Armilla II

Chapter 2

"Are you planning on eating breakfast this morning?" Severus asked dryly, looking over his Daily Prophet at my untouched bowl of porridge.

I shook my head. "I'm not hungry." The truth was, I was feeling too nervous about the fact that my OWL results were due to arrive at any moment. Ever since I had finished my last exam, I had been comfortable with the thought that I would at least pass every subject. In the last twenty-four hours, however, paranoia had crept up on me and I had been having a battle with my memory, trying to remember ridiculous things that I might have accidentally done.

I simply couldn't remember if I had put down Glenda the Glorified or Gloria the Grand as the leader of witches' rights in the fifteenth century. What if it hadn't been either of them? I voiced my question to my brother. After all, he had begrudgingly helped me revise for History of Magic, among my other subjects, in the months leading up to the OWLs.

He rolled his eyes. "I have not the slightest idea." He nodded towards my porridge. "Eat your breakfast."

I sighed and picked up my spoon. I gazed at the wall in front of me for awhile, finding it much more interesting than my breakfast. At least my churning stomach thought so.

"Do you wish to spend the entire morning at the table, Armilla?" said Severus, narrowing his eyes at me as he folded his newspaper. "I will not allow you to look at your results or leave the table until that bowl is empty."

Lord, he was stubborn at times. I slowly began to eat, ignoring the slight smirk that now played across my brother's face as he pushed the newspaper aside and reached for the teapot.

I knew I would have been in a far worse state about my OWL results if Severus had still been sharing custody with my father. Father had been determined that I would achieve perfect results in everything. I had spent much of the year fearing what would happen if my results turned out to be less than perfect. It did bring me a significant amount of comfort to be able to know that it no longer mattered.

Severus had reassured me more than once that I would not see any displeasure from him if achieved lower than he hoped. All the same, I knew I would feel ashamed if I didn't get at least a couple of Outstandings. After all, we had spent many evenings revising until we were crabby and sick of identifying constellations or justifying seemingly pointless goblin riots. I wondered if it was a strange thing that I didn't want the high marks to please myself, but to please my brother.

"Keep going," Severus said. "You've stopped again."

I had subconsciously started gazing at the wall again. "Sorry," I muttered, returning to my breakfast.

We finished breakfast (rather slowly on my part, to the annoyance of my brother) and there was still no sign of an owl bearing my results.

"It's still early," said Severus, as I followed him out of the breakfast room. "I expect your owl will be here shortly."

I tried to amuse myself in my bedroom for awhile. Severus was busy with an Order related report he wanted to write before we went to see Tonks that afternoon.

My owl, Morag, seemed intent on experimenting with her metamorphmagus abilities. She was currently hopping about in front of the mirror, changing size and colour every thirty seconds or so. I was sure that if Severus had known that she was going to become so conceited, he wouldn't have bought her.

A loud screech in the hallway made both Morag and I jump. A large tawny owl bearing a large envelope soared into the room and landed on the table. It looked up at me as it held out its right leg.

I was surprised that I didn't have an urge to run to the owl and rip open the envelope. As it was, I just stared at it for a few moments before I slowly moved forward to relieve the owl of its burden.

"About time," said Severus, as he came striding into the room.

The owl hooted impatiently as I untied the envelope. Finally freeing it, it flew over to Morag's cage to have a drink. Morag hooted thoughtfully at it, clearly not sure whether to be indignant or not at such an intrusion of her property.

"Stop looking so worried," said Severus softly, watching me closely as I unsealed the envelope. "You know that it will not matter what you receive; Father has no say anymore."

I nodded, still feeling a little queasy. I wasn't really thinking about Father. I pulled out the parchment inside and opened it.

ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS

Pass grades: Outstanding (O) Fail Grades: Poor (P)

Exceed Expectations (E) Dreadful (D)

Acceptable (A) Troll (T)

ARMILLA LUCIA KEMP SNAPE HAS ACHIEVED:

Ancient Runes:	O
Arithmancy:	O
Astronomy:	E
Charms:	O
Defence Against the Dark Arts:	O
Herbology:	O
History of Magic:	E
Potions:	0
Transfiguration:	0

The relief I felt inside came close to the same relief I had felt when I had escaped from Father not long ago. I nearly laughed when I saw the E for Astronomy - Father's favourite subject. He would not have been pleased with that mark and now there was nothing he could do about it! As it was, I just stared speechlessly at my results, suddenly feeling exhausted with relief. I was thrilled for my brother's sake especially that I had received top marks in both Defence and Potions.

"Well?" said Severus, looking a little agitated by my silence.

I looked up at him. "I suppose you're right; an E in Astronomy doesn't matter now, does it?"

He smirked. "Certainly not." He held his hand out for the parchment, looking expectantly at me.

I handed it over, watching his impassive expression as he read it. After a moment he looked up again, and I could see the tiniest of smiles on his face.

"Well then," he said simply, folding the parchment and handing it back to me.

"I think that taking History of Magic at NEWT level would be detrimental," I said, mocking seriousness.

He genuinely smiled now. "Detrimental to both of us," he said, as he reached out and pulled me into a hug. "Well done," he said. "All your hard work has most certainly paid off."

I was about to reply when Docky come bouncing into the room. Severus and I broke apart as the elf came skidding to a halt in front of us. In one hand he carried a party hat and in the other he carried a small plastic trumpet. They looked like trinkets that had come from Christmas crackers.

"Is it good news, Miss Armilla?" he asked, his huge eyes shining.

I nodded. "It is."

Docky let out a loud squeak of excitement and placed the party hat on his head. "Congratulations!" he said merrily. He held the trumpet to his lips, but as he moved his long, bony fingers into position to play it, it suddenly became rubbery and flopped over.

I was about to remark that it looked like a gag the Weasley twins would enjoy when I noticed my brother's wand in his hand.

"We could do without the ceremonial music, Docky," he said sneeringly, lowering his wand.

Docky's ears drooped. "But I had a rather euphoric fanfare rehearsed."

"Oh," I said sadly, feeling sorry for him. Severus really could be mean at times...alright most of the time...to other people.

Severus gave me a dour look. "Don't encourage him, Armilla." He turned back to Docky, his face hard once again. "Incidentally, what would you have done if Armilla had been disappointed?"

Docky's ears pricked up again. "This!" he said. He took his multi-coloured party hat off and turned it inside out. It was now black and held (if it was possible for a hat) quite a dismal air. He put it on and then examined his floppy trumpet. "Docky also had a commiserations tune prepared," he said thoughtfully. "I know! I shall hum it to you!"

Severus held up a hand to stop him. "You shall do no such thing," he said sternly. "I will not have such foolishness."

"Thankyou anyway," I added. "I appreciate the effort."

"I don't," said Severus incredulously. He sneered down his hooked nose at the elf in front of him. "The spare time I allow you to have would be best spent engaged in something constructive. Perhaps I shall have to draw you a list that distinguishes what is constructive and what will lead to giving me a headache."

Docky smiled. "Docky would appreciate it, Master Severus, sir."

Severus nodded curtly. "Do oblige me, Docky, and continue on with your work in the greenhouse."

"Yes, Master Severus, sir." Docky scampered to the door and turned around. "Can Docky also make Miss Armilla a cake to congratulate her, Master Severus?"

"I suppose so," he answered impatiently. "Be off with you."

Docky flashed me a grin before disappearing around the door.

"I am not sure having a house elf is really worth it," Severus grumbled, shaking his head. He turned to face me. "I need to get back to finishing a report, but we'll celebrate later, alright?"

"Alright," I said nodding, wondering what Severus' idea of celebrating was.

He turned and started walking towards the door, just as another (rather urgent, in my opinion) thought came to me.

"So can I really drop Astronomy and History of Magic this year?" I asked.

He paused and turned around, contemplating me for a moment. "Your marks are high enough to be accepted into both NEWT classes," he said, looking serious. "However, I have no objection if you wish to continue without them."

"I do," I said seriously, feeling elated. I hated both subjects, Astronomy even more just because Father loved it so much.

