"Here is your homework, due on Monday. I also recommend you take the time to review the formulas for rune placement within ward structures as there will be a quiz," Professor Vector said, passing out a sheet of parchment to each of them.
Rachel opened her planner and noted the equations for homework and the quiz topic on Monday and decided they were going to have to turn their Arithmancy NEWT review on Saturday into a quiz review and then do an Arithmancy review with Pansy and Daphne on Sunday.
"Class dismissed. Miss Snow, please stay after for a moment," Professor Vector said as she returned to her desk.
Theo glanced at Rachel. "Do you want us here?"
"No, I'm fine with Professor Vector, we should only be a few minutes," Rachel said, though she suspected she knew what Professor Vector wanted to speak with her about.
"Neville will be with you next in Ancient Runes, won't he?" Padma asked the group, Susan by her side.
"He will, I think he's with Hannah in our study room at the moment," Hermione said.
"We'll go find them then," Padma said, putting her hand on Susan's arm.
"I can take you, I'm on my way there," Millie offered.
Susan had been back at school for a week now and seemed to be going through the motions, existing and being moved from place to place. Rachel could empathize. The study group had hosted Susan and Hannah semi-frequently, and Padma, Terry, Anthony, and Blaise seemed to watch over them the rest of the time.
"Rachel, can we review this weekend?" Pansy asked.
"Sure, does Sunday evening work for you?" Rachel asked as she finished putting everything in her bag.
"We can do that," Daphne said. "We'll see you at dinner."
"We'll be in the hall," Theo told Rachel. "Shout if there's a problem."
"I will," she said, hoisting the strap of her bag over her shoulder and realizing she needed to renew the Featherlight charm on it again.
The door closed behind the rest of the class and Rachel made her way to Professor Vector's desk.
"I can see that you and your friends take good care of each other. I know you're watching out for Miss Bones right now," Professor Vector said.
"We're trying. I'm not sure what more we can do other than letting her know we're there and giving her a quiet place away from the rest of the school," Rachel admitted.
"That's about all you can do, I'm afraid. I also know you tutor a number of students, both in Arithmancy and other subjects," she continued.
"Well, for Arithmancy, Hermione tutors me and Millie, we tutor Pansy and Daphne, Pansy and Daphne tutor the lower years," Rachel explained, definitely not wanting to take credit for that.
"Still, I haven't had a class this dedicated in many years and I'm glad to see all of you working together and helping each other. Normally I would announce something like this to the entire class, but I'm aware you're a little shy and might not want the attention, so I wanted to offer it to you first. All three of your spells, the modified steadying charm for your chisel, the spell to enchant rune strokes on a chisel, and the spell to enchant rune strokes to a quill, have all been accepted by the Spell Crafting Guild as original spells. Congratulations. Here are the certificates. You should put them somewhere safe. I also have an offer letter from a member of the Spell Crafting Guild to reach out to sell your spell to the Enchanted Quills Corporation for your rune writing quill, and they are recommending you sell the spells for your rune chisel directly to the Runic Studies center in Wales. For specialized spells like these I would recommend you take the lump sum payment for the sale of the spells rather than for individual licensing, but you may also want to talk with Severus before you make any decisions," Professor Vector explained, setting out the letters and the certificates.
"Thank you," Rachel said, a little overwhelmed by the information. "I think I'd rather not have it announced to the class."
"I understand. Let me know what you decide about selling your spells and I can help you draft the letter. The Guild will make an offer to the companies if you decide to sell, and then they will make sure you get the contracts to sign. Are you certain you're not interested in a career in spell crafting? I know Severus has his eyes set on you doing a Potions Mastery, but you do not have to do that simply to please him."
"I know, but I do enjoy Potions and I think I'd rather focus my attention there for now," Rachel said, not wanting to get into the complications that she wasn't going to be doing any Mastery.
"As long as you are happy with what you are doing. There's nothing to say you can't do multiple Masteries. I know Severus dabbled in spell crafting himself when he was younger. I'll let you get to your next class," Professor Vector said, nodding to her.
"Thank you," Rachel said again, collecting the certificates and the letter and placing them in between the big books in her bag where they wouldn't get bent. "I appreciate you helping me with all of this."
"Not a problem at all, I'm glad to help. Usually about once every five years I wind up connecting someone to the Spell Crafting Guild so they can register their spells."
Rachel nodded and left the classroom to find her friends waiting.
"Everything alright?" Hermione asked.
"Fine. I'll tell you about it once we're with the rest of the group," Rachel said, though she wasn't looking forward to that. She needed to do it, because it would be worse if they found out in some other way, but she hadn't quite put together how to tell them yet.
They went down to the sixth floor for Ancient Runes and Professor Babbling assigned them a translation quiz straight away.
They took notes during the lecture, were assigned more homework, and then wound up in their study room just before four thirty, Draco accompanying them for Transfiguration and Ancient Runes homework.
Millie, Ginny, and Luna were already there when they arrived.
"Padma took Susan and Hannah for a walk, she said they'd been cooped up too long today. I think we'll have Susan and Hannah with us after dinner though because Padma has a Ravenclaw study session after dinner," Millie said.
"That's fine. We can do Transfiguration and Ancient Runes now and then do Arithmancy after dinner with Susan," Hermione said, pulling her books out of her bag.
"So why did Professor Vector want you after class?" Theo asked, sitting down on the opposite side of Millie.
Rachel hesitated, but pulled the certificates out of her bag along with her books. "She helped me register my rune carving chisel and rune writing quill spells with the Spell Crafting Guild. They were just accepted and she wanted to let me know. She thought that my spells might help other people who have tremors but still want to work with runes."
Luna picked up the certificates and looked at them. "My mother has a lot of these. She got her first ones when she was a seventh year as well. I wonder if Professor Vector helped her with them."
"That seems likely. Professor Vector said she usually helps a student with that once every five years or so. She also told me that Severus used to do spell crafting as well," Rachel said.
"That's great, Rachel. Congratulations. I wonder what sort of spells Professor Snape made," Theo said, accepting the certificates as they were passed around.
"Yes, congratulations," Hermione said. "I suppose your spells were something she hadn't seen before."
"Thanks. And they are a very small sort of niche. I suppose no one at Hogwarts has really needed these spells before," Rachel said, glancing at Millie.
Millie was looking at the certificates. "I suppose that's part of the challenge isn't it? Coming up with spells that people really do need. Maybe not everyone would need them, because we have spells for most of the basic things people need. But spells that would help people in specific situations or spells that people would need because they can't do something. I'm glad you figured out one that helped you."
Rachel nodded, still feeling a little nervous.
"Does Professor Snape know you were doing this? I think he'll be excited." Neville asked.
"Sirius and Remus too, because they do artifacting," Ginny pointed out.
"No, you're the first people I've told. I didn't want to tell anyone until I found out what the Guild thought," Rachel explained.
"Understandable, I think I'd feel the same way," Hermione said.
"You're just going to wind up doing everything, aren't you?" Draco asked. "You're already planning a Potions Mastery, and the League, and you'll have the Wizengamot to contend with. Where are you going to fit spell crafting into that?"
"I'm not," Rachel said. "The only time I would ever take the time to craft a spell is if it's something I specifically need and there's nothing else for it."
"Well, I'm glad you decided to tell us," Ginny said. "This is a good thing. We need more good things."
"We really do, and it is a good thing," Theo agreed.
