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Numen Pumilum	By : AuctorRubra Category: Harry Potter > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 15661 -:- 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
- 14
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- 16
Disclaimer: *Sniffle* Harry Potter and his wonderful
world do not belong to (Blows nose) Some of this popped out of my crazy
little brain, but if you recognize it, chances are that it belongs to J.K.
Rowling. *sob* I�m not getting paid for this, so
please don�t sue me or anything like that.

_____________________________________________________________________

Chapter 13: Suddenly Snape

August 18^th,
1997 11:26p.m.

Severus got slowly
to his feet, acutely aware of the fact that there were no less than twenty wands
now pointed at him as the order members began to filter back from chasing off
the final Death Eaters. He knew that
most, if not all, of them would be more than happy to end his miserable
existence and he might not have minded if not for the fact that Eris was going
to need his help. Glancing again at
Draco, he saw that the boy had dropped to his knees and was shaking violently,
still staring at the spot where Eris had stood.
He wanted to go to the boy and give him a firm shake to remind him that
hysterics would not help Eris, but moving nearer to those wand tips did not
seem like the brightest of plans.

Potter advanced
towards him and Severus dearly wanted to draw his wand, but knew that the hot
headed Gryffindor was probably going to hex him into oblivion without being
provoked. Behind the boy Lupin was
frowning thoughtfully and Black was looking particularly disgusted. It was the mutt, of course, who couldn�t keep
his mouth shut any longer. �Snape! But you can�t
be their mentor, there�s just no way.�

Severus
sneered. What the hell did Black
know? �Really,
and why�s that, Black?�

It
was Lupin who answered. �Well, Severus,
you�re not exactly known for having any affection for Harry. We all understood that the mentor was meant
to care about his charges.�

�Actually, it was that the mentor was to be
able to do whatever is necessary to keep the charges safe,� Potter said
quietly. �I suppose you would qualify as
someone who could take care of the nastier aspects of that job description.�

Severus merely
nodded and then gave Harry a calculating look.
�The pull of the bond makes up for any lack of affection, Potter.�

The
boy stepped closer and held out his hand.
�Give up your wand and we will discuss how to proceed. None of the others would attack you while you
are unarmed, not even Sirius.�

Severus
snorted. The Black he knew would never
care what state he was in when he attacked.
Still, the boy was acting with a maturity that he had never seen
before. Perhaps Eris had more of an
effect than he thought in the past two months.
He reached into his robes and pulled out his wand, slowly and
carefully. There was a glint in the
boy�s eyes that made him consider refusing, but what could there really be to
fear from Potter himself? The boy was a Gryffindor after all. So he handed Potter his wand and watched with
a slight twinge of panic as the boy tucked it into his dress robes. Just as Severus thought he was safe, Potter
pulled back and let a punch fly.

It happened too quickly
for Severus to even react. In a blink of
an eye, Potter�s fist connected with his nose with enough force to lay him out
on his arse. Stars
flashed before his eyes and he felt blood rush out his nostrils. The bloody brat broke his nose! �Damn it, Potter! How do you expect me to explain this when I
go to retrieve Eris?�

Potter was the
perfect picture of the unrepentant child.
�I imagine that you will simply have to tell them that the stampede they
caused got you kicked while you were ferreting about.�

Severus glared, and
then winced as the motion of his facial muscles sent ripples of pain along his
forehead and cheekbones. He glanced at
Black, who looked positively gleeful, an expression which all the Weasley brats
were sharing. The know-it-all looked
horrified by Potter�s actions, but Severus figured that it was caused by some
lingering need to respect him as one of her professors. Lupin wasn�t paying attention as he was busy
reviving his little auror girlfriend who�d managed to
get herself in trouble again. How the
clumsy woman had survived this long Severus had no idea.

Granger rushed
forward. �What were you thinking,
Harry! He�s the only one who can go and
fetch Eris back.� She aimed her wand at
his nose and he wondered how far he could trust this particular
Gryffindor. He�d definitely not be
putting anymore stock in Potter�s sense of fair play. �Episkey!�

He gave Granger a
curt nod as she efficiently siphoned the blood from his face. �Thank you, Miss Granger.�

The
girl looked startled for a moment.
�You�re�you�re welcome, sir.
There�s still a bit of bruising that you�ll have to explain.�

�If we even let him leave,� Black spat as he,
Lupin, Arthur and Molly approached.
Severus sneered at his old rival, silently glad that he felt no pain
this time.

