Lily's Defender, Part 2
By Alethea27 and TheOneAndOnlyEnigma
Disclaimer: All previous disclaimers apply
Summary: With the Grimoire in safe hands and James Potter expelled, Severus Snape, Lily Evans, and their friends expected that their remaining time at Hogwarts would be smooth sailing. Unfortunately, the intentions of a few detestable individuals will make their lives more arduous. With the help of a few new friends, they all must join together to fight against the rising tide of evil in the Wizarding World.
Past Mistakes and Future Results
Dumbledore sat behind his desk, working on the inevitable paperwork that seem to pile up the moment he took his eyes off of it. He glanced at the window and sighed. It was a beautiful summer day and he longed to be outside, walking among the flowers Hagrid had planted last fall. Unfortunately, he was unable to due to the fact that he had sent off an owl to the Yalarad's yesterday, requesting a meeting, and they had replied promptly that they would be there at 10:30 the next morning.
He glanced at the Grandfather clock in his office and noticed it was 10:30 on the dot and that was when his floo sounded. He got up and went over to his fireplace to see Sherwood's and Marcus's heads sitting in the green flames. "Sherwood, Marcus, it's good to see you again. Please step through."He stepped back so they could come through.
After removing any ashes from their clothing as etiquette demanded, the two Yalarad's stepped out of the floo. Dumbledore motioned them to a sofa that sat by the windows. He called his elf, Twinky, and ordered tea and refreshments. She popped out, but popped back in a few minutes, levitating a tray with a tea service on it and a plate of freshly baked Ginger Snaps. "They is just baked, Headmaster," she said, indicating the plate of cookies.
"Thank you very much, Twinky, your service is invaluable," Dumbledore replied, taking the tray from her. She nodded happily and then popped out again. Dumbledore set the tray down on the coffee table in front of the couch, poured tea, handing the cups around. "This is a new flavor a former student of Horace's who has a tea shop sent him and he urged me to try it," he said as he passed the plate of cookies around.
He sat down in a chair on the side of the couch and took a sip of his tea and a bite of his cookie before saying, "I spoke with Madam Maxime and discussed what I had learned from her with Professor McGonagall and we both agreed that Dante should be allowed to come back to Hogwarts to complete his last year."
Sherwood smiled at what Dumbledore had said, and Marcus relaxed noticeably at that announcement. Dumbledore thought it strange, but put down his cup and continued, "Madam Maxime relayed to me that the professors at Beauxbatons had said Dante has a gift for languages and that he was very helpful with the younger children. I was very happy to hear that he apparently did learn from the unfortunate incident that happened here."
After a half-hour of polite talk and enjoyment of Dumbledore's tea, the Yalarad's excused themselves and flooed back to Applewood Manor. Twinky popped in to clean up and then popped out again. Dumbledore stood in front of his floo, debating whether he should shut if off, but then decided against it. After all, Charles probably would not find out for a least a couple of weeks unless one of the Yalarad's let it slip which he was sure would not happen because Sherwood would caution his family not to say anything.
Dumbledore sighed and sat down back down behind his desk. He hoped this coming school year would be a quiet one. He promised himself a walk around the grounds when he finished his paperwork.
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
It was a few days removed from the dinner that was hosted at Applewood Manor. Alexandria Yalarad was sitting in the living room at her desk going over the second-quarter earnings that her Father in Law's business made.
A few years before Sam entered Hogwarts, Alexandria took an offer to join Sherwood in his import/export business, Sherwood Imports. After Silas passed away, she felt as if she needed something to keep her mind occupied as well as being a single mother. So this was a welcome change.
There was a knock upon the entryway into the living room. Alexandria looked up to see her eldest son Samuel with a couple of packed bags.
"Going somewhere?"
"Well, I should hope so. I'm going to see Aunt Gertrude for a week."
Alexandria looked surprised, "Is it that time already?" She looked at her calendar and saw the note she made when Sam would be gone to visit Gertrude. "So it is."
