The Serpent and the Eagle

Interlude - Engaged

[Dante's Inferno, Canto 5]

Amor, che a cor gentil ratto s'apprende,

Prese costui della bella persona

Che mi fu tolta; e 'l modo ancor m'offende.

Amor, che a nullo amato amar perdona,

mi prese del costui piacer, sì forte

che, come vedi, ancor non m'abbandona.

The Three Broomsticks, Hogsmeade, Christmas 1861

It could hae been an idyllic Christmas card. A quaint Scottish village blanketed in soft flakes of snow, while cloaked and booted people hurried along its white streets. Cobblestones were sheathed in several inches of snow, while signposts were quickly obscured. Most shops shut their doors against the coming blizzard, forcing potential customers to seek refuge someplace warm.

The obvious choice was The Three Broomsticks. The public house was clean and tidy, full to the brim with regular clients and some Hogwarts staff. The air was heavy with tobacco smoke and the sweet smell of alcoholic beverages, while a banner above the bar proclaimed the occasion - an engagement party. A group of musicians merrily played Yuletide tunes from the corner.

The landlady halted the music with a gesture and pointed her wand at her throat.

'Sonorus,' she whispered. It was the spell to make one's voice louder.

'We have a very important announcement to make!' said Madam Rosmerta, beaming around at her customers as the spell effortlessly amplified her voice. 'Young Albus Dumbledore over there would like to announce his engagement to the lovely Cassandra Trelawney. Congratulations to you both, and I hope you have as many happy years together as my Albert and I have had.'

The whole congregation raised their glasses in salute to the happy couple, cheering and offering hearty congratulations.

Albus squeezed Cassandra's hand happily. 'You see?' he said. 'It's not all bad getting back into the public eye.'

Cassandra smiled fondly at him. 'Whatever did I do to deserve you?' she asked.

'Oh, most assuredly something awful,' Dumbledore said with a grin.

'Just what I was thinking!' she teased.

Madam Rosmerta came over to them, her grey hair glistening in the candlelight.

'I'm so pleased for you both,' she enthused, presenting them with a bottle of butterbeer each. 'When my son Abraham married his sweetheart, I couldn't have been more pleased. He'll be taking over here when I retire.'

'Abraham Rosmerta?' Cassandra asked. 'Oh, my goodness! He was two years ahead of me in Hogwarts.'

'That's right!' Madam Rosmerta said cheerfully. 'Abe says that he and his wife will be expecting a child soon. And if you two have any children, they'll always be welcome here.'

'Why, thank you very much Madam,' Dumbledore smiled. 'I will always remember your kindness.'

Madam Rosmerta was hailed by another customer, and left the couple to their own devices.

'I have a gift for you,' Albus said, kissing her hand gently.

'Oh, you shouldn't have,' said Cassandra.

'I should have!' Albus chuckled. He handed her a large velvet-covered box.

Cassandra opened it slowly, carefully pushing away layers of satin to reveal a golden necklace set with an amethyst jewel.

'Oh, Albus, it's beautiful!' she exclaimed.

'Amethyst is a protective jewel,' he explained, fastening it about her neck lovingly. 'It will protect you from all malevolent forces, and it will also match your beautiful eyes.'

Cassandra smiled and touched the stone reverently. 'I'll never take it off,' she said lovingly.

A little girl, barely three feet tall, shuffled up to their table. She held out a posy of flowers for Cassandra and smiled shyly. 'Merry Christmas, Mr. Dumbledore and Miss Trelawney,' she lisped.

'Oh, how adorable,' Cassandra murmured, taking the flowers from the little girl. 'What's your name, little one?'

'Minerva,' she replied.

'Where's your daddy?' Albus hinted.

'Him and Mummy are buying some bwandy for the Chwistmas pudding,' Minerva explained. 'Mummy said I was to give you the flowers to say con...gwat...oo...'

'Congratulations?' Cassandra asked.

'Yeah, that's it,' Minerva said happily.

'Minerva!' came a heavily accented voice. 'Come along, now.'

Cassandra and Albus watched the couple come towards their table. Young Minerva seized her mother's hand and buried her little face in her cloak. Dumbledore smiled at the McGonagall clan. They were old family friends, and had been ever since his grandfather, Brian Dumbledore, had rescued Old James McGonagall from a raging hippocampus in the Hogwarts lake back in 1801.

'Mr. and Mrs. McGonagall,' Dumbledore said politely. 'Always a pleasure.'

