harry was alarmed nonetheless to see that the numbers of men (and more than a few women) training and planning this assault were getting significantly larger as the days passed.

The ravens had appeared before lunch, as usual, one week before Christmas, but then they came back that evening. Harry was in the Gryffindor common room chatting with Neville about the upcoming visit from Nitrocris when the common room dissolved, and he felt that he was standing in the middle of a large field surrounded by the men he'd seen learning about the old weapons, his ravens perched on his shoulders and whispering in his ears. He stared as the men positioned trebuchets and catapults in a field, and assembled themselves in ranks, apparently preparing to attack. But where was he?

Neville immediately realized that Harry was focused on something other than Neville's plans for a romantic holiday. He tried to get Hermione's attention, figuring that she usually knew what to do when, well, whatever this was. Hermione joined her friends in response to Neville's frantic waving, followed shortly by Ron, all three confused about Harry's odd behavior.

They were only more confused when Harry began to narrate his vision, as he spoke aloud to the ravens. "OK, I see the men and the weapons, but where are we?" he whispered. "Hogwarts? But I don't see Hogwarts. That a village up ahead, where the weapons are all pointed, not at a castle." Harry twisted his head, appearing to look behind him to the right, but not really at the tapestry against the wall he now faced. "There's Hogwarts – the other way. So why are the men and the weapons all facing that way? What's over there?" A look of horror came over his face, and he slumped back in his chair.

The next thing he knew, Neville was gently shaking his shoulder, and Ron had secured a small flask of firewater from Seamus that he was trying to get Harry to sip. Hermione had taken a seat next to Harry and was repeating "Harry?" over and over.

"Whoa, sorry about that," Harry said when he realized what had happened, as he struggled to sit up straight. "The ravens got hold of me, that's all. Really, I'm fine." He pushed the firewater away, as he nodded his thanks at Ron. "I need to see Severus."

Hermione continued to look very concerned. "What happened to you, Harry? You nearly fainted."

"I'm good, Mione. Really, no problem. I just need to speak to Severus, right away. This might be important." Harry tried hard to keep his voice as normal as possible, as he ran his hands rather frantically through his hair.

She looked at Ron and Neville. "If Harry does need to get to the dungeons, would you two go with him? Make sure he's OK." Looking at Harry, she added, "If it happens again, they'll make sure you make it to your rooms."

Harry certainly didn't expect yet another visit from the ravens. He had to admit, though, he hadn't expected this one either, so Hermione's precaution probably made sense. He stood slowly, to be sure he really was as fine as he was telling them, and then set off with his two friends for the walk down to the dungeons.

Severus was not in the rooms when Harry got there, so he said good evening to Ron and Neville and sat in front of the fire, to jot down some notes of what he'd just seen as he waited for his bondmate to return.

Hogsmeade – that was the target, and there was a much greater sense of urgency now. But why Hogsmeade? That was just a town, a village, nothing strategic or military about it. Some shops, and regular people. He had to admit, as he thought: this group had tried to attack Hogwarts not that long ago and for Merlin's sake, that is a school, so why should he be surprised that the new target is a village? But it still made no sense to him.

He carefully replayed the vision in his mind several times, seeking to extract every detail he'd been shown, and every piece of information conveyed by the ravens. It wasn't all that much. It looked like the muggle army, or whatever that mob was, had positioned itself in the fields just outside the stone fence that bordered the school grounds, along the road between the Hogsmeade train station and the school. It was clearly focused on the village and not the school. At least, all the trebuchets were pointed in that direction, as were all the other weapons being carried onto what had to be the field of battle. He realized with a start, and a blossoming sense of relief, that there were no shots being fired, or arrows unloosed, or trebuchets actually launching their stones. This was still preparation, not yet a battle. At least, that's what he hoped it meant.

Harry was just about to head up to Professor Dumbledore's office to speak to him without Severus, when Severus swept in, having just completed his early evening patrol of the school.

"You're back early tonight, Harry. Is there a problem?" he commented, realizing as he hung up his cloak that he wasn't alone.

"There might be, Severus. The ravens came, just a while ago. While I was in the Gryffindor common room. Here, I made notes."

Severus looked up sharply at the tension clear in Harry's voice. Harry handed over the parchment he'd been writing on, and sat back on the couch.

Severus' eyebrows arched when he realized that Harry'd been shown what he interpreted as an attack on Hogsmeade.

"Are you sure about his?" he asked, still watching Harry carefully for any sign of distress.