She got up from her desk and went over to Samuel. "Give me a hug."
Sam smiled and gave his mother a warm hug. "I'll have Aunt Gertrude's owl, Hermes, send you a message when I get there."
"Have you got everything dear?" Alexandria asked her son.
"Yes, mum," Sam smirked.
"Clothes for the week?"
Sam patted the side of his knapsack. "Right here!"
"Your wand?"
Sam pulled out his wand, his 12-inch brown alder wand; the top of the wand carved into the head of a stallion with runes carved down halfway of its length.
Alexandria racked her brain, thinking if Sam might have forgotten something. "Oh! Did you pack fresh underwear?"
"Mum!" Sam grew red around his cheeks in embarrassment as he put his wand away.
"Okay, okay." Alexandria walked back to her desk and retrieved a small box from it. Inside was the portkey that would allow Sam to travel to his Aunt Gertrude's. "Do you remember how to use this?"
"Of course Mum, it's simple! Kids stuff!"
Alexandria smiled and handed it to him. "I'll see you off then."
She escorted Sam outside of Applewood Manor, onto the lush green grass. He took the portkey out of the box. It was a small crystalline figure of a panther. "Love you, mum! I'll be back in a week!"
"Be sure to owl me that you got there safely!" Alexandria called back.
Sam held onto the figure and began spinning away, and was soon gone out of sight.
Alexandria sighed and made her way back into the house. Before she made it to the front steps. A pop was heard on the other side of the manor. Alexandria went to investigate, and found her brother, Oslo, brushing off his pants.
"Ozzy? This is certainly a surprise. What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you of course! How are things? How's my lovely niece, and my strong nephews?"
"Well, Sam went to visit Aunt Gertrude."
Oslo perked up upon hearing that. "Is it that time already?"
Alexandria nodded her head. "Aye. Care for a cup of tea?"
"I would, thank you."
The two siblings went inside to the kitchen and sat at the island counter. Alexandria put the kettle on the stove and went to sit, with her brother, at the island counter. "Have you heard anything from Marcus, or Sherwood yet?"
"Nay, I haven't heard a word." Oslo shook his head.
Alexandria sat upon a stool and crossed her arms. "May I speak freely with you Ozzy?"
"Of course you can," Oslo said.
Alexandria sighed. "I hope that Dante doesn't get readmitted."
Ozzy raised an eye at what his sister confessed. "You think that if Dante came back he'd get into the exact same mischief that he was in previously."
Alexandria shook her head.
Ozzy looked at Alexandria closer. "You think he might hurt Sammy, Lyta, and Augie?"
The water in the kettle began to get hot as steam flowed from its spout."That's…" She sighed in frustration. "Yes."
Oslo leaned back onto the island. "I get where you're coming from, but I don't think that you've got anything to worry about. From what I heard from Nora, Dante's mellowed out over at Beauxbatons. However, I'll tell Renner to keep an eye out for them."
Alexandria relaxed and breathed a small sigh of relief. "Thank you, Oslo."
Ozzy grinned, "Even if he's a few years younger then 'im, Renner is a lot larger than Dante. He'll put him, and his friends on their arses, if need be."
Alexandria smirked, "I'd rather things not get physical, but I appreciate it, Ozzy."
"Don't worry about it Xandy," Oslo used Aleaxdria's childhood nickname.
It was at that moment when Sherwood came through the floo in the study, "Hello? Hello, Alexandria?"
"In here Sherwood!" She called out to her father in law. "Oslo is here as well!"
Sherwood walked in to greet them. "Oh splendid, this saves me a couple of floo calls."
The kettle began to softly whistle. "What's the news about Dante?" Oslo asked The Head of House Yalarad.
"Dumbledore has, fortunately, seen the changes and progress that Dante has made and has allowed him to return to Hogwarts to complete his education there."