He nodded, smirking slightly at the joy on my face. He walked to the door. "Excellent. Now you have more time for Potions." He disappeared into the hallway.

I groaned.

"I heard that, Armilla."

o o o o o o o o o o

That afternoon Snape and I were to be found walking down a muggle quiet street in Torquay, protected by the necessary concealment charms. Snape had told me that I could go with him to visit Tonks on order business, and I was thrilled at the thought of seeing her again.

"This is it, I think," said Severus, as we came to a small cottage-like home with an overgrown garden in full bloom. The light breeze made the wind chimes hanging near the door tingle softly.

"What is it with muggles and those ridiculous things?" Severus muttered, opening the garden gate. "We can't stay too long," he said, as we walked down the path leading to the front door. He lowered his voice. "In any case, you may find that you do not wish to stay long."

I gave him a curious look. Why wouldn't I want to stay long? I loved Tonks. He merely shook his head slightly, having no intentions of giving me any more information.

We reached the front porch and I rang the doorbell. Severus sneered at the melody which played out for over ten seconds.

The door opened a few moments later to reveal a very tired looking Tonks. Her hair, which looked like it hadn't been done in a couple of days, was a mousy brown I wasn't used to seeing. There were dark circles under her dark eyes, and her pale, heart shaped face looked drawn, as if she hadn't slept in days.

"Wotcher," she said, a little unenthusiastically, standing back to allow us entry. She did give me a brief smiled as I passed and squeezed my hand.

"Nymphadora," said Severus, nodding curtly at her. "I must say, I was surprised to be told to come to this part of the country. Don't you normally reside in London?"

She nodded. "I've come home to my parents' house for a few days. I hope it wasn't too inconvenient to get here. I suppose you apparated from Derbyshire?"

Severus nodded. "We did."

Tonks nodded. She turned and we followed her down a hallway and into a big room that had a sitting area and an open kitchen.

"Your parents are here somewhere I presume?" Severus asked, folding his arms.

"No, they're out buying groceries," she answered. "They left ten minutes ago so I don't expect them back for at least an hour."

Severus nodded. "We won't take up too much of your time."

Tonks nodded and gestured for us to sit down. "Can I offer either of you a drink?"

"No, thankyou," said Severus, pulling a folded piece of parchment out of his robes.

"Armilla?"

"No, thankyou," I said, joining my brother on the sofa. I felt distinctly uncomfortable being there. I had the impression that Tonks didn't really feel like socialising.

"How are you, Armilla?" she asked, smiling slightly at me as she sat down.

"Fine," I replied, not knowing what else to say. I was fine, I supposed. I had gotten over the separation anxiety; at least I thought I had. I worried about not being near my brother when he wasn't around, but maybe that was the influence of the war.

"Your summer must be wonderful," she went on, "knowing that you don't have to go to your father's house now."

I nodded.

"I don't think there's a word to describe the feeling," Severus put in. He frowned slightly at Tonks. "The pressure of your Order work has not been overtaxing you?"

Tonks looked a little uncomfortable. "No," she said quietly, not meeting his eye. "I can handle it. I'm just a little tired, as are all of us."

"Indeed," murmured Severus, not looking convinced.

"Moving on," said Tonks, looking up again, her expression a little brighter. "You have that report?"

"Yes," he answered, holding out the parchment. "As usual, it will require the password to reveal its contents."

Tonks nodded, taking the parchment. "Thankyou."

"Have you spoken to the Headmaster recently?" Severus asked. "He might have mentioned a couple of things you will read on that report."

"I saw him briefly late last night," she said, flushing slightly. "Only for a minute. There was no time to talk."

Severus frowned. "I had the impression the Headmaster had several important matters to attend to yesterday. What brought him to Torquay?"

Tonks shook her head? "He didn't come here. I was at the Weasleys' last night. Dumbledore brought Harry there to stay last night. I was on my way out."

As usual, Severus' face had darkened at the mention of Harry's name. "I suppose precious Potter made it there with no trouble?" He sneered. "Seeing as the Headmaster saw it fit to escort his golden boy to the Weasley abode himself?"

