Disclaimer: The plot is ours, but the majority of the main characters belong to the imagination of J.K. Rowling. We do not gain any profit from writing this story.
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.
A/N: This story is A/U (Alternative Universe) and is NOT canon compliant. If you don't like Sev/Lily fiction, don't read it.
Chapter 29
Brave New World
Severus, Lily and their friends got back to Hogwarts after waiting for the United to completely clear out of Hogsmeade. They were all upset by what had happened.
Once back at Hogwarts, the air thickened with tension, surpassing the previous levels of unease. The events at the Three Broomsticks had left a bitter residue, and the divide between The United and The Marauders seemed more pronounced than ever.
In the corridors, glances were sharper, and whispers carried the weight of unresolved conflicts. The great hall, once a space of camaraderie, now felt like a battleground of unspoken grievances. The fallout from the Grimoire incident and the revelation about Dante's past actions lingered like an ominous cloud.
"Does the Grimoire have some strange power over you if you're not of Rowena's lineage?" Caddaric asked Irene. "Because Sam was almost acting like he was possessed or something."
"I don't know," Irene replied. "It's never had any strange effects on my father."
"It's not right because Dante must have stolen it from your parent's vault and then when he couldn't figure out how it works, he gave it to Sam probably thinking he'd be able to figure it out and he could benefit from Sam's knowledge," Emily said.
"I think your parents ought to go to Gringotts and file a complaint with the Head Goblin because nobody should have been able to steal it out of your vault," Jane pointed out. "Especially a creep like Dante."
"Your parents should request a meeting with Rowena and Helena also," Severus said thoughtfully. "Sam needs to explain to them why he think he should keep it instead of returning it to your family, Irene."
"That's a great idea, Sev!" Lily exclaimed. "And Jane is right, Irene. Your parents need to demand that the Goblins explain how it got out of your vault and into unauthorized hands."
Irene nodded. "I'll go and floo them right now. Professor Flitwick allows us to use his floo if it's an emergency and this is."
"Pete and I can set up a meeting with Rowena and Helen and maybe Mary can ask Renner if he could make sure Sam attends the meeting," Emily said.
"Severus nodded. "Good idea, Emily."
"Well Dante thinks this is his last chance to bust us and the United up," Frank said. "And we're going to show him he failed big time!"
The next morning at breakfast, the owls came flooding in. Severus spotted Calista immediately. She had a small box attached to her foot and Severus guessed it might be the medicine for Remus. She landed next to Severus and stuck out her foot. He removed the box and put it in the inner pocket of his robe, sealing the pocket with magic so nobody could pick his pocket. He gave her a slice of bacon even though he knew his grandfather discouraged feeding her.
As they walked to class, Lily asked, "What was it that Calista brought you, Sev?"
Severus stopped and made a motion with his wand and whispered what sounded like "muffled" and then said, "I wrote and asked Healer Gold if she could brew the potion for Remus that she did last year that helps him in the week leading up to his changing. I also asked her if she could teach it to grandmother so it would always be available for Remus."
"That's so nice of you, Sev and I know Remus will greatly appreciate your thoughtfulness." Lily stated. "What was that spell you just did?"
Severus flushed a bit. "It's a Silencing Spell I've been working on for a couple of months. If you cast it in a crowded room, nobody will be able to hear what you're talking about. To cast it, I say 'Muffliato' and to end it, I say, 'Finem'."
"That's brilliant, Sev! Will that protect us from Dante overhearing our discussions in the Great Hall or anywhere else?" Lily asked.
"I really haven't had a chance to test it much so I don't want to say it absolutely will." Severus frowned. "I decided to invent some sort of silencing spell after Dante put that mole that was a listening device on my chest last summer."
"Keep working on it," Lily urged. "And if you need any help, just ask me or Dorian."
Severus nodded. "I will."
After morning classes were over and Severus' group was headed to the Great Hall for lunch. After hearing what Dante tried to pull with Remus, they all surrounded him to keep him safe. Severus managed to pull Remus aside and give him the box Calista had brought that morning. "Healer Gold is going to keep brewing this for you and she's going to teach my grandmother how to brew it so you'll always have it available."
Remus' face flushed but he smiled. "Thank you, Severus. I'm going to go upstairs and put it right in my trunk."
"If you don't know it already, ask Lily about the Thief's Revenge Charm and have her show you how to put it on your trunk," Severus suggested. "That will help keep Dante out of your trunk."