'Many happy returns, laddie!' said Mr. McGonagall jovially. His moustache covered the majority of his lower face, and for the entire world reminded Cassandra of a fat walrus.

'Thank you,' Dumbledore replied.

'Shall there be an invite for us at your weddin', lad? I cannae describe how upset I'd be if I wasn't invited!'

'Lachlan!' Mrs. McGonagall snapped. 'Forgive us, my dears, Lachlan lacks the manners I wish he had.'

'Quite all right,' Cassandra replied with a smile.

'You're a lucky lad an' lass,' Mr. McGonagall boomed. 'All the best noo, an' don' forget t' owl us with tha' invite!'

'Wouldn't dream of forgetting you!' Dumbledore laughed.

The McGonagall's held the door open for a new customer and hurried out into the blizzard, the heavy door swinging in their wake.

'ALBUS BRIAN DUMBLEDORE!' thundered the newcomer. The animated chatter about the pub died while they registered the new visitor. Identifying the local madman, they returned happily enough to their drinks and chitchat.

Albus looked up, his eyes expressing confusion, no, surprise, no, welcome! 'Aberforth!' he crowed, rising to his feet. 'My dear brother, how are you? Please, take a seat.'

'I'd prefer to stand. And I am positively blooming, I assure you,' Aberforth growled. 'Or at least, I will be when you leave this fallen demon.'

'What are you talking about?' Albus demanded.

'Trelawney!' Aberforth snarled. 'There is something not quite right about her. You only have to look at her to see it!'

Albus thought carefully on this. This statement was coming from a man who was wearing polka dot top hat and red spectacles, and thus, did not much merit his claims.

'How do you mean?' Albus asked quietly.

'Albus, don't listen to him!' Cassandra balked.

'Why ever not?' he inquired. 'He is my brother, after all.' The auburn-haired man returned his attention to his brother, his brows furrowed. 'Aberforth...what do you mean?'

'She was only recently released from the "delicate" ward in St. Mungo's,' Aberforth seethed. 'Her eyes change colour. I remember her from when she was a first year in Hogwarts, back when her hair was black and her eyes were blue as opposed to purple or red. What on earth could have happened to change that?'

'Well, there are metamorphmagi in the world,' Albus said, blue eyes wide and unwilling.

'She's a Seer,' Aberforth sneered. 'Have you ever heard of any witch or wizard being both a Seer and a metamorphmagus?'

Despite Aberforth's obviously inhibited sense of style, he was cogent in his arguments.

'Actually, no...' Albus said slowly.

'Or could it just be,' Cassandra said angrily, 'that having disturbing visions of the deaths of everyone I care for aged me beyond my years?'

'Seems highly dubious to me, Miss Trelawney,' Aberforth replied with a stiff bow.

'Cassandra...' Albus whispered. 'Is this true?'

The young woman bowed her head in shame. How could she tell him that the allegations were true? How could she let him know what truly lurked in the depths of her soul, this thing that made her blue eyes burn purple and red, this thing that had leeched the colour from her hair like sunlight bleaching a painting?

She hesitated and said in the most irritated voice she could muster, 'Do you think it's true?'

Her fiancé's eyes blazed. He turned to his brother and said, 'No. Cassandra and I will be married on the day of the summer solstice, Aberforth.'

'Very well,' Aberforth rejoined, 'if you insist on making an ass of yourself over a fallen woman, be my guest. I shall not be at your wedding, nor shall I claim you as my brother.'

'Consider this kinship severed with one whack of the knife!' Albus hissed.

'Aye!' Aberforth paused at the door before he stormed out, snarling, 'Aye, a knife possessed with a demon!'

Aberforth stormed out, leaving behind his disappointed brother and guilt-racked fiancée.

Chapter Seven - Potions

[Lightning Is My Girl]

[Auf der Maur]

Gonna let the lightning
Tuck me into my bed
Gonna let that man
Let him into my head
I'll see you in my dreams
Electrified and cherry red

And I'll meet you on the corner
Under true blue skies
Seeking cherry cola
As the bridging wine
To bring you to my lips, one more time

Kissing on the corner
I know it's a dream,
It's better than day time,
Cause dream time lasts forever
Swarming on the corner,
Bringing rain, dream time is over
'Til lightning strikes again

And I'll meet you on the corner
Under true blue skies
Seeking cherry cola
As the bridging wine
To bring you to my lips, one more time

The sun has crept in,
Away with the night
Good-bye to my lover
I'm back in bed
But lightning is my girl,
And promises me
To bring me to that corner, again and again

And I'll meet you on the corner
Under true blue skies
Seeking cherry cola
As the bridging wine
To bring you to my lips, one more time

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, 1996

Cho Chang and Draco Malfoy gave every appearance of being highly industrious students. Day after day, they toiled away in the library, looking up reference books and making notes and detailed sketches. Passing teachers nodded and smiled warmly, pleased to see such devotion to study! Madam Pince watched the pair with eagle eyes, waiting for a single splodge of errant ink to fall on the crisp parchment of her beloved books, but it never happened.

