Severus
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August sixth may well remain in my mind as the day the world changed forever. We'd survived Harry's birthday, Ss'seren's decision to lay her egg in a nest she created out of our new greenhouse and the arrival of Bill Weasley, curse breaker. I knew more curses than any of the others so I spent the better part of four days teaching them to Bill so he and Charles could teach them to Harry and Draco.
They practiced on the school grounds under the reinforced wards that we'd put up on the 30th. Draco came home exhausted, barely able to eat, shower and go to bed. Harry did the same at school with Minerva keeping an eye on him for us. Gersey had had to leave for muggle London and some time in the recording studio. Harry was pretty subdued but he threw himself into learning the curses and counter-curses with all the passion of which he was capable.
I spent my time brewing potions for healing, wound disinfecting and strengthening. Rubeus traveled the Forest, enlisting the magic creatures to become an early warning system for us. Some of them would fight along with us while others would remain neutral. We'd take what we could get at this point. Remus and Sirius with their bondeds, Royan and Rhea were settling into Hogwarts and already making some changes that had been long in coming.
But I still didn't regret being dead. My teaching was done on a one to one basis now and my students were motivated to learn. Harry would never be a brewer of note but he would at least be able to differentiate between a good or bad potion. Draco was a much more promising student even if he chose a different path and I suspected he was going to take the wizard business community by storm.
Several lawyers had come calling but between Draco and Albus, they'd gone away scratching their heads to do their bidding. While rumors abounded in the papers, the wizarding world waited with baited breath to see what the Malfoy heir would do. Draco and I agreed that he had a free hand and I would support what ever path he chose. He and Charles went everywhere together and I approved of their relationship.
Charles and I had a long talk about what Draco could take at the moment with the rape still fresh in his mind and body. The red-headed Weasley had gone quiet when I explained what had happened to the young man. He'd asked what MacNair looked like and nodded when I brought up a moving picture of him. If ever I saw someone decide to kill, I saw that in Charles' eyes. My Draco was in good hands with the dragon handler.
How odd to feel contentment at such a dangerous time in my life. The baby's growth had slowed for the moment and my body had almost caught up with the changes. I was showing a little more but instead of making me self-conscious, I felt more settled. More loved by the wonderful man who held me each night and told me over and over how much he loved me. I would have pinched myself but I no longer needed the pain.
My death mark had flared the day after Harry's birthday but no new atrocities were reported and Harry didn't dream. The others rejoiced but Draco and I exchanged a look of complete agreement. Voldemort was planning something big and just because we didn't know who had just died to give him that power boost didn't mean that we wouldn't find out shortly. But as the days went by and nothing came out, the order of the light relaxed.
Which made the revelation all the worse when it came in a screaming headline - Village of Hampstead Destroyed! The entire muggle village of 356 souls had been utterly destroyed by fire. Nothing living remained, not even the insects. The postal truck had been the first visitor on his weekly schedule to the little village off the beaten track. He'd found nothing but charred buildings and the bodies of the dead. Scotland Yard had been called in but the village itself was off limits.
Not a fluke, I thought and had Charles contact his father to alert the Aurors to the possibility that magic had been involved. Arthur Weasley couldn't get permission from the Minister's office to investigate but he took a trip to the area, cloaked from the muggles and it was a shaken man who apparated to the gates of Hogwarts. Albus decided that Arthur needed to become a part of our secret.
So he brought him through the Forest and to our home. To say that he was surprised would be a misnomer, he was shocked silent. Perhaps it was the knowledge that his sons were now on the firing line that caused him the most consternation. No father ever thinks that his sons are ready to face the evil that faced us today. I know that I was hoping with all my heart that Draco and Harry would be left out of the final battle.
"I . . . it's too much, Albus." Arthur sighed and pinched his nose. I silently put a cup of tea in his hand and pretended not to see the tremor that shivered the surface. Sitting down by Ru', I let him cuddle me close, no longer caring what the man before us thought of me or our relationship.
But when he finally looked up and saw us, a smile crossed his lips. "The age of miracles has come again, it seems. Congratulations, Rubeus and . . . Severus. Perhaps your bonding gives hope for our future, at least I hope so."
"Thanks, Auror Weasley, we're happy." Rubeus said gravely and I nodded my own acceptance of his congratulations. "Now, Albus wouldn't have brought ya here unless it was important. What did ya find at Hampstead?"
"Nothing." He said with a sigh and finished his tea. "The place had been scoured clean completely. Hampstead is a dead zone as if nothing live had ever set foot within its stone walls. There's no residue left of any kind, I've never been so shocked in my life. They've taken the bodies away but one of the policemen told me they'd found every sort of animal from squirrels up to men . . . burned alive."
"Nothing left," I said harshly and shivered. The boys didn't know what that meant but the older wizards did. I could see the bewildered looks pass from Draco to Harry and the Weasley boys. "Nothing means that all the energy and power generated by the living was absorbed by something or . . . someone."
