Birds of a Feather
Chapter 24: A Slytherin Reunion
Summary: After Fawkes rescues Severus Snape from the Shrieking shack, the phoenix decides to stick around.
The usual disclaimer applies. See Chapter 1.
"So let me get this straight, "Mr Cohen said. "You destroyed one Dementor, Fawkes destroyed a second one, and there's at least one more still out there?"
Severus looked out at the rising sun through the window in Cohen's office, ignoring the conversation. He still felt chilled from the previous night's encounter with the Dementor. He couldn't quite shake off the hallucination the ghoul had brought him. Did Albus really feel that way about me? he wondered. Did Lily?
"That's right," said Kat. "Slade and I both struck it at the same time, and that was enough to kill it. Then we heard Fawkes screeching."
"And Blossom and Chastity were there?" Cohen asked.
"Those two girls? Yeah, we didn't realize they were there until we heard Fawkes."
Blossom and Chastity? That got his attention, and Severus almost laughed. No wonder they prefer to call themselves Darkness and Mysteria!
"We saw the light from the spells and Apparated to the site," Angie said, "and we found the girls with Kat and Slade and Fawkes, staring at what was left of a Dementor. Puffs of mist were rising out of it. Slade said he thought they were souls the Dementor had consumed, being released from some kind of dreadful captivity."
"Then we hurried back here and Armstrong took the girls to the infirmary," Saunders said. "They were trying to pretend that being confronted by a Dementor was no big deal, but it was obvious they were really shaken up."
"I guess it was a mistake not to tell the students about the danger," Cohen said, "but we didn't want to alarm them unnecessarily."
"You had better tell them so no one else tries to sneak out there," Severus said. Withholding information from students was a mistake. Albus had proven that on too many occasions. It was better that they should know the truth, even if it upset them. "And Armstrong should start teaching everyone the Patronus charm immediately. It may not be easy for some of them to learn, but it's time for them to start trying." The students probably had a much better supply of good memories to draw on than he did, after all.
"I'm gonna get some breakfast," Kat announced. "Anyone want to join me?"
"No," said Severus. "I think I'll go get some sleep."
~~~~~
Severus was back in the dungeons at Hogwarts, and he knew the Dark Lord would be there soon. He was desperate. He had to protect the students and complete his mission, but it was hard to move. He tried to make his way up out of the darkness through a narrow, winding staircase, but Minerva and Draco blocked his way. They both scowled down at him. "The Dark Lord will love us now," Draco said happily, but before he could act, Minerva cast Fiendfyre. Severus turned and tired to flee back down the stairway, but he couldn't move fast enough. He woke as the flames enveloped him.
He was drenched with sweat, despite the room's cooling charm. The Dementor’s attack had revived old guilt and fears. Did all of his old 'friends' hate him? He remembered how Minerva had attacked him, in reality as well as in the dream. Flitwick had, too, but that was understandable, given the circumstances. But what about Albus? Albus had known him better than anyone. Had Albus hated him, too?
When he thought about it, Severus realized that Albus had been a very fortunate wizard. Obviously it hadn't been part of Albus' plan for the Potters to be murdered so that Severus would become his spy. At least Severus hoped it wasn't. He didn't want to think about that possibility! But his role as a double agent had proved to be essential, and who else could possibly have done that job?
How many times did Severus have to smile and pretend to love the Dark Lord, when in fact he wanted nothing more than to kill that red-eyed monster himself? How many times did he have to watch things, and sometimes do things, that made him sick in his soul? Could James or Sirius have sat there impassively and watched the murder of Charity Burbage and so many others? Could Albus? Lily certainly couldn't have. What was it about Severus that enabled him to do such things when he had to? Was there something profoundly wrong with him?
He knew wasn't going to get back to sleep with thoughts like those running through his head, besides which it was nearly noon, so he showered and dressed, and set off for the dining room. He noticed that Fawkes' perch was empty. He had expected the bird to be tired after being out most of the night and destroying a Dementor, but apparently the phoenix was up and about.
When he reached the dining hall, Severus helped himself to a sandwich and some coffee. The elves here made good coffee, but their tea was insipid. He noticed that the place seemed unusually quiet for lunchtime, especially since it was a Saturday. Only a few students were present, and most of them didn't seem to have much of an appetite. Perhaps they'd heard about the Dementor attacks.
