Old and Ancient Magic

Aftermath

Snape woke up in the hospital wing, his head sore, and his body wracked in pain. McGonagall sat next to him, and he remembered that Poppy was on leave.

"Now then, Severus, what happened? For all that he was Headmaster, and a Head of House, and forty years old, sometimes he felt like he was still a fourth year in transfiguration lessons, being told off for hexing Black and Potter under the desk.

"I was levitating in the Great Hall. The Lestranges had just been seen off the premises. Then I was 'summoned'. If one does not attend, then the mark is set to inflict the cruciatus."

"You did not simply suffer the cruciatus. Nor was it just the effects of the fall. There was another curse."

"Numerata. My days are numbered. Cast by the Lestranges - it was one of their specialisms. I have one year. At the end of the year, either they will be dead, or I will. If they are dead, the feud will be taken up by their daughter, Ella."

"How does it work?"

"Numerata Anno, numerata menses, numerata dies. The years months and days of your life are numbered. It is a warning, nothing more."

"What happens after a year, if it is unresolved?"

"It has yet to happen, Minerva. The weak are driven mad with worry, the fool-hardy killed for their bravado."

She looked worried for a second, then touched his hand gently. He recoiled.

"I'm sorry, Severus." He looked at her, angry at her pity, but unable to say anything.

"Any news?"

"Hermione Granger has owled her friends to meet up with her in Diagon Alley."

"Foolish girl. Is it known why?"

"No."

"Then I shall go, unobtrusively of course, and observe. I need to visit the apothecary. I would suggest that you send school letters out sooner rather than later. The more spread the visits of the children to Diagon Alley, the more the risk of attack is reduced. I have already confirmed his appointment to young Mr Malfoy. You will do the same for Miss Granger. Albus had hoped that the responsibility would help him to decide. He was shaken last year by the incident with one of the Hufflepuff prefects."

"Justin Finch-Fletchley. Yes. That was very sad. It will teach him the merits of airing grievances to his father."

"The boys parents tortured, all for the sake of some House points lost because of the idiocy of one of his acolytes."

"Quite. What is your position now?"

"I don't know. The ministry doesn't trust me. I have attended enough gatherings not to rouse suspicions amongst my fellow Death Eaters."

"How?"

"The same way that Dumbledore managed to turn up in the most unexpected places."

"Slytherin."

"Yes. It may not be noble, but I was able to allay enough suspicions with my knowledge of meetings. It helps that the Dark Lord seldom names all the people present at a meeting, unless they have incurred his exceptional displeasure. And that he has mentioned having spies at Hogwarts. It is assumed that I am a spy master of my Slytherins. Some know the truth."

"I shall not ask."

"It is just as well Minerva." With that, she left him to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

Harry sat in Florian's, enjoying the sunshine. Hermione had asked to meet them at ten. He watched as an owl flew in, dropping a Hogwarts letter onto his table. Appended to the usual letter, there was a hand-written note from Professor Snape, commenting acidly that if he had to disrupt others by going into Diagon Alley, then he may as well limit his visits to what was strictly necessary. He scowled, thinking that maybe Snape would like to walk down a street, and be mobbed daily by witches, attracted more for the looks and the scars, than for who Harry Potter really was. Witch Weekly was already listing him as 'Britain's most eligible bachelor, and heir to the Potter fortune' in this week's issue, which Ginny had owled to him.

She arrived with Ron a few minutes later, and kissed him in greeting. So far he hadn't seen much of his peers this summer, spending most of it with the adult wizards, or on his own, pondering Dumbledore's letter. Sirius had promised him a long chat when he and Remus completed their current assignment, and Professor Figg was kindly letting him stay.

He would be seventeen in two weeks, and legally of age then, anyway. The others already treated him as a grown-up, even if Snape didn't. Snape himself hadn't been seen much in anyone's company.

The ministry had spent most of the last two years putting the blame for all the attacks onto Sirius, claiming that he was leading a band of rogue death-eaters, master-minding the attacks. Right up to the point that Snape had managed to get one of the Death Eaters captured, and to testify to the court under veritaserum that Pettigrew was still alive, and did indeed wear the Dark Mark. The proclamation that Sirius's punishment was commuted to twelve years in Azkaban meant that he was free to walk the streets, but that he might as well have had a target painted on his back.

Hermione arrived a couple of minutes late. 'Muggle public transport. They're on strike. In the end I went to Cho's and got the floo.'