The kettle whistled loudly, and with a wave of her hand, the kettle roughly came off of the flame. Alexandria walked over to the stove to turn the fire off. "Great! That's...just swell!" She opened the cupboard and retrieved a few teabags, "Care for some tea, Sherwood?" Alexandria offered to her Father-in-law.
"Yes please!" Sherwood smiled as he walked into the kitchen.
What Sherwood didn't notice was something that Oslo did. This bit of news did not excite Alexandria, not one bit.
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
All of Severus' friends came to visit him for the last two weeks in July. Vesper and Marius didn't mind, in fact, they were reminded of all the times Eileen had had her many friends visiting, especially her best friends Walburga Black, Silas Yalarad and Gabriel Schell.
The kids sat at a table on the patio in back. They had just finished a game of Quidditch with Severus, Dorian, Alice and Frank on one team and Sirius, Reg, Caddaric, and Remus on the other while Peter and Irene were the referees. Irene, like Lily, wasn't all that fond of brooms and preferred to stay on the ground.
Vesper came out on the patio. She was dressed in a new robe she had purchased from Twilfit & Tattings. "Severus, I'm going to Diagon Alley to meet your Grandfather for lunch. Mitzi will serve lunch whenever you get hungry. Do you need anything while I'm in Diagon Alley?"
Severus shook his head in answer to his grandma's question then laughed. "It might be awhile before we're hungry, Grandma." He waved his hands at the array of snacks Mitzi had brought them after their Quidditch match.
"She said to let her know whenever you are ready."
"Okay, Grandma," Severus said. "Have a good lunch."
"I will," Vesper replied with a wave. The truth is she and Marius were meeting Paul and Hyacinth Evans. They had sent their owl requesting a meeting and it seemed as if it might be important.
Frank, Sirius, Reg, Caddaric, and Remus were telling Severus about their encounter with James in Diagon Alley.
"Potter's old man called my dad and told him he wanted me punished for ganging up on James and beating him up," Frank sneered. "He threatened to call his solicitor if I wasn't punished and dad told him to go ahead and shut off our Floo on him!"
"Yeah, he did the same to us," Sirius said. "We told Mum and Dad what happened. I got confined to my room for the next day, but it was because I lost my temper."
Caddaric and Remus nodded and Caddaric said, "I think he must have called all of our parents. Mine just laughed in his face then shut off the floo!"
"Nobody takes James' dad seriously anymore especially since that time he was found wandering around Hogwarts drunk or because one of his spells backfired," Remus pointed out. "Dumbledore had to call the Knight's Bus to take him back to Potter Manor."
"Not to mention him telling that whopper about Professor Gold and what happened at the Mullioned Moon!" Dorian said, chuckling. "That certainly didn't improve his reputation any!"
Reg shook his head. "He deserved the punch in the nose Siri gave him. He was deliberately trying to hurt Pete."
"He was," Pete agreed with a shudder. "He had me down and was getting right in my face!"
Irene looked around studying her friend's demeanor's before speaking. "Did you guys hear Dante Yalarad might be coming back?" She asked.
Everybody's faces dropped in shock especially Remus'. If Dante ever found out about his condition, he'd make his life a living hell! He wasn't even sure if Cassidy Dohrety might already know.
Severus nodded. "Sebastian Holmes told me. Lily and I ran into him in Brighton. His grandparents have a small restaurant there and he was catching fish for the dinner that night."
"James' mum called mine and was ranting and raving because Dumbledore was considering re-admitting him to Hogwarts and she was pissed because Dumbledore refused to allow James to come back," Irene explained. "James heard it from Sam Yalarad's younger brother who's in the same junior Quidditch league as James."
"Didn't he have the reputation of being a bully and that why he was asked to leave?" Alice asked.
Frank nodded. "Yeah, there was an incident of sorts with a first year, I think, and that's why he was asked to leave. I remember mum saying he was a bad seed and she fully expected him, sooner or later, to be occupying one of the Ministry's cells."