As usual, Armstrong came over to join him. "Good news, Slade!" he said. "The Agency has finally realized how serious the situation here is. They don't want Dementors establishing themselves in the US, so they're going to send a team to exterminate them. You and Kat can go back to your boat soon."
Severus had mixed feelings about that. He wanted to return to the boat, of course, but he was enjoying the school, too. He hadn't inspected the potions classroom yet or upset the potions teacher, and he would be remiss if he didn't investigate their library.
"Does your library have a good collection?" he asked.
"It's very good," Armstrong said proudly. "There's a lot of old French and Spanish stuff, an excellent Caribbean section, and lot of stuff about pre-Columbian times, too."
"That sounds interesting," Severus said. "I think I'll go take a look." Perhaps they'd have a good restricted section, too.
~~~~~
"If she makes us eat any more chocolate, I think I'm going to puke," Mysteria said, sitting up in bed. She and Darkness had been in the infirmary all night, and the nurse wouldn't let them leave.
The thought of a puddle of warm, chocolaty brown vomit made Darkness turn pale green. "Don't you dare!" she said. Then she decided she'd better change the subject before they both started puking. "Whaddaya think it was like for those souls, being trapped inside that thing?
"I dunno" Mysteria said, "but I think we came awfully close to finding out."
Darkness curled up in the bed and pulled the sheet up over her head. "You're not making me feel better," she mumbled.
"Hey, it's Fawksie!" Mysteria said. "He's come to see us!"
The phoenix landed on the footboard of her bed and chirped softly. Poor girls, set on by that horrid thing! They're so nice. They shared their treats with me and showed me that strange moving picture.
Darkness peeked out and smiled. "He's concerned about us! That's so sweet!"
"Hi, pretty birdie!" Mysteria said. "Hey, maybe we can watch a vid; I think there's a muggle video player thing here. You wanna watch a video with us, Fawkes? I've got a few in my bag." She leaned over and pulled a backpack out from under her bed.
Fawkes had no idea what they were talking about, but he could see that they were both feeling better now, which pleased him. A phoenix is the best cure there is, he thought proudly. Infinitely better than chocolate!
"So what have we got?" Darkness asked. "Anything with birds?"
"I don't think so, but here's Evil Dead II," Mysteria said, pulling the cassette out of her bag.
Simultaneously, both girls realized that they did not want to watch zombies. The Dementor had temporarily cooled their enthusiasm for that sort of thing.
Mysteria dropped the cassette back into the bag and pulled out another. "Hey, how 'bout some Road Runner cartoons?"
"Oh yeah, great!" Darkness jumped out of bed. "Fawksie will like those. Let's set up the video thing!"
~~~~~
Just after he left the dining hall, Severus turned a corner and was shocked to hear a startled, vaguely familiar voice say, "Profess…"
He looked up quickly and saw Jules Bulstrode, Millicent's younger brother, who was standing in the hall with a group of Southern students. Jules had been a fourth-year Slytherin. Severus shot the kid a deadly look, and lad immediately got the message and pretended he was coughing: "Ack! Off! Urk!"
"You OK?" one of the Southern students asked.
Severus was none too happy to be recognized, but thank Merlin it was a Slytherin and not someone from one of the other Houses! Slytherins know when to keep their mouths shut. Severus gave Bulstrode a barely perceptible nod, glanced toward an empty classroom, and then continued on his way. The lad would know what he meant.
What is Bulstrode doing here? he wondered. Why isn't he at Hogwarts? Did he transfer? Are there Gryffindors here, too?
When he was confident that no one was paying any attention to him, Severus doubled back to the empty classroom. Inside, it looked like the younger students had been working on magical painting. There were childish-looking watercolors hanging on the walls. Smiling figures labeled 'Mom' and 'Dad' waved mechanically in front of little houses. Smoke rose from the chimneys and painted flowers bloomed in the yards. In one, a dog with a red collar bounced around in the foreground. Blotchy blue raindrops fell in another.
He didn’t have to wait too long before Jules turned up. And he wasn’t alone. Three other young Slytherins were with him: Marigold Montague, Mick Bletchley, and Donny Derrick. They closed the door and gathered around him excitedly.
"Professor! It's really you! You’re alive!" Marigold cried. She looked as if she was going to hug him, but fortunately she got hold of herself.
