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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
- 17
- 18
- 19
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.

b�Parseltongue�

*thoughts/mind-speech* (This is what Harry is hearing.)

zzzzzzzzz = Beginning and ending of dream sequences

The song Hurt is
the cover version done by Johnny Cash, but the original song belongs to Nine
Inch Nails.

______________________________________________________________________

Chapter 15: Healing in Small Doses Part II

Severus rushed back to Eris to
hold her down when she began to thrash, but Tahdei
burst into the room and grabbed a hold of him.
�Do not touch her!�

He stepped back and glared at the
elf. �Do you expect me to let her beat
herself to death with her own limbs!�

�Of course not,� Tahdei said gently and moved to the bed. He sat beside Eris and quickly pulled her
into his arms. She stopped thrashing
immediately. �This is a good thing,
Severus. It is unexpected and difficult
to deal with, but a good thing nonetheless.�

Severus clenched his fists. �Are you mad?
She was having some sort of seizure!�

The elf�s silver eyes suddenly
penetrated him with an uncharacteristically stern and impatient gaze. �I understand your concern, but she was not
having a�seizure. It seems that Eris�
mind is beginning to open up.�

�What is that supposed to mean,� Severus
snapped.

�Empathy and Telepathy are common gifts
amongst the Numina Pumilum.� Tahdei eased Eris
back down to the pillows and stood.
�Based on her reaction, I would say that Eris is an Empath. They usually experience a more physical
reaction than Telepaths.�

�And this happened because I touched
her.� Severus frowned. �Eris is a very accomplished Occlumens. Her mind
should be well protected against all invasions.�

Tahdei
nodded. �Yes, but this is an invasion of
a sort which she would not have experienced before. Your emotions filtered right
into her own and emotions are tied more closely to our bodies than
simple thoughts are. Emotions are more
complex. She will be able to use your
wizard�s Occlumency to protect herself; she must
simply alter her approach a bit.�

Severus sighed. �I suppose we need to be on the lookout for
Potter to experience something similar.�

�I suspect that Harry will be a Telepath.� Tahdei smiled sadly
down at Eris. �Thanks to Eris� early
training of Harry in Occlumency, he will have an
easier time than his sister. As long as he keeps his shields firmly in tact that is.�

Severus snorted. �He�ll need extra training then. He has to be thinking about it right now and it needs to be a nearly subconscious action.� He looked down at Eris and shook his
head. �I must admit that I would have
thought Eris to be the one to be a Telepath.
She is a powerful Legilimens and very creative
in her uses of that particular magic from what I�ve seen.�

Tahdei
smiled kindly and Severus resisted the urge to sneer at him. �You must not think of these gifts as
magic. They are instinctive
abilities. They are like breathing. Telepathy and Empathy come from an alteration
of the brain when the children come into their inheritance. It usually takes years for the abilities to
manifest in their full force, but it is not uncommon for the process to be
advanced in part wizard children.�

�Because of exposure to Legilimency and Occlumency?�

�Exactly, Severus!� Tadei smiled. �Trust me.
There is nothing to worry about.
Eris has a strong mind and so does young Harry. We will get them through this.�

�You are, of course, more knowledgeable than I
in this area,� Severus said, inclining his head to the elf. �I still do not understand why��

�Why Eris is the Empath,�
Tahdei cut in.
Severus nodded. �Often times the
abilities an elf gains are more about stabilizing weaknesses than intensifying
strengths.�

�I see.
Eris is already quite capable of reading the thoughts of those around
her even without her Legilimency. She is quite adept at reading body language
and facial expressions. Potter�well I
must admit that I can only guess that he is more in tune with the emotions of
those around him.�

�That is a very good place to begin looking at
this,� Tahdei said happily. �I�m glad that you understand this so
easily. The children are going to need
us to be their security and consistency.
If Elder Kelvan is right about Harry and Eris
being the�reincarnation, if you will, of the twins of our legends then they
will rapidly develop several powers at a time, each of which may be vastly
different from each other. Their minds
will be dealing with the developments of their Telepathy and Empathy while
their bodies will have to cope with channeling fire, water, wind, and the
earth!�

Tahdei
made a great sweeping motion with his hand.
Severus began to go through the lists of possible powers he had seen in
Eris� books. There were dozens from
astral projection to pyrokinesis to foresight to self
levitation�.and the list just went on.
For the first time in his life, Severus seriously doubted that he was up
to a task. Even the prospect of spying
for Albus hadn�t been this daunting. He
knew he could do that, it was just a matter of whether or not he would get
himself caught. This�well this just
seemed to be something entirely out of his league! True, there were many spells in the wizarding world that had the same effects as the elven powers, but using them was a matter of choice. They were not something forced on the witch
or wizard.