Pete shuddered. He was sure to be one of Dante's victims because of his illness. He knew his parents weren't wealthy and couldn't afford to hire a tutor for him for the year, but he didn't want to be constantly looking over his shoulder or peeking around corners either. That kind of stress was not good for his asthma either.
"Dohrety's got the reins at the moment," Sirius pointed out. "Not sure he'll want to turn them back over to Dante."
"Sebastian also explained why Sam plowed into me on the train," Severus said. "Apparently that was an order from Dante to Cassidy to let me know they have their eyes on me. He said Sam apparently doesn't have much backbone when it comes to his cousin."
"So what it boils down to is we get rid of James, but now we've got to watch out for somebody who's worse than James," Reg said with a sigh.
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
Vesper flooed to the Leaky Cauldron and looked around the room as she stepped out of the Floo to see if the Evans' had arrived yet, but didn't see them. She decided to visit Slug & Jiggers to purchase some potion ingredients she was in need of first and then go back to the Leaky Cauldron, but Marius surprised her by coming to Slug & Jiggers first. "I suspected you might be in here." He had been in court all morning and had changed out of his court robes before going to meet his wife. Vesper paid for her purchases, shrunk the package and put it in her purse then took her husband's arm. They walked back to the Leaky Cauldron, both enjoying the beautiful weather. It was always nice when it was not raining. Marius and Vesper entered the Leaky and immediately spotted Paul and Cinthy sitting at a table in a more private area of the inn.
"Hello," Marius said, shaking Paul's hand. "We're looking forward to having Lily visiting us in a couple of weeks."
Cinthy smiled and replied, "Lily always looks forward to her visits to Mirrorvale, too."
They ordered lunch and after it was delivered by Tom, Vesper asked, "What did you want to visit with us about? The note you sent with your owl sounded rather urgent."
Cinthy and Paul looked at each other. Salem had advised them to just give a straightforward account. Paul cleared his throat and explained, "We've noticed that Lily and Sev are becoming much closer as they're getting older now and we love Sev as if he were our own son, but ..." He looked at his wife as if he didn't know quite what to say next.
"I was looking for Sev and Lily one night during our vacation and Paul said he thought they were on the front porch so I peeked out the window to see if they were and I saw they were wrapped in each other's arms and kissing quite passionately," Cinthy paused and Paul picked up the explanation. "At this point, Muggle parents usually have a talk with their children about ...hormones and their effects."
"I see," Vesper said nodding. "We certainly don't want them getting themselves in any trouble when their this young."
"Teenagers can be pretty unpredictable at this age," Cinthy said sympathetically.
"We planned to talk to Lily tonight," Paul said.
"We will talk to Severus once his friends leave and before Lily comes to visit," Marius assured them. "We do not want to see them get into trouble because they do not know any better either."
"And we will also keep a closer eye on them while Lily is visiting," Vesper promised. "Thank you for saying you love Severus as if he was your own son."
"I was Toby's supervisor at the Mill and he was a good man. I'll never forget the day he was killed and I'll never forget how devastated Sev was," Paul replied.
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
Black Leif apparated into the middle of a Scottish Moor cloaked in a thick fog. According to Andre Warner, this was the place.
It took a lot of effort on Black Leif's part to get the information that he needed. Andre wasn't too forthcoming with the information. It took Marius coming into his storefront at Thesaurum Row and talked to him about why he needed to speak with Gabriel.
After that, Andre gave the information to find Gabriel. He told them, that this was the last known location for Gabriel, and that if he had packed up and left, he wouldn't known where he could be now.
Black Leif pulled out his wand and illuminated the path in front of him. "Vitae Nebula!"
After uttering that incarnation, the fog began to lift. Once it disappeared, Leif looked around the grasslands until he saw a hill in the distance. There on its peak was an encampment. He began walking towards it.