The fact that Cho was looking up books from the Restricted Section did not bother the teachers. She was taking Advanced Defence Against The Dark Arts for her NEWT's, and the subject required a great deal of independent study. She was also the Head Girl, and this position allowed her full access to the library.

'I think I've found one,' Draco whispered.

'Really? What's it called?' Cho asked.

'Androphonus,' Draco replied.

'I think I know it,' Cho said. 'What exactly does it do, as a matter of interest?'

'It renders the drinker completely subject to the will of the one who gives it to them,' Draco replied. 'Hang on a sec, it's in Greek...I have to translate...'

'I never knew you spoke Greek,' Cho murmured.

'I don't, but that's merely one of my many talents,' Draco muttered idly.

Cho suppressed a giggle. 'I speak French, myself,' she said. 'As-tu tradu les mots?'

'No...' Draco whispered. 'We can't use this one.'

'Why ever not? A love potion's a love potion after all!'

'Hush!' Draco hissed. 'It's name means "Killer of Men". Once Potter drinks this, he will be your slave until the moment of your death, and then his mind will break completely. We don't want to kill him, after all!'

'Speak for yourself, Draco,' she muttered. She quickly added aloud, 'How much would you have to use to get that sort of effect?'

'A single drop would be enough to enslave even the strongest mind to your will for eternity,' Draco replied, silvery eyes widening.

'And what effect would, say, a whole phial full have?' Cho asked innocently.

'Why do you ask?' Draco enquired.

'Curiosity?' Cho suggested.

'Hmm. To administer an entire phial would be completely asinine. The drinker would rapidly go mad and become no more than a mindless slave, incapable of anything but worshipping the giver and doing their will. According to this, their days would grow increasingly worse until they weep every time the giver blinks because it blocks the victim from their sight.' Draco paused and smirked. 'On the upside, it allegedly tastes of chocolate.'

'What else have you got so far?' Cho interrupted.

'Androphonus, obviously,' he said, 'but also we have the Blood of Eros, and all the others were barred to us because, well, they're simply too monstrous and/or illegal.'

'Well, let's get cracking then!' Cho whispered. 'I want Potter to be on his knees, begging me to take him back before Christmas at the latest.'

Draco scowled, dabbing the still damp green ink on his scroll with blotting paper before he rolled it up. 'Potter, Potter, Potter!' he muttered. 'Is there ever any other topic on discussion?'

'Oh, come now, Draco,' Cho crooned, taking his chin between her forefinger and thumb. She turned him to face her and added, 'You wouldn't be getting jealous of a half-blood, would you?'

'The same half-blood that you spend every moment obsessing about, yes?' Draco said icily.

Cho rolled her eyes. 'Shut up, Draco. If you won't help me, I'll find someone else who will.' She turned her back on him and folded her arms, haughtily ignoring him.

'No!' Draco gasped, leaping to his feet. 'I'll help you, Cho. I'm sorry I was jealous, really, I am...'

Cho smiled and held out her arms to him. 'Come here, you silly fool,' she murmured. 'It only shows that you care about me. No need to get all upset! I couldn't give a damn about Potter, really.'

'Do you mean that?' Draco asked.

'I do. I just want him to suffer for what he did to Marietta and your family. He can't be allowed to get away with it!' Cho shook her head.

Draco smiled and said, 'By the way, Father wrote me yesterday.'

'What's he saying?' Cho replied.

'Just that Azkaban is worse for all the Aurors there,' Draco said with a laugh. 'He says they're trying to convince them that they should rejoin the "good side" and nobly fight You-Know-Who until he's vanquished.'

They chuckled lightly, earning a reproving glare from Madam Pince.

'OK,' Cho breathed. 'You go put those books away and we'll start working on the potion as soon as is wizardly possible.'

Draco smiled and scooped the heavy tomes into his arms, staggering slightly under their weight. Cho smiled at his ungainly lurch and pulled an empty phial from her pocket. She pulled the label marked "Androphonus" from its glass surface and crushed it into a ball in her hand, watching Draco replace the books with a regretful frown on her face.