A hand gently squeezed his
shoulder and Severus looked up into Tahdei�s
concerned, silver eyes. �Do not doubt
yourself. You would not have been chosen
if you were not capable of keeping them safe, even from themselves. I am here to help you teach them.�

Severus nodded and was about to
express his gratitude when Ron Weasley burst into the room. �Professor Snape, something�s wrong with
Harry!�

_______________________________________________________________________

Harry pressed his hands to his
ears, but it did not stem the flow of voices entering his head. Draco, Ginny, Sirius and Remus were hovering
close to him, trying to pull him out of�whatever was happening to him. Zabini and Goyle were standing off near the door. Every touch, every word seemed to result in a
double flow of the voices. He could hear
Sirius calling to him, asking if he was alright, but at the same time he could
also hear what appeared to be Sirius frantic thoughts of concern. Just as he was about ready to scream out at
the lot of them, a new voice entered the fray.

*Idiots! He needs you to back away.* �All of you get out of here
immediately,� Snape shouted. �Get out of
the dormitory completely.�

*Who the hell does he think he is?* �He is my godson,
Snape! You can not just kick me out of
here when he is in distress.� Harry felt
Sirius� grip around his shoulders tighten.

He heard Tahdei�s
voice then and wondered why he was the only one not projecting double. �The boy is not in any pain, Sirius. You are crowding his mind and in order for
Severus and I to help him get in under control you
must leave.�

Sirius let go of him then and he
heard everyone shuffle away from him.
�Very well, but I want someone to come and tell me as soon as this
is�fixed.�

Harry could tell that everyone was
quickly retreating because the voices in his heard slowly diminished and then
disappeared. He could still here Snape�s thoughts and they did not comfort him. The git seemed to
be alternating between degrading Harry for not occluding his mind and worrying
about Eris. All that did for Harry was
make him worry about his sister. �What
happened to Eris? Why are you worried
about her?�

Snape gave him a sharp look. �Eris is well. Worry about yourself for the moment.� *Idiot Gryffindor. Worrying about everyone else when he�s the
one causing problems at the moment.*

�What do I need to do,� Harry asked
dully. He did not want to be subjected
to Snape�s thoughts any longer. It was only making him angry.

*What do you think, Potter!* �Occlude your mind,
Potter. You must make keep your shields
up at all times.�

�I had them up!� Harry squeezed his eyes shut and tried to
think of something besides how angry Snape constantly made him.

*I doubt that.* �Then you need to make them��

Harry leapt to his feet. �Shut up!
Just shut up! If you can�t even
believe that I�m trying than why�..argh!!! Just leave me alone and I�ll do it
myself. I don�t need you in here
berating me, making me feel��

Harry didn�t even know what he was
saying any more. All he knew is that his
own anger was so great that it seemed to block Snape�s
thoughts from his mind. His voice grew
louder and louder and he vaguely wondered why the greasy git
wasn�t shouting back. He�d hit the point
of screaming his throat sore when there was a great explosion off to his
left. Harry spun about so quickly that
he fell to the floor. His eyes went wide
when he saw that Ron, Zabini, and Goyle�s
beds had all burst into flames.

Snape calmly rose to his feet and
stepped near to the blaze. �Aguamenti.�

Harry lowered himself weakly onto
the foot of his bed. He had never let
loose any part of his elemental powers like that before. It felt�amazing�.frightening, but
amazing. Harry placed his head in his
hands with a moan. �I�m�I�m so sorry�I��

A gentle touch pulling his hands
away and gripping the sides of his face startled him wide eyed. He expected to see Tahdei
when he opened his eyes and nearly fainted when it was Snape instead. He was even more surprised when the man
didn�t speak. *Harry, I want you to look
into my eyes. Breathe deeply and focus
on building up your shields just the way Eris taught you. Build them solid and build them tight.*

Harry did just as he was
instructed. Slowly but surely all the
fleeting thoughts that had been intruding into his mind slipped away. He continued to stare into the beetle black
eyes before him as the hands released his face and slipped to his
shoulders. The moment that his shoulders
received a gentle squeeze was the same moment that Snape became Severus in
Harry�s mind.