"I know what it does because of that time when Mary was getting into Lily's trunk first year, but I don't know how to cast it so I will ask Lily to show me."
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
Meanwhile Peter and Emily sought out Rowena and Helena to ask that they attend a meeting with Irene, her parents, and Sam to decide whether Sam should continue as guardian of the Grimoire or it be given back to the Goshawk's. "Irene's parents had no idea that the Goblins would allow someone to steal the Grimoire from their vault. They went to Magnus Ironhand and demanded a full investigation and he promised he would conduct it and when he found out who was responsible, they would be severely punished." Emily shivered.
"I think it's only fair to give them a chance to find a safe place to put the Grimoire," Peter added. "While Sam is a good guy, he's still too close to his cousin, Dante who is power mad and who we suspect only gave the Grimoire to Sam because he couldn't get it to work for him, but he thinks Sam can."
"It is fair and wise to have a meeting and hear the opinion of all parties," Rowena replied.
"And the Goshawk's have kept the Grimoire safe to the best of their abilities until just recently," Helena added. "We should not condemn them without a fair hearing."
Rowena nodded. "We will give the Goshawk's enough time to find another safe place for the Grimoire and we shall meet with them to hear the results."
"Thank you both," Emily said with a slight bow of her head.
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
The Goshawk's waited impatiently for their meeting with the head of Gringotts, Magnus Ironhand. Since he had summoned them, they hoped he was able to explain to their satisfaction how the Grimoire had been able to be removed from their vault and why the Goblin in charge of their vault had allowed it.
A Goblin came through the gate blocking access to the most important interior of Gringotts and over to the Goshawk's. "Magnus Ironhand will see you now."
Miranda and her husband, Leslie, got up and followed the Goblin through many twisted passages where they stopped in front of marble double doors which slid open and they were led into a large office which walls were covered with swords and battle shields of all kinds.
"If you will have a seat," the Goblin said, indicating two chairs situated in front of a large stone desk covered in stacks of parchment and a stack of ledgers. "I will get refreshments." The Goblin quickly returned, carrying a tea tray which looked oddly amusing in his large hands. A panel slid back and Magnus Ironhand entered the room. The Goblin bowed and quickly left the room.
"Please help yourselves to the tea and refreshments," he said, nodding towards the tea tray.
Leslie poured a cup of tea for himself and his wife as he spotted how badly Miranda's hands were shaking in anger. "Have you found out how the Grimoire was taken out of our vault and why Zaagz would allow it?" He asked.
"As you know we have have a three step process. The first step is to see written permission to remove any item from a vault by the owners of that vault if it is someone other than the owner, the goblin then must check the list of people the owners have submitted as being allowed to remove an item from their vault, and the third thing they must do is they must contact the owners to verify that this person was sent by them."
The Goshawk's nodded.
"Zaagz said he was going to perform the first step, but he cannot remember anything after that."
"It sounds as if someone may have cast either a forgetful or confusion charm on him," Miranda replied.
"Did the Auror's tell you anything useful?" Magnus Ironhand inquired in a tone that clearly indicated that he doubted it.
Leslie shrugged. "Not much I'm afraid. They said they may have identified the person, but he has vanished. They did not tell us anymore than that, but it obviously wasn't Dante Yalarad."
"It doesn't matter who it was that stole it. All that matters now is that Samuel Yalarad has possession of the Grimoire and he has convinced Rowena and Helena that we need to justify our ability to keep it safe to them and him or he will retain possession of it," Miranda spat. "We're supposed to have a meeting with them and Mr. Yalarad once we've secured new security arrangements for the Grimoire."
"Our daughter claims Samuel is a good guy but he's still too close to that cousin of his, Dante, who is only seeking to gather power and that's what the Grimoire can give him," Leslie explained. "Yet we've heard from her other friends that Samuel's backbone seems to disappear around his cousin and we are naturally worried that if he gains control of the Grimoire he will eventually learn its secrets, but so also will his cousin.
Magnus Ironhand frowned. He was familiar with Dante as he was known for his dishonesty, rudeness, and contemptuous attitude towards the Goblins. He knew what they said was true and it would be very bad if the Yalarad family gained control of the Grimoire particularly the branch that contained Dante. He could imagine the fighting and bloodshed that could erupt. "I can offer you a solution to your problem of securing the Grimoire. One that should satisfy everyone."
Which is?" Miranda asked.