'What's so urgent?' Hermione was obviously edgy.

'It's my parents.' The group sat with bated breath, staring at Hermione.

'Mum's pregnant.' Whatever they expected, they hadn't expected this.

Ron made sympathetic noises, and Ginny sat quietly. Harry went deathly quiet. 'It means...'

'Your parents were having sex? Eurgh!' Typical Ron.

'Mum and Dad do it all the time - they're just good with the silencing charms - haven't you ever wondered what they were doing 'wrapping presents' all this time.' Ron nearly hit his little sister at this outburst. She forgot Harry's presence, and started to settle down with Hermione who was rather over-wrought. 'But - I won't be a sister - I'm old enough to be its mother.'

'And when you've quite finished broadcasting the intimate details of someone else's marriage, Miss Granger, you'll remember, perhaps, that the world does not revolve around you.' A black cloak swept out of Fortescue's into Diagon Alley, without any clue as where he had materialised from.

'Snape! What's HE doing here?' Harry kept quiet.

'I dunno - but whatever that greasy git is up to, I'll bet it's no good.' Ron didn't let Snape's recent presence guard his tongue.

'Look, don't worry, 'Mione, it won't be so bad.' Leaving Ginny Weasley and Ron to commiserate with Hermione, Harry wandered off into Diagon Alley, passing a group of his fellow sixth years at a nearby table. He wanted to think, excusing himself by saying he wanted to talk to Snape.

'You might not take your security seriously, Potter, but some of us do. I would suggest that you collect your school supplies, and then return to wherever it is you're staying. No, don't turn around.' Snape was at his shoulder, and Harry had the discomfitting feeling he was being held at wand-point as they walked. He turned into the bank, and took the key from around his neck. He glanced in a window, and saw no one beside him, but he could sense the presence. 'Yes, Mr. Potter, I am invisible, and inaudible to anyone but you.'

'So's Sirius.' Snape started in his ear. 'I can sense him.' A voice came at his other shoulder.

'Well done Harry. How did you manage that?'

'You borrowed Dad's invisibility cloak, and you disturbed a puddle on my left hand side. Professor Snape is on my right hand side. And only you smell of motor-bike like that.'

'Impressive. But not so impressive that you couldn't have been killed. Like father, like son.' Sirius shifted audibly under the cloak at Snape's cold words. Snape had obviously enlarged the audibility charm.

'So you'd lose your cover in order to start a brawl. And you'd be straight back to Azkaban. You're still on license, you know.'

'As are you as soon as you cease to be useful. No trial.' Sirius passed Harry his own key, and a slip of parchment with an amount on.

Harry went down to the vaults on his own, and collected two good-sized bags of Galleons from his own vault, and a bag from Sirius's. When he emerged, the voices found him and they returned toward Florian's.

The conversation about the imminent arrival of a new Granger was not news he could celebrate. It only served to remind him that he would never be an older brother. Even if Sirius or Remus had kids, it just wouldn't be the same. Oh, he'd be part of the family. But it wouldn't be the same. Besides, he owed Sirius his life after the last stunt he'd got into, landing him up in the hospital wing for a month. Him and Snape. He still didn't know entirely what was going on, but now he was of age, he didn't want to be kept in the dark any longer.

The other three had been joined by a group of prefects and seventh years. Emma Fawcett was a neighbour of the Weasley's, and she was chatting with Ginny, Carys Kitson and Terry Boot. Hannah Abbot and Susan Bones were there, and so were Alison Moon and Blaise Zabini. Cho and Cynthia Chang were talking to Hermione.

'Quite the group photograph, aren't they?' Sirius had gone into an alley, and transformed into a dog, putting the cloak into a bag, and then handing the bag to Harry. Snape was still there, waiting until the dog came back, and there was something in his voice that didn't sound quite right.

Carys and Terry stood to leave, and Emma joined them as they commiserated with Hermione, and then left.

Cho mentioned something about seeing Hermione later. She smiled at Harry, and then walked away, followed by Cynthia.

'Hermione, you might want to be more careful.'

'What do you mean?'

'Who you tell about the baby.'

'They're friends, prefects, they can be trusted.' Harry felt Snape go, as Sirius appeared. 'For goodness sake Harry. You're as bad as Mad-eye Moody!'

'He's still alive, and he's had over a hundred years in a dangerous job.'

Hermione scowled at this, then changed tack. 'Where did you go, did you find Snape?'

