Spanning the River of Blood

Spanning the River of Blood

By

Ridley-Roo

Chapter 5 - The Arrival

Shifting his weight so he could rise up slightly Snape came face to face with the voice that had spoken. His mind registered blue grey eyes with dark rings underneath looking directly into his. His body however, registered that he was lying on top of her and forced him to roll off much quicker than he would have liked.

After a few minutes everyone was disentangled and Dumbledore emerged from the bottom of the pile. His face full of amusement but still out of breath they helped him to his feet.

'Well I must say that was probably the most physical excitement I've had in many years!' he said once he was both standing and breathing again. 'And I see we have two guests. Perhaps a cup of tea in my study while we get better acquainted?' The women looked at each other and then nodded their agreement and followed him back towards the staircase.

A little while later the five sat by the fire drinking tea and studying each other. Katrina had looked to her friend to see if she should expect danger but no signal had been forthcoming. She took this as a good sign and concentrated on maintaining a confident appearance.

'My name is Albus Dumbledore, and this is Remus Lupin,' the old man they had landed on said motioning to Scruffy then Dickens-man, 'and this is Severus Snape.'

Taking her cue she replied, 'Katrina Wilson and Layla Green.' She indicated which was which, before continuing, 'I suppose you have an explanation for all this?'

This was the question he had been debating the answer to since the breach the previous day. Eventually he had decided that the truth was probably the best course of action. So he told them of the ward breach and their use of the concentrator to find the intruder. That their guests simply sat and listened was not lost on Snape or the other two, who were all paying close attention for any reactions from the women.

'So who was it that was firing, whatever that was, at us in the park?' Dumbledore looked to Lupin and then Snape for the answer. Snape responded that he had not been able to identify who it had been with any certainty. This answer didn't please Katrina who was getting ready to accuse them of kidnapping when Layla placed a restraining hand on her arm.

'Why is it so important to find this intruder?' she asked speaking for the first time since her comments to Snape in the cavern. Her voice was deep and rich, taking Snape back into the cavern for a moment. He caught himself wondering how his name would sound in those dulcet tones. Dumbledore explained about the war with Voldemort and their use of the school as a base of operations in the fight. Both women listened in silence, only occasionally taking a sip of their tea.

When he finished they again sat in silence as their guests digested the information. Snape got up to stretch his legs and headed over to the window, where he stood looking down at the lake. As he thought over the events of the day, his mind kept wondering back to the bundle on the cavern floor, and those eyes which had stared into his. People rarely looked him straight in the eye, and when they did he usually saw only hatred and fear. There were a few exceptions of course, such as Dumbledore and other members of staff, but he was unused to it in others. Combined with the warmth of her body beneath him it had led to the physical reaction men around the world knew and feared. Had she noticed before he had rolled off? He hoped not. For some reason the thought of her knowing filled him with fear, and he didn't know why. When she had spoken it had been with more than a little amusement, something else he was unused to.

Snape was brought back to reality by the arrival of Professor McGonagall. 'Oh!' she said as she spotted Katrina and Layla, 'I was unaware that you were entertaining.' She paused for a moment to study the women before continuing, 'We were wondering if you were going to come down to the Great Hall for dinner.'

'Is it that time already! I must say I think dinner is an excellent idea.' Dumbledore rubbed his stomach before continuing, 'would you lady's care to join us?' He stood and held out an arm to shepherd them to the door. The women got up and the shadow of a smile touched Snape's lips as he noticed Layla was in the lead.

They proceeded down to the Great Hall, and Snape was surprised to note that Dumbledore lead them in through the main doors rather than the staff entrance. No doubt to make sure everyone noticed the two women whom he now had on either arm. Not very subtle, but effective he decided. Dumbledore certainly did know how to make an entrance, Snape mused as he, Lupin and McGonagall followed.

Harry stared at the two women with Dumbledore along with all the other students, dressed in muggle clothing they stood out as something other than normal guests. As they passed between the house tables he turned to Hermione and Ron with his mouth hanging slightly open. Ron's jaw was in a similar position when they both received a sharp kick under the table and Hermione mouthed, 'was it them?' The two boys shrugged and turned to see Dumbledore conjure two extra chairs at the head table, one on either side of his own. The party then sat down and while the students still watched the arrival of their food diverted the attentions of most of them.

Layla found herself sat between the old man, Dumbledore, and the man introduced as Remus. Katrina was on the other side of the old man and the dark haired broody one called Severus was right down at the other end of the table. She would have preferred not to have been paraded down between the students but understood that it had been important. She turned her attention to the rest of the hall and tried not to stare at the ceiling. 'Beautiful isn't it.' Remus said following her gaze. 'Yes, the stars are always beautiful,' she answered smiling.

'So do you teach here?'

Snorting into his soup he took several minutes to regain his breath. 'No... I did briefly a few years ago but not now.' He turned in his chair to look at her. Unashamedly dunking her bread into her mushroom soup and appearing very relaxed considering the days events, she invited him to tell her more with an incline of her head. Smiling back he started to tell her all about his time at Hogwarts both as a student and a professor.

As their conversation continued through the meal Layla made an effort to appear engrossed in what he was telling her, all the while taking in the colours of the energies around her. She had started this back in the park but didn't wish to make it obvious if she could help it. All three men had shown interesting colours with the animosity between Lupin and Snape standing out in sharp black, but here in the Great Hall she was able to take a much broader view of the school.

Soon the meal was over and they headed back up to Dumbledore's study. Once there they resumed their previous seats, they were soon joined by more members of the staff eager to find out what was going on. Katrina took the lead once again, 'So what do you want now that we're here, wherever here is?' she addressed Dumbledore directly making no effort to hide the note of challenge in her voice.

'I was hoping that we would be able to form some sort of alliance.' Layla concentrated on his colours as he spoke. 'Perhaps you would be willing to stay and help us in our struggle against Voldemort.' His words hung in the air and it seemed to the women that everyone else in the room was holding their breath as time stretched on and they sat in silence waiting for the answer.

'I'll stay.' Layla's voice was steady and firm. 'But not as your prisoner.' Every face turned towards her including Katrina's. 'Are you sure,' concern was clearly written on her friends face and Layla smiled what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

'Yes.'