Harry looked at him miserably. "I think I am very sure. At first, I didn't recognize where I was. I was looking at all the men – and Severus, there were so many men and even women in the mob, so many more than before – and wasn't sure about what town that was up ahead. It could have been anywhere. The ravens told me it was near Hogwarts, so I looked and realized the school was behind me to the right. The target was Hogsmeade. Why would that be?"

Severus didn't have an answer to that. "Let's tell Albus. Perhaps he has some thoughts."

The two were relieved to find the Headmaster in his office. Waving away the offered lemon drops, Severus handed over the parchment. "Harry had an off-cycle visit from the ravens this evening, and I think you need to be aware of this."

The old man settled back behind his desk as the two younger men took chairs opposite it. He listened soberly to the report.

"Hogsmeade? You are sure?" he confirmed.

"Yes, sir. Very sure. The ravens said this was near Hogwarts, and the school was behind me to the right. I saw it. The soldiers were definitely all focused away from Hogwarts," Harry answered.

Albus wrinkled his forehead in thought. "The latest reports from the Ministry have indicated a significant increase in interest in the anti-magic movement. That dovetails with your impression that this was a much bigger crowd than you've seen before. Interesting that you saw no weapons actually being used. The last time, you saw things being directed against the castle, as I recall. Did you get a sense of urgency from the ravens?" he asked.

"I realized that bit later, sir. The weapons seemed to be loaded – there were definitely stones in the trebuchets, and I saw arrows and maces, but I did not see anything actually being released. I thought it over a few times, and am very sure of that."

Harry looked from Albus to Severus and back to Albus, and finally asked, "Why on earth are they planning to attack Hogsmeade?"

Albus looked thoughtfully at one of the do-dads on his desk. "I don't imagine that they really remember how ineffective the first attack was on Hogwarts, but maybe one or two of those involved do know that. We have wards that will repel whatever they try to use to attack. Hogsmeade is just a village, and there would be no wards there. So, they could attack. There is still the question of why, though."

Severus had an idea. "Perhaps the objective is still Hogwarts, or at least the people in Hogwarts. I think we can assume that Fudge is still involved here somehow. He'd divert their focus over to the village, knowing that this muggle army could cause damage there. It would look like a productive strike. Of course, there's nothing to be gained for anyone even if they level Hogsmeade, so that doesn't alone make much sense. But is it not likely that at least some inhabitants of the castle would feel compelled to leave the safety and security of the castle to go to defend the citizens of the nearby town?"

Severus was thinking to himself that he'd devoted a good deal of energy to worrying that one particular castle inhabitant would be difficult to restrain if that occurred.

Albus looked at Severus thoughtfully, and a slow smile bloomed on his ancient face. "Well done, Severus. I suspect you have answered our question. This is an effort to draw us out from behind the wards of Hogwarts. Well done, indeed. I must ask you to excuse me, as I want to bring this to the Ministry's attention immediately. We can begin planning to counter this attack."

Harry looked concerned. "But there are passages between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade – the one from the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack, and there's one that comes up in the cellar at Honeydukes, probably others. If the muggles overrun Hogsmeade, they might be able to find the ways to get into the castle!"

Albus smiled a knowing grin. "Ah, there are indeed a number of passages between the two places, the ones you mentioned and quite a few others, besides. I suspect we know more about that than the muggles, and the wizards working with them. That's something that will be to our advantage. Now, if you will excuse me?"

As the two headed down the revolving staircase, Severus couldn't help but ask, "Honeydukes?"

Harry hated keeping secrets, but the Marauder's Map was not something he wanted to explain to Severus, especially the way it had insulted Severus when he'd tried to confiscate it from him in third year. However, he could share part of that story.

"The Weasley twins told me about the passage; it's right behind the one-eyed witch statue on the third floor, between the Entrance Hall and Gryffindor Tower." Harry added a bit sheepishly, "Third year, when I didn't have a permission slip to go to Hogsmeade."

Severus shook his head, a small smile playing over his face. He'd always suspected that there were secret passages, likely known to Filch, who managed to get around the castle faster than his plodding pace should allow, and probably Albus, just because he seemed to know pretty much everything.

Somehow, it seemed to be expected that the Weasley twins would know about them, too.

X X X X X X X X X X

Christmas fell on a Saturday this year, and the week before Christmas was marred with the aftermath of the vicious attacks attributed to magical people. The crashes as the airport had closed it for several days. While it opened just days before the holidays, the backlog of travelers was enormous, even though many rethought their plans to travel at all and were canceling their flights.