"Obviously," Severus said, frowning. "And you'll kept that information to yourselves. My name is Solomon Slade now, and you've never seen me before."
"You can count on us, sir! It's a Slytherin secret!" Marigold said, making some sort of secret hand-gesture. The others nodded eagerly and repeated the gesture.
"How’d you do it, sir?" Jules asked, grinning.
Severus dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. "Never mind that," he said. "What are you doing here? Are there any non-Slytherins?"
"No, it's just the four of us, sir," Donny said. "We couldn’t face going back to Hogwarts. Not after what happened. They're saying we're all cowards and little Death Eaters, because McGonagall kicked us out and then we didn't fight in the battle. Everyone made it plain that we're not wanted. We weren't wanted then, and we're not wanted now. So some of us decided to go somewhere else to finish school. Somewhere where nobody cares about Harry stinking Potter or the bloody Dark Lord."
"A lot of the seventh-years like Millicent and Blaise studied at home to pass their exams," Jules said, "and the ones who can afford it hired tutors. But the younger ones like us still have several years to go, so some of our parents started looking at other schools abroad. The ones in Europe where they don't teach in English, like Durmstrang, Zauberberg and Beauxbatons, would be tough for most of us, even with translation charms, but there are lots of good schools here in North America. "
"It’s not just Slytherins," Marigold said. "It's anyone who wasn't 'in' with Potter and his pals, or who didn’t fight. Marietta's mom lost her job at the Ministry because Marietta was a 'traitor', and they went to Canada - Montreal, I think. I heard that Cho Chang went with them. Marietta cried really hard when she heard you were dead," she added. "She was so grateful to you for creating that potion that healed those scars on her face."
That had been one of the first things he'd done after he'd been appointed Headmaster. The poor girl had been left to suffer for way too long.
"Some stayed on at Hogwarts, of course," Mick said. "It's the cheapest thing to do, and some parents insisted on it. Family tradition and all that. Personally, I feel sorry for them. They're going to get treated worse than dirt."
"I'm sure you're right," Severus said. He remembered quite clearly what it had been like in his own student days. I mustn't get involved. There's nothing I can do for them now, he thought grimly. But perhaps they can help each other.
"I want you to get in touch with all of the Slytherin students, at Hogwarts and elsewhere," he told them. "Set up a Slytherin grapevine, and write to one another, even the ones that you may not like. I'll give you a list of recent graduates that you can trust, and I want you to include them, too. They can provide advice. You're all in this together, and you need to help one another. Don't let anyone feel left out. And keep me informed!"
I've got to stop worrying about 'my' students, he thought as he left the classroom. That part of my life is over. It's Minerva's problem now.
~~~~~
"We're definitely going to have to expand the restricted section," Minerva said, looking at the stacks of books. "Most of these are not suitable for students."
The Ministry had finally gotten around to processing Severus' will. He had left everything to Hogwarts, and all of his belongings had been brought from Spinner's End and deposited in his quarters in the dungeons. Most of it was books, many of them ancient and bound in dark leather.
"Some of these books are … disturbing," Pomona said, eyeing a black book covered with strange symbols and titled in what looked like Arabic script. She opened it, and a malevolent-looking mummy glared at her from a hand-drawn illustration. He lay in a stone sarcophagus, his yellow eyes glowing through a gap in his filthy wrappings. When he started to twitch, she closed the book quickly but carefully. "You don't suppose he had a copy of the you-know-what, do you?"
Minerva looked at the cover but didn't touch it. "The Necronomicon?" she said. "I suppose it's possible. Severus couldn't very well pretend to be a member of Voldemort's inner circle without an exceptional knowledge of the Dark Arts."
"We'd better be careful what we touch," Pomona said. "There could be some cursed artefacts in here."
"He left everything in perfect order, you know," Minerva said, changing the subject. "I'm sure Albus must have left things in a mess, but Severus had the bookkeeping up to date and the budget was balanced. He left his will in the top drawer of the Headmaster's desk, where we would be sure to find it. There was even a letter of resignation. It said, 'As of the end of this term, or my death, whichever comes first.' He must have felt that he was doomed."
"He always was a stickler for details," Pomona said. "I almost miss him sometimes." She paused for a moment and then said, "Minerva, there's been another brawl in my House, former Gryffindors against former Slytherins again. Several of them had to be taken to the infirmary. I don't know what to do, I really don't. Maybe it's hopeless."
