Master in the Trees

Hermione was slightly out of breath when she reached the club. "Coral, is Firenze in tonight?"

"Of course," said the bartender, brow wrinkled in concern. "What's wrong?"

Hermione gave a smile that was almost convincingly reassuring. "It's a long story. Suffice it to say, I could really use Firenze's opinion."

"That anti-Mars effect chap is talking his ear off over there. I'm sure he'd be delighted to be disturbed. Can I get you something?"

"Something bracing would be good."

"Manhattan?"

"Perfect."

Hermione threaded her way through the other patrons to reach Firenze's table, which was about fifteen feet back from the stage, where a juvenile centaur sang, accompanying himself with a lyre. The language he sang wasn't one Hermione knew, and the melody was oddly haunting.

Firenze was obviously listening to the music and not the man who was attempting to lecture to him. Hermione stood behind them until song was over, and then slid into Firenze's peripheral vision.

"Hermione!" exclaimed the centaur, clearly relieved. He recovered himself and turned to the man next to him. "I beg your pardon, sir, I must take my leave." He jerked his head toward Hermione. "Official Ministry business."

Firenze took her arm and steered her to a dark table in the corner, where Hermione knew they would not be disturbed. Coral delivered their drinks, and Firenze gazed at her, eyes sparkling in anticipation.

"Did they meet with you?"

Hermione blinked, momentarily confused about who Firenze meant. "Oh yes, Magorian led me to a council of eight, and they heard my proposal. Magorian said to expect an answer tomorrow."

"Brava," said Firenze, raising his glass to her. "To new relationships and old."

She touched the rim of her glass to his, and they both drank. Hermione let the warmth from the strong drink fade from her throat, not sure of how to tell him the rest.

"There's rather a bit more," she said at last.

"Oh?"

"When I brought them the first gift, I also brought a sheep for the Thestrals. One of the females had a man on her back. I spoke to him, and he escaped into the trees."

Firenze's eyebrows drew together, but he said nothing.

"After I finished with the council, I told Magorian about the man. He said that by refusing to go with me when the Thestrals presented him, the man was no longer welcome. He shot the man with an arrow, and I brought him back to Hogwarts. I think he's been living with the Thestrals for about three years." She paused again and took another sip of her drink. "Minerva and I dressed his wounds and cleaned him up, but he's gone very queer. He understands spoken language but he seems more likely to shriek like the Thestrals rather than speak. He maintains the ability to think and plan, but his logical faculties seem to have been skewed somehow, and he becomes agitated easily. From what limited research I've been able to do, he seems to be suffering from some kind of delusions. I was wondering if you could tell me if the Thestrals could somehow be involved in making him behave this way."

"From your description, I presume that you knew this man before."

"Yes, I knew him long before the war."

"And you feel that the difference in demeanour is far beyond what may be attributed to the grief that led him to the Thestrals?"

"Definitely."

"Would it be too much of an imposition to see him?"

"Minerva wishes to keep this in confidence, but if you think that seeing him could help figure out what's wrong with him, then we'll go to Hogwarts at your earliest convenience."

"One wonders who Minerva would wish to keep hidden."

Hermione met his curious eyes. "It's Severus Snape."

Firenze's eyes widened. "Horse Lords," he swore quietly. He covered his discomfiture with a sip of his drink. "I think it would be wise to go tomorrow."

"Will nine o'clock suffice?"

He nodded. "I will meet you at the castle gates."

"Don't get yourself shot," said Hermione.

Firenze smiled ruefully. "Have no fear," he said. "I doubt the circumstances of my last brush with an arrow are likely to recur anytime soon."

"Certainly not," agreed Hermione. "Not even next Beltane."

Firenze gave her an appraising look. "Indeed?"

"So I'm told. I will keep you abreast of future negotiations."

"Please do."

))))))))))))))

Firenze and Hermione were quickly ushered to Severus's chambers by Toddy, the headmistress's excitable house elf. Hermione did not have to press her ear to the door to hear shrieking, yelling, and the sounds of hard objects being thrown against the wall.

Hermione gave the password and they threw open the door.

"Expelliarmus!" she yelled, aiming her wand at the bed, where Severus stood with a huge leather-bound volume in one hand and Minerva's wand in the other. Both objects sailed out of his hands and onto the floor, and the wand rolled harmlessly away from the bed.

Severus shot her a look of pure venom and attempted to stretch his hand out far enough to grab the wand.

"For pity's sake," snapped Minerva, who was crouched against a bookshelf and sporting a bloody nose, "Stun him! The man's a menace!"

However, Firenze reached his bedside first and uttered something halfway between a snort and a whinny. It did not sound patient or complimentary.

Severus stared up at him, eyes glittering dangerously. He bared his teeth at Firenze, who drew himself up to his not unimpressive height.

Firenze said something else in the language of horses, and Severus exhaled suddenly, giving it only the slightest voice, and sat down meekly on the bed, eyes lowered. Firenze, however, extended his hand and lifted Severus's head so that their eyes met.

Firenze made a low sound in his throat that reminded Hermione strongly of the Thestrals. Apparently, it did the same to Severus. She was stunned to see her former teacher's eyes fill with tears, which began spilling down his cheeks.

"He should be comforted," said Firenze softly, "preferably by someone fully human."

"Fool me twice, shame on me," said Minerva angrily, wiping blood from her nose. "That's how he managed to get my wand away from me."

Hermione nodded at Firenze and sat next to Severus on the bed. Awkwardly, she put her arms around him. He leaned into her embrace, gaunt body shaking silently.

"What did you say to him?" asked Minerva, who had retrieved her wand and stopped her nosebleed.

"I told him that he was far too old to act like a foal," said Firenze with a shrug. ""I also demanded his obedience as dominant male."