He saw that it was a tent, a magical one at that. Seeing as how there was a chimney stemming from the roof. It was a very large tent, but Leif knew that it was even larger on the inside.
He walked up to the encampment and noticed the homemade wooden fence surrounding the property. It was made up of several long brown, moss-covered logs. It looked crudely crafted with perhaps a hand ax.
There were several goats and sheep grazing on the front lawn. Some chickens were pecking at a small pile of birdseed.
There was an outhouse a few yards away from the tent, it looked like the outhouse was created with a bit more care. Leif noticed that there was a fire-pit a few paces outside the entrance of the tent. He leaned down to examine the fire-pit. There were a few embers still flickering in the pit. There was a stand and a hook over the fire-pit.
Leif heard noises coming from inside, he put his wand away and entered the tent. As he made his way inside he noticed how roomy this tent was. There were three adjacent rooms, a good size kitchen area with a stove top, and a large living room filled with furniture, a couple of bookcases, and the fireplace being the center fixture.
Before the fireplace, was a figure huddled before the fireplace. Black Leif couldn't see the full visage of the person in front of the fire as he was covered in some sort of thick blanket to keep them warm, but he assumed it was Gabriel Schell. He slowly approached the figure.
"You're a hard man to find, do you know that?" Black Leif smirked, "But even the best well-hidden individual can't stay hidden for long."
The figure stiffened in place, caught unaware by Black Leif.
"Gabriel Schell, I've been looking for you for quite a while. I have a message for you."
The figure turned around, and Black Leif was quite surprised by who it was. Young Samuel Yalarad was staring right at his former Professor in shock,
Black Leif asked Sam, "Sam Yalarad? What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing, Professor Magnusson!" Sam's eyes then widened.
Black Leif felt the twin barrels of a loaded double-barrel shotgun press up against the side of his neck. "So could I." Leif heard the cocking of both barrels, signifying that the shotgun was primed, and ready to fire. Black Leif took great care not to move; apart from his arms that were slowly rising above his head.
"Gabriel, wait! He's not…"
"Sami, please. Not, now." Gabriel Schell gritted through his teeth.
The wizard that stood before Black Leif was not at all how Lord Marius described him to be. Instead of his clean-cut hair, and trimmed beard, he had long, brown, unkempt hair, and his beard was a mess.
Where his muscular body was supposed to be, there was a slimmer body. While not skeletal by any means, he just wasn't in the peak physical condition that he once was in. His clothing were old and tattered. He was dressed as a rancher, a wizard living his life as a Muggle.
"Disarm yourself," Gabriel commanded of his intruder.
Black Leif, knowing he was at a disadvantage promptly did so. Within seconds, his wand, knives, and other assorted weaponry were upon the floor at Gabriel's feet.
Gabriel pulled out his wand, a 13-inch ebony elm, and banished the weaponry to another place where they could be retrieved at a later time. Black Leif's wand, he put in his own pocket.
With his shotgun still pointed at the Black Cloak, he motioned for him to take a seat on the couch in front of the couch. Black Leif obeyed his command and sat down.
"Gabriel there's no need for this. I know Professor Magnusson, he's not a threat… well, not in the normal sense," Sam tried to diffuse the situation.
"Magnusson?" Gabriel examined the Black Cloak before him. "What's your name, Black Cloak?"
"My name is Leif Magnusson, I am a Black Cloak in service to Lord Marius Prince."
Gabriel's eyes widened at the mention of Marius' name. Sam was looking at the situation wondering what was transpiring.
After a brief moment of silence, Gabriel asked, "Marius sent you?"
"He did. I was charged to find you and deliver you a message." Leif explained.
Gabriel uncocked his shotgun and unloaded it. "Forgive me, I don't get too many visitors up this way, and when you said Magnusson...well you know who I thought of." He put the shotgun back onto its display above the fireplace. "Andre tell you where I was?"
"It took Lord Marius explaining to him that it was urgent that he talk to you, for him to give us your coordinates."