Rachel nodded. She was glad that she was able to leave something behind after she died. Now she'd invented an alternative formulation, registered a modified potion, and had three related spells to her name. All of it was for helping people in very specific circumstances, but maybe there were other people out there with those same circumstances who her modifications would help.
"Alright, I think we have enough time to do Transfiguration and Ancient Runes before dinner if we start now," Hermione said.
"Let's start with Ancient Runes since it's fresh," Draco said.
Rachel slid the letter and the certificates away. She'd tell Severus later and get his opinion on selling her spells. And she'd tell Sirius after that, just because she figured he might like to know. In the meantime, she had homework to do.
She looked over her homework one last time on Thursday afternoon. Her essay was longer than Severus asked for because she'd written about possible substitutions for the aconite in the Wideye Potion, but why those substitutions wouldn't work in the Wolfsbane Potion. Strangely, Potions - along with Charms, Herbology, and Defense - was now among her easiest classes. She supposed spending five months last year in intensive Potions studies had finished filling in some of the missing pieces for her. She wasn't ready to go out and invent her own recipes yet, but she was much more confident at modifications now.
"I need a trip to the library," Hermione said as she stood up.
"I'll join you," Theo said, closing the book he'd been working from.
Millie nodded absently, her eyes focused on the book on spell crafting that she'd found in the library yesterday.
"I'm going to go find Pansy," Draco said. "The DA as usual tonight?"
"That's right," Rachel said, tucking everything but her two-way book and her Transfiguration NEWT guide into her bag.
"I think I need the library too. I'm going to check on Susan and Hannah, last I heard they were with Anthony and Terry in the library," Luna said, packing her own bag.
"Let them know we're in here if they want to join us," Neville suggested, looking up from where he was finishing his Potions essay.
"Alright, we'll reconvene for dinner and the DA," Theo said. "Everyone keep your eyes out as usual."
The room half emptied and Rachel began thumbing through her Transfiguration NEWT guide. She was trying to get a good overview of what to expect from class over the next six months so that she was prepared.
"Rachel?" Ginny asked after a few minutes. "Is now a good time for us to talk privately?"
"Sure. Do we want to go up to the seventh floor?" she asked.
Ginny nodded and began putting away her things.
"Everything alright?" Millie asked.
"I wanted Rachel to tell me what happened to Percy," Ginny said.
"Do you want to do that with just Rachel or do you want some of us there for support?" Neville asked.
"Just Rachel for now. I need to hear this."
"Okay. We're all here if you want to talk or want someone to sit with," Millie offered.
"Thanks," Ginny said, shifting and looking uncomfortable.
Rachel finished putting her things away and left the study room with Ginny.
"How is NEWT studying going?" Ginny asked as they walked toward the staircase.
"Honestly, it's barely registering to me right now," Rachel admitted. "NEWTs are pretty low on my list of priorities at the moment."
"What's high on your list of priorities?" Ginny asked.
She sighed. "The lessons I'm doing with Professor Dumbledore, because they're important for the war. Same with our Defense lessons. And then the conversations with the Dark Lord, because I have to prepare for those and analyze them with Severus afterward. Then my friendships with all of you, and my relationships with Severus and Sirius and Remus. Then NEWTs and homework and the DA. Then the Quidditch team. Not that I don't care about the Quidditch team and the DA, they're important too, but I have to put the war first."
Ginny fell quiet for a while as they walked through people who were on their way to the library. "They're putting a lot of the war on you," she said when they were alone on the staircase to the sixth floor.
"There is a lot we're not seeing. The only parts of the war I'm involved with are either things only I can do or parts where there isn't a choice," Rachel said, knowing that the Order and the MLE did a great number of things for the war effort and she was better off not knowing what those things were just in case the sanctity of her mind became a problem.
"Still. It's a lot. It has to be stressful."
Rachel wasn't sure she was stressed anymore. It was like she'd gone past the point of stressed and into some state where she was either fine and focused or completely overwhelmed. Thankfully the completely overwhelmed times didn't happen too often. "I'll be alright. We have a holiday coming up in a few weeks. Then after that, six months left."
She had about seven months to live, assuming they found that damn cup horcrux. That wasn't much time at all. She could manage that.
"Can you make the room?" Ginny asked when they reached the seventh floor.
"Yeah, of course," Rachel said. She left Ginny at the entrance to the corridor and began pacing while thinking that she wanted a safe place to talk.
The door appeared and Ginny came to join her. Rachel opened the door and shook her head.
"Where is this?" Ginny asked.
"My Mind Healer's office. I told the Room I wanted a safe place to talk, and apparently this is what comes up for me," Rachel said, leading the way in. She sat on the sofa. She didn't think she could sit in Torey's chair.
Ginny sat next to her and looked around. "It's not at all what I was expecting. I suppose it's good that you feel safe with your Mind Healer though. What is it like to see a Mind Healer?"
"For the most part it's just talking. She's helped me with a few things with mind magic, but mostly we just talk about my week or if I'm worried about something or if something is a problem. She gives me advice and encourages me to talk about the things that are bothering me," Rachel explained.
"That sounds useful," Ginny said. She fiddled with the hem of her uniform skirt. "I don't know where to start."
"I told your parents about my vision, pretty much from start to finish, if you want to hear that. Or I could just tell you the part about Percy, if that's all you wanted to hear," Rachel offered.
Ginny sighed heavily. "Just Percy, I think."
"Alright. The Dark Lord and the Death Eaters made it to the hallway where the Minister's office was. There were guards outside, and they killed some of the Death Eaters, but there were too many Death Eaters. The guards were killed and then the Dark Lord entered the Minister's office. Percy was there with five other people. They were killed pretty much instantly. There was no torture or suffering or anything. It happened really quickly," she explained, wanting Ginny to know that her brother hadn't suffered.
"They didn't fight back?" Ginny asked, looking at Rachel.
"They tried, but there were a lot of Death Eaters there and the Dark Lord was casting the Killing Curse. They were overwhelmed almost immediately."
Ginny was quiet for a moment. "Do you think it would have helped Percy to have the training we're getting now? Or if he'd been in the DA?"
The true answer was no, Rachel didn't think that it would have helped. Not under those circumstances. "I don't know," she said instead. "I don't think they were expecting the Minister's office to be breached, but I don't think there was much they could have done while they were trapped there. There wasn't really a place to hide. Minister Fudge tried to hide, but the Dark Lord did this thing…I'm not sure what he did exactly, but he was able to see the hidden passage and found Minister Fudge there. Someone had replaced his floo powder so he couldn't escape. As long as Percy was there that day, I'm not sure what he could have done to survive. There were just too many Death Eaters."
Ginny covered her face and Rachel reached over and wrapped her arm around Ginny. They sat like that for a while, Ginny giving small gasps while Rachel held her.
Rachel reminded herself that this was why she was preparing herself to die. If she could stop this from happening to more families, then that was the most important thing she could do with her life.
She thought about the cup horcrux again. Professor Dumbledore had told her they should only practice Looking through space once a week because it was stressful on both the body and the mind. They were getting closer. Every Saturday she checked on the Dark Lord first - he wasn't always in Wiltshire, but the snake was always with him - and then she tried to search through London. Professor Dumbledore had found a bunch of maps and street guides to London and had been annotating them with magical areas and Rachel was trying to recognize them inside the magical space. It was harder than it seemed, but she was dedicated to figuring it out.
"I'm still mad at him," Ginny said after a long time. "But I also miss him. I kept thinking he would come home. And now he never will. And I hate You-Know-Who for that. I want to see him and his Death Eaters burn."