Businesses were feeling pressure from all directions. Many businesses in London struggled to stay open, as workers were having great difficulty getting to their jobs, with local transportation disrupted by power outages and damage to the underground. Stores, especially in London and other big cities in England, were eerily empty, as many people were afraid to venture out to anywhere that might be crowded.

Things in Grunnings' office in Surrey were just fine, however. Friday afternoon, Vernon collected the biggest Christmas bonus ever distributed at the firm. He'd once thought to use some of this windfall to buy his family extravagant presents, but there wasn't time for a proper shopping trip between his getting the check and when the banks and stores began to close. Plus, Marge was joining him, Petunia and Dudley that afternoon to spend the holiday with them, and he wasn't so keen on being extravagant with his sister. No, better to keep this quiet. He pocketed his check and joined with the other Grunnings employees in a celebratory Christmas toast in the conference room before bidding all a Happy Christmas and heading home. He could get Petunia something special next week, and perhaps they could make plans to buy that vacation home on Majorca – a much larger cottage than they'd once hoped to buy!

Vernon would be with his family this weekend, but Sir Harold was bringing him, Charles Frost and Reggie Mason back to his estate on Monday. The Movement (as Vernon now thought of it) had grown exponentially over the last couple of weeks, in the wake of all the attacks on the normal world by the magical freaks. Sir Harold had been advocating that they move on the magic castle right after Christmas. The recent spate of attacks had strengthened his resolve to act quickly.

Even Charles was in agreement now. Inexplicably (although Vernon was confident it was because of magic), Sir Harold and the others who had been at the estate still had absolutely no memory of their last attack on the blasted school, and how ineffective it had been. But Charles was clever. He artfully deflected attention away from the castle with its mysterious protections. He explained it all to him and Reggie. He told them what he'd told the Brigadier, and that they were now focusing their attention on attacking the magical town right next to the castle. The defenders of the castle would be lured out of its protections to defend their fellow freaks. Made excellent sense to Vernon!

When classes ended at Hogwarts that same Friday, there was a flurry of activity, mostly involving departures and arrivals via portkeys. The Ministry had relaxed some of the restrictions on portkeys because no one wanted children to be riding for hours, out in the open, on the Hogwarts Express. Students departing for the holidays were taking portkeys either to their homes or to their families' holiday destinations, and a number of family members of students staying for the holidays were arriving to join them in the safety of the castle. To avoid accidental splinching, Albus had arranged for arrivals to take place on the front lawn of the castle while those leaving Hogwarts departed from the Great Hall.

By early evening, everyone seemed to have made it to wherever they wanted to be.

To Severus' great annoyance, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were among those who now apparently wanted to be at Hogwarts. Lucius told him that they had been looking forward to a nice relaxing vacation in the Seychelles, but at the last minute, Narcissa announced that she was not feeling well enough to travel that distance – stomach trouble of some sort. Narcissa proposed that they go to Hogwarts to see Draco for Christmas, and then go on to their apartment in Paris, for the New Year festivities. The only consolation, from Severus' perspective, was that Lucius had insisted that he and Narcissa be seated at the Head Table, and not with their son. At least he did not have to worry about his old friend having any unsupervised contact with Harry over dinner.

Down at the Gryffindor table, Harry was wedged in between the entire Weasley family (Molly and Arthur among them, including Draco, sitting with Charlie) and the Granger family. He looked up at the Head Table, and nearly laughed to see the look on Severus' face. Clearly, the man was not in the mood to hear whatever Mr. Malfoy was talking about.

At the Head Table, Severus was indeed getting tired of Lucius' boastful patter. It took a while, but it finally occurred to Lucius to inquire about something his son had told him, about an odd old lady who had been a guest at the Head Table and seated with Severus not that long ago.

"Draco sent an owl a while back, mentioned that you had escorted an old woman to dinner one evening. He didn't recognize her," Lucius drawled, more inviting comment rather than asking a question.

For his part, Severus was surprised that Draco had thought to mention it without asking anyone who she was. Certainly, Harry and Miss Granger knew and would have told him her name, at least.

"An old friend of yours, actually, Lucius," Severus purred, suddenly finding himself more interested in the conversation. "Madam Bunswil. Miss Granger had met with her once, under the Headmaster's supervision. When she wished to invite Madam back a further time, I participated. It was near dinner, so I invited her to stay. Quite an interesting woman." While that explanation left out most of the story, it wasn't strictly a lie.