Gabriel smirked, "Even though he was meek, Andre is still a Lion. So, what is this message that needed to be delivered." He turned to face his second visitor.
"I don't know the details myself, but Lord Marius has requested that you return to Mirrorvale. There he will explain more in detail."
Gabriel nodded, "I have my godson with me for the remainder of the week, When he goes home, I will return there." He gave Leif back his wand. "I'll bring your other weapons back when I come on by."
"Thank you, Mr. Schell." Black Leif looked over at Sam and nodded. "Young Lord."
"Please Professor Magnusson, you can call me Sam."
"Thank you, Sam. You don't have to call me Professor, I'm not your teacher any longer."
Sam rubbed the back of his head, "Force of habit I guess."
Black Leif stood up, "Well. If there is nothing else. I believe that I will be on my way."
Gabriel looked at the Black Cloak. "Would you like to stay for some tea?"
"Thank you, but no. I am needed back home. I've left my share of the duties solely on my brother for far too long." After a quick farewell, Black Leif made his way outside and apparated back to Mirrorvale, his task accomplished.
Gabriel watched as Black Leif apparated away. "Why now?" He muttered to himself.
"What's that Gabriel?" Sam asked, not hearing what his godfather said underneath his breath.
"Why now?" He repeated himself. "After all this time, after everything that's happened. Why now?"
Sam sat in his seat and looked at the floor. "I don't know, Gabriel."
"Eh, it doesn't matter." He turned to his godson. "Maybe it'll do me some good. To see some familiar faces, even if it's for a short while."
"Maybe, longer?" Sam asked in a hopeful tone.
"Maybe," Gabriel heard a tapping at the window and saw the usual owl with the Daily Prophet. He went over to the window and opened it. Gabriel took the newspaper from the owl, fed it a small piece of bacon he'd cooked up earlier that day, and put a sickle into the bag around the owl's left claw.
The owl flew off and Gabriel opened the newspaper to read the front-page headlines. 'Lord Abraxas Malfoy Dead, aged 64.'
Sam noticed the gobstruck look on Gabriel's' normally reserved face. "Gabriel? What is it? What's wrong?"
"It's over," Gabriel muttered to himself.
"What? What did you say," Sam asked his godfather.
Gabriel read over the rest of the article. It reported that for the past month Lord Abraxas Malfoy, of the ancient and noble house, died after a long battle against Dragon Pox. That he caught the disease after a trip abroad to the orient, and that he never recovered from it.
After re-reading that article another four times, a dead weight lifted off his shoulders. For the first time in a long while, he could breathe easy. The last enemy had been defeated. It took several years, but they got there.
Gabriel smiled, "Sammy."
"Yes, Gabriel?"
"When you go home, I'll be coming with you."
Sam's eyes widened. Gabriel had never left his ranch before. "Really?! How long are you going to be staying with us at Applewood Manor?"
"Just long enough until I find my own place somewhere in England."
"Wait," Sam walked over to his godfather. "You mean you're not just visiting? Y-You're coming back?! Permanently?"
Gabriel looked Sam in his eyes and nodded. "It's time I return to the life I left behind."
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
Lily's face was definitely flushed when she left her dad's study after her parent's "talk". She climbed the stairs to go back to her bedroom. Petunia was coming out of her bedroom, but stopped when she saw Lily. "Mum and Dad had the talk with you, I see."
Lily looked surprised. "How did you know, Tuney?"
Petunia grinned. "Because I looked exactly how you do now when I got it." She opened her door and motioned for Lily to come inside.
Lily came inside and they both sat down on Petunia's bed. "I didn't know what to say so I just listened, but I didn't even realize they were worried about Sev and me."
"I think they would have had it now with you anyway whether you and Severus were together or not."
Lily nodded. "It probably a good thing mum and dad did because when I had lunch with Beth and Cathy last week, they were telling me about a former classmate of ours who had gotten into trouble and had to drop out of school. I wouldn't want anything like that to happen to me and Sev."