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Harry's life is in a significant amount of danger; I wouldn't call Dumbledore's decision to take Harry to the Weasleys' himself dramatic."

"I daresay Potter would have expected no less," said Severus indifferently. "I assume he is to stay at the Weasley residence for the remainder of the summer?"

"I suppose so," she replied.

He nodded curtly. "And so he will be treated as the pampered child he is."

Tonks gave him a sour look. "It shouldn't bother you; you have no need to go to The Burrow. Forget that he's even there."

Severus glowered at her. "How terribly naïve you are. Do you not see that Potter staying there will not be at all beneficial to breaking his reckless and arrogant nature? They will cater for his every whim like they have been doing these past few years. Any restrictions placed upon him are brushed aside with such arrogant indifference."

"He's not arrogant, Professor," said Tonks heatedly, glaring at him.

"Is he not?" said Severus incredulously, standing up. "Tell me, Nymphadora, how often does Potter get himself into serious quandaries? Far more often than any other child his age! Why is that so, Nymphadora?"

Tonks opened her mouth and closed it again. That was a wise decision in my opinion. My brother seemed ready to begin one of his Potter rants. Best get comfortable.

"Because he seems to think that he can assume responsibility for anything that comes his way," he went on, his expression hard. "And why is that? Because no steps have been taken to stop his reckless behaviour. A lot of luck has gotten Potter out of some tricky ordeals, but they have resulted in having him on the receiving end of praise! And a hero's praise at that!"

"Well..." Tonks began, looking very uncomfortable now.

"What good has this done him?" Severus continued, beginning to pace now. "Has this taught him to think about controlling his actions? No. Has this taught him to consider possible consequences before proceeding? No. Has this taught him that there just might be other people who have to come to his aid every time when he rushes head-on into dangerous situations? No."

"Perhaps now it has," said Tonks quietly. "After the death of his godfather."

Severus paused and narrowed his eyes. "Black," he said, a malicious glint in his eye, "hardly set a good example." He started to pace again. "He probably encouraged Potter to be reckless. He himself did not have a reputation for rational thought. He let himself be seen in public! He went to the Department of Mysteries after I had requested that he remain behind! If he had bothered to listen he would still be alive."

Tonks frowned. "Put yourself in the situation, Professor. If it had been Armilla in danger at the Department of Mysteries, wouldn't you have rushed to rescue her?"

Severus glared at her. "Armilla wouldn't have been so foolish to have led an expedition there in the first place, Nymphadora."

"Well," said Tonks, shifting slightly, "where Harry spends his time is up to Dumbledore." She met Severus' gaze. "If it was your decision, Professor, how would you have Harry spend his summer?"

He paused again, looking back at her. "I would organise for someone not as close to the boy to take him and train him...Shacklebolt, for example, perhaps even Moody. Potter needs discipline and plenty of it, if not for his sake, but for everyone else's. We cannot afford to lose lives every time Potter refuses to think before he acts."

This sounded like a very harsh thing to say, but it seemed that Tonks wasn't going to refute it. Like our visit to Matilda's the day before, this visit was turning out to be not at all what I had expected.

"Potter needs to be given limits," Severus went on. "Not simple warnings not to do things. He needs to know that everything he does will have consequences. Once Potter learns that he hasn't got free reign he might learn a thing or two."

"He has made some mistakes," said Tonks quietly, "but keep in mind that he is a child with very real emotions. Harry has been through a great deal. The loss of his parents, Cedric Diggory and Sirius would not have done much for his emotional wellbeing."

"Perhaps not," Severus agreed, looking indifferent. "The boy's bravado hides his considerable insecurities; however this is no reason to tread carefully around him. I am not saying that everything Potter is involved in is his fault; a vast amount of it probably is, but what of the adults who should have known to step in and set him straight and remind him of his place? Potter should not have the view that he is solely responsible for solving every problem that comes his way."

Tonks looked thoughtful. "I think," she said slowly, "that Harry has always had to handle things himself. He has always had to rely on himself and so he must depend very little on adults. His muggle family offer no support."

