Iuga Sortis (Bound By Destiny)

Two

It was only the first day of classes, and already five cauldrons had melted because of bumbling students not paying attention--five. Severus sighed, running a hand across his face as he leaned back in his chair. Between running missions for Dumbledore and making sure students didn't kill themselves or blow up the school, Severus was tired. Not to mention his "favorite" class was next--Gryffindor/Slytherin fifth years.

Great. Now I get to play referee, too!

He sighed again, wondering what he did to deserve this.

You know very well what you did.

Severus rubbed the inside of his left wrist in regret. He didn't feel like going to the Great Hall for lunch, opting instead to eat in the privacy of his classroom. At least, that had been his intention.

"Daddy!"

His eyes snapped up to see Nia grinning mischievously as she lifted herself on and off the ground using his desk.

He returned the grin. "Shouldn't you be in the Great Hall, Miss Roberts?" he said, leaning over his desk, hands clasped together.

"Shouldn't you?" she returned, her smile never leaving her face.

He chuckled then. She was surely her mother's child.

"My, my, Little One, you shouldn't be talking to your professor and Head of House in such a manner," he warned, raising an eyebrow.

Nia rolled her eyes. "You're not my professor now. I don't have your class until tomorrow!"

"Then why are you here? Has anyone given you trouble?"

Nia shrugged. "I've missed you."

Severus's black eyes softened, and he held out his hands to her. "Come here, Little One." Nia walked around the desk and sat in Snape's lap, her ear to his chest as she listened to his heartbeat. He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him. "I wonder, how is it you have time to miss me when you just arrived?"

"Yeah, but you didn't come home this summer. It's been almost a year since I've seen you!" she whined.

"I'm sorry, Little One. Dumbledore needed me to . . . take care of a few things," he said, dropping a kiss to her forehead.

Nia lifted those golden eyes to his, and he closed his, seeing her mother peering back at him. "That's alright. I understand."

"How are your classes so far?"

Nia scowled. "I do not like that Umbridge lady," she muttered, referring to the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. "She has this . . . condescending way of talking to us."

He chuckled. "No more so than me, hmm?"

Nia shook her head. "No. At least you're funny. She's downright mean. Just something about her makes my skin crawl. I have a bad feeling about her."

Severus frowned, filing that bit of information for later when he spoke to Dumbledore. "Let's change subjects, shall we? What about the students? Have you made any friends?"

Nia immediately perked up. "Yeah! I met Draco, and he's awesome! We stayed up last night talking, and--"

"That explains why you had your robe on backwards this morning, too sleepy to know the difference!" he teased.

Nia looked indignant. "Daddy!" she chastised, crossing her arms in front of her and pouting.

He chuckled and kissed her head. "Sorry Little One, it was too golden an opportunity."

"Yeah, well, he's the only one so far. I've met some people in my year in my classes, but we didn't really talk all that much," she finished.

"You have to give it time, yet Little One. It's only the first day of classes."

Nia shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

"In the mean time, I want you to meet me after dinner. I want to hear all about your first day."

"Okay."

The bell rang, and she got off his lap, going back to pick up her book bag. "Imma go now. I have class with McGonagall now. She as strict as people say?"

His mouth quirked in amusement. "Let's just say she's not Professor Umbridge," he promised. She frowned, determining if that was good news or bad. The Slytherin students began filing in, and she spotted Draco. Nia lifted her head in greeting, getting a smirk in return. "Bye,"she mouthed to Professor Snape, and he nodded imperceptibly.

"Hey, Little One! Better hurry to class, before you get detention!" Draco called out, earning a laugh from his classmates.

"You better get a brain, before you don't graduate!" Nia shot back with a wink. "Oohs" and "She told you!'s" were heard as she left the dungeon, and she giggled as Snape's voice telling them to settle down. She rummaged through her bag looking for her schedule and map as she passed by more students heading to Potions class, so focused on her search she didn't see where she was going. She bumped into one. "Whoops, sorry," she said, looking into a pair of glazed, yet brilliant green eyes. They seemed to look right through her, not even aware she'd run into him.