"Other than myself and the Goblin below me know this, but Gringotts does have high security vaults in another section that only the few who have a vault in this area are allowed to go into. They must sign an agreement to swear they will never reveal the existence of these vaults before we will even allow them to have one. They are guarded by Warrior Goblins who are impervious to the Imperious Curse, confusion and forgetfulness spells and are trained to detect the usage of concealment spells and should they be detected, that person will be dealt with immediately by the Warrior Goblin. The vaults cannot be opened except with my palm and that is after I have verification from the Warrior Goblin that the person is truly the owner. Now, these vaults are usually very expensive..."
Miranda and her husband paled, wondering how they could pay this fee. They were comfortable, but not wealthy like Miranda's cousin, Mavis Potter.
"But since it was Gringotts error that the Grimoire ended up in the wrong hands, I will wave the fee. In addition, if you wish, I will attend this meeting you are having with Lady Ravenclaw and her daughter the Baroness. I will tell them about your new security arrangements for the Grimoire after I ask Mr. Yalarad and any others to absence themselves from the room. I will also ask Lady Ravenclaw and the Baroness not to tell Mr. Yalarad of the exact arrangements, but just assure him that they feel the Grimoire will be very secure now."
The Goshawks got up. "We accept your offer and we will let you know when the meeting is scheduled. Thank you very much for your help."
Before leaving, Magnus Ironhand took them to the special area of high security vaults and got their signatures on the agreement to never reveal the existence of these vaults. Miranda shivered. The Warrior Goblins did indeed look very fierce and forbidding.
"You do not have to worry about our daughter telling anyone about these vaults either," Leslie said. "She has asked us that when we do make new security arrangements for the Grimoire that she does not want to know anything about it in case Dante tries to use a spell on her to find out where it is."
Magnus Ironhand nodded. "Very good."
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
Severus came into the Great Hall for breakfast. He was later than he usually was this morning because he was doing some last minute studying for their Transfiguration exam even though Bart had helped him study the night before.
"Ready for the Transfiguration exam today, Sev?" Lily asked.
Severus nodded. "I can answer the exam questions easily enough, but it's always the practical that throw me."
Emily nodded. "And Professor McGonagall is such a hard grader."
Irene came in and sat down. Everybody greeted her warmly.
"How did your parents meeting with Gringotts go?" Peter asked sympathetically. He knew how stressed Irene was about Sam taking the Grimoire.
Irene shrugged. 'I asked mum and dad not to tell me anything about it so if Dante tried to find out anything from me, there would be nothing to find out. I do know that Dad's been on the phone to banks across the Continent that he knows of from work, checking on what kind of security measures they have."
Irene's dad was Muggle-born, but had not gone to Hogwarts. His parents had chosen instead to send him to Eton and he had graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in business and now worked for Barclays Bank as an investment broker.
"That's good, because the headmaster might have taught him Legilimency although I doubt Dante has the patience to learn it as it is very hard," Severus said. He knew because his grandfather had started to teach him both Legilimency and Occlumency.
"What is Legilimency?" Remus asked curiously.
"In the simplest terms, Legilimency is the ability to delve into somebody's mind and extract their thoughts, but it's unethical and illegal to do it without the person's knowledge or permission. Aurors and Mind Healers do use it though on criminals and patients."
"That's really interesting," Dorian remarked. "They should teach it here unless of course they're afraid students will cheat on exams by delving into the smartest person's mind to get all the answers."
"I think Dumbledore's the one afraid to share power except with his golden boy," Lily said.
"Mum's worried that Sam won't give back the Grimoire even if Rowena and Helena are satisfied with whatever new security arrangement they've made."
"Well, he can't keep it since Dante or somebody he knows stole it out of your vault. That would be really dishonorable," Caddaric stated.
"What makes Sam think he's a better guardian for the Grimoire than your parents? He'd be a worse one if anything the way his backbone turns to jelly whenever Dante comes around," Tav said.
Everyone was silent momentarily and then Irene changed the subject. "My parents saw James at a family party they went to. They said none of the other kids there would talk to him and he looked sad not like his usual arrogant self. I actually felt sorry for him after hearing that. Dad said of course cousin Charles and Mavis were oblivious, standing around bragging about his two new super wealthy depositors, no names of course, and bragging about James' grades and how good he is at Quidditch,"
Remus nodded. "My parents wrote me that they'd seen the Potter's in Diagon Alley around Halloween and they thought the same as you, Irene."