'Gringott's. I got my school letter today. I was thinking we could get our things. I don't like the idea of being in Diagon Alley more than I have to.' As if to prove his point, a young witch came over, and asked for his autograph. She was easily 7 years older than him, and Harry quickly signed a photograph from the witch weekly article for her.

'It's OK - the Changs have said I can use their Floo in future, so I can come over to where you are.' Harry could have sworn that Sirius looked about as relieved as a dog could manage.

'OK. We three need Quidditch stuff." He indicated the Weasleys. "If we promise not to take too long, can we all do that, and then go to all the other shops." Sirius was fixing Hermione with a glare, and growled when she started to protest.

'Look, you can time us. I need some stuff for record-keeping. Ginny needs a new Quidditch robe, and Ron just wants to look at the Chudley Cannons stuff.' Ron grinned at this, and reached out to help Hermione up.

'Look, I promise it'll be less than twenty minutes, love.' She blushed at the endearment, and then realised that none of them were going to let her argue. Harry looked positively cold.

In Flourish and Blott's Sirius went round picking up some useful books, and putting them in Harry's basket, indicating that Harry was to pay for them from Sirius's money bag. At the Apothecary's they ran into Snape, who was completing rather a large order.

"Of course, you'll be dealing with my assistant this year. She'll be teaching the juniors. This is the list of ingredients they'll need."

"Certainly, sir." The girl took the long roll of parchment, and started to make notes.

Snape turned on Hermione. "Have you quite finished blabbing your mouth off? You were lucky that you only told so few."

"They're my friends."

"You foolish girl. Have you any idea how much effort Professor Dumbledore and now myself have put into protecting you?" Sirius growled assent, and Hermione looked quite scared. "Your jealousy does not become you."

He swept out, leaving the four to quickly place their orders with the minimum of words.

Finally they finished their shopping, and Sirius took them down to the other end of Diagon Alley. He quickly transformed and rang the bell, to have it answered by a witch in her hundreds.

'Juno McGonagall. You'd be Harry Potter. My daughter has told me a great deal about you.' He nodded, unsure what to say.

'Madam McGonagall, may we come in?' Sirius spoke, and Juno nodded.

'Certainly." She turned to Harry. "I believe you know my sister in law - Arabella Figg?'

'Yes.' They walked into a hall. The door shut behind them, and Madam McGonagall started to murmur spells.

'You are who you say you are, then. Come.' They walked upstairs to a modest flat above Diagon Alley. 'Minerva said I might expect you.'

Sirius nodded, and they went into a comfortable sitting room. Their hostess continued. 'I assume you want to use one of the private lines.'

'Yes - Arabella's.' Sirius turned to the others, while Juno drew two or three glyphs above the fireplace with her wand. 'Simply put some Floo powder into the fire, and step in. We can only go to one place.'

Puzzled by this turn of events, the young wizards did as they were told. Sirius went last, talking rapidly to Madam McGonagall in an undertone.

Harry made some tea, while the others sat down to wait. Sirius came through, dusted himself down, and then stood by the fireplace.

"What the HELL do you think you're playing at?" His wrath was directed at Hermione. "I can understand you wanting to talk to your friends, but did you have to do it, in the middle of wizarding London, and broadcast the news to the whole world. Just exactly what is going on?"

"Mum's pregnant. The baby's due this week. She didn't tell me, because she didn't want me to be worried about them, not with everything else that's happened this year. Even though Dumbledore's gone, they want me back at Hogwarts. Never mind that I could protect them. I'm old enough to carry a wand now, and I know enough warding spells.'

'First. That is the most stupid idea I have ever heard. You may be one of the cleverest witches in your year, but you need to be kept safe. Secondly, practising magic in a Muggle area without a license is possibly the fastest way to attract attention. Thirdly, the reason the Changs moved to your area was in order to provide some protection for some of the families round there. Cho is working at the ministry of magic - transportation division, bewitching portkeys, Floo network and so on. Her parents are Aurors. I thought you had more sense than that.' Hermione looked shocked by the out-burst, and burst into tears.

'They're telling everyone I left home. They're even going to give her my old room. They've turned it into a nursery. It feels like everyone already knows. The Changs knew before I did. Cho apologised for not telling me, you know.'

'Hermione!' Sirius went over to the sofa, and wrapped the crying girl in a hug. 'I'm sorry I shouted. Look, I'll tell you the news. But don't ever think you don't have a home. If you don't mind sharing with three bachelors, then you're always welcome.' Harry looked up at this.