'Such a pity...' she sighed.

Gabrielle Delacour patted her on the arm and said softly, 'Oui. Je sais.'

'He can be changed back, can't he?' Cho pleaded.

'Je ne sais pas, mon amie,' Gabrielle replied. 'Tu dois demander à notre maître.'

'He's not my master,' Cho snarled.

'Peut-être pour maintenant,' Gabrielle threatened.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry was floating in red mist. Everything about him was pure scarlet, with shades of crimson and vermilion laced through. There was some copper and metallic gold shooting here and there, and soon he realised that all of this beautiful redness was soft and silken to the touch.

He plucked at it with delicate fingers, raising it to his mouth and kissing it with the barest movement of his lips, a gesture so chaste it was almost respectful.

There was a sound like laughter, and Harry realised that the red stuff was swirling about him like water. Sunlight seemed to be breaking through, and the laughter bubbled again, soft and girlish. The first leaves of autumn swirled around, their crimson shades almost camouflaged against the beauty of this redness. Some were brown and yellow, all beautifully crisp and fresh.

The red stuff swirled again, getting smaller and more defined. It became strands of hair attached to a delicate head. Harry watched the beautiful red hair spin once more, and he smiled when the face before him turned into Ginny's.

'I was just dreaming about you,' she said with a shy smile.

'Was it a good dream?' Harry asked, taking her hand.

She smiled. 'They're always good dreams when you're in them, Harry,' she whispered.

'That's good to know,' Harry murmured, gently pulling her closer. She wrapped slim arms around him, smiling through exquisitely parted lips to reveal her small teeth. Harry raised one hand and tilted her chin slightly. Still touching her jaw, his lips touched hers, and he felt his soul surge as though with an electrical shock.

They kissed until they finally broke apart; sweet kisses coming swift and often until Ginny pressed her brow against his lips, closing her brown eyes and sighing gently. Harry leaned his face against the crown of her head, loosely wrapping his arms about her.

'We've never hugged like this before,' Ginny said with a giggle.

'At least not in real life,' Harry replied.

'I won't break if you hold me tighter,' she said, nuzzling against his neck. Her touch sent shivers from its source down his neck and torso and into his legs.

'Like this, you mean?' he teased, clasping her in a bear hug.

She laughed delightedly. 'Don't squash me!' she said.

'Why, will you break?' he mocked.

'Very funny,' she said archly, raising an eyebrow. She pushed him hard, and Harry's eyes widened as he tripped, the ground rising to meet him. He had fallen into a pile of the leaves and laughed merrily as they stuck to his face and neck. Ginny knelt and gently brushed them all away.

'I'd never break you,' Harry soothed, stroking her hair. 'It's such a pity you tried to break me.'

'It's also such a pity dreams always end,' she whispered.

'But don't new mornings bring new kisses?' Harry asked.

'And new problems!' Ginny agreed.

'New problems like what?' asked Harry.

She smiled and raised a finger to her lips. 'You'll find out soon enough,' she said, breaking away from his embrace. She stretched out her arms and Harry gazed in amazement as two wings spread from her back and flapped twice. She took off into the sky, and he watched her fly until she was lost in the growing light.

He blinked once. Swiftly, he sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He yawned and stretched, reaching for his glasses on his bedside table. His imperfect vision caught a figure nearby, one capped with bright red.

'Morning, Ron,' Harry groaned. 'What time is it?'

'Half seven,' Ron replied simply.

Harry settled the glasses on his nose and regarded his friend.

'That was curt,' Harry remarked, escaping the tumble of blankets he had slept in.

'So is kissing your best mate's little sister, but what can you do?' Ron gave a wild laugh.

Harry froze midway through straightening his bedclothes, becoming momentarily rigid as he considered things. There was no way Ron could have known about that dream, if it was one, and it was therefore highly likely that Seamus had blabbed.

Smiling, Harry said teasingly, 'Do you even know what "curt" means?'

Ron shrugged. 'No idea. I'll ask Hermione, but in the meantime, what do you think you're playing at?'

Harry bristled. 'C'mon, Ron, we've been mates since we were eleven. You know me.'

'Exactly!' Ron snapped, his eyes bulging. 'I've heard the way you talk about girls!'

'What way is that?' Harry asked, eyes narrowing.

Ron spluttered angrily. 'As if you don't know!' he said eventually.

