A Cloud Before the Moon

Chapter 6

Severus spent the evening in the dungeon, trying to decide what he to give Letha for her birthday. Two days was simply not enough time. He studied the bottles and vials on the shelves, and tried to think of what might make a good gift for a girl. He heard the dungeon door open upstairs and footsteps descended the stairs at a leisurely pace. He recognized the feline tread. "Good evening, Lucius."

Lucius Malfoy responded with only a brief flash of his pearly white teeth. Silently, he turned to face the shelves the boy had just been perusing, and his eyes scanned their length, apparently searching for information. "My friend, you must learn to focus on what truly has value."

Severus looked at him guardedly. "To what do you refer?"

Lucius smiled enigmatically. "My father believes you have a remarkable talent; the time has come to put it to good use, instead of simply experimenting for your own amusement."

"I have always provided whatever your father has asked."

"Yes, but you waste a great deal of time that could be used more valuably. I know you have ambition and plans, as I do. Surely, you do not want to - - turn out like Balthazar..."

Severus curled his lip and spat at the mention of his father's name. "I do not think there is much chance of that!" Then he lowered his eyes. "What is it you need?"

"Me? I need nothing from you. Surely you do not think I would ever put conditions on our friendship? However, your assistance is always appreciated, and Father tells me that many exciting things are going on right now. He believes the future is full of remarkable possibilities. A new world is opening up! And, he is certain that you will play a valuable role in helping to bring it about."

"I am at his service."

Placing his right hand on Severus' left forearm, Malfoy beamed at him. "I'm so glad to hear you say that. I knew you would feel that way."

Under no circumstances would he care to divulge how he felt with Lucius' hand on his arm. "How can I be of help?"

"Father needs you to prepare a Veritaserum".

Severus frowned pensively. "Surely he must have other sources . . ."

Yes, but he needs one that will overcome the effects of a mind-clarifying draft."

It did not occur to him to ask Why? "I doubt I have the expertise to produce such a powerful potion." He looked at Lucius curiously. "Can't he obtain it through his connections in the Ministry?"

"I imagine it might raise some awkward questions. At any rate, can he count on you?" He raised his eyebrows interrogatively.

"Certainly, I will do my best."

Malfoy gazed at him steadily. "Then you will succeed. I am sure of it. I will check on your progress in a few days. What we have here, Severus is the opportunity to invent our own future, to take our place in history. Do not be distracted by your recent childish preoccupations." The young man brought his handsome face level with his own. "You needn't chase after little girls. If you re looking for pleasures of the flesh," he murmured, flicking his tongue across his upper lip, "that can be arranged." With that, he headed back up the stairs. "I'm afraid I must go; your cousin is waiting for me."

Severus' eyes jealously followed Lucius' form up the stairs. He would have to get to work on Lucius' request right away - as soon as he figured out what to give Letha for her birthday.

Friday afternoon, a tall thin solitary figure dressed in black made his way across the woods. Following Letha's directions, he found himself in unfamiliar territory, at the crest of a small hill. It was quiet and pleasant; the only sounds were the twittering of birds. As he walked, Severus nervously fidgeted with a tiny package in his pocket. A small, irregularly-shaped house painted in multiple hues of blue and green, came into view. From Letha's description, he knew it was her grandmother's house.

Passing through a modest front gate, he entered an overgrown path through a garden containing a haphazard collection of colorful flowers, plants, grasses and herbs. He knocked on the door nervously, and it was opened by a short, round witch with piercing blue eyes. The woman was dressed in a flowing robe decorated with large pastel flowers, and a large floppy hat to match. She reached up, grabbed his shoulders with surprising strength, and pulled his face down to her height. She gave him a kiss on each cheek, and beckoned him into the house. He stepped forward, stupefied. Next, a slim woman of such uncommon height as to tower over him, placed her hands on his shoulders and also gave him a peck on each cheek. Severus was utterly bewildered - were these women mad? He stepped back and debated whether he should make a hasty departure, but the short woman firmly grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the house.

"Ephemera Faraday," she introduced herself pleasantly. "Please call me Ephie, dear."

The other woman pumped his hand. "I'm Mimi," she said in a husky voice. "Pleased to meetcha."

He opened his mouth to respond, but words seemed to elude him. "Mimi is my companion," said Ephie, and it seemed to him that this statement was supposed to be an explanation of some sort. "Oh - please forgive me," he said. "My name is Severus Snape, and ..."

Mimi interrupted him. "What a maw-velous name. Did you make it up yourself?" The woman stared at him with unabashed interest. She had dark brown eyes and an olive complexion, and she wore her dark frizzy hair cropped short. She had a most unusual accent. Severus supposed she was American, though he had never met anyone with a speech pattern quite like hers before.

"Really, Mimi, what a silly question," said Ephie with exasperation. "Make yourself useful. Go and stir the soup - or something."

Mimi retorted, "So what do I look like, the servant?" She beckoned to Severus. "Could you come with me, sweetie? I could use a hand in here."