"We'll stop them," Rachel promised.
Ginny nodded and wiped at her face. "We will. I only wish we could join the Order sooner. I'm ready to fight."
If Rachel's plan worked out, Ginny would never need to fight with the Order and Rachel wanted it that way. She wanted to protect her friends. "We'll get there. For now we need more training."
"The Death Eaters are going to regret it if they come to Hogwarts, I'll make sure of it."
Rachel nodded. If the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters came to Hogwarts, then all bets were off. She could only hope they could find the cup horcrux before then and that they could do something about that snake. Then they'd be ready for anything.
Severus was grading on Saturday afternoon. He'd already finished the first year essays, which had been accompanied by a headache. After a Headache Easing Draught he'd gone back to work, picking his fifth years for a change of pace. He did the Ravenclaw essays first, because most of them actually used subject sentences and paragraphs that didn't take up an entire page.
It took a moment for him to realize that the warmth on his chest was not bad essay induced heartburn, but the pendant he was wearing that was connected to the message jewelry that Rachel and her friends, as well as Draco, Pansy, and Malcolm all wore. He yanked the long chain out of his shirt collar and checked the rune etched on it. It was Raido rune. Malcolm.
He moved immediately to the small desk in his bedroom and pulled out all of the maps that were connected to the jewelry until he found Malcolm's. A dot had appeared in North Yorkshire. Leaving the other maps where they were, Severus kept that one and hurried into his office where he kept his student files in his desk. He'd tucked away the ones for students who hadn't returned, hoping that they would have the opportunity to return to Hogwarts at some point. He found Malcolm's file and read the address. Low Lane House, Middleham, North Yorkshire.
This could easily be a trap. It was possible that Bertrand had forced Malcolm to tell him about the message jewelry and Severus was being lured to his death. Albus was currently in a meeting with Scrimgeour and Bones and likely would be for some time. If Severus was going to act, he needed to do it alone. At the very least, he could do reconnaissance and report back to the Order. If there were significant wards, and there would be on the Baddock estate, he was going to need help to reach Malcolm.
Severus considered writing a note so they'd know where he'd gone, but decided that if it came to the point where he didn't return he would be beyond the help of a note. The Dark Lord wouldn't keep him alive long enough for a rescue operation to be viable. He flooed to Spinner's End and then apparated to Low Lane House, finding himself in a wooded area. He immediately disillusioned himself and used the muffling charm and looked around. The anti-apparition wards had redirected him well away from the Baddock's house. It was snowing, though not much of it made its way through the trees to the ground. It was also fairly dark beneath the tree tops and he had to wait for his eyes to adjust.
He checked Malcolm's map again, but the dot hadn't moved. Slowly he turned in a circle, trying to get a sense of where the house was and what else was around him. He could hear the sound of a running river or stream nearby as well as the small sounds of woodland creatures moving through the trees and the underbrush. The house was set far enough back away from the wards that he couldn't see it through the trees and the map was not detailed enough to tell him what direction to go in.
Knowing it would announce that he was there, Severus began casting the charm that revealed another human's presence. A small sound of surprise came from his left as the spell told him there was a human there and Severus carefully made his way in that direction and after about five minutes of walking he found Malcolm huddled on the forest floor, wrapped in a cloak, and clutching his wand protectively.
"Malcolm, don't react," Severus said softly, not wanting to startle him.
Malcolm looked up, his face thin and frightened.
"Are we outside of the wards entirely?" Severus asked.
"Yes, sir. They start about twenty feet in that direction, they recognized me, so they let me pass," Malcolm whispered, pointing away from the sound of the river.
"Does anyone know you're gone?"
"Not yet, but the House Elves will figure it out soon. I said that I was going to take a nap. But they'll check soon. Sir, I can't go back, I can't go back, please," Malcolm said, starting to sound panicked.
"I've got you. Lower your wand. I'm going to come over to you and then we're going to apparate away from here," Severus said.
"I can't see you," Malcolm said, looking around.
"I'm using a Disillusionment charm. Lower your wand, I'm going to come up to you now. We're going to get you somewhere safe," he promised.
Malcolm lowered his wand and managed to get to his knees. He was visibly shaking.
Severus cast a few charms around Malcolm to check that he wasn't about to trigger a trap and then walked over to him and put his hand on Malcolm's shoulder.
Malcolm flinched beneath his hand.
"Here we go, hold on," Severus said and then apparated them both to Hogwarts' gate. He blinked in the sudden light and then ended the Disillusionment charm. "We're almost safe. Can you walk?"
The hood of Malcolm's cloak fell back and he was wide eyed, with dark circles beneath them. He also had bruises in varying stages along his face and neck. He was breathing in slow gasps. "My father. He's going to come for me."
"He can't get inside the wards, but we need to go inside the wards now," Severus said. He decided against getting Malcolm to walk and conjured a stretcher next to Malcolm. "Lay down on this, I'm going to get you to safety."
"My father. And his friends. They'll know where I am," Malcolm said, though he allowed Severus to guide him onto the stretcher.
"I know who your father's friends are. We'll keep you safe," Severus promised. He conjured a blanket and wrapped it around Malcolm and then stood. He pressed his hand against the gate and waited for it to recognize him as staff. The gate opened and Severus levitated Malcolm inside and closed the gate behind him. The worst of the immediate danger had passed. Now they just had to find a way to keep Malcolm.
He had just kidnapped a child. Well, he supposed there was always a time for doing something new and unexpected. He knew first hand that war could lead a person to do things they'd never consider otherwise.
They walked up to Hogwarts, Severus' mind churning as he tried to figure out what their next steps were. They had two options. One was to hide Malcolm at headquarters and pretend they didn't know what happened to him. One was to convince Family Services that Malcolm was being abused and couldn't be returned home.
The first wasn't the best option for Malcolm, but it would work if they needed it. The second required them to figure out if Family Services was under the sway of the Death Eaters.
As he approached the castle he cast a spell to obscure Malcolm's face to keep anyone from recognizing him. He brought Malcolm directly to the hospital wing, checked that no one else was there, and met Poppy's eyes as she came out of her office.
"What happened?" she asked, her wand already drawn.
Severus lowered Malcolm's stretcher down on one of the beds. "I just rescued, or kidnapped, depending on your point of view, Malcolm Baddock. He has at least superficial injuries and is likely starving. He needs immediate treatment and will need to stay here in the hospital wing until other arrangements have been made for him," he said quietly.
"I understand," Poppy said, immediately getting to work.
Malcolm looked to Severus, his expression stricken. "Are you leaving me here?"
"I can stay for a while, but you're safe with Madam Pomfrey," Severus told him.
Malcolm shook his head. "My father will come." He sounded positively terrified.
"He can't get through the wards," he said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.
Poppy peeled back the blanket and ran her wand over Malcolm. "Severus, I need Bruise Paste, Healing Salve, a Hydrating Solution, a Nutrient Restoration Potion, and a Calming Draught."
"I'll be right back," Severus told Malcolm.
He took a moment to breathe in the potions cabinet. Malcolm had been with his father for five months. It seemed that Bertrand was willing to descend to physical and magical abuse as well as starvation when he knew his son wouldn't be returning to school. He collected the potions Malcolm needed and went back to the bed. By the time he arrived Poppy had Malcolm changed into a hospital gown and Severus quietly cataloged the injuries he could see.