Harry had an awful family? Severus didn't deny this. After all, he had seen into Harry's memories during their Occlumency sessions. I supposed he knew what sort of life Harry had.

"All the more reason to take him in hand," he said firmly. "The sooner Potter learns that it is not up to him to decide on every course of action the better."

Tonks nodded grimly. "I suppose so. Haven't you been saying this to Dumbledore?"

"Of course," he scoffed. "But do you think the Headmaster will hear a word against his golden boy?"

"Dumbledore has his own very determined ideas," said Tonks vaguely.

"Indeed." Severus sat down again. "My efforts to make him see that Potter's character needs improving have been fruitless."

o o o o o o o o

Severus remained on edge after we left Tonks' house. We walked in silence back down the street towards the cluster of bushes where it would be safe to apparate. As Severus had predicted, we hadn't ended up staying for long. Tonks had made an effort to have some conversation with me, and I had obliged her accordingly, but I wasn't as chatty as usual simply because I had the feeling that Tonks' heart wasn't really in it.

As if reading my mind, Severus voiced his own thoughts on the matter. "You did not seem as willing as usual to engage in conversation with Tonks."

I shook my head as we rounded the corner. "I didn't really want to make conversation when it was clear that her thoughts were elsewhere."

"You noticed then?" he said, not looking at all surprised. "Hardly subtle, don't you agree?"

I nodded. "Something might have happened."

He snorted. "I don't think so."

I looked up at him. "What then?"

"I don't know," he said indifferently. "Here we are." He held his hands out for me to grasp so we could apparate home.

I held on tightly and before long we were back in Derbyshire in the forest clearing near our home. We climbed into the carriage and set off towards the house.

"Is it safe for Tonks to stay in a muggle house?" I asked suddenly, after looking out the window for a few minutes.

"I suppose she has taken the necessary precautions," Severus answered, sneering slightly. "She had better snap out of her present reverie and focus on the multitude of tasks at hand."

As unsympathetic as that sounded, I knew it wasn't my place to say so. I knew that the Order members had a lot of things to do and had a lot of stress, but that didn't mean they didn't have their own personal worries. Though he wasn't being empathetic when it came to Tonks, Severus had his own share of personal worries in addition to his Order and Death Eater responsibilities.

We arrived home to find Docky jumping up and down in the Entrance Hall, saying that an owl had arrived for Severus in his absence.

"It's a Malfoy owl, Master Severus," said Docky, looking the most serious I had even seen him.

A Malfoy owl? My heart skipped a beat. I wanted to get through the summer without the name Malfoy being mentioned in the house.

Severus pursed his lips. "I assume the owl did not allow you to take the letter, Docky?"

Docky shook his head, his eye wide. "No, Master Severus. Docky had his fingers nipped." He held up his bony fingers and we saw that four of them had bandages on them.

Severus looked thoroughly irritated. "Where is the wretched owl?"

"Outside near the first greenhouse, sir," Docky replied, lowering his hands. "Docky banished it outside. Rude owl."

The faintest smirk crossed my brother's face, but it only lasted for a split second. He nodded curtly. "Thankyou Docky." He turned to me. "Armilla, go down to the kitchen with Docky and help him heal his hands. There are a couple of potions down there you'll find useful. I will join you shortly."

I nodded and gestured for Docky to follow.

"Docky is alright, Miss Armilla," the elf insisted, as we descended the stairs. "Docky does not wish to trouble you."

"It's no trouble, Docky," I said, walking into the big, narrow kitchen. "Healing your hands, especially when they're both injured can be quite difficult. I expect Severus wants to be sure that you don't get an infection."

"Master Severus is very kind," said Docky happily, taking a seat at the bench while I went to the cupboard that held the household potions. Severus had a much more elaborate supply under a strong locking charm upstairs, but he kept a simple emergency supply on hand in the kitchen.

"He is," I said, vaguely, searching for a salve I knew was effective. "Here it is." I turned around and something pink on the kitchen table caught my eye. A very pink cake complete with sugared white and yellow roses on top.