'I'm not doing this very well, am I?' Harry and Ron shook their heads.

'It's been a tough couple of weeks. I've been trying to track the Lestranges, with Remus. Then Snape told me about you three planning to meet up at Diagon Alley. Hermione - you're going to have to learn to Apparate. You know now you can use the Floo network from Cho's, don't you?' She nodded.

'If you need to get anywhere fast, Juno McGonagall's is always a safe house. She'll ask no questions, save who you are. You can't get in there by Floo or Apparition, but you can get out.'

'First of all - the Lestrange's have a daughter they call Ella. She's about your age, and she's at Hogwarts. I saw her in Diagon Alley today. It's why I reacted like that. She's only just found out who she really is.' The four looked shocked. 'I don't know what her school name is. But it's not Ella. The Map won't help you either. It can detect people who are invisible, and those in animagus form, but it will only tell you the name you know someone under at school.'

'I don't understand.'

'Because Polyjuice and animagus forms are temporary, the map assumes that an individual is better off knowing the real identity. However, where a person is known only by one name, where it's not their own, then the name they most commonly answer to would show on the map.'

'So if someone changed their name at school?'

'If a staff member married, for example, then the name would flicker and change over time. Both names would show on the map if you looked.'

'What about multiple personality disorders?' Sirius looked at Hermione aghast, and then realised she was joking.

'I've never found a way of putting that to the test. Remus?' He looked round for his sandy-haired friend, and realised he still wasn't back. 'He was the charms wizard, I'll ask him later. The map was his idea - hence his being first author of it. We tossed for our placings.'

He paced the room nervously. 'Snape's as worried as I am. Minerva found him unconscious two weeks ago. We don't know where the Lestranges are. We don't know when the next attack is going to be.'

'Sorry about that.' Ron shifted awkwardly.

'Not your fault. The Ministry is the problem. We have no real leader - Harry, you're too young, and Snape's too vulnerable at the moment. We're acting autonomously for now, trying to follow clues.' Sirius looked up at the clock. 'Look, you'd better get back to your parents. If you want to get over here, the glyphs are quite straightforward.' He drew the three Hebrew characters, and made the other three learn it. Ron drew the security glyphs for The Burrow, which Harry copied down, and Hermione drew the ones for the Changs' private Floo. Quickly they left, though not before Sirius had organised for them to come over on Harry's birthday.

He kissed Ginny goodbye, and waited while Ron did the same for Hermione. His godfather had gone to make himself some coffee, which Harry was grateful for. Ginny smiled, and kissed him again before she jumped into the fire-place.

Sirius was grinning from ear to ear as he sat down with his god-son. "So, between saving the world, and studying, how did you manage to get together with the prettiest Weasley?"

Harry blushed bright red. "To be honest, I'm glad for you. You need something good in your life. She's a lovely girl."

"Thanks."

"So tell me. You promised in that letter of yours." Harry blushed, and Sirius couldn't help thinking how much like James he was.

"She and I became friends when Ron started dating Hermione last year. Then she got on the Quidditch team, and the three of us would train together, with Hermione using Omnioculars to help us practice, occasionally." Harry answered the unspoken question. "Chaser. Though she could play beater as well as the twins. She's just as vicious and twice as devious."

"These are the same twins that liberated the map, and worked out how to use it?" Sirius whistled. "Sounds like you've got a handful there. If she wants you down that aisle, you haven't got a chance. Maybe I ought to get to know this girl better. Especially if we're going to wind up sharing a house."

"Pardon?"

"You didn't think this was a permanent arrangement, did you? Because it's about time you had a proper home. If you want it, still?"

Harry stared, and then hugged his godfather.

"When, Where, How?"

"Hold on, Hold on. Wait until Remus gets here. We found the place when we were looking for the Lestranges. We'll tell you everything, promise."

Harry was glowing. He picked up his wand suddenly, and headed outside.

"Harry, what are you doing?"

"Expecto Patronum." The silvery stag shot out of his wand, near solid in its intensity. It dipped its head in salute to its owner, and then walked towards Sirius, who had followed Harry. Sirius put his hands on his godson's shoulders.

"Prongs." The stag vanished, making a strange move with its magnificent head. "He's happy. That's what he used to do when we made a new discovery, or had just spent a good night." There were tears in his eyes.

"I wanted to store this as a really happy memory. I don't think there's going to be many this year. Not like that, I mean."