"Huh? Oh yeah, no problem," the boy muttered absently, continuing his trek to the classroom.

There were two more students--a boy and a girl--who were arguing incessantly behind him, and she thought maybe he was trying to block them out.

I would, too, the way they're carrying on, Nia thought to herself. She checked her watch and realized she was cutting it close, picking up her pace to head to Transfiguration.

~~~~~~~

He couldn't get those eyes out of his head. They didn't leave when he'd botched his Draught of Peace, when Snape humiliated his again in front of the class, during Ron and Hermione's latest row, or when he got kicked out of Professor Umbridge's class for telling her the truth--despite her wish not to hear it. So now he lay on his bed--having just left Professor McGonagall's after Umbridge threw him out of class--seeing those eyes. They were the color of fire and had glinted even in the dim dungeon light. Harry had never seen such eyes: large, round and captivating. He frowned, then, wondering what that meant. A feeling of electricity hit him when they ran into each other, and when she spoke it was as if in her he had found the answer to everything confusing in his life. The only thing was he had absolutely no idea who she was.

Great! As if life couldn't get any more complicated! he thought sardonically. Not only was he facing a newly resurrected Voldemort, a defiant and recalcitrant Ministry of Magic, and a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher from hell, but now his love life was becoming more active with Cho Chang's apparent interest in him, not to mention puberty. Harry snorted, his mood going south once again. He placed his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling, letting his eyes droop as he finally allowed sleep to overcome him.

Apedemak swung his adamantium sword against his foe, annihilating him with one swift stroke. He exhaled heavily, the stench of death permeating his senses. Apedemak was bloody and exhausted, but victorious once again. These battles were taking a toll on him, despite the fact he was a god. Shaking his head, he wiped the crimson liquid from his sword, only to feel a prickling sensation at his back.

"Apedemak."

Apedemak instantly recognized the cold voice, turning to see the Dark Lord hold his axe over his head, ready to strike

Thanatos grinned evilly. "You may have won this battle, but you cannot win the war!" he taunted. "Look around you! Your forces have dwindled considerably, and some of your noble army has fled. Give up the throne, and I promise we will not kill you too painfully!"

Apedemak glared at him, not to be swayed. "I have justice on my side. You will get what's coming to you. You will never have my throne. I'll fight to the death!" he snarled, as he swung his mighty sword at his adversary. Thanatos sidestepped it cleanly, and swung his axe, missing Apedemak by only a hair. The Dark Lord growled in frustration and tried again, this time completely missing the lion-headed god.

"You're getting slack, Thanny," Apedemak taunted, circling him with a glint in his eye.

Thanatos sneered. "My Death Hunters and I will prevail! I will have control over this realm!" Thanatos proclaimed, eyes wild.

Apedemak smirked. "Not if I have anything to do with it!" He thrust his sword again, and the axe caught it, preventing the strike. The two gods entangled in a bloodthirsty dance, each one trying to win the upper hand. Finally Apedemak's sword cut through Thanatos, leaving a green trail in its wake. Thanatos looked down at his wound, then giving a screech, he attacked Apedemak in earnest, his eyes feral and his attacks erratic. Apedemak was patient, avoiding each offensive calmly and cleanly.

Thanatos gave an un-godly huff. "Why won't you die!?"

"'Tis not my destiny to die at your hand!"

This only served to enrage Thanatos further, and he ran toward the lion-headed god madly. Apedemak was ready, though, and as Thanatos lifted his axe to strike, Apedemak ran his sword directly through his green heart, his blood oozing out and covering this sword.