He failed to suppress an embarrassed smile. No one had ever called him 'sweetie' before. At that moment, Letha ran into the room. She wore a filmy, cream-colored dress, her golden-brown hair bouncing around her shoulders.

She glanced anxiously at his grinning face. "Do I look that ridiculous in this frilly get-up?"

He wanted to tell her how pretty she looked, but was unsure how to go about offering a compliment. "Not at all - you really look . . ." Mimi shouted from the kitchen. "So, are you coming, or what?" He shrugged slightly and went off to help her.

In the kitchen, he was met by a blend of delicious aromas, and his eyes lit up at the sight of an assortment of simmering pots on the stove. Mimi gave him a variety of orders - stir this, chop that - and watched appreciatively as he performed each task with practiced skill.

"You have a real talent there. Do you like to cook?" she asked.

"Not exactly. I do have a hobby of making potions".

"Potions, schmotions.", she said, waving her hands in the air emphatically. "Better you should make a nice chicken soup." Before he could ask her what a "schmotion" was, she handed him a large tureen of soup. "Here, bring this out to the dining room".

Mimi picked up a platter, and led the way out of the kitchen. When they reached the dining room table, he began lowering the steaming pot of soup onto a trivet. Ephie cleared a space for the platter. She smiled at Mimi. "We certainly cook well together."

Mimi smiled back at her. "Ain't it the truth?". Then she leaned forward and gave Ephie an affectionate kiss on the lips. The soup tureen nearly slipped out of Severus' hands, while Letha's face turned slightly pink. Mimi held out a hand to help steady the pot. "That's okay, doll," she assured him. He did not quite know what to make of the two odd women.

The dinner conversation was quite interesting. Ephie told him about her husband, Letha's grandfather; he had died quite young, when he and some other former school chums had attempted an impromptu round of Quidditch, and 'the damn fool' got hit in the head with a Bludger. After that, she had moved to Greenwich Village in New York with her baby son. "A witch can be herself in Greenwich Village. The less you dress and act like a normal Muggle, he better you fit in. Probably half the Muggles there call themselves witches. "And," she added, "the best part was, that was where I met Mimi".

Severus raised his eyebrows and stared at Mimi, "Does that mean you are a mud - a Muggle-born?"

Letha coughed loudly and seemed to be in some distress every time Mimi tried to answer the question. Eventually, Mimi said, "Actually, I'm what you people call a Muggle. That's okay with you, isn't it, tateleh?" The three women looked at Severus questioningly, and he turned red. He nodded in agreement, although he was not really sure what to think.

Dinner consisted of a series of unfamiliar but tasty courses. If he showed any hesitancy to try a new food, the ladies pleaded, coaxed, cajoled and insisted that he try it. They were very persuasive, primarily because it was all delectable. The discussion moved around to a variety of interesting topics, including Muggle events he knew nothing about, art, music and politics. The children were encouraged to express and defend their opinions, and disagreement was encouraged rather than punished. Despite his initial discomfort with the women's open affection for one another, he soon felt quite at ease, more so, certainly, than he ever did in his own house.

After dinner, they all went into the living room, which was rather large and airy. There were several comfortable well-worn chairs and couches strewn about, but the most prominent features were the large canvases on the wall. There were portraits of individual people, paintings of groups of people, of animals, of flowers, of landscapes, and a number of paintings which looked like nothing at all in particular. Ephie noticed Severus staring at one painting with a perplexed expression. "Have you any idea what you are looking at?"

"Not at all. I don't mean to offend you, but it looks like splotches of paint to me. Is that supposed to look like something?"

Ephie smiled. "No, it is not. It is called abstract art, and it is not meant to represent anything; it is what it is, and no, you are not required to like it. You really can't offend me. Besides, it is not one of my works; it was painted by my friend Jackson."

"I see." He really did not see the point in looking at splotches of paint, but he did not know what else to say about it.

"Is there anything else you want to ask me?"

"Some of these paintings have a scent. Some have - sounds or music. But almost none of them move."

Ephie looked immensely pleased at his observations. "A number of them do not move because they were painted by Mimi, or by other non-wizards. Though I think they have a magic of their own, don't you? For my own work, I began painting seriously when I lived in Greenwich Village. I became accustomed to painting stationary objects, and in fact prefer to do so. I want to express my own point of view, not that of my subject. That is why I give some of my paintings the scents and sounds that seem fitting to me; that is my choice"

Severus nodded thoughtfully, while he pondered her answer.

"Would you like to see our gallery?"

"Certainly", he answered.

Letha looked at her grandmother in alarm. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I don't see why not." "Come along", she said to them. Letha shook her head. "I think I'll wait here, Grandma, if that's okay."

