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Practice to Deceive	By : SailorSol Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 12424 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 11
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- 13
Disclaimer: Any characters & situations you recognize belong to J.K. Rowling. Any characters you don�t recognize belong to me. You can borrow them, but email me first and check on the characters.

Author�s Note: This story is AU after book 5. It contains NO REFERENCES to book 6 in any way, shape or form.

CHAPTER 11: THE WEEKEND

Lunch on Saturday at Hogwarts was a loud and merry affair. Astrid watched from the main table as students sat at different house tables and mingled with friends in houses other than their own. Gryffindors sat with Ravenclaws, who sat with Slytherins, who sat with Hufflepuffs.

Astrid didn�t see any Gryffindors at the Slytherin table. She also didn�t see Harry or his group anywhere. She did see Ron Weasley sitting at the Gryffindor table next to Nevillie Longbottom. Neville wasn�t paying any attention to Weasley, though. He was too busy paying attention to Luna Lovegood, who was sitting next to him.

Halfway through lunch, Harry walked through the doors with Draco, Hermione, and Ginny behind him. Accompanying them was a man that Astrid had seen pictures of. She wondered immediately what Hungarian Quidditch star Viktor Krum was doing in Scotland.

Her questions were answered when Minerva got up and met the group halfway through the hall.

�Mister Krum,� she said, smiling at him. �We certainly didn�t expect to see you again after the TriWizard Tournament. What brings you to Hogwarts?�

�I play for Scotland, now,� he told her, his voice carrying in the hall. �I remembered Hogsmeade, and I decided that I vanted to live here. I saw Hermione and her friend with Professor Malfoie in the village, and I came up here to see Harry.�

�Well,� Minerva said. �You are, of course, welcome here any time you�re not playing. I must insist, though, that you not come up during the week when there�s school.�

�Of course, Professor,� he said. �I vill of course comply.�

�Professor,� Harry said. �Is it alright if I make an announcement at dinner?�

�Of course, Mister Potter,� she said. �What kind of announcement do you want to make?�

Harry leaned forward and whispered to her. Minerva looked surprised, and then her face practically glowed as she clasped her hands together.

�My dear boy,� she exclaimed. �I�m delighted for you! This is exactly the kind of thing that people need to think about when war is looming! Let me congratulate you first!� She hugged him, and then Hermione and Ginny in turn. She shook Draco�s hand, and then shook Victor�s.�

�Please be our guest at lunch, and dinner tonight, Mister Krum,� she said. �News like this needs to be celebrated.�

�I vould be honored,� Victor said, smiling at her. He put one arm around Hermione, and one around Harry. At a nod from Harry, Draco led them to the Slytherin table.

As they sat down, Astrid pulled out her wand. She barely noticed that Max had entered the Hall and sat down next to her.

�Is something wrong, Professor?� he asked, his breath warm against her ear.

�Mister Weasley is going to explode,� Astrid said, nodding towards the Slytherin table.

�Going public, are they?� Max asked as he observed the group sitting down for lunch. He watched with curiosity as Hermione and Ginny received first hostile and then startled looks from other Death Eater children.

After a moment�s hesitation, greetings were offered, along with serving platters. He saw Pansy Parkinson look first at Hermione�s left hand, and then at Ginny�s. She smiled at them and said something that made all three girls put their heads together and start pulling out quills and drawing on parchments.

�WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?� the outraged voice of Ron Weasley burst through the Hall at a volume that was nearly magical. He strode quickly over to the Slytherin table and roughly grabbed his sister�s arm and started to pull her away from the table.

�Ginny!� he yelled as he pulled on the arm in his hand. �Have you lost your mind? Did Malfoy cast a spell on you? What are you doing over here instead of where you belong?�

�I am where I belong!� Ginny pulled her arm out of his grasp with a wince of pain. �I�m not a baby, Ron! I know what I�m doing!�

�Let her go, Weasley!� Draco�s voice carried over both voices.

Ron looked up to find himself the target of nearly two dozen wands, mostly wielded by Slytherins, but one was Harry�s, and one was Hermione�s.

�You�ve all lost your minds!� he cried. �Harry, how can you do this to me, mate? You can�t let them confuse you! You know as well as I do that most of them are gonna be Death Eaters!�

�Mister Weasley!� Minerva bustled forward, pulled Ron away from the Slytherin table and marched him towards the doors.

�I have never seen such an embarassing display in my entire life!� she ranted. �You just wait until I owl your parents about this! Your sister has the right to associate with any students she wishes, and so does Mister Potter! You are going to be in detention until graduation, if I have anything to say about it!� Her voice was cut off as the doors shut behind them.

�The dog and pony show�s over,� Astrid said, standing up. �Everyone go back to what you were doing before Mister Weasley interrupted you. Anyone with a wand out when I count to three will lose ten points and have to write three feet of parchment. One, two, three.�

By the time Astrid had reached �parchment,� every drawn wand was returned to its place. The quintet at the Slytherin table went back to eating lunch, and, in Hermione and Ginny�s cases, gossiping with Pansy Parkinson.

***** *****

Lilith Evans didn�t return to the castle until nearly dinnertime. Astrid was sitting on the castle steps, reading a book on enchantments that she had purchased in Diagon Alley, when Lilith came walking up the road. She was wearing different robes than she had worn that morning, made of colored doeskin, and she was wearing a crown of late fall flowers.