"I was your age when they had it with me and I didn't even have a boyfriend then so you can imagine how embarrassed I was!" Petunia replied with a laugh.
Lily smiled at Petunia's laughter. She squeezed Petunia's hand. "I'm going to really miss you when you go back to Paris next month."
"I'll write though," Petunia promised.
"It's not like having you right here though," Lily replied. "I know that's selfish of me."
"No, it's not when you think back to how awful and jealous I was towards you and Severus at one time, especially after you got your Hogwarts letter. I thought you wouldn't want anything to do with me because I wasn't magical, too."
"No amount of magic could ever replace my big sister!" Lily declared, giving Petunia a hug which Petunia returned. "And even with magic, I don't have the talent you have for choosing clothes and knowing what goes with what."
Petunia got up and opened the door to her closet and took out a large tablet. "Actually, these are just something I've been doing in my spare time,"Petunia explained. She opened it to show Lily the dress designs she'd drawn then shrugged. "When women come into the store, I always know what dress, shoes, or hat will look best on them, but then I think what if I could make them look even better."
"This a great idea, Tuney!" Lily squealed as she turned the pages of the tablet. "If you can turn these into dress patterns then mum can sew them and I can be your model so you can see what your designs would look like on a real person!"
Petunia's eyes moistened. "You know, it's because of your magic that I'm who I am now. I might have ended up marrying some horrible person like that Vernon Dursley with his horrible sister, but I'm an entirely different person now. I like who I am and I'm lucky enough to have found Salem, too."
"It wasn't my magic, it was you finding yourself, Tuney," Lily said as they hugged again. "It might have taken you longer, but you did it."
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
Severus was sitting cross-legged on a bench outside in the dark. It was so quiet now that his friends had left again, but they had all agreed to meet in Diagon Alley to go school shopping next month.
Dorian had received a message from Tav via one of his grandfather's Pegasus's, that a cousin of his, who attended Beauxbatons, had heard that Dante Yalarad was going to be finishing his seventh year at Hogwarts. As Dorian and Tav were a year older than the others, they both remembered the incident that resulted in Dante being asked to leave. Dorian wrote him back that they'd heard Dumbledore was considering it, but no word on whether he'd made a final decision.
Severus thoughts returned to Lily and the conversation he'd had with his grandparents. He wondered what had prompted them to have this particular conversation now. He was just thinking of going back to his room and sending off a note to Lily, asking if she had any clue.
The door behind him opened and Marius called, "Severus?"
"Right here, Grandpa."
Marius came outside and sat down beside him. He cleared his throat and said, "I hope your grandmother and I did not embarrass you too much, but we had the same talk with your mother around this age and I taught her a spell to keep away her more persistent suitors."
Severus smiled then replied a bit sadly, "I guess dad would have had it with me if he were alive now."
Marius nodded and said, "I think Toby probably would have done a better job of it, too. I am afraid we are a little out of practice."
"How come you decided to have it now?" Severus asked curiously.
"This is the age at when young men start viewing young ladies as more than just friends and we thought it wise not to risk you and Lily possibly getting yourselves into any trouble."
Severus thought about what his grandfather was saying. There was no doubt his feelings for Lily had changed from being just a friend to much more than that. He grinned. "How did mum react?"
Marius chuckled. "She was embarrassed also. Did I ever tell you about your mother's best friends?"
Severus shook his head.
"Her best girlfriend was Walburga Black."
"Sirius' mum?" Severus asked in amazement. "How come he was so nasty to me then?"
"I think that was a combination of Sirius rebelling and James Potter's influence, but fortunately for him, he has been able to learn to control himself better and he broke away from James' influence." Marius paused. "Eileen's other two best friends were Silas Yalarad, who, of course, was Sam's father and Gabriel Schell. Silas and Gabriel became Aurors, but Silas was killed shortly after your mother and by the same people. Gabriel dropped of sight after that."