Lucius visibly swallowed when he heard the name. "She's been here? And you invited her to join you here? For dinner?"

Severus was amused, if puzzled, by his old friend's odd reaction. "Of course. Why on earth would I not extend the courtesy of a meal, under the circumstances?"

"Isn't her appearance a bit, um, um, severe?" Lucius finally stuttered.

"Severe? A little old lady wrapped in a brocade shawl? Bohemian, perhaps, but that fraud Trelawney wears shawls, on those rare times we have to put up with her presence. Maybe a bit more jewelry than we normally see among the staff, alright, quite a bit more," Severus conceded, "but what on earth do you mean?"

Lucius was so unnerved by the thought that Madam Bunswil had been escorted to dinner in the Great Hall that he actually answered. "I always thought the woman had the most horrible eyes – terrifying, actually."

Severus just shook his head. Likely magic at work, and how amusing that Lucius didn't realize it. There were spells that could make you appear frightening to everyone, or just certain people. They were rather simple spells, really.

Before Severus could actually reply to Lucius, though, Narcissa abruptly stood and excused herself from the table, her meal barely touched. Lucius went to accompany her, but was waved off by Madam Pomfrey. "Upset stomach. I'll tend to her, Mr. Malfoy. You can stop by the Infirmary later."

Lucius dropped the subject of Madam Bunswil at that point, commenting first that poor Narcissa had been having a difficult time with her digestion lately, and then moving on to his favored subject, himself. Severus' look of boredom returned.

Christmas morning, Severus paced nervously in the sitting room, waiting for Harry to finish dressing. His present for his bondmate was sitting in his library, under an obscuration charm, and he was starting to experience second thoughts. The idea for the gift had come to him as he was meeting with the Head Goblin from the Curse Breaking department at Gringotts – he would get Harry his own sword for Christmas this year. He was quite certain that this was a gift Harry would find useful, but he had his reservations about Harry's enthusiasm for the gift.

He knew that Gringotts often represented families in the private sale of their valuable heirlooms, and could also assist in the commissioning of premier goblin artisans to create things for their clients – the Snapes had used those services over the years. He mentioned his interest in procuring a suitable sword for his bondmate to the goblin with whom he was meeting, and the Head Goblin from the Magical Artifacts department contacted him the next day.

None of the heirloom swords that Gringotts had been asked to assist in selling were suitable. There was just one far-too-big Long Sword, a few large daggers, and a number of smaller offerings that looked as if a sword had attacked a ladies' jewel box, certainly far too fussy and over-ornamented for Harry's taste. The goblin instead arranged a meeting with the top goblin metalsmith represented by Gringotts so Severus could commission a sword to his specifications.

He had decided upon a Long Sword of finest wizard steel. That seemed a good choice, as that was the style Harry had chosen for himself when they first began dueling. However, he directed that be of modest proportions, more in keeping with Harry's slight build. Severus provided a walnut-sized ruby from the Snape vaults to adorn the pommel, and asked that their combined crest be engraved on the blade just beneath the cross-guard. At the last minute, with a thought to the legendary sword of Godric Gryffindor, he directed that Harry's name be engraved down the blade, as well.

What would really make this uniquely Harry's, he thought, the basilisk skin (remaining from the skin from which he had commissioned the coat he gave Harry for Valentine's Day) that he provided as lining for the cross-guard, and as covering for the scabbard. A sword had many uses, after all. He wanted something that was fully combat-ready if necessary, but also completely appropriate for wear in ceremonial settings.

He harrumphed in annoyance at the time it was taking Harry to dress. The young man wore nothing but common muggle-style clothes, and seldom looked groomed to any extent, yet it took him forever to dress. He poured a cup of coffee, and sat to calm himself as he waited.

In the bedroom, Harry had just finished dressing. He'd arrived back in their rooms rather late last night, and found Severus waiting for him in bed. In his zeal to get out of his clothes and join his bondmate, he apparently had kicked off his trainers rather firmly and one had ended up behind the wardrobe. Harry had found it only after resorting to using his wand and muttering "Accio, trainer!" He was looking nervously at two butterbeer caps, before finally stashing them in the pocket of his jeans and going to join Severus.

Once both were in the same room, they both started to speak at the same time.

Severus held up his hands. "First things first. Happy Christmas, Harry. Would you prefer that we take Christmas breakfast here, or in the Great Hall?"

Harry returned the holiday wishes, and considered for just a brief moment. "Let's eat here."