"Well, he brought it on himself," Frank said unsympathetically as they all got up after the 15-minute warning bell rang.
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
The meeting with Rowena, Helena, the Goshawk's, Sam, and Magnus Ironhand was scheduled for Saturday morning in the Room of Requirement. Severus would also attend at the request of the other Marauders. He had asked for the permission of Lady Rowena and Baroness Helena to attend and they had consented. He planned to speak with his grandfather about suing the Yalarad's if Sam refused to give back the Grimoire even if Lady Rowena and the Baroness Helena were satisfied with the security arrangements the Goshawk's had made.
He was standing outside the Room of Requirement when he heard footsteps behind him, turned and saw Sam.
"Severus? What are you doing here?" Sam asked. "I thought this meeting is only for Rowena, Helena, the Goshawk's and myself."
"I'm here to represent the Marauder's interest," Severus replied calmly. "I asked Lady Ravenclaw and Baroness Helena if I could attend and they agreed. After all, we were the ones who originally found the Grimoire two years ago after Helena asked us for our help and we have a vested interest in seeing that it remains safe."
"That's only fair," Sam nodded.
There were more footsteps behind them and they turned to find Leslie and Miranda Goshawk accompanied by Magnus Ironhand the head of Gringotts. This was quite a shock as he rarely left Gringotts.
There were more footsteps and Dumbledore and Dante appeared around the corner from Gryffindor Tower. "I heard there is going to be a meeting about the Grimoire and I believe I should be here. After all, Mr. Yalarad gave it to his cousin as a birthday gift and Samuel should retain possession of it."
"After Mr. Yalarad or somebody working with him cast either a confusion or forgetful spell on Zaagz and stole it out of our vault," Miranda snapped, her eyes blazing.
"Go away, Headmaster. You and Mr. Yalarad are not invited nor wanted here," Magnus Ironhand said and waved his hand at Dumbledore and Dante who both suddenly disappeared.
Sam gasped. "Where are they? What did you do to them?" He demanded.
"Fear not, Mr. Yalarad," Magnus Ironhand replied. "I sent them back to Dumbledore's office and locked them in for the duration of this meeting."
Suddenly the doors to the Room of Requirement appeared, opened, and a feminine voice called, "Please come in and make yourselves comfortable."
They all walked into the room where comfortable chairs were arranged in a half-circle. They all sat down. Severus sat in the very end chair on the other side of Magnus Ironhand. He noticed Rowena's portrait had been brought from Ravenclaw and was now propped up in a throne-like chair. Helena floated beside her mother's portrait.
"Welcome," Rowena said softly. Her eyes swept around them. "This meeting is to decide who shall be the better custodian of the Grimoire and shall keep it safe. The Goshawk's have been its guardians for the past two years and recent events have called that guardianship into question. Mr. Yalarad, we wish to hear your plan for keeping the Grimoire safe first."
Sam rose, "I do beg your pardon but we still must wait for someone."
The Goshawks looked at each other, and Miranda addressed Samuel. "What do you mean? Did you tell someone about this meeting?"
"Well...yes I did because at first I didn't Believe that the Grimoire was the genuine thing, but after how so many of Severus' friends tried convincing me to give it up I talked to Bartholomew and he told me to confide in someone about this."
Everyone looked a bit concerned, Severus broached the topic. "Sam, who did you tell?"
The door was knocked upon. "That's him right now I believe. May I?" Sam asked Lady Ravenclaw.
Rowena nodded, "You may, it is your right to have an adult supervise and advocate for you."
Sam walked over to the door and opened it. Everyone looked and saw Edmund Fawley walk into the Room of Requirement. "Ah Samuel! Good to see you my boy, good to see you!"
"Thank you for coming granduncle!" Sam hugged him.
Everyone relaxed when they saw Edmund Fawley walk into the Room of Requirement. He had a great reputation for having a good head on his shoulders and for being the sort of person that everyone can get along with.
"Sorry I'm late, I had to pick up something from my job and find the correct incantation for this little plan to work." Edmund explained." Ah the Room of Requirement, it looks very different from what I remember, but then again I had several beastly sanctuaries in here…that's another story for another day."
"Okay now that my Granduncle is here, I will tell you where I plan to keep the Grimoire," Sam mentioned.
"I will go out and wait in the hallway until you're finished," Severus volunteered. He wasn't intending to cause any trouble.
