A Mortal Enemy

Chapter 4: Transitions

As they strode into the Great Hall for dinner that evening they saw the four students that had plagued the summer dinner table already seated, whispering. They had obviously noticed the extra place setting and were debating who the guest would be. When Harry spotted his Godfather his face lit up immediately and the students shuffled their seats so they could dominate Sirius' attentions during the meal. Kara heard the slight murmurings in Hermione's mind about keeping Sirius away from Snape. For a moment she dared to ponder whether the teaching arrangement was a good idea and if the students would take well to it.

The food magically appeared on their plates and Harry went to reach for his fork to begin eating his roast beef. Kara cleared her throat and gave him a knowing look. For the past few days she had insisted he not use his hands at dinner. It was good practice for his training to manipulate his eating utensils with his Inner Focus. Harry took a deep breath, closed his eyes to gather his thoughts and then levitated the fork and the knife with his mind. Ginny, who was sitting next to him moved away slightly. Harry had embarrassed her a few nights ago when he attempted to spear a brussel sprout. It had come flying directly at her and she was unable to move away quickly enough. A tiny green fleck of cooked vegetable had sat on her cheek unknowingly the entire night, and when Hermione had found the heart to finally tell her, Ginny had gone a deep shade of red.

Everyone at the table now except Sirius Black was well acquainted with this visual demonstration of Harry's skills. The Godfather just sat and stared in awe as Harry's fork and knife moved somewhat ineptly through the air, tearing bits of roast apart and coming up to meet his mouth. The hardest part was taking the food off of the fork. It required a delicate balance between pulling in one direction with the mind and in the other with one's head. Harry hadn't quite managed it yet and would often play a tug-of-war game with his fork or spoon for several minutes.

But Harry's skills were getting better. His fork, with a pile of mashed potatoes lumped onto it, floated to his mouth while the pitcher of pumpkin juice on the table levitated and poured into a glass. Black's food went untouched.

"Not hungry Sirius?" McGonagall asked, sensing Harry's uneasiness with his Godfather staring at him.

"Starved," he replied, pulling himself out of a trance and picking up his own fork. He gave it a questioning look and dug into his own half-cold plate of food.

Since Harry was inclined to eat slower than usual, they all found themselves with a lot of time at the end of dinner while they waited for him to finish. Making small talk was not something that Snape or Kara enjoyed and thankfully the conversation was dominated by Black and the already well-fed students.

"My brother Charlie was telling me that I can come stay with him for Christmas, if I wanted. Apparently his team just discovered a new type of dragon. They're much smaller than normal ones. He was saying you could probably keep one as a pet," Ron said excitedly.

"Don't tell Hagrid that," Harry replied, his mouth half full.

"Harry, don't talk with your mouth full," Sirius admonished with a caring smile on his face. Harry accepted the gentle discipline with a smile of his own.

When Harry's fork finally hit his empty plate, Kara was glad for dinner to be over with. She and Snape made a move to stand at the same time in a rush to escape when Dumbledore began to speak.

"I'm not sure everyone at this table is aware, but Harry's study room has moved. Since some of the students in this room were party to the destruction of the traditional location for this sort of thing I thought it fitting that Harry give us a guided tour of its replacement."

Kara and Snape both stared wide-eyed at Dumbledore in disbelief. They had hoped they could keep the Chamber a more closely guarded secret. He didn't return their gaze, but merely smiled at Harry who was looking unsure at the moment.

"I trust everyone here can keep a secret?" he asked seemingly for Snape's benefit.

Ginny, Ron and Hermione nodded their heads looking somewhat confused. Ginny looked almost terrified.

"Well then Harry, lead the way."

Dumbledore led everyone in rising. Kara and Snape were the last in line to follow the small procession to the dungeons. They strayed far enough back to discuss this privately between them.

"Did he tell you he was planning this?" Kara asked.

"He did not, as usual. Did you discuss this topic with Potter?"

"I did. He is aware that no one else is to be down there unless they are escorted by one of us."