_______________________________________________________________________

August 24^th

Eris glared at Josie. She had been certain that once the woman
watched the pensieve memory she would understand that
there was something to be ashamed of! Instead, here she was once again trying to
convince her that some how things were going to be all bright and rosy if she
just stopped feeling ashamed. �After
what happened to me I think it is my right to feel ashamed if I want to! I feel dirty!
I feel soiled! I just��

�Enough,� Josie roared. Eris was fairly certain that it was not
common practice for therapists to yell at their patients, but Josie only did so
when she�d reached her breaking point.
She knew enough to shut up and let the woman have her say. �Yes, Eris, after what you�ve been through
you are allowed to feel many things, but if you are ever going to work past
this you MUST NOT blame yourself.�

Eris gaped at the woman. �I�m not�I don�t�I am not saying that I blame
myself. It is something else entirely.�

Josie smiled kindly at her and
took her hand. �Darling, I think I need
to clarify something for you. Shame and
guilt are tied hand-in-hand. Only those
who are guilty of something should feel shame for that thing. This is why it is not healthy for you to feel
ashamed for what was done to you.�

This explanation did at least make
Eris understand why Josie was so adamant.
�But�something like this dishonors me.�

�Maybe in the old world
view.� Josie sighed and leaned
back in her chair. �You need to trust me
on this, Eris. I�m a Catholic
psychiatrist. I�ve spent the better
portion of my life trying to sort out true guilt and shame from the bullshit
that society tries to impose on people, especially women.�

Eris just stared. It wasn�t often that she heard the mild
mannered Dr. Green curse, shout, or flat out tell anyone that their way of
thinking is wrong. She�d gotten all
three in ten minutes. Perhaps it was
time to attempt to see things from Josie�s perspective. �Maybe I�m�confusing shame for something
else.�

�That is a little bit of it,� Josie said with
a great sigh of relief. �I don�t doubt
that you are feeling some shame, but it is misplaced. I saw what happened to you, Eris. You were tied down and locked in a room where
your magic could not aid you. You are
clinging to this shame�this guilt�in order to continue denying that you had no
control.�

�I could have��

�What,� Josie cut in. �You could have goaded him into killing
you? He would have been killed himself
according to what the others tell me.
You fought, Eris! You fought in
the only ways you could and you did so knowing that he would make it much worse
for you.�

�He wasn�t in control! He doesn�t control me,� Eris spat, jumping to
her feet.

Josie shook her head. �Those are two different things. We�ve been through this before, dear, the
last time around. This was so much worse,
but the basics still apply to how you move past this. Do you remember?�

Eris closed her eyes and took a
deep breath. �I can only be in control
now if I admit that I had no control then.�

�Exactly,� Josie said softly. �As long as you keep trying to convince
yourself that you had any power in that situation, that man will still have
power over you now. He will dominate
your mind and you will be allowing him to win.�

�Right then,� Eris said softly. �He�hurt me, used me and I�m allowed to be
angry about that, but I should not feel ashamed. I am in control now.�

Josie beamed at her. �We�re making good progress now dear. Under a week to get the basics down! What did it take us last time?�

Eris laughed, and for the first
time in days it felt good to do so.
�Three months before I would say it aloud�over a year before I really
started to believe it.�

�Well, let�s shoot for under a year this
time.�

Eris just continued to laugh until
Jelly popped into the room. She was
surprised by how stern the elf looked.
�Missy, you is eating lunch with everyone else
today! Jelly is not brining you lunch
and I is telling the others not to bring it to you.�

�Oh.�
There wasn�t much else that Eris could think of to say. Jelly had always been forceful for a house
elf, but this was something new. It
looked like Josie wasn�t the only one getting fed up with.

Jelly put her hands on her hips
and glared up at Eris. �You is needing to be with your brother. You is needing to be
with your new friends. You is needing to be with your mate! They is needing you
too.�

.Eris smiled bemusedly at the tiny
creature and then nodded. �Of course
I�ll have lunch with all of them.�

As soon as the
words left her mouth, Jelly latched on to her arm and apparated
her straight to the table in the Great Hall where everyone was just sitting
down to lunch. �Er�hello, everyone.
Jelly has pointed out to me that I was being quite rude by not dining
with you on a regular basis. So, here I
am.�

As the seconds of silence ticked
by Eris began to question her decision to arrive. Perhaps she should have mentioned to someone
that she would attend dinner and allowed the news to circulate. But then Harry jumped from his seat and
pulled her into a tight hug. It startled
her, but she had to admit that it felt wonderful.