"Voldemort," Draco said faintly and shivered, remembering the dream of his father's death. Charles put a comforting hand on his shoulder and Draco leaned into it while Arthur's eyebrow arched upwards.
Harry had wrapped both arms around his knees and was rocking back and forth gently. "He's gathering power for another attack, a final sweep of those who oppose him."
Albus sighed and looked his age. "Yes, I'm afraid that is exactly what he is planning. And we have nothing that can raise that kind of power for our side."
I had an idea but it depended on further research so I kept quiet for now. Arthur came down on our side with a vengeance and promised to bring in some of his fellow Aurors who could be trusted. We no longer had much time to prepare but what little we had would be spent in gathering allies for this battle. The final battle if we had anything to say about it, I thought and rested my head against Rubeus' shoulder.
He pulled me in tight and I let him, needing his strength to bolster my courage. I wanted him to make it all go away, to make our lives safe and free of the threat of Voldemort. There were going to be sacrifices made in this battle and I wished with all my heart that those deaths would pass by this new found family of mine.
Thankfully, I had no talent at prevision so I could not be tormented by a look into the future. I thought that a blessing right now.
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Rubeus
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I couldn't hardly believe in such evil. To kill an entire village of muggles to gather power was beyond my ability to understand. Sev did though and I could feel his thoughts sicken and his need for comfort grow. So I pulled him in close and gave him my strength as best I could. He hugged me back and within the hour we were alone again.
"It was done on the first," Sev said almost absentmindedly, "the first of August."
I suddenly made the connection and looked down at him. "Lughnasadh, the first harvest leading to Mabon on September 21st."
"Yes, the old ways are still celebrated by the Dark. Mabon brings the end of the harvest and the reaping of great power." He leaned in and wrapped his arms around me, as far as he could reach. "And that leads to Samhain, when the walls grow thin between the worlds and creatures of both Dark and Light can enter our realm. That's his target."
Rubbing his back, I felt cold chills race over my skin and his. "We'll find a way ta stop him, Sev, we will."
"I hope so, love. Our lives and the life of our child depend upon us finding the power we need to counter him." He said quietly and I silently agreed.
The next six weeks passed so quickly that one day ran into another and rest became hastily snatched between periods of work. The school grounds became a mini-camp for the forces of the Light. Owls were sent to the students telling them that school was postponed because of a gnarly invasion. The exterminators were having a hard time eradicating the little menaces.
It gave us more time to keep enforcing our defenses and bringing new weapons into being. Bill was very much in demand and he taught curses right and left along with their counters. I learned a lot but I also worried as the days wound down towards the feast of Mabon. My family stayed near and became the nucleus around which our defenses grew. The twins returned and brought another caravan with them so we weren't so crowded.
Bill and Charlie had the second bedroom in Gersey's caravan and my little brother had finally returned after six weeks in the music studio making a new album with the muggle band he was currently with. Harry practically levitated into his arms when he came striding onto the school grounds. I was introducing the hippogriffs to the others that had declared on our side so I wasn't the only one who saw their reunion.
Sirius was growing a wee bit restive by the time that Gersey let Harry down. If I'd been away from Sev for that much time, I'd still be holding him so I thought Ger had been real restrained. But Harry's godfather was glaring pretty good by the time he reached their side. I chuckled and went back to teaching the Aurors how to work with a hippogriff. Ceyx was training his kin how to work with humans so together we were training up some unbeatable fighting teams.
At least we hoped we were.
"Rubeus, could I have a word with you?" Dumbledore asked once the new teams moved off to practice in the Quidditch field. When I nodded, he pulled me closer to the Forest. "I have been approached by a representative of the MacPherson Family of giants. He requested a face to face meeting here at the school."
"They're bonny fighters, Headmaster. They've won the Highland Games three times in the last decade." I felt a kind of tingle in my head and I thought maybe it was Severus. "Mum is the one ya need ta talk ta. Her Mum is a MacPherson and Granny is always telling stories about her Family. Ya mind walking home with me, now?"
"Excellent idea, Rubeus, I've had no exercise today at all." He beamed at me and beckoned to Harry, who was still being talked to by Sirius while Gersey listened with folded arms. Not a good sign and one that my new brother-in-law would learn as time went on. Rhea distracted him and they made their escape to us.
We walked real fast for a little bit then slowed down so the Headmaster wouldn't get too tired. It was real warm for September and none of the trees had begun changing color so it felt like summer was still here. We were all enjoying it and it was good to see Harry so animated, telling Gersey all the things that had happened while he was away. My brother couldn't seem to stop touching Harry, even when it was just a caress to his hair or a hand on his shoulder.
Maybe I could get some alone time for them while the rest of the family conferred on the MacPhersons. We reached a home that still kind of surprised me. It was all so different from what had been there in late April when I found Sev and brought him home. But it was different in a good way and I was already smiling when I saw my bonded come around the corner of the house with my Mum.
They were smiling too and Sev's face lighted up when he saw me. "Ru', you're early. Gersey, welcome home."