Thanatos had a look of utter shock on his face, before it turned into a sadistic smile. "Looks at though we'll both meet our ends tonight, aye, my lord?" he croaked, as his life seeped out of his body around the sword. The look of confusion flashed briefly across Apedemak's face, before he felt the stab of a sword in his back. Apedemak's eyes widened at the searing pain shooting through his body, barely cognizant of Thanatos' body falling to the ground in a heap. The grip on his sword loosened, and Apedemak staggered as he turned to look into the eyes of his attacker.

"Set!" Apedemak gasped, his blood drooling out of his mouth.

The red god said nothing, only looked at Apedemak as he sank to the floor. "Not only did you help my biggest foe, but you took the very thing that would ensure me of unparalleled power. But now your meddling comes to an end! Finally it is all mine! Mine!" Set walked up to the dying corpse of Apedemak and spat on itSet walked up to the dying corpse of Apedemak and spat on it. "May you rot in Thanatos' hell," he wished and smiled a smile that sent cold shivers up Apedemak's broken spine.

Apedemak's gaze was growing hazy, barely making out Set's Apparation. As he felt the cold and darkness surround him, Apedemak heard a voice hearkening him back.

"Apedemak!" the voice whispered frantically. "Don't you dare!"

He barely felt the hand go back to his wound, as the other went to support his head. He opened his eyes wearily and saw a full red lip being held between white teeth. Tears were streaming, and he lifted a weak hand to the face, wiping them away.

"Don't you dare think of dying on me. We need you! I need you!" the voice finished weakly.

He felt a forehead upon his, and he rolled his eyes at the feeling of peace that overcame him. The wound stopped throbbing, and his body went limp. Apedemak's eyes refocused one last time, before he welcomed unconsciousness, and he stared into a pair of eyes the color of the sun. He sighed a name on his final breath before drifting into the unknown.

"Isis . . ."

Harry shot up panting, bringing his hand unconsciously to his back. He heaved a sigh in relief, only to realize his name was being called.

"Blimey, Harry! Are you alright, mate?"

"Uh . . ." Harry grunted, checking his body for other wounds.

The dream seemed so real. He felt himself being shaken, his eyes crossing at the force of it. "Argh, Ron! I'm fine!" he said, breaking out of his haze.

Ron didn't look convinced, but he stopped shaking him. "Are you sure, mate? You were writhing all over the bed and muttering."

"Could you understand what I was saying?"

Ron shook his head apologetically. "Anyway, it's dinnertime. I came up to see if you wanted to go down."

Just then Harry's stomach gave a growl. The two boys smiled at each other.

"I'll take that as a yes!" Ron said. They left the common room and met Hermione and Ginny, who were waiting on them.

"How was McGonagall? She wasn't too mad, was she?" Hermione asked, as they stepped out of the portrait.

"She warned me to not lose my temper," Harry shrugged. "But she wouldn't exempt me from the detention, so I have to go to those."

Hermione looked at him sadly.

"That Umbridge woman is positively evil," Ginny muttered. "I long for the days of Lupin. Heck, even Lockhart!" Hermione got a dreamy look on her face while Harry and Ron rolled their eyes, but they couldn't help but agree with Ginny's statement. As they walked closer to the Great Hall, they saw Goyle and Crabbe poking fun at one of the Gryffindor first years, holding his wand above his wand in the air and out of reach.

"Give it back!" the brown-haired boy yelled, jumping up in vain to grasp it.

"Give what back?" Goyle said dumbly. Crabbe snickered.

"Give it back to him, you great big tub o' lard!" Ron yelled, flashing his prefect's badge. All four pulled out their wands, ready to defend themselves and the first year.

"My, my, my, if it isn't the Golden Trio, or should I say, quartet?"

Harry's lip curled as he heard the sickening drawl. He slowly turned around to see the owner of the voice. "Malfoy," he muttered, stepping away from the group, ready to finish whatever Malfoy would start. Just then another person appeared from behind Malfoy, and he hesitated. Harry's arm fell limply at his side.

"Isis."