Sam nodded and Severus left. The other Marauders were waiting outside the Room of Requirement. "Is the meeting finished already?" Lily asked in surprise.
"No, I told Sam I would wait out here while he told Rowena and Helena about his plan for keeping the Grimoire safe," Severus explained.
"I hope they ask him how he comes to have it," Alice said.
Sam had remained standing after Severus left. He turned to Rowena and Helena "My grandfather has a personal vault that only he has access to. I will only have access to it as the heir when I'm 21 or unless my grandfather passes through the veil before then. It's guarded by two very fierce dragons and absolutely nobody else can get into it or rob it."
"This is so," Magnus Ironhand confirmed, nodding.
"The Grimoire will always be safe there and with future Yalarad heirs," Sam finished.
"And now we shall hear the Goshawk's plan for keeping the Grimoire safe," Helena said.
Miranda rose. "Mr. Ironhand has kindly agreed to come to this meeting and explain our new security arrangements." She sat down again.
Magnus Ironhand rose. "I request before I start that Mr. Yalarad wait out in the hall with Mr. Snape."
"Wait a minute," Sam snapped, rising to his feet. "I have a right to hear what their security arrangements are since they now know mine.
Magnus Ironhand turned to Sam with his eyebrows furrowed. "No, you do not. They are not planning to steal anything out of your grandfather's vault and you have not explained to us how you have the Grimoire in your possession."
Edmund looked at Sam, "Now, Magnus does bring up a valid point Samuel. How did you come about the Grimoire?"
Sam sighed. "Dante gave it to me for my birthday," Sam said. "But I don't think he knew what it was. He just thought it was an interesting diary of some sort because the pages are blank. Then when I tried writing in it and the ink just disappeared, so I thought it was a joke diary or something!"
"And where did he get it?" Rowena asked in a soft voice. "It is not something he could have bought in Diagon Alley."
Sam shrugged and replied, "I don't know. It was his birthday present to me so it would have been impolite to ask."
"It was illegally taken out of the Goshawk's vault by whom is still to be determined," Magnus Ironhand clarified. He turned back to Sam. "Now will you leave voluntarily?"
"Granduncle?" Sam turned to Edmund.
"Sam, go ahead and wait outside, alright?" Edmund asked his nephew.
"All right I'll leave but it's under protest," Sam replied.
He left and found himself out in the hall with the Marauders. Irene didn't greet him and turned away from him. She was angry about all the stress his actions had caused her parents.
"I think Sam may have blown it with Irene or Dante blew it for him,' Lily whispered to Severus.
"Maybe that was Dante's intention in the first place," Severus whispered back. "Sam probably doesn't realize how much Dante resents him being the heir and Dante only wants to make Sam's life miserable while loudly supporting him."
Once Sam had left, Magnus Ironhand explained the Goshawk's new security arrangements. The vault where the Grimoire will be kept, only a handful of people know about these and the ones that have one must sign an agreement swearing they will never reveal the existence of them. Within Gringotts, only the Goblin below me and myself know of their existence. My palm print is needed to open these vaults. The Warrior Goblins guarding the vaults are impervious to Imperious and Confundus Spells and are able to detect both Glamour Charms and Polyjuice concealment and woe betide anyone attempting to use a concealment to gain illegal entrance to a vault which does not belong to them. Do you have any questions for me?"
"Umm I beg your pardon, I do have one question for Magnus!" Edmund turned to speak to the goblin."What about if someone is under the Imperius? What kind of safeguards are there against that?"
Leslie nodded, "Lord Fawley brings up an excellent point. What safeguards are there against the Imperius?"
Magnus nodded, "All goblins who wish to visit the lower vaults where both vaults reside must submit themselves to a security check where our cursebreakers examine them and break any sort of curses that they are under."
That answer satisfied all parties in the room.
"Helena and I shall withdraw to discuss the security arrangements that have been presented to us," Rowena spoke. "I shall summon the elves for more refreshments while you wait. Please ask Mr. Yalarad and Mr. Snape to return."
"I'll do it," Leslie said. He got up and went over to where the double doors had reappeared. He pushed one open and stuck his head out. He saw the hallway outside was filled with not only the Marauders, but the United, too. He addressed Sam and Severus. "Rowena says it's okay for you two to come back in."
They nodded and followed him back into the Room of Requirement. "It's almost lunchtime so if you're hungry, the elves have brought more food."