He looked back
towards Draco, who was still on his knees in shock, and frowned. The youngest Weasley seemed to be trying to
comfort the boy, but he was ignoring her attempts. Giving Potter a pointed look, Severus jerked
his head towards Draco. The Boy Wonder
nodded and Severus made his was over to the trembling Malfoy. He dropped down on his knees right in the
boy�s line of sight, but Draco simply stared through him. �Draco, you need to calm down. Panicking will not help Eris.�

Draco�s eyes
slowly met his own, and Severus finally noticed the silent tears pouring down
the boy�s face. �Sev�Severus,
did you see what he did? She was right,
he wants her for himself. Did you see
her face? She was so scar��

�Draco!
Calm yourself,� Severus snapped.
The boy�s eyes went wide and there was silence for a moment before
Severus found himself with his arms full of weeping Malfoy. It was most disconcerting. It had been bad enough learning to comfort
Eris when they were in private, but this was Draco and there were people
watching. People who thought Severus was
a heartless bastard.

Severus gave the
Weasley girl what he hoped was a suitably imploring look, but before she could
help him Potter was on his knees and pulling Draco into his arms. To say that Severus was surprised would have
been a severe under statement. He
supposed that he could only have remained in denial about Draco�s status as one
of Potter�s potential mates for so long.
Perhaps the little Weasley chit didn�t have as good a chance as he had
thought.

Potter looked up
then and Severus quirked a brow at him.
�What? How do you figure you have
any more right to comfort him than me?�

Severus� lip
curled. Where did the infernal brat come
off thinking that his rights measured up to Severus� own? �Perhaps because I�m his godfather, not that
I�ve been allowed many opportunities to fill the role properly.�

Potter looked
rather disbelieving. �Some how I don�t
believe that Lucius Malfoy would allow a half-blood to be his only son�s
godfather.�

�That�s because it wasn�t Lucius� decision,�
Remus said softly. �Was it,
Severus? I imagine that Narcissa made that particular choice.�

�Indeed,� Severus said with a sneer,
remembering that verbal battle that had occurred between his old school friend
and her husband over the choice of Draco�s godparents.

The boy finally
began to pull himself together under Potter�s care and soon was pulling free
from the arms that held him. Draco
sniffled. �I�m sorry, I just can�t�I
don�t know what I�ll do if��

The Weasley girl
patted Draco on the back. �Its okay,
Draco. We know how you feel and we�re going to get her back.� The girl gave Severus a pointed look
then. �Isn�t that right?�

Severus
smirked. �Indeed. Draco you know very well that I worked a
failsafe into that potion. Of course,
the incomplete form it is currently in can be fairly dangerous in its own
right, but at least it will not cause her to form a bond.�

Potter frowned. �This is the bond forcing potion that Eris
mentioned? How is it incomplete?�

�I worked in a special�attribute. A spell must be spoken once the potion is
drunk. This spell activates the
undeniable need to bond.�

Black
snorted. �Is that all? That�s your failsafe? And what happens when another Death Eater
cast the spell in your place?�

Severus leaped to
his feet and got right up in Black�s face.
�Because, unlike certain mangy mutts I can name, I am not a rash
idiot. The spell will only work if
spoken by the brewer of the potion.
Despite what you may think of me, I value Eris� safety above all else.�

�I wonder why that is,� Black hissed. Severus knew that the man was jealous, knew
that being one of Eris� potentials was affecting the wizard�s ability to
reason. (Not that that ability had ever
been very strong before.) Still, he did
not appreciate the insinuation in Black�s tone.
He could not deny having held Eris.
He could not deny having kissed her.
Hell, he couldn�t even deny being in the girl�s bedchamber without a
chaperone, but he had never, NEVER done anything beyond what he felt was
necessary to calm Eris down after her nightmares and try to show her
tenderness, awkward as it had been for him.
Besides, the girl was in no shape for more intimate relations. She was emotionally and sexually a wreck and
it would only be worse now that Lucius had her again. That one thought was driving him nearly insane,
but he tried to pacify himself by thinking of the many ways he could slowly
kill Lucius once Eris was safe again.