'Oh, for heaven's sake!' Harry groaned. 'Ron, I really like Ginny. Really! I'm not going to, well, you know...and run off on her. I'm not Draco Malfoy!'

'That's my sister you're talking about, Harry,' Ron said dangerously.

'Well, duh!' Harry snapped. 'I care about her. I'm not going to hurt her, I swear to you now.'

'Well...' Ron said thickly. 'You'd better not. I have five older brothers, and we all take offence to stuff like that.'

Ron stormed out, leaving a very confused Harry half-dressed and holding a pair of socks.

'Stuff like what!' Harry cried in despair to no one in particular.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry, at this stage fully dressed, hurried down to the Great Hall for breakfast. He had barely descended the final flight of stairs before trouble loomed.

'Potter!' barked Dean.

Harry groaned inwardly. 'Hi, Dean,' he said with false brightness.

Dean's handsome face was contorted with anger.

'What's all this I'm hearing about you and my girlfriend?' he demanded.

'I'm sorry...' Harry began.

'No, don't apologise,' Dean snapped. 'I'm sorry you're not dead, too.'

Harry was flabbergasted. He couldn't think of anything to say in response to such bitterness. 'What do you want me to say?' he said eventually. 'I didn't mean to hurt you.'

Dean's eyes narrowed dangerously. 'I'm not going to kill you this time, Potter,' he said. 'I want what's best for Ginny. We've only been going out for two months, so it's not like we're in love or anything...' He trailed off and Harry looked away respectfully. 'Anyway,' Dean continued, regaining his composure. 'If you ever hurt her, you can count on me being there for her. And once she stops crying, I'll be the first one in line to kick your ass. Understood?'

Harry nodded. 'I'd never hurt Ginny,' he said. 'You can count on it.'

'I hope for her sake you don't,' Dean said coolly. He shoved past Harry and ran up the stairs.

'Why is it,' Harry muttered, 'that when one part of my life starts to go all right, another part falls apart like a cheap robe?'

Harry watched him go and sat heavily on the stairs as his robes disappeared behind a wall. He dropped his face into his hands and yelled, for the second time that morning to no one in particular, 'Does all of Hogwarts hate me now?'

'I don't hate you,' a nearby portrait offered sympathetically.

'That's encouraging,' Harry muttered.

'I don't hate you either,' Ginny said. She had just come down the stairs; her schoolbag slung casually over one shoulder and her wonderful red hair hanging down her back in a long plait. Her face was as fresh as it had been in his dreams, not shining but seemingly shone upon, almost as though a constant ray of sunshine lighted her up.

'Ginny,' Harry said, getting to his feet.

'Good morning,' she said with a smile.

'Well, good morning to you, too,' Harry replied, taking her hand in his.

'Don't I get a kiss?' Ginny enquired.

'Maybe just a little one.' Harry leaned close and kissed her. 'Mmmm...did you just brush your teeth?' he asked.

'Yeah,' Ginny said with a chuckle. 'Minty fresh just for you!'

'Whereas my morning breath is so bad my teeth may have melted...' Harry muttered.

Ginny laughed. 'I had a dream about you,' she said.

'Really?' Harry asked. 'That's odd, because I was dreaming about you, too.'

'What were we doing?' Ginny asked.

'I believe the dream involved you, me and slow motion...' Harry teased.

'I hope I was warmly dressed?' Ginny teased.

'It's always baking hot in my dreams, so you were clad very appropriately,' he said, grinning wolfishly.

'Hmm,' Ginny said, raising her eyebrow.

'You did that in my dream, actually,' Harry said. 'Ah, I'm just kidding. You looked beautiful in my dream, and right at the end you turned into an angel and flew away.'

Ginny looked alarmed. 'Did your dream involve leaves?' she blurted.

'Why, yes actually,' he replied, eyes widening. 'You shoved me into a big pile of them because I gave you a bear hug when you said I couldn't break you.'

Ginny blinked three times in rapid succession. 'Cool!' she said eventually. 'We shared a dream.'

'But what the heck does it mean?' Harry pondered.

'Beats me,' Ginny replied. 'I'll ask Professor McGonagall later, she might know.'

'All right,' Harry agreed. 'Do you want to stick around out here or head into the Great Hall? I don't know about you, but my stomach has been crying out for a good old fashioned Hogwarts buffet breakfast - starting with a decent fry-up!'

Ginny giggled. 'You and Ron - your stomachs always come first.'

Harry smiled and said, 'Ginny, I'd go without meals for a whole week for you.'

'How touching,' Ginny said acidly.

'I do try,' Harry teased.