"You did what?" sputtered Hermione.

"Thestral social hierarchies are based on age. I reminded him that as I am the eldest equine present, he should do as I say."

The man in her arms had ceased shuddering. "Now what?" she asked Firenze.

"I'd like for you to speak with him as you did yesterday."

"And watch out for the right hook," added Minerva, whose nose was still puffy.

Hermione gently relaxed her arms and let her right hand slide down his back, where she could clearly feel each vertebrae and rib.

"Severus," she said softly. "How are you feeling today?"

He withdrew from her with lightning speed and opened his mouth as if to shriek again. He shut it abruptly when Firenze gave a rumbling whicker.

"It's his name," said Hermione suddenly. "It upsets him."

"Good," said Firenze, approvingly. "Try again."

"Sir," she entreated. "Sir, you must speak with us. Much depends on you."

Rather than meet her gaze, he looked up at Firenze, who folded his arms across his chest.

"No," said Severus.

"But you must. You must also learn to take instructions from your human elders," said Firenze with a nod of his head in Minerva's direction. "Your herd is here, and you have responsibilities to them all."

"They drove me out," Severus snarled. "I did what was necessary, and they drove me out."

"Just because your herd drives you out doesn't mean they don't need you," said Firenze simply. "You and your herd have grown and changed. Give them an opportunity to make amends, Severus."

Severus winced at the use of his name. "Do not call me that. It's a bad name."

"What would you have us call you?" Hermione's voice was gentle.

"Anything but that!" he snapped.

"Severus is not a bad name," said Minerva vehemently. "Severus is the name of my friend, my colleague, and a man selfless enough to sacrifice everything for the greater good."

He screwed his eyes shut and shoved the heels of his hands against his ears. He began mouthing words to himself. Hermione recognised the mantra as the one he'd recited yesterday whilst floating in the bathtub, though it was no more intelligible now than it was then.

Firenze nodded. "I think we should leave him to rest for the time being. Has he eaten today?"

Minerva pointed to a pile of breakfast food and broken crockery, the latter of which she fixed with a wave of her wand. "I was bringing him breakfast and found him curled up in the chair. He attacked me when I spoke to him and knocked the tray out of my hands. Toddy?"

The house elf popped into the room. "Yes, headmistress?"

"Please bring Sev- rather, please bring this man a generous tray of food. I might also suggest that all of his dishes have Unbreakable Charms placed on them."

"Yes, headmistress!" the elf squeaked, disappearing.

"Now that's been taken care of, would you both be kind enough to join me in my office for tea? There is much to discuss."

))))))))))))

Elevenses with the headmistress left Hermione comfortably full and warm. They all sipped their tea in thoughtful silence, which Firenze broke at length.

"I have heard of situations in which human children are raised by Thestrals," said Firenze. "Usually, a few years living among kind, generous, and loving humans is enough to integrate them acceptably into human society. Their minds are altered, but not in such a way that is detrimental. However, for those unfortunate enough to be delivered into less affable circumstances, such as the boy Kaspar Hauser, they are not able to comprehend the cruelties of humanity and live solitary, often wretched existences."

"But what of grown adults?" inquired the headmistress.

"All creatures capable of feeling grief are drawn to Thestrals," said Firenze, "but this is the first time I have heard of a situation where an adult human chose to live with Thestrals for an extended period of time."

"Do centaurs understand the mechanisms by which Thestrals comfort the aggrieved?" asked Hermione.

"It's not a mechanism or incantation," said Firenze. "It's magic so old it has no name."

"If it's that old," commented the Headmistress as she daintily dipped a piece of shortbread into her tea, "then surely you have some idea of how it works."

Firenze thought for a moment. "I visited the Thestrals once when I believed I had lost someone forever. It feels as if the unfortunate aspects of your situation are diminished and hope may return."

"I almost felt like I'd been given a Calming Draught," added Hermione.

Minerva munched thoughtfully for a moment. "Behaviour modifying potions like the Calming Draught can be addictive and can result in all kinds of problems. Is it possible that somehow Severus's prolonged exposure to the Thestrals had ill effects?

"There may be some truth in this," said Firenze. "The Thestrals would not have returned a man in such a state without a good reason."

"Perhaps they realised that he wasn't getting any better," said Hermione. "So if living with the Thestrals for years did this to him, will it take him years to recover?"

"I'm afraid I don't know," said Firenze sadly. "However, if this is the cause of Severus's condition, then my appearance today did him no good. Keep him to his own kind as much as possible, and under no circumstances let him return to the forest until he is himself again."

Hermione glanced out the window and gasped when she realised that it was after noon. "I must go to the forest to meet Magorian," she said apologetically.

"Please allow me to escort you," said Firenze. "I, too, have business in the forest."

Hermione nodded at him with an inquisitive look, then turned to the headmistress. "I will return as soon as I can."

"Be safe, both of you," said Minerva, holding an ice bag to her nose.

)))))))))))))

Magorian seemed unsurprised to see Firenze, though he did not acknowledge him in any way.

"Our debate has carried on longer than we anticipated, human," said Magorian. "You may come back tomorrow."

"Very well," said Hermione, unaccountably relieved that she would have more time to spend working with Severus.

"I seek an audience with the council," said Firenze.

"For what purpose?" asked Magorian.

"I will speak on behalf of the humans," said Firenze.

"You did so for years before you were expelled from our herd," said Magorian. "What makes you feel that our answer will be any different this time?"

"You have taken a human into the longhouse and you heard her speak. The least you can do is to allow me the same courtesy."

"You may come with me, but I take no responsibility for you," said Magorian, stony faced. He trotted off into the forest. Firenze followed him.

"Good luck!" called Hermione after them. Her voice echoed through the frozen forest. It suddenly hit her that tomorrow would be Christmas.