Potter was on his
feet then. �Both of you need to just
stop it right now. There is no time for
this. Snape, I believe you have some
explaining to do at some point, but I trust my sister and so for now I will trust
her judgment where you are concerned.�

Severus
nodded. He understood the boy�s anger,
for his own matched it. He would never
forgive himself for what he had to do on the tower roof that night. It had come down to kill or be killed and,
Slytherin that he was, he had chosen to kill.
The fact that Albus seemed to know what was coming did not give him any
peace.

�Good then,� Potter said. �Now, can you go to her right away?�

Severus sighed and
pinched the bridge of his nose. This was
the part that he hated. �We have several
options really, and the course we choose depends upon what state we want things
to be in when it is all over. No matter
what I�m certain that there is little chance of salvaging my spying.�

�Options then,� Lupin said slowly.

�I could lead all of you to their meeting
place in force, but there would definitely be losses, perhaps severe
losses. Potter is not prepared to face
the Dark Lord at this point and we cannot risk him, so he would not be able to
come along.� Severus frowned and crossed
his arms. �Another option is for me to
lead a small group to the dungeons where they will be holding her and we could
try to break her out through stealth.�

Potter
sighed. �That sounds good except for the
�but� I hear in your voice.�

Severus
nodded. �Lucius. He is not likely to leave Eris alone at any
point and so we would have to deal with him head on along with anyone else who
might be with them.�

�The Dark Lord,� Draco said softly. �They�re going to be trying their
brainwashing on her right away of course.�

Severus suppressed
a shiver and was glad that he was the only one to know what was truly happening
to her, though he was certain that some of the Order members would
suspect. Of course, he�d forgotten about
Tonks and Moody, wherever the old auror was. Tonks looked furious and Lupin had his arm
around her shoulders. �The best option,
though it is my least favorite, is to wait until the Dark Lord calls me to him
to activate the potion.�

This
is where Tonks lost what little self-control Severus attributed to her. �Are you insane,� the witch hissed. �And leave her alone with that raping bastard
for an uncertain amount of time.�

Severus growled as
the eyes of all those standing around them went wide. Draco paled significantly. �Severus, please�please tell me that this
isn�t what she was keeping from me.�

Severus couldn�t
even find it in himself to meet Draco�s eyes upon hearing the pain in the boy�s
voice. Lupin looked as though he was in
pain as he spoke. �So that is what she
meant when she said that you were helping her.
I suppose we assumed that she meant you were helping her��

Severus couldn�t
take anymore. �What? That I was helping her to mend her evil
ways? That I was helping her to break an
addiction to dark magic? Are you all
daft? I doubt that Eris has ever cast a
dark spell until recently. She brewed potions
and nothing so bad as you all may think. Mostly she was responsible for the healing
potions that the Death Eaters needed on hand, and that was just last
summer. Her feelings of guilt come from
the other things she gave them.�

Draco�s eyes were
closed. �Stealth potions, her
specialty.�

Severus
nodded. �And do not forget the
restorative potions she concocted for the Dark Lord. You all saw him tonight; saw how whole and
healthy he was.�

Potter�s eyes were
flashing with hatred and fury, but his voice was even as he spoke. �Snape, if we wait�how will it change the
situation? How can you get her out all
on your own?�

�It will rely heavily on Eris keeping her head
cool,� Severus said carefully. �You will
need to have a small group waiting to
help her get to Grimmauld
Place because she will be in no state to get there
herself.�

Black
frowned. �What exactly is that potion
going to do to her?�

Severus
sighed. �It will basically open her
magic up to a broader range of potential mates and reduce her to the state of a
drunken Siren.�

Severus had not
thought it possible for Tonks to look any more furious. He was wrong.
�What! Oh well that is just
wonderful! Make the rape victim feel
like a whore on top of it all.�

He wasn�t going to
listen to this anymore. Severus grabbed
Tonks by the front of her robes, ignoring Lupin�s
growled warnings. �You would do well to
try and keep that information to yourself.
I do believe that she was rather reluctant to have anyone know what
occurred. I only found out by accident. Now. Keep. Your. Fat. Mouth. Shut.�

He felt a hand on
his shoulder and turned to see Potter looking at him sadly. �The damage is already done, Snape. I know that you�re angry, but she can�t take
it back and she only slipped because she is angry for Eris.�

Severus grudgingly
released Tonks, who was looking quite repentant. Everyone was looking at Harry now, waiting
for his decision. Eris was his sister
and if he wanted her removed as soon as possible no one would go against
him. Even Severus, in his position of
mentor, was struggling with the idea of leaving Eris in Lucius� hands for any
length of time. The boy looked as though
he was thinking hard, but as Severus looked closer he realized that Potter�s
face was quickly contorting with pain.
Dropping the mask of snarky bastard, Severus
dove for Harry as the boy slid towards the ground. �Harry, what is it?�

The
boy�s breathing was labored. �It�s
Eris�something�she�s so scared. It�s
filling my head��

Severus tried hard
not to think about what was happening to Eris and focus on Harry, but it became
impossible the moments the horrifying screams began to pour out of the boy�s
mouth. His body began to convulse and
spasm in a way that was very familiar to Severus. It could mean only one thing. Someone was casting the Cruciatus
Curse on Eris and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

_______________________________________________________________________

August 19^th,
1997 8:15p.m.

As Harry was
pushed to wakefulness by a pounding in his head, his eyes fluttered open to be
greeted by a familiar ceiling. He was in
the hospital wing, in his usual bed if the shapes of the shadows were any
indication.

�Harry,� said a concerned voice from beside
him. He turned his head slowly to see
Snape sitting beside his bed looking particularly ragged. Merlin, things had to be bad if Snape was
calling him by his first name.

Harry swallowed. His throat felt dry and scratchy, as though
he had been screaming. �What
happened? How long have I been
unconscious?�

Snape sighed. �Nearly twenty-four hours. You were being affected by the Cruciatus Curse through your bond with Eris.�

�No,� Harry whimpered. They were torturing her, possibly for the
whole day she�d been in their possession.
�You haven�t been summoned yet then?�

�No.
I�m sorry.� And Snape did look
sorry. He looked as though he knew exactly what Harry was thinking and feeling
because it was what he�d been thinking and feeling, only he�d been having to go
through it for a whole day. Without
sleep if his appearance was anything to go by.
Suddenly, Harry was feeling a lot less animosity towards Snape. Whatever their past together was, the man was
not lying about his desire to protect Eris.
Snape glanced off to the side and Harry became aware of the fact that
there were several other people in the room.
�Harry, someone has come to help.�

He struggled to
move into a sitting position, no easy feat considering the fact that it felt as
though his muscles had been put through a meat grinder. Snape came to his aid and as he was propped
up on pillows he spotted three tall figures standing behind the Weasleys, Draco and Hermione. Three figures with long, pointed ears. �Elves!�

Mr. Weasley
chuckled. �Not just any elves,
Harry. Numina Pumilum.�

�Can you help get Eris back?� Harry held his breath as the three stepped
forward, two males and one female. Each
had ears nearly a foot long, pierced similarly to the way Eris� had been for
the wedding. They should have been
comical, but some how it only added to their ethereal beauty. Their hair nearly touched the floor even done
up in tight braids. Harry could see the little
arrowhead weapons tied up in the braids, glinting with deadly sharpness. One male had silver hair and eyes, the other
green hair and eyes, and the female had brilliant red hair and golden eyes.

The
male with the silver hair stepped forward.
�Hello, Harry. My name is Tahdei and I�ve been sent here to help teach you and your
sister.�

�Why,� Harry asked with a frown. �I thought that was Snape�s job as our
mentor.�

The
elf smiled kindly. �Your mentor exists
to protect you. If he was an elf he
would also be a sufficient teacher, but as he is a wizard there is little he
can teach you about our kind.�

Harry nodded. �And your friends?�

�This is Naiya,� Tahdei said, motioning to the female. �And this is Nanyin. They are siblings. They have come to help retrieve your sister
and then return to our colony to inform the elders of the current
situation. I�m afraid that, in the
matter of saving your sister, we can only aid you in whatever plans you have
made.�

Harry sighed. �How did you know that we needed help?�

Tahdei shared a strange look with his companions, which
immediately made Harry a bit suspicious of their true reasons for being
there. �The leader of our colony is very
old and wise. His magic is deeply tied
with the earth and all the magical currents which flow through it. He has been sensing things from you and your
sister since you came into your inheritance.
When your sister was taken last night something happened to her that
made her magic scream out. He sent us to
you straightaway. There are other
reasons for my presence, young Harry, but there is no time for that discussion
now. Besides, the things I have to say
should be heard by your sister as well.�

�I�ll accept that for now, but I warn you that
I�ve had just about enough of being led about in the dark in my life.� Harry closed his eyes for a moment and took a
deep breath. �If you can not give me
straight answers and explanations that satisfy both myself
and my sister, when the time comes, then we do not need you with us.�

Tahdei seemed very pleased by his response and Harry took
this as a sign that he had not mortally offended his visitor. �Very well, Harry, but I promise you that you do need me.�

Just then the
hospital wing doors burst open and Miss Roslyn flew into the room with
Professor McGonagall hot on her heels.
�Where is she? What the hell
happened? I thought you people were
going to take care of her?�

Charlie Weasley
went over to the furious witch (brave man Charlie), looking a bit sheepish
really. �Roslyn, she�s been taken by
Death Eaters.�

�What,� Miss Roslyn shrieked. �Charlie, you said that you would watch
her. You promised me that you wouldn�t
leave her side. That�s the only reason
that I agreed to go home and get my affairs in order!�

�I know and I am so sorry, but I��

�Please don�t yell at him,� Draco cut in
softly. �It was my fault. He didn�t� do anything wrong.�

What
was this all about? Harry stared
intently at Draco and was about to question the blond when Ginny spoke. �If it�s your fault then I�m to blame as
well.�

Snape was glaring
at the pair. �Explain.�

Draco sighed and
Harry was certain that there were tears in the other boy�s eyes again. �We�I�I just wanted to get Eris to dance with
Sirius, that�s all. So I talked to Ginny
and agreed that I would distract Charlie and she would get Eris to Sirius.�

Ginny looked
positively miserable. �Sirius had
her. They were dancing and I thought she
was fine.�

Draco nodded. �I was so happy that she was finely talking
to the man and then I was dancing with Harry and I�I just lost track of her.�

�You and me both,� Ginny muttered.

�I wasn�t paying attention either,� Charlie
said gently. �We all thought she was
safe. None of us really thought that
anything would happen.�

Harry looked over
at Sirius, who looked even more miserable than Ginny and Draco. �So, it�s my fault then. I made her uncomfortable and she took off on
her own.�

Charlie looked
confused. �But I saw her dancing with
one of Fleur�s cousins then. I recognized him because he sat next to me
during dinner.�

Remus sighed. �That must be the one they found unconscious
in the trees. Malfoy must have been
using Polyjuice then.�

Harry sighed. �There, you see its no one�s fault. Now let�s all just stop trying to place blame
and focus. We need to get down to
business.�

A
sigh from Snape pulled his attention away from the guilt ridden quartette. �There is little we can do until I am
summoned, unless you wish to alter our plans.�

Miss Roslyn turned
pale for a moment, then green, and then flushed a brilliant red as she swooped
into another fit of anger. �You�re leaving her there. Do you know what they�re doing to her?�

Harry gave the
witch a sharp look. �And how exactly do
you know? That is what you�re implying
isn�t it? That you know what is
happening to her?�

�I have a complicated monitoring spell on
Eris. I know exactly what is happening
to her.� Miss Roslyn took a deep breath
and conjured up a soft chair, which she collapsed into, placing her elbows on
her knees and clutching her head. �I
have had the spell on her for nearly two years now.�

Harry quickly
noticed that everyone else in the room, except for the trio of elves, looked
rather upset about this. Professor
McGonagall stepped closer to the young woman.
�And did she have any knowledge of this?�

�She is aware that some sort of monitoring
charm is being used. I don�t think she
realized that I was keeping it in affect during the summers, or how�thorough it
is.�

Snape looked ready
to kill, but Harry still wasn�t sure why everyone was so upset. True, it did seem like an invasion of Eris�
privacy, but why did everyone look as though Miss Roslyn had cast an
Unforgivable? �And exactly how thorough is it?�

�I know exactly what is happening to her is
she is hurt in any way down to how deep the wound is and whether it was caused
by an accident, attack or�or�� The witch
closed her eyes and then said softly, �Or if it was self-inflicted. I am also constantly aware of Eris� state of
mind. I know if she is happy,
overwrought, depressed, etc.�

Harry knew what he
had to ask, but he wasn�t sure he wanted to know. �Why?
Please tell me why you�re watching her like this.�

Miss Roslyn hopped up from her chair, came to
his bedside, and took his hand. �Harry,
when Eris first arrived at the Academy she was incapable of interacting
properly with the other students. She
was aged beyond her years by all of the advanced tutoring and she was hardly
ever exposed to anyone but adults. The
typical immaturity of the students was unbearable for her and she isolated
herself. On top of that she�she was traumatized
in a way that caused her to shun physical contact or close relationships. The dean requested that she be
psychologically evaluated two months into her first semester.�

�We�re aware of what happened to her, Miss
Roslyn,� Harry said softly. �Please, if
you know, continue to be discreet. I
appreciate it.�

The
woman nodded. �The evaluation left us
with the conclusion that Eris was a danger to herself and in need of close
monitoring, hence the spells.�

�Why you,� Snape snapped. �You are barely old enough to be out of
school yourself.�

�The main reason was because she reacted well
to me personally. Most of our other
teachers are male and it was out of the question that they would take care of
her. The second reason was that she was
particularly determined to master every aspect of my class. Defense Against the
Dark Arts was not and will probably never be her best subject, but she was
driven and drawn by the subject. For
that reason, she forced herself to interact with me more than with the other
teachers. That and the Transfiguration
teacher had me working with Eris on her animagus
form, as I�d been through the process before.�
Miss Roslyn smiled sadly. �The
final reason was because as a member of the Dragon Guard I swore an oath to
look after the well being of the Academy�s students as though they are my own
children.�

Draco piped up
then. �But Eris was inducted into the
Guard early.�

�Yes, but it doesn�t go into full affect until
she turns eighteen.� Miss Roslyn�s eyes
were fierce then and Harry felt her grip tighten a bit around his hand. �Until then she is my daughter. I have taken her on as a special
responsibility at the request of the dean, who is always the eldest member of
the Guard. She is my only charge until the
day I feel she has no need of me.�

�So that�s why you so readily agreed to the
position,� Professor McGonagall said in a stern tone. �You should have told me. I was a bit perplexed as to how I coaxed a
Guard member away from her roots. I�m
surprised the dean hasn�t been here hexing my ears off.�

�He understands,� Miss Roslyn said
softly. Harry caught her gaze then and
the woman stared at him intently.
�Harry, I want you to know that Eris has never tried to hurt herself.
I can�t speak for what may have happened if she�d continued to be
isolated after the�incident, but she�s been safe.�

Harry nodded. �But why were the rest of you so upset? I know it was a bit of an invasion of
privacy, but don�t try and tell me that Hogwarts staff wouldn�t do the same if
they thought it necessary.�

Snape
sneered. �Perhaps, but it was the level
to which it was taken, Potter. It was
the information that Miss Roslyn had to have possessed in her position that
shocked us.�

Harry froze. �You knew she was a Death Eater. You knew, but you didn�t tell anyone. But how�how would you have figured it out
from the monitoring spell?�

Miss Roslyn closed her eyes again. �I felt her being marked.�

Harry desperately
grasped at any way they could be wrong.
Some how, even though he already knew that Eris was a Death Eater, the
idea of her being marked made it so much worse.
�But she joined them before she ever came to the school!�

Miss Roslyn sighed
sadly. �Harry, they didn�t initiate her
fully until the Christmas break. I can�t
speak for why they waited, but I know it was then. I confronted her when she returned. I kept the information to myself, foolishly
thinking that it was something that she would�I don�t know, grow out of. I�m Muggle-born, as are my sister and
Zack. She was so friendly with us that I
knew it couldn�t be the ideals that drew her to the group.�

Harry clenched his
teeth. �She isn�t marked. They didn�t mark her. Her arms are bare.�

Draco stepped
timidly closer. �He didn�t mark her arm,
Harry. He marked her right above her
heart. Other Death Eaters are his
minions, his disciples. Eris is his
property in his eyes.�

There
was a slight hiss and Harry saw Snape clutching his left forearm. There was a strangely triumphant look in the
man�s eyes. �Not for much longer. It is time.
Who is coming with me?�

Harry opened his
mouth, but Remus shook his head firmly.
�Harry, you can�t go. You�re
still very weak and�and if things go badly we can�t risk losing both of you. Severus was right about that much for
certain.�

Tahdei spoke in a strong and confident tone. �We will come with you. We are all able to transform into small
animal forms, which will be easily hidden in the trees. We will be able to come to your aid if
necessary.�

�That goes for me as well,� Miss Roslyn said
firmly.

�You,� Harry asked quietly.

The
witch smiled. �Weren�t you listening? I�m the one who taught your sister to turn
into that monstrous beast of an animagus form.�

Hermione laughed softly. �She won�t show us. She always says there�s no room, but she did
tell us that she�s a horse.�

Miss Roslyn
snorted. �A horse? That hardly describes the creature she turns
into. We don�t call that a horse where I
come from. We call that a fine piece of
thoroughbred horseflesh. She turns into
the most beautiful Arabian mare you�ll ever see. With green eyes no less.�

�Enough chatter,� Snape said sternly. �All of you who are coming transform so that
we can be certain of your ability to hide.�

McGonagall slipped
into her cat for and Sirius his dog, but Mr. Weasley quickly shook his
head. �Neither of you should go. Your forms are domestic animals and they�re
well known. You would be a dead
giveaway.�

Next the three
elves transformed. Naiya
was a tiny fox with a sleek, red coat and golden eyes. There was a white star on her forehead. Nanyin transformed into a hawk, which also
had a white star on its forehead as well as green eyes. Tahdei�well, Tahdei turned out to be a bit of a surprise. He transformed into a silver snidget, which flitted about the room as an immense speed
so that Harry was certain he was the only one able to keep up. (He may have been starting to like Draco, but
the boy was not a natural seeker. Perhaps
he could be persuaded to play chaser sometime for fun.) Finally, Miss Roslyn transformed into a
lovely tawny wolf. Harry noted
immediately that she was a good deal smaller than Remus when he
transformed. She even seemed a bit
smaller than Sirius when he was prancing about as Padfoot. The four transformed back and Harry watched
as Snape nodded in approval.

�All right,� the sour wizard said firmly. �Let�s go get our girl back.�

______________________________________________________________________

Sirius paced in
front of the fire of Number 12 Grimmauld
Place. He
was in no way happy about being left behind and felt that he would have been
able to remain unseen. The idea of
entrusting Eris� wellbeing to old Snivellus filled
him with unease. It had not been a
pleasant moment when he realized that Severus Snape was Harry and Eris�
mentor. Just because he was certain that
the man hadn�t killed Dumbledore for sheer shits and giggles didn�t mean he had
to like him. Still, even the idea that
Snape had killed Albus to save his own arse, or even
Malfoy junior�s arse�

Sirius sighed and
glanced over to the armchair where his cousin sat huddled. If Snape had truly killed to save Draco, his
godson, could he be blamed? Sirius knew
that he could and would kill to protect Harry, to keep him from harm or
Azkaban. Also, though Sirius definitely
did not want to be the one to bring it up, he felt that Dumbledore would have
wanted Draco to be saved from being a murderer.

Looking over at
Harry, Ron, and Hermione huddled on the couch he felt a deep pang of loss. His dreams of late had been full of images of
James, Lily, and even his brother Regulus.
He still had Remus, but how would their relationship change if he did
indeed end up mated to Eris? Remus was
meant to be a father figure and Sirius wasn�t sure he wanted to be on that end
of the werewolf�s protective instincts.

He looked back into
the flames of the fire and thought of the friends he had lost and the things he
still hoped to gain. He would have to
take this one step at a time. He would
try to be patient, but he swore to himself that if Eris did return to them that
night he would not let her push him away any longer.