Thirty minutes later they had Malcolm bandaged and tucked under the blankets and Malcolm looked like he was fighting off sleep. Sometimes the Calming Draught could have a sedative effect if the person taking it was already exhausted. "What's going to happen?" Malcolm asked.
"We're going to figure that out. Get some sleep. Nothing is going to happen right now," Severus promised.
Malcolm's eyes fluttered a few times, but finally his head listed to one side and his breathing slowed.
Severus followed Poppy into her office and she pulled out a patient chart.
"I had hoped our missing students would return, but not like this," she said, picking up her quill. "I'll make the documents for Family Services and the MLE. This is a very clear case of physical and magical abuse and I have records that Malcolm has been returned to us three years in a row now starving."
Severus chose his next words carefully. "I'm not sure that Malcolm can testify to Family Services and the MLE, even if we first ascertain they're not under the influence of Death Eaters. Prior to now Malcolm wouldn't tell me anything that was happening in his home."
"How did you reach Malcolm?" Poppy asked.
"I gave him message jewelry a year and a half ago so he could contact me over the summer if he needed help. He used it today," he explained. "Malcolm knew enough to get himself out of the wards on his house so I could reach him."
"You're lucky you're not dead. I haven't thought of you as foolhardy for many years now, Severus."
"I had to go. My plan was to check the situation and then come back for help. Instead I found Malcolm almost immediately. I had to go, I told him I would help him if he asked," Severus said, knowing full well how badly this could have gone.
"So what do we do?" Poppy asked.
"Wait for Albus to get back and find out how far we can trust Family Services. If there's a chance that Malcolm will be returned to his father, we hide him in Headquarters until the war is over."
Poppy looked drawn. "If you hadn't rescued Malcolm, and if this had continued, he probably would have been dead within the month. Let me know when Albus arrives. I'll put screens up to hide Malcolm from view so we don't have to worry about other students seeing him. Did anyone see you bring him into the school?"
"No, I obscured Malcolm's face from view," Severus said as he rose.
"I'll prepare the reports in case we do need Family Services. Can I summon you if Malcolm is distraught when he wakes? He seems to have developed some trust in you." she asked.
"Please do," Severus said. He left her office, checking that Malcolm was still sleeping before he left the hospital wing.
He went back to his office, checked the time, and then sent his Patronus to Albus. "To Albus Dumbledore. Albus, I need to speak with you the next time you're available."
His doe darted through the wall and Severus ran his hand over his face trying to figure out what was happening. He felt deeply guilty, the type of guilt he hadn't felt in sixteen years. It wasn't from kidnapping Malcolm, that had unequivocally been the right thing to do.
The problem was he understood Malcolm. When Malcolm had been promising him that he was safe at home, that his father wasn't starving him, Severus understood. He understood knowing that he just had to get through two months of abuse and then he could return to Hogwarts. He remembered looking in the bathroom mirror and seeing those same bruises on his own face, slowly healing over the weeks. He remembered how the last two weeks before he went back to Hogwarts he would be particularly careful, because he knew what people would say if he returned to school with visible bruises. He also remembered not being careful enough.
When he'd taken the Head of House position he had vowed that he'd do better for his students than Slughorn and Dumbledore had. He would protect his students because they had no one else looking out for them. Unfortunately it wasn't as simple as that and he'd found that out rather quickly. Some students simply wouldn't talk. Others couldn't.
He'd lost some to the Death Eaters, he'd lost Flora entirely. He'd heard that Avery had fled Britain rather than join the Death Eaters. He had Draco, Pansy, and Theo all safe with him here. And he had Rachel.
Severus had tried with Malcolm. And he understood why Malcolm had not been able to confide in him. He only regretted that it had led them here.
Sinking into his office chair, he tried to get his thoughts back in order. If they went the Family Services route, they needed to supply an adequate guardian for Malcolm as anyone who he wound up with would be attacked by the Death Eaters.
"Severus, are you there?" came Albus' voice from his fireplace.
"I'm here," Severus called.
Albus stepped through and into Severus' office. "Your message sounded rather urgent. Is Rachel well?"
"Rachel is fine," Severus said, thankful of that at least. "I just rescued Malcolm Baddock. He's recovering in the hospital wing. He was being abused and starved. Do you know how deep the Death Eaters are into the department of Family Services?"
"We can work with Family Services," Albus said.
"Malcolm may not be able to speak with them. I'm not certain if he's ready," Severus cautioned.
"We will have to cross that bridge when we get there."
Severus nodded once. "I can't take him. He'll be in even more danger if I try to raise him alongside Rachel and my focus needs to be on her. We can't ask Celeste Zabini to take him, Bertrand is the one who cursed her. I'm not sure who else can adequately protect him."
"I understand. We will ensure that young Mr. Baddock is somewhere safe. Poppy has him stabilized?" Albus asked.
"Stable, but Poppy says he would have been dead if he'd been left another month. He'll need some time to recover. He's resting right now." Severus would make another visit to the hospital wing around dinner time.
"I'll begin making arrangements and I'll check in with Poppy. Please keep me informed if you hear anything," Albus said, moving back to the fireplace.
"I will. I would like to be kept up to date with the situation as it relates to Malcolm as well," Severus said.
"I'll ensure you and Poppy receive all pertinent information regarding Malcolm," he promised. "You should hear from me again by midday tomorrow."
"Thank you," Severus said, frowning as Albus flooed away. There were some things that Albus didn't understand and unfortunately family situations like these seemed to be one of his blind spots. Severus would have to make sure things went smoothly, but he was at least confident that Albus would act to prevent Malcolm from being returned to his father. That was a start.
Rumors had been flying around the school since last night and for once they weren't about Rachel. While Rachel was glad people weren't talking about her, she didn't like what they were saying any better. It didn't help that she wasn't sure exactly what happened.
What everyone seemed to agree on was that Malcolm Baddock had returned to Hogwarts some time yesterday and was in the hospital wing. From there the rumors varied wildly. Malcolm had been cursed by Death Eaters. Malcolm had been beaten by his father and been sent back as a spy. Malcolm had tried to leave the Death Eaters and had been attacked. Malcolm had faced the Dark Lord directly and had barely survived.
She thought she could probably safely discount any rumors that Malcolm had faced the Dark Lord. People who faced the Dark Lord and weren't his allies didn't survive the experience. The rest was varying shades of plausible. Rachel didn't know Malcolm very well. He wasn't a Quidditch player, but she'd seen him sitting with the other fourth years in the common room. She wasn't certain she'd ever actually had a conversation with him. Even so, she was worried. Whatever had happened to Malcolm could be happening to the rest of the kids who hadn't returned to Hogwarts.
Rachel managed to finish her lunch, caught up in her thoughts rather than focusing on what the rest of her day brought. She checked her watch. She had Quidditch practice next, but she had enough time to drop by the hospital wing for her monthly check up and she knew she needed to do that before she saw Severus for dinner tonight or Madam Pomfrey would tell Severus that she hadn't.
"I've got to go by the hospital wing and then I've got Quidditch," Rachel told Millie and Theo.
"Want one of us to walk you there?" Millie asked.
"No, I'm alright, it's not far." As the year had progressed Rachel had felt more comfortable walking by herself in the halls. No one had been threatening any of them or even really paying attention to them.
"Send your Patronus when you get to the locker rooms that way we know you made it," Theo said, meeting her eyes.
"I will," she told him as she stood up. "I'll see you in a few hours."
"Good luck," Millie said.