Severus nodded at one of the house elves, who immediately popped off to bring the meal to his wizards in their room. Harry joined Severus at the table, and waited while the older man poured him a cup of tea.

Harry decided to act, rather than continue to worry about Severus' reaction to his gift. He put his butterbeer caps on the table. "When would you like to go see your present, then? Your sister owled me that everything turned out just as I requested – she was really pleased. She suggested we come up this weekend. I haven't been there yet myself, figured we'd see it together. She said we have to go to her home, and then there's a floo connection from there to our compound. That's the only way in until we set the wards. She has some instructions for us about the wards at the compound, too, left by the goblins."

Severus' eyebrows arched at the news. "My sister is spending the holidays in the Winter Lands?"

"That's what she wrote. I gather that's never occurred before?" Harry ventured.

"Until recently, I had understood that she had not been to the Winter Lands but a handful of times over all the years she's been married. She said she was going to spend more time there, but I had assumed that would be in the summer. Although, maybe the events of late in London have given her pause."

Harry's brow wrinkled. "Doesn't she live in High Hill County?" he asked. He had met her at dinner at Claudius' home there, and had just assumed she lived nearby.

Severus smiled a bit as he thought of his sister. "No, actually. Of course, she never had quite the total break with the family that I did, but she moved away as soon as she was of age. I think she has a home in Mayfair. She wanted to be free of the meddling of her brothers, I suspect. Especially once she decided to marry Alrik Brand."

Harry chuckled softly at that. "He did seem somewhat out of place with them."

"But, to your question of visiting there, I propose we go tomorrow, or even Monday. I would not want to interrupt her holiday celebrations, and I suspect you would be missed if you were not here today." He looked pointedly at a small pile of presents on a table near the door, that Harry still had to have delivered to his friends. "If this is to be our secret, we don't want too many people knowing where we've gone."

As Harry was nearly done with his breakfast, Severus stood. "Let me get you my gift. It's a bit more portable."

Harry's face was alive with excitement and anticipation as he took the large box in bright paper from Severus' hands. Severus's mouth tightened with nervousness as he watched Harry slowly unwrap it. He watched Harry's face intently, knowing that the young man's true reaction would be plain to see, if only for a second, once he saw his gift.

Severus breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Harry's eyes go wide with surprise and pleasure at the stunning sword. Harry almost reverently took the sword in its scabbard out of the box, clearly recognizing the skin of which the scabbard the made.

"Basilisk skin, like my coat!" he exclaimed. In a softer voice, he added, "It's amazing, Severus. Thank you."

Severus took the sword from Harry to carefully slide the sword from the sheath, so Harry could see the crest, matching the one he wore on the engraved disc around his neck, and then his name down the blade. "Fantastic – just like the sword of Gryffindor!" he exclaimed, clearly pleased. "But not so fussy, more my style."

Harry took it carefully from Severus, and felt its weight in his hand. "Perfect – it's light, lighter even than the one I've been using when we duel." He assumed a dueling position and went through a few of the moves and exercises he'd been taught, smiling at the ease with which this sword flowed with his movements.

Severus had stepped back quickly when he saw what Harry was going to do, and watched with a bemused smile as Harry practiced. When Harry finished and looked for the scabbard, he accepted the scabbard and some pointers on how best to protect the blade within it.

"Of course, you can use this to duel," Severus explained, "but wizards do wear swords at formal events. You might not need it frequently, but now you have an impressive sword for those times when it is appropriate."

Harry was glad that Severus suggested that they visit "his gift" later, because Christmas day quickly became a blur of activity for Harry. He visited a bit with Neville and Nitrocris. They were anxiously awaiting the arrival of his grandmother, who was escorting the muggle princes for a short visit. He was pleased to see that some of the attention he usually had to endure was now being directed to the stunning pharaoh, recognizable as such despite having traded her Egyptian garb for a sweater and muggle-style jeans, likely borrowed from Hermione.

Neville and Nitrocris seemed to have a great deal to say to each other, as they were whispering back and forth almost constantly, but they welcomed him when he stopped to chat.

"Harry Potter, how wonderful to see you again," Nitrocris gushed, standing to kiss Harry on both cheeks. "I think of you often. You opened my eyes to my true power, and I've already made great strides restoring magical Egypt to the kind of place it was when my father was alive. I've eradicated almost every awful thing my uncles did."

"Um, well, that's excellent," Harry replied, a bit taken aback that she attributed so much of her own hard work and effort to the bit of encouragement he had given her. "Nice that you could come up here for a visit!"

