aldalindil

Luna spins a tale of mice and dragons, lions and gold, and a hero who doesn't know her... Set during the spring of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire."

Head Girl Minerva McGonagall learns more than she bargained for about her boyfriend, Tom Riddle, and the supposedly innocent society he formed. In the process, she discovers that some truths cause rifts that last forever, and an era can end in a single night. Other bonds, however, are strengthened by tragedy. And even in Minerva's darkest hour, an unexpected gift could change a life.

Spring, 1981: Voldemort is at the height of his power. The Potters are still alive. And on a dark and stormy night, Death Eater Severus Snape returns to Hogwarts. He comes to turn himself in and expects to be reviled, but he learns more than he bargained for. This bitter Slytherin also finds understanding from a most unexpected source. The time has come at last for Minerva McGonagall to do penance for the sins of her past. After forty years, she will pay for the mark upon her wrist.

It is the mid-1980s, and Alastor Moody has just lost his leg, his eye, and half his face. He is not the only one who has been scarred by the experience, however. There is another who has yet to come to terms with Alastor's loss: his dearest friend, Minerva McGonagall. Minerva is one of the strongest witches in the wizarding world, but perhaps there are fears that even Gryffindor bravery cannot conquer. And though Alastor and Minerva both have the hearts of lions, some pain may still be too much to bear.

Alastor Moody has just recovered from being locked in a trunk for nine months. Being a prisoner was bad enough, but what he’s about to do for love is far more difficult. Alastor hasn’t seen her for over fourteen years, and during that time he’s lost a leg, an eye, and any good looks he might once have had. But then, war changes everyone, not just Aurors. And for a Gryffindor who once dreamt of single-handedly saving the world through his constant vigilance, things aren’t turning out the way he’d like them to. In times of war, though, even a moment’s hard-won peace can sometimes be enough.

After speaking with Igor Karkaroff at the Yule Ball in "Goblet of Fire," Snape reflects upon his past. What choices did he make upon his path to becoming a Death Eater, and what choices were made for him? He was led into temptation, but broken and betrayed, he cannot deliver himself from bitterness. Time is supposed to heal all wounds, but there are some marks it can never erase. Even in the dark of winter, however, there is always hope of spring. Snape/Karkaroff slash.

Before they were champions of darkness and of light, they were simply Hogwarts' Head Boy and Girl: Tom Riddle and Minerva McGonagall. Fifty years of hatred and pain separate them now, but amidst the barrenness of regret, there is solace in remembrance. A tale of a lion, a witch, and two serpents.