"Suit yourself." Ephie led the boy up a stairwell. She opened the door and lit the sconces with her wand. They stepped inside a long, narrow hall, covered with canvases along its length. Severus walked down the hall, rapidly past the "abstract" pictures, which did not much interest him, and more carefully examined the paintings of landscapes and objects and, especially, of people. There were a series of paintings of strangely-clad people in cluttered rooms, talking, smoking, drinking and laughing. From some of these effused a mixture of sounds and aromas - there were the murmurs of voices, strains of sad-sounding music with no real rhythm he could discern, the smell of smoke, alcohol and a vaguely familiar sweetish-acrid scent. On the walls there were also pictures of a young round-faced boy whom he supposed to be Letha's father, and others of a little girl, whom he recognized as Letha.

He continued down the hall and found himself facing paintings of individuals and groups of men and women in various states of undress, many altogether nude. Among them were pictures of a diminutive young woman with features reminiscent of Letha's, and others were paintings of Mimi. Severus felt rather uncomfortable with the nude paintings, but one particularly made him stop and stare. It depicted a tall thin man with a familiar long, thin crooked nose, standing behind, and embracing, a young Ephemera Faraday. The man had a long black beard, flecked with strands of white, which flowed sensuously around the woman's body. Severus' lips drew together in a tight frown.

"Perhaps we'd better go back downstairs," Ephie suggested gently.

"Perhaps that would be a good idea."

She led him back to the door and down to the living room. Letha peered at him anxiously. "What did you think of the Gallery?"

Severus kept his expression neutral. "It was certainly interesting." When she kept staring at him, he added, "I rather liked it."

"You know, Letha's a very good artist too. She gets it from Ephie, y'know."

Letha reddened. "No, I'm not, Mimi." She smiled at her friend. "When I paint people, they have the oddest shapes!"

"That's because you don't practice," her grandmother chided her. "You have the soul for it; you just don't work on it."

"Perhaps she is occupied with other matters of importance," Severus suggested quietly. Letha turned away so he could not see the exhilaration on her face when he came to her defense.

"That's no excuse for wasting one's talents," Ephie responded gruffly, but she seemed not altogether displeased at the boy's answer. It did not escape Severus, however, that her criticism echoed Lucius', and the reminder of it irritated him slightly. However, that was forgotten as the topic of conversation quickly drifted in other directions.

When the hour began to grow late, Severus became concerned that he had better get home. Not that anyone was likely to ask him where he had been, but he did not want there to be any possibility that he would have to explain his whereabouts.

"If you have to leave soon, I think we should bring out the birthday cake right away," Ephie said.

Mimi carried out a magnificent confection, decorated with spun-sugar flowers and fairies. She told Letha to make a wish and blow out the candles. Then, Mimi and Ephie presented her with a wonderful collection of books, which included "The Little Prince", "Through the Looking-Glass", "The Wind in the Willows", and most impressively, a beautifully illustrated "Field Guide to Dragons of the Far East".

Severus pulled a small package out of his pocket and handed it to Letha. She smiled at him shyly and unwrapped the paper. Inside was a tiny, delicately faceted vial holding an iridescent liquid.

"It's so pretty! What is it?"

He pulled a sheet of parchment from another pocket. "Open it."

She pulled out the tiny stopper, and with a shimmer, the liquid flew onto the parchment, forming words. It said:

Letha,

For the first time in my life, I do not feel alone in the universe. Thank you.

I wish you happiness equal to all you deserve.

Your friend always,

Severus Snape

He took the vial from her hand, tapped it with his wand and said "Return!" The words flew off the page and back into the vial. When it was full, he capped it and handed it back to her. Letha was entranced.

Mimi was also entranced. "Isn't that something! How beautiful! See Ephie, I told you this boy was a mensch. I don't know what you were . . . "

Ephie interrupted her. "That is very lovely, young man. Words like that mean a great deal." Her eyes, steel-blue like Letha's, but sharpened with age and experience, seemed to plumb the depths of his soul, and he felt a bit uneasy at what she might find there.

He paused uncertainly. "There is something else," he said. He reached into his pocket again and took out another small item, which he held in his hand. "Several years ago, my mother's great-aunt came to visit our house. For some reason, she seemed to develop a certain fondness for me, although she had little use for the rest of my family. She told me she had been a friend of the great alchemist, Nicholas Flamel. He said he had learned the secret of transforming mercury into gold, and gave her a small piece of it. He told her that wearing it around her neck would protect her from physical harm. I do not know if any of that is true, but she lived to be 248 years old." In fact, she had died shortly after giving him the gift, a detail he saw no reason to relate. With that, he opened his hand, and showed her a tiny gold orb dangling from a fine gold chain. "I want you to have this."

He put it around her throat and she lifted her hair so that he could close the clasp at the nape of her neck. Letha turned around and smiled at him, tears in her eyes. "Oh thank you so much, Severus; but are you sure about this? It was your great-aunt, after all." She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Of course I want you to have it. But now I am afraid I'd better get home. I've really enjoyed the evening." He thanked Mimi and Ephie, and then he came to Letha.

He bent towards her. What if he kisses me on the lips? she worried anxiously and closed her eyes expectantly. Instead he took her hand in his and gave her a chaste peck on the cheek. After that, he headed home. Letha was a bit disappointed, but overall, went off to bed that night feeling extremely happy.