Rachel nodded and made her way out of the Great Hall, up to the first floor, and down the corridor to the hospital wing. She stepped inside and saw immediately that one of the beds was occupied. Malcolm was laying down, his dark hair sticking up on the pillow, but his eyes had focused on Rachel.
"Miss Snow, time for your check up?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she came out of her office.
"Yes, please," Rachel said, nodding slightly to Malcolm and walking down the aisle between the beds. She didn't like it when people stared at her while she was in the hospital wing, so she wouldn't do it to Malcolm.
"Come on over here and step on the scale," Madam Pomfrey said.
Rachel did so, still slightly annoyed that she wasn't allowed to know what her own weight was.
"How have you been eating?"
"About the same. Everything is about the same," Rachel said, moving over to the nearest bed at Madam Pomfrey's gesture.
"And sleeping?"
"I'm taking my modified Dreamless Sleep twice a week and that helps some. Otherwise I wake up a few times a night," Rachel said. The Dark Lord seemed to visit about once a week, which worked for her, though she preferred him to come on the nights when she didn't have an intense class the next day. She'd never tried to communicate that preference to him; she suspected he would laugh at her and then come on those nights on purpose.
"You're working on the nightmares with your Mind Healer?" Madam Pomfrey asked, moving her wand over Rachel.
Rachel shivered at the tingling feeling the diagnostic spell gave as it crawled over her. "Yes, but I think I'm kind of just stuck this way."
Madam Pomfrey lowered her wand. "I think you might need to tell your Mind Healer you're feeling stuck so that she can help you try something different then."
"I suppose," Rachel allowed, though she wasn't exactly doing what Torey had suggested for her nightmares either. She didn't want to write them down. She didn't want to talk about them. She didn't see the point and it just dredged up all these feelings she didn't want to feel. And besides, she had seven months to live. There really was no point in trying to deal with that stuff when it only caused problems and there was no future where things were better because of it.
"Your weight is still a little low, but you're maintaining at least. Your blood sugar is also a little low and you're a little dehydrated. Try drinking more. Juice would be a good thing to drink. Less tea as it will dehydrate you a little. How does your heart feel? Have you noticed any dizziness?" Madam Pomfrey asked.
"No dizziness. My heart feels fine, even when I'm playing Quidditch or climbing the stairs. I really do feel alright."
"Let me know if that changes, don't wait for a check up, come straight here and tell me. I want you to be aware of your body while you're flying. If you start feeling dizzy or your vision blurs, land immediately."
"I will," Rachel promised as she stood up.
"Alright then, I will see you in a month, or sooner if you need me," Madam Pomfrey said, tucking her wand away.
"Thank you," Rachel said and turned to walk away. She got another glimpse of Malcolm and saw that he was still watching her, his expression worried.
She nodded again, feeling it would be wrong to try to smile at him, and left the hospital wing. Maybe Severus would know what was going to happen to Malcolm. Maybe Severus knew what had happened to Malcolm. She didn't want to invade Malcolm's privacy, but she was worried about what all of this meant. If the children who hadn't returned to Hogwarts were being hurt by the Death Eaters or the Dark Lord, then they had to do something.
Rachel wasn't at all sure what they could do, but maybe Severus or Professor Dumbledore had a plan. She left the school and went to Quidditch practice, working on telling her mind that she had to set these worries aside while she flew, otherwise she was going to fly right into something. People relied on her to be Quidditch captain, so she had to do her best for her team.
Torey had told her that she could stop worrying about things temporarily by assigning a time when she could worry about them and telling her mind that she wasn't worrying now but she could worry at that specific time. She could worry about this at six o'clock, when she could actually do something about it. For now, Quidditch.
Severus glanced at the time and then pulled out his wand. "To Rachel Snow. I need to miss our dinner tonight. Make certain you go to the Great Hall and eat. I apologize for the disruption of our routine. I hope that we can have dinner together tomorrow instead." His doe darted away and he looked back at the private conference that was taking place in the hospital wing.
He had spent the morning carefully coaching Malcolm through speaking to the MLE. Amelia Bones had come herself, likely at Albus' request, and together they had reassured Malcolm that he was safe and that they could help him. Over the next two hours Malcolm had haltingly told them what it was like to live with his father. Severus had felt chilled through the entire conversation. The truth of the matter was that they were lucky to have gotten Malcolm out alive and as in good health as he was. Malcolm would still be weeks recovering from the effects of starvation, but there was minimal curse damage, which was a relief.
Amelia had promised them both that a member of Family Services would be briefed and would be at Hogwarts later today and that they would expedite a Family Services hearing. The next step was finding a home for Malcolm, which would ordinarily be Family Services' job, but the safety constraints on Malcolm would not allow for just anyone to take him and Amelia openly acknowledged that as well and indicated they would coordinate to make certain Malcolm was somewhere he could be protected from the Death Eaters.
In the late afternoon Severus had been summoned back to the hospital wing by Poppy and they had gotten over the hurdle of Malcolm speaking with someone from Family Services. Then Amberlyn Moores had arrived, saying that she'd agreed to represent Malcolm and that she understood that she would need to go into hiding afterward. Albus was making those arrangements currently while Amelia Bones was making arrangements for the Family Service members involved in the case to receive additional protection. Everyone understood exactly how dangerous Bertrand Baddock was.
Severus also knew that the MLE was going to try and use this to bring a case against Bertrand, but without a direct link to Death Eater suspicions they couldn't question him as they would a suspected Death Eater. He knew nothing would likely come of it, but they had to at least try while they had a case against him.
Malcolm was speaking with Amberlyn now behind a privacy ward while Poppy spoke with the member of Family Services. Severus was waiting and watching discreetly, ready to intervene if Malcolm needed him. Malcolm had a hunted expression and his shoulders were hunched. It had been a long day for all of them, but Severus knew Malcolm was taking the brunt of it.
Albus entered the room with Black and Severus recognized what was going to happen with a lurch of his stomach. On paper, it was ideal. There was nowhere better for Malcolm to hide than in headquarters. In practice, it was absolutely mad. There was no way Black was fit to be a father to anyone, let alone to a traumatized young Slytherin boy.
To his credit, Albus almost looked apologetic as he approached. "Sirius has agreed to apply for guardianship of Malcolm. Amelia is already aware and believes that it will be approved and that we can waive the examinations and home visits that would usually be involved."
Severus abruptly remembered Torey's frustration with Albus just waving his hand and fixing matters like legal guardianships when there should be some sort of procedure involved. There was more than a grain of truth to that, and he could recognize just how unsettling it was to see in action. He turned to Black. "In that case, I need to speak with you. Privately."
Black looked him up and down like he was weighing how likely it was Severus was going to draw his wand on him. "Now?"
"Yes. We can use the private room off the hospital wing," Severus said, not wanting to go further away than that in case there were developments here that needed his immediate attention.
"Alright then," Black agreed, though he looked wary.
"Severus?" Albus asked, a note of warning in his tone.
"As the person who is most familiar with Malcolm, I am best suited to explain to Black what exactly it is he's signing up for and what he needs to know before he speaks with Malcolm," Severus said, meeting Albus' gaze very briefly before walking away.
He heard Black move to follow him. It still made his skin crawl to have Black walk behind him, even though they had been in battle together. He opened the door to the private room, which was used when a staff member was too ill to remain in their own quarters, and stood aside to allow Black inside before closing the door and casting a privacy ward.
"Is this the part where you kill me and transfigure my body?" Black joked, though his tone did not match his expression.