�Where have you been?� Astrid asked, too concerned about her sister to keep up the charade.

�Meeting the Lord of the Forest,� Lilith said. �You were the one that told me to go see the Mayor.�

�Yes,� Astrid said. �Only because this was where mother was born. What did you find out?�

�Let me show you,� Lilith said, pulling off one glove. Astrid nodded and pulled off one of her own. As they clasped hands, both witches dropped their occlumency barriers.

�Merlin�s balls,� Astrid swore. �Is that really what making love is like?�

�As far as I can tell,� Lilith said. �I�m sure he went out of his way to make certain I enjoyed it, but if the boys at school were half that gifted � �

�I can see why the girls wouldn�t shut up,� Astrid finished for her.

�Your news is just as interesting,� Lilith said. �I�m going to make the pact on Hallows. Why don�t you do the same?�

�He certainly can�t stop me,� Astrid said. �I think Harry has asked his loves to marry him. I think that I should ask Severus before they announce it to the world.�

�I�ll be at your rooms tonight,� Lilith promised. �We need to finish that Potions Ingredient Identifier so that you can help get Professor Rumstead back on his feet.�

�Are you trying to put me out of a job?� Astrid asked.

�Look,� Lilith remonstrated her. �You have to take both Severus and Maximillian with you to Darkshire. Father required it. I would like to take someone with me. Professor Rumstead is the only one who qualifies.�

�Good point,� Astrid said. �I was looking forward to a night of unbridled revelry in Severus� chambers, but you�re right and the Identifier comes first. I just hope that Severus will understand.�

�Of course he will,� Lilith assured her. �Now, I have an announcement to make, as well. I hope dinner hasn�t started yet.�

�Not yet,� Astrid assured her. �Come on in. I think I�ll make my proposal at breakfast on Monday.�

�Why not breakfast tomorrow?� Lilith asked.

�Simple,� Astrid said with a depreciating shrug of her shoulders. �Potter�s in London for the weekend. I want him present when I tell Severus that he�s everything I ever wanted, and that nothing would make me happier than to spend the rest of my life living with him and having his babies.�

�That will give the good Professor a heart attack,� Lilith observed, smiling.

�I do hope so,� Astrid said. �Now, shall we?�

�When do we let him know that he�s been had?� Lilith wanted to know.

�At Hallows,� Astrid said. �When we make an alliance and declare the thousand year Slytherin-
Gryffindor rivalry at an end because the two bloodlines are now one.�

�Ouch,� Lilith grinned. �Are you trying to give Dumbledore a heart attack?�

�Stroke,� was Astrid�s one word rejoinder.

The two witches entered the Great Hall to a buzz of conversation. Everyone in the school had heard that Harry was making an announcement at dinner, that he and Hermione and Ginny had sat at the Slytherin table at lunch, and the Viktor Krum was somehow involved.

When Lilith was noticed, several Ravenclaws called her over and immediately started filling her in on the latest information and speculations.

Astrid made her way to her seat at the instructor�s table. Heather and Keith were in their places at their little table nearby, and Sarah was in her floating cradle. One chubby arm was over the edge of the cradle with a fistful of Snape�s robes firmly locked in an iron grip.

�Good evening, Severus,� Astrid said as she sat down. �Has your ward given you any insight as to his announcement tonight?�

�Not my ward,� Severus said, smirking at her. �I did, however, receive a rather interesting visit from Mister Krum, requesting my approval of something he was about to do. Since my ward accompanied him and asked me to agree, I did so. I can only imagine that my ward�s announcement has something to do with that.�

�It�s almost a pity that Potter�s not here,� Astrid said. �If he were, I�d do something guaranteed to make his heart attack him, and Dumbledore faint dead away, at the very least.�

�Then you are in luck,� Severus said, and then became quiet as Astrid heard an all-to-familiar tread behind her as Sarah started whimpering.

�Good evening, Professor Tyler,� James Potter said.

Astrid turned to face him, only to have a bouquet of red roses thrust into her hands.

�A token of my affection,� he said smoothly, smiling at her.

Astrid narrowed her eyes as Sarah�s whimpers turned to crying that gradually increased in volume.

�Dessicare,� Astrid said. The flowers in her hands quickly dried and withered.

�Pulvis.� The flowers and their paper wrapping turned to powder which Astrid dusted off of her hands before pointedly turning her back on the very red-faced wizard.

�Go away, Potter,� she said. �I won�t say it again.�

She picked up Sarah out of the cradle and rocked her gently, trying to still her cries. She would not be silenced, though, until Snape took her in his hands and wrapped a corner of his robes around her. Surrounded by the scents she found familiar, the infant gradually stopped crying and quieted down.

Everyone was drawn from their pre-dinner gossiping by a shout from the entrance to the Great Hall.

Clarissa came running in through the open doors. Her hair was covered in green paint, and her robes had been liberally splashed with it. Astrid started to get up to help her, but Maximillian held up his hand.

�Her housemates will take care of her,� he assured Astrid. �Let them do it. This is how students form such strong bonds.�

�Very well,� Astrid said, settling back in her chair.

True to Maximillian�s word, Pansy and Millicent took Clarissa in hand, along with a couple of other Slytherin girls. Multiple cleansing charms removed the paint from her robes and hair. Pansy and Millicent then accompanied her to the table and settled her between them for dinner.

TBC
- 11
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Practice to Deceive