"I wonder if Sam knows," Severus remarked. He turned to his grandfather, "Irene said she heard Dante Yalarad might be coming back to Hogwarts. Her mum is a cousin to Mrs. Potter and she said Mrs. Potter called her mum and was ranting about Dante coming back and James not being allowed to."
"I have not heard if Dumbledore has made a final decision about it," Marius replied. He searched Severus face and then asked, "Does that worry you, Severus?"
"Maybe, a little because I've heard that he hates Slytherins, but I'm also worried about Remus and Pete. He could make their lives a living hell and that's not good for either of them, especially Pete with his asthma."
Marius put his arm around Severus' shoulders. "I promise to keep a close eye on things, Severus, and if he makes any threatening moves towards you, any of your friends, or anyone else for that matter, let me know immediately and I will stop it at once."
"I promise," Severus replied.
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
Silverwood Manor.
Just a hop and a skip outside the town of Ottery St. Catchpole, was where Marcus Yalarad, and his family made their home. It was more, regal looking, in comparison to the ancestral seat of House Yalarad.
The wood that made up the manor's structure was that of enchanted white pine. The manor was three stories in height, and was twice the size of Applewood Manor.
It was where Dante Yalarad made his home as well. He was spending his time working on his prized possession, a 1957 Ford Thunderbird. The car was in a state of near disrepair. Fortunately, Dante had the patience and tenacity to make the car run once more.
The Ford Thunderbird was sitting in an adjacent shed that Dante had gotten just for the car. The hood was propped open as Dante was making repairs to the radiator. "Hey Jed, get me a rag, will ya?"
Jonathan nodded, and went to fetch his brother a rag. His older brother affectionately called him 'Jed' as an amalgamation of his first and middle names. He loved spending time with him, and he hadn't been able to spend as much time with him as he would have liked to.
Jed brought the rag back over to Dante. "Here you go."
Dante wiped his hands clean of the motor oil, and closed the hood of his car.
Jed looked at the car, "Is everything all set Dante?"
Dante grinned, "Well let's find out. Turn the key, and let her rip!"
Jed ran over to the driver's seat of the Thunderbird, got in the seat, and turned the key. "It's not doing anything."
Dante sighed, "Jed, I've been over this with you, always press on the brake when turning the car on!"
"M'sorry." Jed apologized as he did as his brother instructed. The Thunderbird roared to life and was sounding perfectly fine.
Dante was pleased with his work. "All right, kill it Jed!"
He did so, turning the engine off without a problem. "You did it!"
"We did. You helped me, remember?"
Jed grinned as he rubbed the back of his head. Dante smiled at his younger brother, "Come on, let's go inside and get you a Wizard Fizz."
"Yeah!" Jed cheered as he followed his brother out of the shed. "So Dad said you're coming back with us to Hogwarts this year?"
"I am! You excited for me to come with you this year?"
"Yeah! But…"
Dante looked at his brother, "What is it Jed?"
Jed looked a bit downtrodden, "I just wish I could have had more time to spend at Hogwarts with you."
Dante mulled over his thoughts. "I made a mistake and it cost me dearly, you know this and I make no apologies for it. Rather than letting me stay and pay for my mistake...I was forced out by the machinations of a coward." A passing glance of malice passed over his face. "And he's gonna get what's coming to him," Dante muttered under his voice.
Jed heard an iciness he'd rarely heard in his brother's tone.
Dante noticed his younger brother's look. "But, don't worry yourself about it. Come on, let's head inside. A storm is on the horizon."
The two brothers made their way inside Silverwood Manor before any rain could fall. Dante Yalarad wasn't wrong, a storm was indeed on the way. A storm of sheer loathing and hatred aimed directly at House Prince. Specifically aimed at the half-prince, Severus Snape. He swore, that Severus would pay dearly, for what his grandfather had done to him.
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