Severus raised his eyebrows and folded his arms.
"Look, I get it, no one was expecting this. But we'll manage. I took in Draco, and then Theo and Neville. I can keep another kid safe," Black said.
"The situation is not the same. Malcolm is not the same. He is terrified and he is traumatized. Do you really believe you are an adequate parental figure for him?"
"Perhaps not, but I'm the one we've got," Black said, looking Severus up and down again, his expression now flickering between anger and disdain. "You think I haven't changed at all since we were kids? That I saw two of my best friends murdered, was betrayed by another best friend, spent twelve years in Azkaban only to come out and find that two more of my friends had been tortured to the point of insanity and that my goddaughter was being beaten and raped while I was unjustly in prison, and that I came out of all of that the same man?"
Severus inclined his head slightly. He's seen for himself that Black was not the same man that he'd been twenty years ago, just as Severus wasn't the same man he'd been either.
"We've both changed a great deal. I know you have or I would have put up a fight about you being Rachel's guardian. I know what it's like to have to run away from abusive Death Eater parents. I know what it's like to not feel like you fit, like you're tainted by your family. Why do you think I agreed to take in Draco?" Black pressed. "I'm not pretending I know everything. I've never even met this kid. But I can take care of him and keep him safe."
"You believe you can do this?" Severus asked.
"I can. We'll work it out. And I know you'll help, because it's obvious that you care about what happens to him."
He did care. He'd been trying to help Malcolm for three years now only for it to come to this. "The situation with the war is becoming unstable. What do we do with him if we need to flee the country?"
"We take him with us, of course. We'll make sure he has a bag packed and that he's ready to go. We're probably going to need to take Draco too, he can't stay here and we know the Death Eaters will capture him at the first opportunity. Also, you and I need to talk about what we're doing with Rachel in the summer and the next school term. She shouldn't be left alone during the day," Black said.
"In the summer she'll stay with me, though I have no doubt she will want to visit you. In the school term, if we are still here, then she can stay with you during the day and I will resign my Head of House position and be with her in the evening and the night," Severus said, glad that someone else was thinking of the future and recognizing what problems were going to arise. "Unless we have her stay here at Hogwarts in a teaching assistant position."
"That will work, though I think Dumbledore is concerned about her drawing Death Eaters here. When we lose the Ministry we're going to have to take another look at things. We need to start preparing safe houses on the continent. If it comes to that, we, plus whatever kids we wind up with, need to go further afield than that."
Severus nodded. After the Ministry fell, they had maybe nine to twelve months before they lost Britain entirely and Rachel needed to be out of the country long before that happened.
"So, the downfall of our country aside, what do I need to know before I meet Malcolm?" Black asked.
"He was being abused and starved. There were curses involved. Be aware that he is uncomfortable with people staring at him and he does not look well at the moment. Malcolm is terrified at the idea that his father or the Death Eaters will show up. You should reiterate to him that your home is very well guarded and hidden and that the Death Eaters will not be able to find it. Ideally, Malcolm should see a Mind Healer in the near future. I have a recommendation of who you can contact, but it would have to be done in absolute secrecy," Severus said, hitting the most important points first.
"I'm surprised that you didn't send Draco to a Mind Healer, honestly, he could have used it. Though he seemed a little more stable this summer," Black said, nodding.
"I did recommend to Draco that he should see a Mind Healer but he was old enough to make that decision for himself. Draco is still learning, but he does appear to be coping better these past few months than he was originally," Severus agreed. "Malcolm will need new school things. I can get you the book and supply list for his classes. Let him know that you'll take care of it for him. Invite him to your house for the Christmas holiday so he knows that he's welcome."
"I can do that," Black said. "Anything else?"
Severus considered that, but decided to say it. "Be gentle and discreet, but without talking down to him. He will not appreciate being treated like a child."
"No one does. I've got this," Black said. "Dumbledore said that things are being taken care of legally. Do you know any more than that?"
"Amelia Bones already interviewed Malcolm. They're going to attempt to level charges of child abuse at Bertrand, but it's doubtful they can make any of them stick. Family Services is on our side. Get to know Amberlyn Moores, she'll be guiding Malcolm through this process. Expect the Family Services hearing to happen within the next two weeks. You should also be aware that this will move you up several notches in terms of how much effort the Death Eaters will put into killing you. If the Dark Lord wasn't aware of you before, he will be now," he warned him.
Black shrugged. "Bellatrix has wanted me dead for nearly thirty years now. She tried to kill me when I was eight, did you know that?"
"I was not aware, but that does sound like Bellatrix." Almost nothing would surprise him about Bellatrix.
"Anyway, I'm not concerned about the Death Eaters making more effort to kill me. I'll set it up so that Andromeda and Ted can take Malcolm if I'm killed and then Dumbledore can move them into hiding," Black said.
Severus knew that would be Lupin, but werewolves could not legally care for children, not even their own. "Please let me know if there is an issue with Malcolm and I will attempt to resolve it here."
"Same, I want to know if there's a problem if I'm actually going to be his guardian."
Severus nodded once. He still had his doubts, but Black at least seemed committed and aware of the potential difficulties that were coming.
"Shall we?" Black asked, gesturing at the door.
"After you," Severus said.
Black's mouth held just the hint of smirk as he passed Severus, but they made their way back into the hospital wing.
Severus held back while Albus introduced Black to the Family Services representative and checked on where Malcolm looked like he was at the end of what he could endure that day. Amberlyn seemed to recognize that as well and was standing up and dismissing the privacy ward.
"We'll be brief and then you can rest," Severus told them both as he approached, Black following. "This is Sirius Black. He will be petitioning for Malcolm's guardianship. This is Malcolm Baddock and Amberlyn Moores."
"Nice to meet you," Black said as he shook Amberlyn's hand, showing that he did have manners when he chose to use them. "Malcolm, you can call me Sirius. You look like you're just about done for the day, I know they've all been bothering you with questions, but if you want to talk now, we can, or if you want me to come back tomorrow, I can do that too."
Malcolm looked at Severus, his expression pleading.
"Mr. Black will be an adequate guardian, his home is very well warded. You will be safe there. If you want us to leave you alone now, we can have this discussion tomorrow. Or, if you have questions you want to ask now, you can ask." Severus told him.
Malcolm shook his head slightly. "I don't have any questions."
"That's fine then, we'll talk when you're ready to talk," Black said.
Poppy joined them. "I think we need to wrap up for the evening if you're all finished with everything that is urgent."
"I think we are. Malcolm, I'm going to come by again once we have a date for the hearing and we'll go over what's going to happen. If you need me before then, just ask Professor Snape or Madam Pomfrey, they both know how to reach me," Amberlyn said.
Slowly everyone except Severus, Poppy, and Malcolm made their way out of the hospital wing.
"Do you feel like you can eat?" Poppy asked.
Malcolm nodded.
"Let me get you something from the kitchen and you can take your potion with that and then you can get some more rest."
Malcolm looked up at Severus as Poppy hurried away. "Can Mr. Black really keep my father away?"
"Yes, he can. I've been in Mr. Black's home. It is very well warded and Mr. Black is also skilled at Defense," he assured him.
"And the court won't send me back to my father?"
"No, I don't believe that they will. You did very well today. I know it's not easy to talk about these things, especially with strangers."
Malcolm looked away.
"If you need me for anything, even if it's just someone to talk to or someone to sit by your bed, please let Madam Pomfrey know," Severus said, not sure what else to do that might help.