I turned back to Docky, very amused. "Is this my cake, Docky?"

Docky looked up from taking his bandages off. "Yes, Miss Armilla," he said, positively beaming at me. "Docky made it after you left."

"Thankyou," I said, looking down at the cake. "I really like it." Severus was going to hate it. True, he had conjured up a pink cupcake for my birthday, but I didn't think that was going to make a difference. I had the feeling that Docky had made the cake pink on purpose. Docky knew my favourite colour was blue.

"Docky is glad you like it, Miss Armilla."

When I joined him at the kitchen bench, he had finished taking his bandages off his fingers. The Malfoy's owl had certainly done a good job nipping at them. Grotesque thing.

"I wonder why there's a letter from the Malfoys," I said conversationally, applying the salve to his fingers.

Docky looked gravely at me. "The Malfoys are..." His eyes became wider. He dared not say anything against them.

"Dark witches and wizards?" I offered.

Slowly, he nodded. We sat in silence for a couple of minutes, Docky happy to watch as I rewrapped his fingers.

Severus came down fifteen minutes later, looking distinctly more disgruntled than he had been earlier whilst ranting about Harry Potter.

"We will be seeing Narcissa and Draco Malfoy here for lunch tomorrow," he said shortly, sitting down at the bench next to me.

I didn't answer. Expressing what I felt about that was not likely to make him feel any better about it. As it was, my stomach was doing flip-flops at the thought of a Malfoy being in my home.

Severus looked at Docky, whose ears had drooped slightly at the news. "Docky," he said quietly. "Please have lunch for four ready tomorrow at one o'clock."

Docky nodded. "Yes, sir."

Severus nodded. "You are excused." He waved his hand impatiently. "Go and wander the house for awhile."

Docky got up and actually managed to leave the room without bouncing around. I assumed he understood which moments not test my brother's patience.

"I'm sorry, Armilla," said Severus quietly. "It has to be this way. The situation as it stands at the moment dictates that it would be unwise to refuse Narcissa this visit. She actually invited us to lunch at Malfoy Manor, but it would not be at all sagacious for us to attend. Our home, thanks vastly to Mother, provides an extremely high level of security to people with Merrigan blood. We cannot be harmed by those with ill intent whilst on the property."

I merely nodded.

"We will simple have to keep up appearances, Armilla," he went on, suddenly looking tired. "I do not expect they will stay for longer than a couple of hours."

"Won't they ask questions about Father?"

He nodded. "Perhaps. I will tell you that Narcissa and Draco do know now about Father losing custody of you, as does the Dark Lord."

My stomach clenched, as it always did when Severus spoke of You-Know-Who. "Why do they know?"

"Father's absence has gone on long enough," he said indifferently. "The Dark Lord hasn't bothered wasting time on attempting to find him, but he did ask me if I had taken steps to cut off ties with him." He paused for a moment. When he continued, he spoke slowly, as if carefully choosing his words. "The Dark Lord is furious with Father. He was pleased when I informed him that I had cut ties with him by means of securing you in my custody. This does not mean to say that he is interested in you, he is satisfied that I do not feel any guilt about removing you from Father's reach. He does not know that you do not have much admiration for Father."

I nodded, still feeling queasy.

"On a brighter note," he said, standing up, "there are a couple of hours of daylight left. Come. I believe we can start celebrating your good OWL results."

I got up, wondering why the amount of daylight left was relevant. How were we going to celebrate? I was about to follow my brother when he stopped suddenly, staring at something. I followed his gaze and then tried to muffle my laugh when I realised that he was looking at my pink cake.

He stared at it for a long time, his eyes narrowed. Finally he turned back to me. "I suppose you wish to eat that?"

I nodded. "Of course."

He pursed his lips. "So casting a vanishing charm...or Incendio...would offend you?"

"Um..."

He sighed. "Why did I promise Mother I would keep him?" he muttered, walking towards the door.

"Because you would miss him if he was gone?" I offered, following him out the door.

He didn't bother to turn around. "Please don't imply that I have Hufflepuff tendencies."