The other two exchanged a suspiciously meaningful glance at that remark, and Harry wondered briefly what that was all about. Fortunately, Mrs. Longbottom arrived then, and Harry was relieved to be able to excuse himself to escort the muggle princes on a tour of the castle bedecked for Christmas while she visited with her grandson.

"I hadn't realized there would be this much snow up here," the muggle Harry remarked, as the trio wandered among the dozen enormous Christmas trees decorating the Great Hall. "We normally spend the holidays at Sandringham House, in Norfolk, but this year, it was agreed we'd come to Balmoral. More remote and quiet, I suppose."

"We always seem to have snow on Christmas here," magical Harry reported.
"Some of the snowball fights we've had on Christmas afternoon have been epic affairs – teachers have even joined in, on occasion." Harry shivered just a bit, as he thought back. Was it really just one year ago, that he'd been kidnapped from one of those post-Christmas snowball fights?

The princes stayed for just a brief visit, giving Harry ample time to spend with Sirius and Remus, who joined him in visiting with the Weasley family, celebrating the first Christmas of his godson. Granted the baby was too young to understand what was going on, but there were lots and lots of gifts for him. Harry blushed profusely at his Weasley sweater this year; instead of a snitch or a broomstick, this year's sweater was adorned with little crowns.

The Grangers were part of that celebration, as well as was Hermione, of course. Draco was with Charlie, and thus part of the Weasley Christmas, but he was summoned to his parents' rooms shortly before the Christmas dinner was to begin. He returned a few minutes later, looking quite gobsmacked.

"You will not believe the news I just got from my parents," he said to Charlie when he squeezed onto the couch next to him. Of course, with a statement like that, all other conversations in the area ended abruptly and everyone strained to hear what he had to say.

"My mother is expecting a baby!" Draco looked stunned and perhaps a bit put out by the news.

The large Weasley family saw it differently. Draco was immediately hugged by Mrs. Weasley. "Wonderful news, wonderful news! Children are always such a blessing!" she gushed, ignoring his attempts to pull away. The others sitting with the Weasleys offered hearty congratulations and pats on the back.

When Christmas dinner was announced by the pealing of unseen bells, numerous round tables appeared in the Great Hall, replacing the usual long house tables. For the most part, families sat together, or groups of friends filled a table, and the tables adjusted their size as necessary to accommodate.

Winter Lands warriors, some with family in tow, took over a group of tables nearest the door from which they entered, and those tables became obligingly taller and sturdier. The Weasley table was the largest in the room, as they quickly invited the Grangers, Remus and Sirius to join them. To Lucius' infinite irritation, Molly saw Lucius and Narcissa enter the Great Hall, and had them trapped at her table (albeit with their son) before he could formulate a reason that they needed to sit elsewhere. He was especially put out when he realized that, for once, Harry Potter wasn't with the Weasley family.

Harry had spotted Severus across the room and had excused himself from the Weasley table right off. Severus had visited with Lucius and Narcissa earlier in the day, looking in on them to see that she was well after the episode at dinner the night before, so he was already aware of their news. He had offered to assist Albus with some patrols through the castle, to rein in some of the more exuberant holiday celebrations among the students and children. He'd spent the rest of the morning strolling about, relieved that policing was not as big a burden today as it would normally be, with all the parents at hand.

Harry and Severus were quickly invited to join Professors Dumbledore and McGonnagal at their table. Albus had spotted the Malfoys being seated at the Weasley table, and wisely saw to it that he and Minerva took a table that afforded a direct view of the Malfoys, to keep an eye on things. Harry invited Neville and Nitrocris to join them as well, as they were now on their own after Mrs. Longbottom and the princes had returned to Balmoral for the royal holiday festivities.

It was a surprisingly convivial table, for such an eclectic mix of characters. While Neville and Severus might have been more quiet than the others, there was no shortage of chatter, especially between Nitrocris and the Headmaster, with a few contributions from Harry. And, even better, once Lucius was aware that Albus was nearby, he was remarkably well-behaved over at the Weasley table.

Harry and Severus made good on their plan to visit Severus' present on Sunday morning. They used a portkey to get to Diana Brand's family compound at the Winter Lands, and had a short visit with them. Diana's two daughters were delighted with the toys that Harry had brought for them (selected after consultation with Hermione and Ginny), and Alrik also seemed glad to welcome them.