"Thank you, sir."
"I'll come by tomorrow morning and I will let you know if there are further developments. Goodnight." Severus backed away as Poppy approached and left the hospital wing. At least the process was started and they were no longer illegally harboring a kidnapped child.
Rachel watched as the Dark Lord strode toward her. She didn't have to be able to sense his emotions to know that he was angry.
"Return Malcolm Baddock to his father or there will be consequences that Dumbledore is unprepared to handle."
She straightened herself, feeling a small flush of anger. She'd dropped by Severus' quarters late in the evening to talk to him and she knew what the situation with Malcolm was. "Malcolm would have died if he hadn't run away and sought help. He's not going back to someone who was abusing him. Do you encourage your Death Eaters to do that?"
There was a brief flicker of surprise across the Dark Lord's features. "I do not encourage child abuse in any form. Pureblood children are to be treasured and raised with the appropriate ideals."
"What about Draco? Or Theo? Or Malcolm?" She folded her arms.
"Lucius overreacted and was punished for his failings. He regrets that he acted in haste," the Dark Lord said. "Ignatius told me he acted impulsively when Theodore ran away. He also regrets this and wants his son to return to him."
Rachel felt a small twinge of regret that she'd mentioned Theo. She didn't want the Dark Lord to think about Theo at all.
"As for Malcolm, what leads you to believe that Bertrand was abusing him?"
"I saw him myself. He looks ill. He was being starved. He was being abused." Severus hadn't told her any of the specifics, but she had understood what he wasn't saying. And she knew very well what someone looked like when they were being starved. "Malcolm ran away because he knew he was going to die if he stayed there. If you really don't believe in punishing children by hitting them or by using magic on them or by starving them, then you shouldn't want Malcolm to return to his father."
"I don't believe that children should be abused. As I may have mentioned, I was raised in an orphanage. We were often treated harshly by the staff. Being caned or strapped was not an uncommon experience for the children there." The Dark Lord looked distant for a moment before he refocused on Rachel. "And then, there is what happened to you. I am shocked that Severus hasn't righted that yet. I'm sure that you know by now that he was being beaten regularly by his own muggle father. Unfortunately the muggle died before Severus could have his revenge."
Rachel didn't know what to say to that. She knew Severus' father had died somewhere around the time he had finished at Hogwarts, but she didn't know how he'd died. "Severus arranged so that the men who were responsible for hurting me went to prison," she finally said, deciding to direct the conversation away from Severus' childhood and family.
"Pitiful. He should have killed them outright. Severus as I knew him would have had no compunctions about killing someone who had wronged him. You view him as a father, do you not?"
"I do," Rachel said, feeling the stirrings of guilt. She did view Severus as her father, but James was also her father. She could have two fathers, couldn't she? She loved them both, if in different ways.
The Dark Lord looked at her for a long moment. "What has he told you about the giving of the prophecy and the events thereafter?"
"I know that he's the one who overheard the prophecy and that he was the one who told it to you." She was glad Severus had told her that. She'd much rather have learned it from him than from the Dark Lord.
"And yet you still consider him your father, even though he is indirectly responsible for the deaths of your parents."
"Yes." Rachel managed to stop herself from pointing out that the Dark Lord was directly responsible for the deaths of her parents.
"I know you've seen what Death Eaters do. I can feel you watching me. Severus was absolutely ruthless. He killed without remorse. He held people under the Cruciatus curse until they couldn't remember their own names. Severus was mine. And let me tell you this, Severus never does anything without his own self interest in mind. Why do you believe he adopted you? What do you believe Severus wants with you?"
Rachel reminded herself that she already knew Severus had killed and tortured people, and that he regretted it.
"Well, answer me."
"I think he felt like he had to, like he owed my mom," Rachel said, having suspected that for some time now. She also knew that while it may have started out that way, that Severus had come to care for her in more than just her connection to her mom.
"He was infatuated with your mother, something I could not cure him of no matter what I tried. Does it not disturb you that you are a replacement for your mother?" The Dark Lord looked intently at her.
Rachel met his eyes. "He knows I'm not my mom. And Severus wants the same thing I do, for the war to be over."
"That is his superficial want, yes, but he wants far more than that. He wants power. When he could not find the power he wanted with me, he left to someone who thought would give him more power. When he realizes Dumbledore cannot provide the power he wants, he will leave again. I would be surprised if Severus does not already have plans in place. What happens to you then?"
"I go wherever Severus goes," she said without hesitation.
"For someone who has been through what you have, you are still helplessly naive. You must learn to assess what people want from you and decide how much you are willing to give. If you give away everything, then you are nothing more than a pawn to be used. Dumbledore is using both you and Severus. Severus is allowing himself to be used for now, but he has not given anything away. You must decide what you want. You must take a more active role in your life rather than be swept along by someone else's currents."
The thing was that what the Dark Lord was saying wasn't terrible life advice, if she didn't already know exactly what the rest of her life looked like.
"I must go. I will speak with Bertrand and discover the truth."
"What will you do once you find out?" Rachel asked.
"If Malcolm was kidnapped by Dumbledore, then I will be back to negotiate for his release. If Bertrand was abusing Malcolm, then I will deal with the situation."
"You're like Professor Dumbledore, right? You can always tell when someone is lying to you?" she asked, knowing that she could lie to him, but she also suspected that was a result of either them being here in her mind or her occlumency shield.
"That is a gift we share, yes. I assure you, I will discover the truth." The Dark Lord looked at her for what felt like a long time. "I suggest you take the time to search for your own truth."
He disappeared a moment later and then Rachel woke up with a start.
She sucked in air as she reoriented herself. She was in bed. The Dark Lord was gone. That hadn't gone exactly well, but it definitely could have gone worse.
As she focused on breathing slowly and letting her heart stop racing, she considered what she was going to write in her book. She was reluctant to write the parts about Severus. She knew that Professor Dumbledore knew what Severus had done during the war, but she also didn't want to bring that up. She wanted to protect Severus, no matter how irrational that feeling was.
They needed to know that the Dark Lord wanted Malcolm back. And she could skip over the parts about Severus' past. Just mentioning that he was still trying to build mistrust between her and Severus and Professor Dumbledore should be enough.
Calmer, Rachel sat up and found her wand, her two-way book, and her quill. After casting a warming charm on her blankets, Rachel settled in to write out the conversation as best she could and to remind herself that that everything was just the same as it had been a few hours ago, she was just feeling a little uneasy right now.
"I'm sorry that I didn't have time to have dinner with you yesterday," Severus said as he sat down at the table.
"It's fine, I understand what you were taking care of," Rachel told him, watching as the plates of beef casserole and stewed vegetables appeared. This was far from her favorite meal, but she could eat most of it. "Did you see the conversation I had with the Dark Lord last night?"
Severus stood back up. "I did not, I'll go get my book."
"You don't have to, it was fine," she told him, poking at the casserole with her fork.
Severus hesitated for a long moment and then sat back down. "Is there anything I should know now?"
"He said he didn't know that Malcolm was being abused; he said that he doesn't condone child abuse." She looked at Severus, trying to read what he thought.
Severus' expression didn't change, he still looked somewhat grim and thoughtful. "It's possible that he doesn't in theory. Most people would say that they don't condone child abuse, but there are those who simply don't view their punishments as abuse. I doubt Bertrand believes he is a child abuser."