~~~~~
Ron opened a butterbeer. The fridge at Grimmauld Place was always well stocked. "Hermione and I have been thinking of postponing the wedding," he said. "Do you and Ginny mind? I mean, it's supposed to be a double ceremony and all. It's not that Hermione and I don't love each other, but everything's been happening so fast."
If Harry had been cheating on Ginny, maybe this would get him to open up about it.
"Too fast, really," Harry agreed. "Your mom would have had us all married on my birthday, if we hadn't talked her into waiting until next spring. I mean, I love Ginny, and I love your mom, too - she's the only person who's ever been like a mother to me - but I don't think I'm ready yet. You remember how the prophecy said that 'neither shall live while the other survives'? Well, I feel like I haven't really lived yet. First it was the Dursleys, and then it was the whole 'Boy Who Lived' thing, and then I was supposed to save the entire wizarding world, except the world couldn't seem to make up its mind whether it loved me or hated me, and … well, you know. You were there."
"I hadn't thought about it that way; about the prophecy, I mean," Ron admitted. "Was that why you went to Norway, because you wanted to get away from all that for a little while?"
"Yeah, it was fun." Harry paused. "But there was more to it than that."
Ah ha! Ron thought. I knew it!
"Do you remember that guy from that Knight Boat that we saw when we were on that training mission? I'm sure it was Snape in disguise. In fact, I'm positive of it. Someone sent me that picture of my mom and the piece of her letter, and it had to be him."
Whatever Ron had been expecting to hear, this wasn't it. Harry must be off his nut, but saying so wouldn't help. No, he'd try a different approach. "Well," he said, "it's good if Snape's alive, but if he was disguised it means that he doesn't want anyone to know, so he'd probably want you to just forget about it."
"I don't know," Harry said. "I feel some sort of strange kinship with him now. Maybe it started when I was reading the Prince's potions textbook. I sort of got to like the Prince then, even though didn't know he was really Snape. And when I viewed those memories that he gave me in the shack, they were really powerful, maybe because he thought he was dying and he poured everything into them. Whenever I'd seen things in a Pensieve before, it was like I was just an observer, but with those memories, I could almost feel what he felt."
Ron wasn't sure where all this was going, but it was making him very uneasy. Had Harry been possessed by Snape's ghost via those memories? He suppressed a shudder and forced himself to keep smiling.
"He didn't want me to die, you know," Harry continued, "and he was really angry at Professor Dumbledore for not trying to change that. Remember how he saved my life at that Quidditch match, even though he and I hated each other? Do you think I owe him a life debt? I didn't even lift a finger to help him when we thought he was dying."
"I think you should leave well enough alone," Ron said firmly.
"Probably, but I want to know if he's okay. That's why I hailed that Knight Boat that took me to Oslo. I was looking for Snape, but I got the wrong boat. I'm going to try again. You understand, don't you?"
Ron didn't, really, but he wasn't going to abandon Harry now. "Well," he said, "if that's what you've got to do, then I'd better go with you. I can pick up the pieces and bring them back after he hexes you into the next millennium. Assuming he's alive, that is, and assuming we can find him." Ron sincerely hoped that Snape wasn't, or that they couldn't.
"Um, Harry," Ron said, putting his butterbeer down on the coffee table and slipping his wand out of his jacket, "is that a hand that I see under your couch?"
"Huh?" said Harry. He leaned down and looked, and sure enough, there was a detached hand hunkered down almost flat on the floor under the couch. "Yikes!" he cried. "It's one of those horrible hand-things that we let out of that cauldron! It must have escaped! Get it!"
Harry dropped down on one knee, pulled his wand out of his back pocket and pointed it under the couch, but the hand jumped up and galloped across the room on its fingertips.
"Whaddya mean 'we'?" Ron said. "You're the one who let 'em out." He fired a stunner, but the hand jumped sideways and dodged it, and then it scampered off into the kitchen and slipped through the gap under the cellar door.
Harry sealed the door with a spell. "It must have followed me back here somehow," he said, scratching his head. "We'll have to figure out some way to trap it."
Ron sighed. The war was over, but being the best pal of The Chosen One wasn't getting any easier.
To be continued …