When they reached the portrait, Eliza was jumping up and down at the prospect of having numerous visitors. Harry was having a difficult time concentrating on the portal spell. Harry shot her a dangerous look.

"Oh right dear. You're concentrating. My apologies."

The door swung open a half a minute later and everyone stepped inside. There were the obligatory "oohs" and "aahs" as they gazed upon the marble corridor for the first time.

"I'm sure I don't remember this being here," Black said out loud as Harry stopped them in front of the large wooden door.

"It's not on the map," Harry replied and then remembering Snape was in the corridor with him instantly looked sorry.

"No it wouldn't be. I'm positive we never found this room."

"That would be because it didn't exist until two months ago. Now I suggest you walk forward Potter, or else this will take all night," Snape snapped as he gave Black a sharp look.

The door swung open and Ron Weasley could be heard saying 'whoah' repeatedly as he stared at the Chamber ceiling and walls.

Snape and Kara managed to get Black alone for a moment.

"You know about Potter's map?" Snape spat in an angry, hushed voice.

"I made that map," Black stated plainly. At this declaration, Snape's face twisted into an angry snarl. Kara wondered what it was about that map that angered her fiancé so much.

"You do understand that since you know he has it, you must confiscate it."

"I do. I had planned on it anyway seeing as I will most likely find myself doing nighttime patrols. It should come in quite handy."

"What makes you think I would ask you to do nighttime patrols?"

Kara wasn't sure what it was about this conversation that was making her so uncomfortable. Perhaps it was the seemingly inexplicable way that Snape was behaving. Why was he so angry over a map? What could this map possibly be that it would fill him with so much hate? And why was he goading Sirius now?

"I was going to volunteer actually. I have trouble sleeping at night as it is. Some thoughts... sounds... never leave my mind. Evenings in Azkaban have provided me with more than enough of those memories," Sirius said as his eyes glossed over slightly and his gaze fell far away to the other side of the room.

Not even Snape, who had spent at least one evening in Azkaban, could make a snide comment about this. Kara had found out that after he began working for Dumbledore, the Ministry had rounded up Snape in a raid. He relayed the events to her as they lay in bed together one evening. Apparently, Snape and Black had a lot more in common than they could imagine. Neither had any happy memories so the Dementors had very little effect on them. Snape had spent one dreadful evening listening to the insane prisoners screaming at the top of their lungs. It had been useless to attempt sleep, he had confided in her.

Kara always thought that was the moment she knew Snape was truly loyal to Dumbledore. If it had been her, she would have used her Inner Focus to break out of the prison and return to society - even if it was as a fugitive. Instead, Snape had waited until the morning when the Minister ordered his release on Dumbledore's behalf.

The three of them stood in silence now as the teenagers poked around the Chamber, into the anteroom and the bathroom. McGonagall and Dumbledore stood away from everyone else talking quietly between each other. Kara wondered just how much the Headmaster shared with his deputy. Perhaps she knew more than even Snape.

'So how are we going to handle this Snape?" Black asked discreetly.

"Handle what precisely?"

"Will I come when news of his death gets out, or shall I wait for you to summon me?"

"Come as soon as you hear. We will need all the help protecting the castle we can find."

Black nodded his head.

"You've heard the rumors about Fudge I take it?" Black asked.

"I have. I have no concrete evidence however. I do not interact with him often and when I do he seems perfectly normal to me."

"There was never any discussion of his loyalties within the Death Eater ranks?"

"There was not, but I wouldn't expect there to be. If he is working for Voldemort, then only Fudge and his Master would know about it."

"I suspect Malfoy's involvement," Black said cautiously.

"If the rumors are true, then his involvement is certain. There are only a few that are that close to Fudge."

Kara watched closely as the two enemies discussed strategy with one another. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the four students watching the scene as well. They were pretending to look at the ceiling, but their eyes frequently shot towards the three wizards standing close together whispering.

Kara shot Hermione a warning glance that she instantly cowered under.

"Harry is it always so cold in here?" Hermione asked, directing everyone's attention towards the students.

"Not always," Harry said as he smiled.