Diana quietly explained that she had the workmen use a service floo off the kitchen from her home to Harry's – that would be a completely expected arrangement for workmen. It also supported the story they had been told, that they were doing more work for Diana at a holiday compound. No one knew exactly where they were going, just the floo address. She'd also placed a spell on her floo the last day they worked at Harry's compound, so each worker was befuddled as they returned, forgetting where they had been and what they had been doing farther north. The goblins had left that floo connection open within the wards so that the owners could gain access to the compound, and provided instructions as to how the owners could have the wards recognize them for future access.

Harry and Severus at last stepped through the floo to the North Compound, the name it had borne when occupied decades ago by Einar's family.

They stepped out into the main hall of the home, and were astonished. It was completely recognizable from their first visit, but completely transformed. The windows were the most notable improvements, now solid panes of glass, charmed to give light even through the gloom of the snowstorm raging outside. Everything had been swept and cleaned, and an assortment of rugs warmed the floor of the large room, which was also warmed by fires that Severus quickly lit in the other fireplaces. The rustic furniture remained, although it looked as though that, too, had been scaled down, spruced up and made more comfortable.

The kitchen looked to have been changed a bit, likely Diana's idea, and the staircase to the loft upstairs was more solid, clearly having been repaired.

Severus noticed a door where there had not been one before, and opened it to find his potions lab. It was quite a workspace, even bigger than the one his mother had created for her use back at Snape Manor. There were several workspaces for brewing, including one right in front of a window. How often designers forgot that some potions required sunlight! There were large cupboards, and shelves, some stocked already, with dozens of cauldrons and boxes of stirrers, and a good assortment of basic ingredients. There were even desks and bookcases for reference materials.

There were two doors off the far side of the lab. A small window in each allowed Severus to see that one was an exit to outside the building, but one led into an amazing greenhouse. He stepped through, awed at the size, the brightness, and the amazing things already growing there. Clearly, Tante had been consulted, because as Severus worked his way around the room, he realized that it had already been stocked with a small but select assortment of plants with known (or, in a few cases, suspected) value in potions work.

Harry had followed quietly behind Severus as he went exploring. While technically, he'd given the compound to his bondmate, he knew that the heart of this gift was the lab and the greenhouse that had been built for him. Severus had been quiet as he went along, and Harry worried his lip that something was not as expected. Finally, as Severus stopped to admire something in the greenhouse, Harry spoke up.

"Is it all to your liking, Severus? You're awfully quiet."

Severus stood up from where he had crouched, studying a small group of plants thriving in a warm spot near to door back to the lab. He'd always thought these were tropical plants and never imagined that they could grow, let alone thrive, this far north. There was an unreadable look in his eyes. Severus reached out and pulled Harry to him, into an embrace that was at once gentle and firm.

"It is indeed to my liking, Harry. I've never seen anything like this. It is beyond what I imagined was even possible. Thank you."

The kiss that followed began gently enough, but the frisson of the embrace quickly made it more urgent. Severus finally pulled away, panting and his own heart racing, before they found themselves making love on the cold, dirt floor. Harry looked put-out.

"You've always been rather shy," Severus smirked, nodding toward the far wall, "and I assumed you would not want to take this further with an audience."

Harry noticed with a start that they, did, indeed have an audience. Three cows and several calves had wandered over and had stopped munching on the hay and grass outside the window of the greenhouse to watch the two wizards within.

Grudgingly, Harry allowed, "Well, I'm not so sure they count." Then he heartened. "Let's see upstairs." He had, after all, made a number of very specific requests about the master bedroom and en suite bath, and was reasonable confident there would be no audience up there.

The loft that went around the main hall had been significantly improved under Diana's direction, and no longer looked like the rustic sleeping rooms in most Winter Lands compounds. There were several bedrooms and bathrooms along the corridor that looked out over the main hall, and then the master suite occupied one whole side of the loft. They peeked into the smaller bedrooms as they passed, and noticed that they looked like spaces that would make English wizard feel quite at home. The beds and bed linens were plain, in keeping with the style of the compound, but far more refined and comfortable-looking than the usual rough-hewn furnishings that Harry recalled from his first visit.

The master suite was amazing, exceeding Harry's hopes. There was a modest sitting room/library with comfortable chairs, writing desks, tall shelves and a large fireplace. Despite the fact that Diana had never been to Severus' rooms at Hogwarts, she had created a room that was quite similar to the sitting room they shared there now.

The bedroom and bath were Harry's special project, about the only rooms where his personal preferences were expressed. They were not completely separate rooms; the plumbing that served in the enormous bathroom also served an enormous footed tub in the bedroom itself. The tub was angled to provide a view of the fireplace in the evenings, and of the trees in the forest, for daytime soaks. The furniture was Diana's choice, plain, but clearly "wizard" in origin, far more elegant than elsewhere in the house.