It was kind of confusing for a bit but we all got sorted out and Harry dragged Gersey towards the little place where he and Sev liked to relax. Mum just smiled when they left. "They'll be back for tea. But Headmaster, ya can 'ave yars now. It's all ready for pourin'. Come along in."
Sev was hugging me right outside in public and he didn't hardly ever do that so I knew he had something good to tell me. "Ru', did you feel something a while ago?"
I kissed his cheek. "A tingle 'bout an hour ago?"
He chuckled. "Yes, a tingle."
"What was it? Ya come up with a new potion?" I rubbed his back and felt the swell of his stomach against me, bigger than ever. And that's when I felt it, a tingle in my mind but also a flutter where he touched me. "The baby?"
He smiled dreamily and stroked above the spot where we touched. "He turned over or around or whatever position he was in and I felt him. At first I thought it was gas but Mum came in and I told her about it. She laid her hand right here," he showed me and I put my hand there real gentle like. "And he kicked his little foot so we both felt it."
"A Quidditch player, ya think?" I could hardly get the words out over the lump in my throat. And our son kicked out again as if to say 'Yes!'
"Possibly, Ru', or perhaps he's a musician like his Uncle Gersey?" He smiled up at me and I just had to kiss him again to celebrate our son moving.
There really was a tiny baby inside of my love and he was a brand new person made up of little bits of both of us. I could hardly wait to get him out into the world and start loving him. Since I couldn't touch him just yet, I touched Sev instead and he kissed me back so sweetly that I wanted to pick him up and take him to bed right then and there. But we had duties still and we ended our kiss for the moment, walking in for tea.
Mum was listening to Dumbledore with a little wrinkle between her eyes and I got tense, just like that. Severus caught my change in mood instantly and looked back and forth between me and her. "T'was Ian MacPherson, ya say, Headmaster? Would ya be able ta describe 'im for me?"
Dumbledore pulled something out of his pocket and I recognized a pensieve. "I put the entire encounter in this to preserve it." He fussed a moment then a small moving picture appeared above the kitchen table. "There, that's got it."
It was a face that I'd never forgotten and Mum hadn't either. She got a real forbidding look on her face. "That's no Ian MacPherson but black-hearted Geil. 'e should still be in prison for hurting Rube and a dozen other crimes."
"Ru', is he one of those who hurt you?" Severus' voice was still silky smooth but the menace was back in it after months of being gone.
"Aye," I was confused and a little scared, big half-giant that I am. The old pain swamped me for a moment and Sev held me fiercely.
"He won't hurt you again, my love." He promised me and I saw him and Mum exchange a real scary look.
Dumbledore didn't understand what was going on but he closed the pensieve so Geil's picture disappeared and I began to get my courage back. Mum was furious and she left the table for the outside. When we followed her, we found her crouched on the plot of ground that would one day be our herb garden. Digging both hands into the black soil, she called out to the air.
"In darkness and in light; through earth and rain; by flame and wind; I summon thee to my side, my sisters of the dawn." Her voice had that eerie vibration in it that had scared me good when I was a little one and she'd had to call a meeting of her sister-kin.
Severus held on tight to me and I've got to say that I was holding onto him like I was afraid something would snatch him away from me. Dumbledore watched with amazed eyes as three giants appeared before us. Great-aunt Illona of the Gibson Clan was dressed in her Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes, her white hair braided over one shoulder with a bit of heather woven into the end.
Granny MacPherson wore her tartans, her reddish-gray hair loose on her shoulders. Arwen Innes was the youngest of the four and her dark hair was piled high on her pretty head. Her flowing purple robe looked like something that usually didn't leave the bedroom. I'd done my share of sighing over my second cousin before I realized that no girl was going to do it for me.
"I thank ye, all for comin'. We've got a problem, a big one. Come ye all in and we'll explain." Mum nodded to them and they all nodded back before looking at us. "Ye all know me Rubeus and this is 'is bonded, Severus. And this is 'eadmaster Dumbledore of the Order of the Phoenix."
The Headmaster started a bit and the giants chuckled as one. Aunt Illona spoke first. "Congratulations, Rube and Severus. But what's this I'm seein'? Ya're expecting?"
Granny clapped her hands and took two strides to hug us both. "I'll be a great-grandmother at last. Wonderful!"
Her hugs can squeeze a body to death so I made sure that Sev didn't get the full treatment. "Thanks, Granny. We think it's a boy and he's got five months to go."
"It will be less than nine but more than six." Arwen said in a quiet voice, the one that she used when a vision came to her. I flinched but her lavender eyes came to mine. "But he'll be healthy and powerful from the moment he's born." Then she laughed out loud. "I can feel him from here and he's not yet five months formed. You're growing a prodigy, my dear cousin."
I blushed and Sev kind of sighed, smiling at her and resting his head against my chest. "Thank ya, Arwen. Let's go in for our tea."
I just hoped that we had enough apple crumble to feed them all.
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