Again, Sam sat down at one end of the semi-circle while Severus sat down at the other end. He got up again to grab a sandwich and some crisps as he was feeling hungry. Sam did the same and Leslie fetched Miranda and himself cups of hot tea.
Edmund smiled as he made conversation with Leslie and Miranda talking to them both about his last vacation to Aruba where he met a little magic community of expatriates who retired there.
Magnus Iron sat completely still with his eyes closed.
After almost an hour, Helena appeared back in the room, steering her mother's portrait. She lowered it gently down into the chair. "Thank you for your patience," Rowena said softly. "We have discussed both of your security plans and we approve of them both. What we have decided is that you will share the burden of keeping the Grimoire safe. It will reside in one vault for a number of months and then be moved to the other vault. We have decided that moving it from vault to vault will rest entirely with Magnus Ironhand. As Head Goblin at Gringotts, he will be the only one to make that decision of when it should be moved and he will not inform either of you when the Grimoire is moved. He will be the only one who will know where it is located at any given time."
"That sounds fair," Severus said nodding. "That will prohibit anyone from trying to steal the Grimoire again because they won't know where it is."
Edmund rose from his seat, "I would like to add one more layer of protection if you don't mind, Ladies Ravenclaw?"
"By all means Lord Fawley, the floor is yours," Rowena smiled.
Edmund walked to Sam," Do you have the Grimoire with you?"
Sam shook his head and produced it, it was shrunk and he resized it to its original state. Edmund took it and took the time and with some magic he duplicated it. Now there was The Grimoire and a copy.
He gave them to Magnus, "Here put one in each vault, and every so often swap them so that way in the off chance someone does try and sneak in and take the Grimoire there is a fifty percent chance they take the fake."
Magnus shook his head, "That is a good idea. An added failsafe just on the off chance."
Rowena and Helena exchanged glances, silently communicating their approval. Helena spoke next, her voice echoing with a spectral resonance. "This arrangement seems adequate. The Grimoire is a powerful artifact, and its safety is paramount."
"Excuse me, uhmm... can I say something?" All eyes turned to Sam, who had been quietly listening. He shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny but then straightened, meeting Rowena's gaze with determination. "I understand the importance of the Grimoire and the responsibility that comes with it. I only took it because I feared it would be used for dark purposes by my cousin, Dante. I never intended to keep it permanently, but to protect it until a safer solution could be found."
Rowena's piercing eyes softened slightly. "Your intentions are noble, Samuel. The Goshawks have proven their commitment to its protection. Do you agree with the new security arrangements?"
Samuel nodded. "I do. I trust that the new measures will keep it safe from anyone who seeks to misuse it."
Helena floated closer to Sam, her expression softening with empathy. "Your actions were driven by a desire to protect, and that is commendable. If nothing else is to be discussed then I do believe this meeting has ended."
As they all began to exited the Room of Requirement, Severus felt a sense of relief wash over him. The tension that had plagued them since the Three Broomsticks incident was beginning to lift.
Just then he noticed Sam whispering to Edmund about something and he looked at his nephew and nodded.
"Magnus a word if I may?" Edmund asked Magnus to stay back. He spoke with the Goblin and the two appeared to have some sort of an agreement. He gave the copy of the Grimoire over to Edmund who made another copy and gave it to Sam.
Miranda and Leslie looked over at what was transpiring. "May I ask what you plan on doing with that Mr. Yalarad?"
"I'm going to make Dante and Dumbledore believe I still have The Grimoire so that they don't try and look elsewhere for it. Because while I don't think Dante won't look back at Gringotts for it, it's better if he still thinks I possess it, so he'll keep his gaze here," Sam explained.
Miranda and Leslie looked at each other, it looked like Sam had a good head on his shoulders.
"But Sam, you do realize you're putting yourself into a lot of danger? That means Dante, and whoever he's working for, will be looking directly at you because they think you have the Grimoire!" Severus pointed out.
"It's better this way," Sam attested.
Sever nodded, "I never thought I'd actually see you stand up to Dante."
"What can I say? It's a brave new world!" Sam grinned. He took the second fake and shrunk it down and put it into his pockets. "Will you tell your friends about what I'm doing?"
"Not unless you don't want me to." Severus said.
Sam thought aloud, " The fewer who know is for the better, but Irene should know, and Lily as well."
Severus nodded, "I'll tell them."
Sam nodded back and extended his hand, "I hope that going forward we can both rely on one another."
Severus smiled and shook his hand, "I'm sure we can Sam."
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