"I'm not," I insisted. "Slytherins can feel those sorts of emotions."

Now he did stop. He turned around, looking a little baffled. "Did I hear you correctly?"

I nodded, not sure whether he was just baffled or angry and baffled. I had only said what I honestly thought. Contrary to what the Gryffindors in particular thought, I believed that the Slytherins did feel emotions like longing, love and hurt. Why not? Just because many of them also had plentiful amounts of the...bad emotions...didn't mean that they weren't human like the rest of us. My brother was a Slytherin. I knew very well that he felt deeply.

"You may be the first outsider to acknowledge such a thing," Severus said, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"I certainly won't openly broadcast it," I admitted.

He smirked and turned around, continuing on his way.

"Please don't."

I smiled. I followed him into his private study, which I had not spent much time in. It was a lot bigger than his office at Hogwarts. It had a huge mahogany desk with a high-backed chair with black leather. Though the house had a two-storey library, the study walls were still lined with bookcases. Heavy midnight blue drapes hung over the windows. My brother seemed to prefer working by candlelight than daylight.

I watched as he opened one of his cupboards and pulled out a long, narrow package. "You will need this," he said, passing the package to me.

I took it from him. I could tell it was a broom, but why would he give me a broom? I took the packaging off and gasped when I saw the model. I was far from being a Quidditch follower, but I knew a good broom when I saw one.

"It's a Firebolt Max," I said incredulously.

He gave a small smile. "Faster than Potter's."

I laughed. "Not with me riding it. I'm not the best flyer." True, I knew how to fly and I had flown with Terry and Lisa before, but I was far from brilliant at it. My lack of interest in Quidditch had not inspired me to practise flying.

"I haven't seen you fly," said Severus. I noticed he was holding an old Cleansweep in his hand. "Before your... dealings with Father recently, Father and I had been talking for awhile about having you learn to be more adept at flying. I don't mean in terms of playing Quidditch, but just learning because it is a skill you should have. I think you'll benefit from spending some time flying during the summer. It's a good reason for you to go outside occasionally instead of reading books all day long. It's just for the summer. You are not to take it to school."

I nodded. "Are you sure I won't fall off a Firebolt Max?" I was a little nervous that the broom would take off without me.

He smirked. "Don't worry about the model of the broom. I hadn't intended to get you a racing broom. I didn't think it was necessary. Father insisted that a housewife-bound witch such as yourself shouldn't have more than an old model. When I passed this rather chauvinistic view on to your mother, however, she was so incensed that she insisted I get you the fastest broom on the market." He gave a small smile. "I've had this broom waiting for you for awhile. You can blame Mother for the model, not me."

I laughed. "Thankyou," I said, really meaning it.

"Just don't fall off," he said, leading the way out of the room. "If you managed to stay on a thestral for hours on end, you'll have no trouble staying on that broom."

"I was lucky I didn't fall off that thestral," I said, following behind. "I miss that thestral..."

"For the tenth time, I am not bringing that damn thestral home."

"It's not a damn thestral."

"Armilla," he warned.

"It did get me out of a predicament, that's all I'm saying."

"Indeed. Let's leave it at that then," he said sternly.

We went out into the courtyard and continued on until we were at the edge of one of the green fields. I suddenly realised how thankful I was that the Merrigan Estate was so vast.

"What are you waiting for?" Severus asked, as I stood looking at my new broom. "Are you going to mount it?"

"Yes," I said, suddenly feeling nervous. I had ridden a broom hundreds of times before and now I was nervous? It had to be because it was a fast broom. If the Hogwarts Quidditch teams could see me now they'd die of laughter...or jealously because of the model I was holding in my hand.

"I meant are you going to mount it today?"

Ignoring the jibe, I mounted the broom and Severus did the same with his.

"Just fly next to me," he instructed.

I nodded. I had every intention to. "Just don't go too fast," I said.

He smirked. "I have the Cleansweep and you have the Firebolt Max and you're asking me not to go too fast?"

Again, I nodded. Well, I hadn't been on a broom in ages.

He smiled. "Alright. Let's fly."