Harry then went very quiet, took a deep breath and stared at the pyre in the middle of the room.

"What is he doing?" Black asked. Kara held up a hand impatiently to quiet him.

A few moments later the fire in the middle of the room shot up towards the ceiling violently.

"Wicked!" Ron Weasley shouted.

"Oops. It wasn't supposed to go that high," Harry said apologetically as he looked at Kara. Kara simply smiled and turned back towards Snape.

"I have a feeling we're going to have trouble keeping them out of here," she said to Snape.

"That's what House points are for," he replied wickedly, amused by the thought.

"How exactly did he open the portrait?" Black asked. Kara assumed he'd want to know so he could visit Harry during the school year.

"With his mind. The portal is keyed such that only whose with Inner Focus can open it," Kara answered.

"Then why are you worried about them sneaking down here?" Black asked.

"I am concerned about him escorting them without our permission. Namely I'm concerned about him bringing Ms. Weasley down here, unescorted," Kara replied.

"Easily solved. I will add this room to the map and keep and eye out," Black said proudly.

"This room is unplottable," Snape replied.

"How do you know? I thought it was just built a few months ago?"

"Yes, and I built and warded it precisely so that it could not be added to that map. Therefore I know."

"You built this? For him?" Black was amazed that Snape would show such a gesture towards Harry.

"For a number of reasons Black, one of which is so that Dumbledore and myself do not get sent to Azkaban for presumably instructing Dark Magic within the school. And I will remind you I am not the one who insisted he be trained."

Sirius Black said nothing more on the issue, but it was clear he didn't approve of the callous nature that Snape had towards Harry. Despite the obvious efforts the two men were making towards a peaceful working relationship, the malice between them that had formed so many years ago was still present. Hopefully with time, it would fade.

Black left the castle after spending several hours with the students in the Chamber. Kara and Snape retired early to his quarters. She sat down in the chair in front of a warm fire as he paced the room nervously and then sat down to engage in some reading. A few hours later Kara caught him looking at her and she remembered the promise he'd made in the dungeons that morning. She pretended to be ignoring him, but her stomach was tight and blood was already rushing to well-covered parts of her body.

Even after several months of intimacy, Kara was still amazed at the attraction she had to Snape. It wasn't anything logical. He wasn't an overtly handsome man. His teeth were slightly yellowed and crooked, but Kara didn't pay too much attention to that. Things of that sort were easily fixed, and she assumed he had very little time to give thought to his appearance. His black hair and dark eyes were probably one of his most redeeming features, she thought. They made her heart jump and she often found herself lost in the familiarity of them. Even now as her eyes scanned the pages of the leather-bound book in front of her she could think of nothing else but running her hands through his dark locks. Words were jumping off the page at her but she wasn't able to comprehend them. She mentally gave up and sat contemplating how she would make her move. He was so obviously attempting to get her attention by staring at her and Snape knew her well enough to know she would feel his gaze.

"Are you going to proposition me, or stare at me all night Snape?" She said out loud while turning a page in her book, having left the previous ones unread.

"You aren't fooling me for a second Kara. I know you are not actually reading that book."

Damn. He knew her too well. She smiled and finally looked up into his face. Her heart melted almost instantly and she thought she might die if she didn't have him right there. But she restrained herself.

"Are you sure?" she asked. Could he be over his grieving already?

He stood and walked towards her, held out a hand and lifted her out of the chair. Snape then wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. His lips went right to her neck and she threw her head back so he could caress the area under her chin. Kara could feel his lower body pressed against her, and surely enough, Snape was definitely ready.

A few hours later she lay beside him, unable to sleep. She watched his gentle features settled against the pillow. Kara admired his long eyelashes, distinguished nose and high cheekbones. His hair had fallen into his face but she dare not touch him to move it aside. He slept so lightly that the slightest movement near his face would wake him.

"I am not asleep Kara," came a soft voice from his tender lips. Kara never knew how Snape was able to tell what she was thinking, but sometimes it made her uneasy. But at the same time, the soft side of her heart was eager to realize just how lucky she was to be lying beside this man.

