The Last Sanguimagus

Harry had just begun his second stack of blackberry pancakes when Ginny sat down next to him. "Harry, I told Terry and Michael," she whispered. "That's everybody. We'll all be ready tonight for the meeting."

"Great," said Harry, but inwardly he was starting to feel a little tense. What would Professor Tanner think about the Patronus Charm being performed in her classroom? How could he possibly hope to discuss Voldemort's plans with the others in front of her? He was beginning to wonder if they should have used Hermione's plan after all, except that he really had no desire to involve Moaning Myrtle in their lessons.

Owls swooped in from all directions and it began to rain parchment and parcels. Ron, surprised, caught a small package.

"Who is that from?" asked Hermione.

"Fred and George!" he answered, enthusiastically ripping it open.

"You might want to be careful--" began Hermione as she paid a delivery owl for her copy of the Daily Prophet.

"They want me to try to sign people up to test their newest inventions," he said, reading the small piece of parchment enclosed in the package. "And they've sent some new sweets..."

"I'm not trying any," announced Ginny immediately.

"And look...they say something about our club..." He trailed off, reading further. "They want to have a meeting at their shop." He looked at Harry, incredulous.

"We couldn't possibly...it's in London..." Hermione had a thoughtful look on her face.

"But during the Christmas holiday..." said Harry.

"They're part of the other group, now, too," said Ron in a low voice. "Mum nearly went berserk, but they insisted."

"We could contact the others who have graduated," added Ginny. "They'll want to be part of it as well."

They all looked at Harry. "Er...it sounds like a good idea," he said awkwardly. He took a sip of pumpkin juice as the others nodded.

"Draco was saying his father was released from Azkaban," said Ginny. There was an odd expression on her face. "I heard they released him because he claimed he was under the Imperius Curse."

"Again?" said Hermione. "But he was giving the orders at the Ministry of Magic."

Harry felt anger creep up inside him again. "That's awful," he said hotly. "People go to Azkaban for nothing--innocent people--yet they let him out--"

"Shhh!" hissed Hermione.

"I wonder how he convinced them?" said Ginny.

"Probably bought their votes," said Ron darkly.

"There has to be a way to prove he wasn't under the Imperius Curse," said Hermione thoughtfully. "There must be some technicality...something to show that he was in control of himself..." She had that gleam in her eye that meant library research was in order.

"Well, I hope you can find something," said Harry irritably. "They should have kept him locked up. Forever."

"I'm off to the Owlery," said Ron.

"Bye," said Ginny. She took a long drink of her pumpkin juice.

"We should decide what we can and can't discuss in front of Professor Tanner," said Hermione quietly.

"For tonight, we'll just review spells," said Harry. "I think we'll have to wait and see about any...er...other information."

"I need to finish my parchment before class starts," said Ginny, grabbing her books and running off.

"I hope Ron gets to Herbology on time," fretted Hermione. "Let's go."

***

Sarah came back from the dinner in the Great Hall to find a small group of students standing in the corridor in front of her rooms. "Good evening," she said to them as she opened the door, letting them into the classroom. Closing the door behind them, she walked slowly to her desk, where the students' parchments that were yet to be marked were stacked.

"Professor Tanner," said Harry, looking a bit nervous. "Er...do you mind if we move..."

"Harry, for the next hour the classroom is yours," she said. "Do whatever you require. However, I expect it to be returned to its original state before you leave for the evening."

"Yes, Professor," he said, and turned back to the students. They began to move desks to create a free space in the middle of the room.

She soon absorbed herself in her marking, trying to tune out the spellwork that was going on. It proved to be rather difficult, as some of the spells were not directed very properly. A Disarming Spell very narrowly missed her, knocking the parchment she was marking clear off her desk and nearly out the window. "Careful," she said.

"Sorry," said Lavender Brown, looking sheepish. She retrieved the parchment for Sarah.

"Thank you," she said. She finished marking Longbottom's work and picked up the next scroll.

Draco Malfoy.

She nearly cursed aloud. An image of the elder Malfoy blossomed in her head again, his cruel grey eyes, the remembrance of that horrible night, the fear and horror that had overwhelmed her. The room was much too warm, and she suddenly felt nauseated. Putting her hands flat on her desk, she tried to compose herself. She took a few calming breaths and the feelings faded.

The students were putting the chairs back now, and had nearly righted the room.

"Thank you, Professor Tanner," said Harry as they left.

She nodded to him as they closed the door. The scent of magic was in the air, with the distinct odour of singed robe as well. It smelled like school to her. She opened the windows further with a wave of her wand. She remembered lessons at Hogwarts, when everything felt new and interesting, when floating a feather had seemed like the most impressive thing she'd ever done. And here she was again, showing children magic, but not any magic she'd learned at Hogwarts. Her thoughts turned to Lucius once again, to the expression on his face when he recognised her, the tremendous shock. It had been so long since she'd felt anything this fully that it had swamped her, knocking her off balance entirely. Had she attempted any spell that truly required focus it would have been disastrous.

She rubbed her eyes irritably. It was no use to dwell on the encounter. She needed to get to bed now, and rest, and hope that no nightmares would disturb her, though she doubted it. Already she could sense his grey eyes in the back of her mind.

***

Severus examined the potion carefully. It was an odd periwinkle colour and the consistency seemed strange, but it had held together for nearly an hour, and it seemed to be the answer to his research.

He straightened up, groaning as his back protested. He had sacrificed far too much sleep over the past week, and his body no longer seemed so willing to go along with it as it had in the past. He stirred the potion precisely three times, and was immensely cheered that it continued to hold. It was his best work yet, and he was quite pleased, as he only had a variation or two left on his list, and no further leads. It was quite a lovely brew. He began to see an article for Potion Masters Quarterly with his name on the cover in bold print. "A remarkable potion for an incurable poison..." "Truly the most inventive piece of work in decades..." He nearly smiled at the thought.

Until he remembered the poison it was counter-acting. There would be questions. Too many questions. Could he trust Sarah not to reveal that he had created the original foul concoction? "Blast," he said tiredly, rubbing his eyes. He really needed to sleep. He looked at the brew one more time.

It was no longer periwinkle. It had turned a hideous mix of colours and he realised that it had separated.

He cursed violently and gripped the edge of the worktable, waiting for the fury to recede. Several deep breaths later he reopened his eyes and tried to take a mental inventory. No article. No praise. No potion.

But...it had remained stable for over an hour...

He considered the brewing sequence again. If he could time it correctly, apply it as soon as it was ready...it could work...

He stumbled off to his room, and did not even bother to remove his robe. Yawning, he laid down on the bed, his mind making one more half-hearted attempt to revise the list of ingredients as he drifted off to sleep.

***