Rachel sat with that, her mind spinning over the idea. When she was younger, she hadn't really thought there was something wrong with the way she was treated. She thought she'd been treated that way because that's how kids were treated when someone other than their parents was forced to raise them. And because she hadn't been good enough. She wasn't what they had wanted. She supposed it was possible that her aunt and uncle had simply felt they were treating her the way she was supposed to be treated under those circumstances. What did that mean though? If people really felt that way, then how did it ever stop?
She knew she couldn't have changed the situation with her relatives. She hadn't had any control there. But her aunt and uncle were just living their lives like nothing had ever happened and she was stuck like this. She knew she had made the choice not to go to the muggle police about her uncle, and she still felt that decision was the right one, but she wanted them to at least know what they'd done to her was wrong.
"I know that this is a difficult subject and that it's hard for you when the Dark Lord brings it up," Severus said, breaking the silence. "And I'm sure hearing about what happened to Malcolm is an unwelcome reminder for you as well. It's somewhat of an uncomfortable reminder for me as well."
"What's going to happen to Malcolm?" she asked, though her mind was now going back to what the Dark Lord had said about Severus' father.
"Same as what happened with Theo. There will be a hearing at Family Services. Albus is confident that Family Services is free from Death Eater influence and we have a great deal of evidence against Bertrand. Malcolm already has an advocate working with him. Black is applying to be Malcolm's guardian so that we can hide Malcolm at headquarters. Just like you and Draco, the Death Eaters will abduct him given any opportunity."
"I told the Dark Lord that Malcolm's father was abusing him. He acted like he didn't know. He said that he would talk with Malcolm's father, and either he would do something about the situation or that he would come back to negotiate for us to send Malcolm back. What do you think he means that he would do something about the situation? Is Malcolm's father an occlumens? Can he lie to the Dark Lord? Will they let Sirius be Malcolm's guardian?"
Severus held up his hand. "Let's address those one at a time. Given that Black is considered an upstanding member of the Wizengamot and has the support of both Albus and Amelia Bones, I think it's very likely his petition for guardianship will be granted. Albus will call Scrimgeour into it if need be, but Family Services will listen to what Amelia says is in the best interests of the child."
Rachel rather expected that was how her adoption was accomplished as well.
"As for Bertrand, last I knew he was an occlumens, but not a powerful one. I find it doubtful that he'd be able to successfully lie to the Dark Lord. As for what the Dark Lord would do about it, there are a number of possibilities, ranging from murder and torture and beyond. I suspect he won't do either, Bertrand is a fairly powerful figure in the Wizengamot even if he doesn't have the level of wealth of the Malfoys. Likely the Dark Lord will punish him for giving him incomplete information and that will be the end of it. Did the Dark Lord indicate how he intended to negotiate for Malcolm?"
"He just said that Professor Dumbledore wouldn't be prepared to deal with the consequences if we didn't return Malcolm. We're not sending him back, right? Regardless of what the Dark Lord does?" she pressed, wanting to be sure.
"We will not send Malcolm back. If it's not safe to keep him at Hogwarts we will move him to headquarters. If it reaches the point where we're worried about incursions into the castle, we may have to send you and Draco there as well," he said, his mouth in a grim line.
She inhaled and then exhaled slowly like Torey had taught her. "I thought we already made sure they couldn't get into the castle? Isn't that what they did over the summer?" Her heart was beating a little faster now.
"We have closed every possibility we can think of. The chances of the Death Eaters breaching the castle are slim."
"But we thought that last year too," she said, understanding the problem.
"Yes, precisely. I will protect you, Rachel. I promise. But that may mean protecting you somewhere other than at Hogwarts."
"I think for right now it's alright though, isn't it?" She didn't want to leave Hogwarts, but she would if she was putting everyone else in danger.
"For right now, I believe you are safe enough within the school," he agreed. "Do you feel safe enough within the school?"
"Better than last year. I know the possibility of danger is still there, and none of us has dismissed the threat, but I haven't seen anything that suggests I'm about to be attacked."
"Good. Continue to keep watch. Is there anything else I should know about that conversation with the Dark Lord?"
Rachel pressed her lips together as she considered what she was going to say. "You know how he was trying to get me not to trust Professor Dumbledore? Now he's trying to do it with you too. He brought up the fact that you were the one who told him the prophecy. And he talked about some of the things you did as a Death Eater. I didn't write that in the book. I didn't want Professor Dumbledore to see that."
"I appreciate what you were trying to do, but you can write those things in the book. It's important for Albus to know what the Dark Lord is trying to do. And Albus already knows about the things I did as a Death Eater. As part of the conditions of me joining him, I had to open my mind to him. He saw first hand the things that I'd done."
She looked at him, wondering if she should even bring this up. "You told me that no one should ever be required or coerced into letting someone into their mind."
"I know. And I stand by that. You are the person who gets to decide who is let into your mind, no one else. I made the decision to allow Albus into my mind. It wasn't something that I wanted to do, but I understood it. He couldn't have a spy from the Dark Lord in the Order. He had to see that my desire to leave the Death Eaters was genuine. If I was in his position, I would have made the same demand."
Rachel could see that what he was saying contradicted itself, but she wasn't sure if Severus could see that. Anyway, his relationship with Professor Dumbledore was his own business. As long as Professor Dumbledore wasn't demanding that she let him into her mind, then Severus could make his own decisions there.
"Did you have questions about what the Dark Lord told you about me?" Severus asked.
"No, it was all things you had already told me." And she wasn't going to ask about the part with his father. Severus deserved his privacy.
"If you do have questions, you can always ask me. I won't lie to you."
She nodded. "I don't really want this casserole."
Severus looked down at his own plate. "I don't particularly feel like casserole either. What would you eat?"
"Maybe a jacket potato," she said. "Madam Pomfrey says I should drink more juice instead of tea."
"That would not be a bad idea. I'll call the kitchens and get us something different to eat. Do you want a specific dessert?" he asked.
"Not really."
Severus watched her, seeming to weigh what he was going to say. "I've noticed over the past year or so you've stopped eating sweets. Do you know why?"
Rachel shrugged. The truth was that chocolate just didn't sit very easily with her anymore. At first she'd thought it had just been chocolate frogs, but it seemed now that she had a hard time bringing herself to eat sweet things. "I don't know. It's just difficult."
"Something perhaps to bring up with Torey," he suggested as he stood.
"Maybe. Torey and I already have plenty to talk about."
"You are still comfortable with seeing her?"
"Yes. She helps me." She did not want to see a different Mind Healer.
"As long as she is helping you." Severus left the table and went to the fireplace to order different food.
Rachel sighed and tried to contain all of her worried thoughts. If she was about to eat, then she needed to feel less crowded in her mind.
"I received the last of the ingredients for the animagus potions on Friday," Severus said as he returned to the table. "I should be free to supervise the brewing of the potion on the morning of the seventh. It will take approximately four hours to brew, so we should begin no later than eight thirty in the morning."
That was the best news she'd heard in at least a couple of weeks. "Good. I'll tell my friends and Professor McGonagall. What do you think I'm going to be?"
"I don't know. I am looking forward to seeing you in your form once you've mastered the process. Becoming an animagus is no small feat and I know you and your friends have been preparing for years now."
"We have," she said. It would be nice to complete this project. She wanted to tie up as many loose ends as possible before she died. Their food appeared in front of them. Rachel had a jacket potato and a bowl of applesauce, Severus had a plate of shepherd's pie. She began eating, even though her stomach was turning a little bit. She needed to eat and go, she had another NEWT review to get to tonight.