______________________________________________________________________

August 19^th,
1997 9:23p.m.

Severus
reluctantly left the rooms where Eris was being kept in Malfoy Manor. The girl physically looked no worse for ware,
but he knew that it was only because she had been healed. Her beautiful eyes sparked ever so slightly
when he entered the sitting room where she was sipping tea with her other
�suitors�, but she had schooled her features into a mask of practiced
indifference. Eris knew how the potion
worked and knew that the point of no return was coming up fast. She would be saved or she would be lost.

In the short time
that he was in the girl�s presence he�d managed to convey a good deal to her as
he felt her gentle probes of Legilimency. He dearly wanted to look into the girl�s mind
and learn of every hurt so he could take it out of Lucius� hide, but he ran out
of time. He and the others chosen to vie
for Eris� affections were called to prepare themselves. Severus was surprised at the other
choices. Theodore Nott, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, and Blaise
Zabini did not seem to fit the requirements of the
Dark Lord. None of them was marked
yet. None of them was hardened in the
way they would have to be to bend Eris to the way that the Dark Lord
wanted. That meant only one thing in
Severus� mind: Eris was meant to bond with either himself or Voldemort. Probably Voldemort.

Severus
shivered. Eris� power added to the Dark
Lord�s was not a pleasant thought. He
was almost glad for the presence of the three elves that were waiting in the
forest surrounding the meeting clearing.
If push came to shove, they would kill the girl before allowing her to
be twisted by such a vile monster.

Severus made his
way down to the dungeons of Malfoy Manor and weaved through the secret tunnels
that led to the outskirts of the clearing.
As he emerged and made his way to the dais, Lucius stepped up to his
side. It took a great deal of his
control not to snap the bastard�s neck on the spot.

�Severus.�
Lucius inclined his head. �You
look as though you�ve been accosted by our sweet guest. Tell me, did you punish her?�

Severus
sneered. �As though the girl could have
touched me! This,� he said, indicating
his face, �occurred during your little raid on the wedding. I was in my animagus
form and had the misfortune of encountering a herd of stampeding witches.�

�Ah. Bad luck, my friend.�
Lucius seemed far too smug and Severus wanted to hex the man�s nose
off. He swore silently that if he were
going to be captured or die that night, Lucius Malfoy would be castrated and
disfigured before he could be taken down.

The Dark Lord
entered the clearing then, with Eris and the four boys close behind him. Eris� hair was done in a simple French braid
and she was dressed in black velvet robes.
She looked pale and fragile, but the anger in her eyes was practically
sending off green sparks.

Voldemort stopped
before him. �Here is the potion,
Severus. We will begin once the others
arrive.�

Severus took the
vial and bowed to his �master�. The four
boys and Eris were standing in a line before the dais with the girl in the
center. Within moments, the Death Eaters
began to appear. When all were present,
Lucius called for silence and Voldemort stepped forward to speak.

�My faithful, Eris Potter is once again in our
possession and tonight she will be bonded to one of our own.�

�My lord, she is not worthy of your mercy,�
shrieked Bellatrix. Severus looked up to
see Rodolphus trying to his insane wife back.

�Silence,� spat Voldemort. �We will control this power, and through the
girl will come Potter�s downfall.
Severus, administer the potion and cast the spell.�

Severus stepped
forward swiftly, his eyes locking with Eris�.
Uncorking the vial, he took a hold of her chin and pressed the potion to
her lips. She took it without protest
and he felt her push a feeling of confidence along their bond. He stepped back and pulled out his wand�only
to be hit by a wordless hex.

His vision went
blurry and his head was light. Taking a
step back, he felt a wobble in his legs.
A voice screamed, �Now!� Hexes
began to fly and Severus dropped to his knees for safety. He had been hit by an inebriation hex and was
fumbling in his robes for a Sober Up potion.
It wouldn�t completely reverse the spell, but it would take the edge
off.

Between the blurry
vision and muddled head, he couldn�t tell if someone had launched a rescue for
Eris or if the Death Eaters had decided to take the girl out. Just as he pulled out the right vial, he
heard the thundering of hooves.
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