She reached up and brushed the hair away from his face. He caught her hand and brushed his lips against her palm, waking her inner desires again. Moments later they were entangled in a passionate series of kisses and positions that continued until daybreak.

* * *

Kara woke up after just a few hours sleep being sorer than she had since their first night together. Snape graciously kept a large supply of numbing potion in the bathroom and had refused to let her make her own despite her protests. His argument was that if he was causing the discomfort, he was obligated to provide the relief as well. In spite of her inclinations to prepare her own remedies, Kara forced herself not to argue with him. She was powerful enough that he didn't have to watch out for her, and Kara knew that in someway even Snape needed to exercise his god given right to be chivalrous.

She stumbled ungracefully into the bathroom, opened the dark wooden panel that covered the potions cabinet and removed a light blue phial from its safe enclosure. She drank the entire contents and began to prepare for the day.

Kara had scheduled a full day with Potter. After breakfast she walked with him down to the dungeons. She had never considered him to be a serious student, but Kara found that he had cultivated a new sense of intellectual curiosity over the summer. He would often pound her with new questions about magical theory and she wondered to herself if his ignorance of the Wizarding world was due to his isolation from it as a child. Regardless, the discussions were stimulating and Potter was an eager listener.

It took him a few minutes to open the portrait this morning and then they entered the chamber. With a more eased manner he lit the pyre in the room and sat down on the stone steps to begin the lesson for the day.

"Today I just want to us to cover what we've done in the last two weeks. This time, however, I will provide distraction and you must work through it. We will run through the exercises repeatedly without stopping until I am satisfied."

Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes momentarily.

When he opened his eyes there was a pile of ten heavy Alchemy tomes in front of him.

"Levitate each one. Keep them in the air," Kara instructed.

Harry's brow furrowed and each of the books rose off the ground. When they were there Kara conjured a Pixy that flew around Harry's face. It began to ruffle his hair and pull on his nose. He reached up to grab it and caught it with one hand easily; books didn't move. He never even took his eyes off of them to look at the Pixy.

"Interesting solution to the problem Mr. Potter," she said.

"It's easier than catching the Snitch," he replied as he smiled at her. The books weren't moving.

Clearly a single Pixy and conversation were not going to distract him. Several more Pixies appeared in the room and fluttered around him. They began tugging at his ears and his clothes. One landed on the bridge of his glasses and tried to poke him in the eye. The books began falling one at a time to the ground. He was slowly losing control of the situation.

"Please tell me you remember how to deal with Pixies, Mr. Potter."

"Stupefy," he whispered.

Harry closed his eyes and when he opened them again he concentrated all his might on the creatures flying in front of him. One of them fell to the ground and disappeared, then another, and finally all of them were gone. The three books that had fallen levitated in the air again and wavered there dangerously.

"Now stand up and walk towards the wall," Kara commanded. He did as he was told and soon was on the opposite side of the room.

"Face the wall."

He turned away from her. Kara walked over and picked up one of the books out of the air and suddenly all of them fell to the floor with a loud thud. Startled, Harry turned around.

"The ultimate distraction Mr. Potter is the manipulation of objects under your control by outside forces. Can you tell me why?"

"When you picked up the book I lost track of it. I was unable to visualize it."

"Precisely. Levitate the books again. This time when I pick one of them up, imagine me doing so. Instead of manipulating the molecules surrounding the book, you will need to manipulate the molecules in my hand."

He nodded and the books rose from the floor. Kara reached over and tried to lift one of them. As soon as she touched the book her hand clenched and she no longer had control of it. He was able to easily manipulate it so that she couldn't move the book. The book flew to the left and then to the right as she held onto it.

"Very good. Better than I had expected."

And it was true. A skill like that took a lot of time to master. Kara couldn't remember how many times she and Nabokov had practiced similar moves, but it was obvious that Harry was learning much more quickly than she had. It was quite possible that Harry would finish his training in half the time it had taken for Snape and Kara. She was almost relieved. The sooner the training was finished, the sooner she could get on with the normal aspects of her life.