"That's impressive, Harry, very impressive." Professor Figg was standing behind them.

"Remus taught me in third year," he said simply. Sirius walked back into the house. Professor Figg waiting till he was inside, and the she turned to Harry.

"I didn't just mean the patronus. I mean I've never seen Sirius lost for words like that, nor so happy. Not in a long while. Come inside. Remus is here as well.

---oOo---

On his return from Diagon Alley Snape entombed himself in his old dungeon apartment. He shrunk his few possessions into a couple of crates for the house elves to carry, and then picked up his paper-work. His will was now invalid - he would have to decide on his beneficiaries. He didn't know what family he had, and by law he was meant to make some acknowledgement of them.

Sighing he put his rooms in order, and glanced round for the final time. Arabella Figg would be head of Slytherin. Fleur would have this apartment, Arabella would keep hers in one of the towers. He would be in the Headmaster's sweet, which was anywhere in the castle he chose to make it.

He walked past the potions class-room and the door to Slytherin, and turned to a small room, hidden from the students. Sitting down at the piano, he let the music wash over him as he lifted the lid. Then he touched the keys, finding the notes came easily to his hands as he took the piano part in a Beethoven sonata for violin and piano. The violin played itself.

"Will you be using that?"

"For what?"

"For your sorting of course."

"I thought it would be kept low key."

"There will be a sorting, Headmaster." McGonagall's voice left no choice in the matter. "It is up to you the form it will take. The sorting is unique to the wizard that orchestrates it. I have brought the memories of the previous sortings for you to look at. I am sure you will manage something unique..."

"Professor." He turned away, and started to play Ravel's pavane.

"You might want to use that. And your voice. You have a fine baritone, I remember. As does Sirius Black." He hit a dissonance, and stopped, speaking through gritted teeth.

"You know what he is, don't you?"

"Yes. An exceptionally gifted young man."

"You know exactly what I meant." She caught his eye, and carried on as if he hadn't spoken.

"As are you. Languages, Music, Potions. Even charms if I'm not much mistaken." She indicated the violin. Snape gave her a rare smile.

"No. That was not my doing. It was my mother's." He started to play again, the Warsaw Concerto, this time.

"Albus died for you. The least you can do is be who you are."

"You think I don't know that, Minerva. That I don't have debts to pay, and promises to keep."

"Yes."

"You think that every day I haven't thought that this would be my last. Voldemort knows. It is only a matter of time before he gives orders to kill me. Numerata."

"Then show who you are. And Live." Snape carried on playing, his hands finding the notes easily.

He changed tunes again, as Minerva left the room, the passionate sound of Mozart following her, with the bewitched violin accompanying. She hummed along, and then left him, her voice echoing through the dungeons to where he played.

"Then there will be music, and languages. And Magic." Potions was not really an option. He started to sing, this time in Hebrew, letting the words echo through the corridors, lost to all the worlds.

Sirius sat down with Harry and Remus, the older pair grinning at the sixteen year old.

"Right. You know you'll inherit Godric's Hollow of course, in two weeks time?"

"What?"

"Your parent's home. It was rebuilt, after the war. But it's not safe to live there yet. So we decided that we needed to get you and us a home. So we found a small place. It's up in Yorkshire, not far from Hermione's family. Far enough from the Lestranges as well. They're hiding out down in Devon, not far from one of the Malfoy castles."

"Then how did you find this place?"

"Because we needed to visit a couple of libraries to try and find some scrolls. The Lestranges have a long history. She's a black witch, and he's a nerosite. Immensely powerful forms of Dark magic. The libraries at Rievaulx and Rosedale have the most complete collections on the subject. So that's where we went. And we found a little cottage up for sale, on the top edge of the moors, near a place called Delves. I think you'll like it. Do you want to come and have a look at it?" Harry nodded. "Then we'll Floo up there in the morning. There's something else we need to talk about. Your inheritance."

"It's not the first time that the entire Wizarding world knows more about me than I know about myself."

"You stand to inherit Godric's Hollow, as well as a lot of money, Harry. And quite a lot of other things. We shall have to go into Diagon Alley on Lammas day. And then into Muggle London. You need to go to the college of arms to complete your coat of arms. And then there are other things that we need to collect."

"This is to do with Dumbledore's letter, isn't it?"

"No. Not all of it. These are things that come to you by right. Some things come to you by choice. You will know when you have chosen."

"Then you have some explaining to do." Sirius nodded.

"But not tonight."