Severus actually chuckled at the tub. "I have to say, Mr. Potter, this design element is quite attractive. I'm surprised more homes don't feature this."

Harry looked up sharply, not entirely certain if Severus was mocking the tub, or appreciated its . . . possibilities. With a flick of Severus' wand, Harry had his answer. The large tub began to fill with hot, soapy water, and the rest of the afternoon was devoted to exploring those possibilities.

Before two spent (and slightly pruned) wizards took portkeys back to Hogwarts from their new compound later that afternoon, Severus consulted the parchments left for them by the goblins.

"Very thoughtful, these wards. This house is warded so that only you and I can enter directly via portkey or apparition. I can put a block on the floo; we can open that to whomever we want to give the coordinates in the future, although they'll have to already be in the Winter Lands. There are similar wards around the fenced in compound, although portkeys will be able to deposit people there. Any guests we might invite here can arrive via portkey, but we'll have to allow them entry to the house ourselves. And they put wards around the field beyond the compound, presumably explaining the healthy cows we saw before. Those just keep the Grendlings away from the field."

With several rather complicated waves of his wand, Severus set the wards of the house to recognize just him and Harry.

Dusk was quickly giving way to night this far north, but Harry insisted that they take a quick stroll about the compound before returning to Hogwarts. The barn was now repaired and clean, as were the smaller outbuildings. Despite the snow falling heavily all around the compound, inside the fence, there was almost no snow on the ground. They finally found what Harry was looking for: a small grotto had been built not too far from the hot spring, with a small swimming pool. There was a large rock bordering the water, shaded by a tall tree. It looked suspiciously like the scene of Harry's first experience swimming au natural, back along the shores of the black lake at Hogwarts. The water steamed in the bitter cold air, having enough of the hot spring water fed into it to keep it from freezing.

Harry and Severus wandered through the plants that surrounded the grotto (and kept the cows away) to admire the pool. "Alas, Mr. Potter," Severus intoned as he crouched down to check the temperature of the water with his hand, "a bit too cold to enjoy this today, although with some good heating charms, and maybe a small windbreak . . . Another time, perhaps. It's growing late."

X X X X X X X X X X

Christmas break seemed to rush past. Harry had ample time to spend with his godfather and Remus, before they had to travel to the market town compound at the Winter Lands to resume work on turning it into a commercial center. Sirius remained more engaged and content than Harry could ever recall seeing him, excited about what he was doing. Remus supported Sirius, he could tell, even though the project was really Sirius' alone. For his own part, Remus was enjoying his work on the Wizengamot, and was showing a marked aptitude for working his way through the intricacies of the legislative process.

Michael and Anna Granger were the rare squibs who had maintained significant connections to the magical world even after all the muggles awoke, and not just through their magical daughter. They resumed their own dental practices once they had patients awake again, but they also continued to consult at St. Mungo's.

The Malfoys departed for Paris the day after Christmas. Harry was surprised that they did not want to spend more time with their son, although Severus, relieved as he was that Lucius was out of the castle, was glad to see them gone. Harry did notice that Draco seemed to be a bit more at ease, once his parents left.

Neville and Nitrocris seemed to spend a great deal of their time in hushed, serious conversation, just the two of them. Not that Nitrocris wasn't warm and friendly to others, but she seemed to have so much to say to Neville. Harry felt a twinge of curiosity as to what was going on with them, but never really had the opportunity to ask them.

The ravens made daily reports, right before lunch. The images grew clearer, bigger and more compelling each day. It was clear that an attack on Hogsmeade was drawing nearer.

Then, on Wednesday, the images changed. The stones in the trebuchets were launched, and the arrows were shooting from the bows. The noise on the battlefield, for that is what it became, was raucous and loud and menacing.

As Severus and Harry hurried to report on this to Albus, he was receiving reports from the Ministry, provided by the muggle authorities. The muggles had noticed a huge flow of people up north since the day after Christmas. Despite the cold, snowy weather, there were dozens of chartered busses and cars cramming the roadways. Several flights had been chartered for small airplanes and even a few helicopters to bring people north, and the trains that ran along that route were overcrowded all week. Sir Harold's estate could provide accommodations for just a small fraction of all the people coming into the area. Tents were pitched all over, and people even slept in vehicles at the sides of the road.

Whatever was happening, it was going to happen soon.