�I�m so glad that you decided to come down,�
Harry said as he pulled away. �Tahdei wanted to talk about starting some of our training.�

Eris took a seat beside her
brother and smiled over at Severus who was wearing a profoundly relieved
look. It was in that moment that it
truly hit her how worried her sporadic attendance at meals had made
everyone. She squared her shoulders and
kept the smile on her face. Bad things
were behind her. Good things could be
ahead of her. She could do this. �Tahdei, if it�s
alright with you I think we should work on Harry�s animagus
form after lunch.�

The elf smiled warmly at her. �That is an excellent idea. I�ve heard from Roslyn that you had an
interesting experience with your form. I
have an explanation for you, but I think I will save it until after we have all
eaten.�

�Isn�t that going to take an awful long time,�
Harry said slowly. �The animagus form I mean.�

Eris smiled at her brother. �Numina Pumilum are natural animal shapeshifters. As part wizards we will never be able to move
through as many forms as say Tahdei, but over the
years we could acquire as many as five to ten forms if we are powerful enough.�

�Wicked,� Ron said softly and Eris smiled at
him. It seemed that their training would
distract the entire group. Hopefully,
everyone would eventually feel that they could stop treating her like
glass. The question was, could she deal with being around them if they did.

_______________________________________________________________________

Harry was filled with a giddy
excitement as he stood looking out over the grounds. He never believed that he would have the
talent in Transfiguration to take on an animagus
form, but it seemed that his legendary luck had struck again. It was more than that though. He felt like his sister was coming back to
him. To see her smiling had filled him
with a sense of completeness. There was
still a haunted look in her eyes, but at least he now had a true feeling of
hope that Dr. Green could help Eris move beyond what had been done to her.

Tahdei
looked over at him. �I�m going to have
Eris transform into her original form. I
want you to watch very closely to the way her body changes.�

Harry nodded and then watched in
fascination as Eris� body began to change.
Even with all the times watching Sirius transform, Harry was amazed with
the fluid way his sister�s body shifted.
Her skin flushed black and then took on a velvet
sheen, signaling that fine hair was now sprouting. Then her entire form stretched with the ease
of water slipping down a stream. She
expanded in a way that left him feeling as though she had broken free into the
form she was truly meant to be in. When
she stood before him fully transformed he was in awe. It was his first time seeing her as the
beautiful Arabian mare he had heard so much about. He was not disappointed and from the gasps of
delight sounding out behind him, no one else was either. She pranced about in a circle and then
trotted up before him to nuzzle his cheek.

�Now,� Tahdei said,
regaining his attention, �You do the same.
Close your eyes and simply allow yourself to become the animal within
you. Focus on what you want it to feel
like.�

Harry nodded and then closed his
eyes. How did he want to feel? He wanted to be free and allow his spirit to
run rampant, breaking loose from the cage he was locked in his whole life. His body began to shift and expand. He felt himself getting bigger and more
powerful. When the shift ended and he
opened his eyes, his vision of the world was slightly altered. There seemed to be a bit of a blank spot
right in the center of his field of vision.
Then Eris trotted over to him and he realized that he was a bit taller
than her.

Tahdei
walked over with a bright smile. �Excellent, Harry! I
am happy to say that you are still your sister�s twin, a handsome Arabian
stallion. Now, go play for a bit, you
two!�

Harry reared back and then bolted
off across the grounds. He thundered
straight towards the Forbidden Forest
and felt Eris drifting along beside him.
He began to slow down a bit and heard a yip sound out behind him. Slowing to a gentle cantor and mentally
smiled as Sirius ran up beside him with a big doggy grin. He whinnied at his godfather, who yipped back
and then bounced over to Eris. Sirius
ran in tight circles around Eris and Harry could feel her laughing in his
mind. They were so busy playing that
when he heard the scream it took a moment to figure out what was going on.

Looking wildly about, it wasn�t
until Harry glanced upwards that he finally saw the danger. Three griffins had flown out of the forest
and were descending towards them. Remus
and Draco were yelling for them to run back to the school. Harry hoped that if they left the vicinity of
the forest the griffins would no longer see them as a threat or food (whichever
they were considering). He turned and
ran, urging Sirius along before him. He
was nearly back to the rest of the group when he realized that Eris had not
followed. He transformed back and turned
to stare in horror as Eris faced down the now landed griffins.

�Eris, RUN,� he screamed, but she didn�t even
acknowledge him. He saw then that her
body was changing again. She was growing
even bigger and her eyes were glowing like green fire. She was taking on her Abraxan
form.

The two smaller griffins flew off
immediately, but the third was nearly as large as Eris herself and did not
appear threatened by her. Perhaps it was
because it was male. Harry froze. What the hell was she thinking? A cold dread filled Harry as he considered
that this could be some sort of frightening suicide attempt. He was suddenly overcome by the need to get
back to his sister, but knew that his simple Arabian form would do little to
intimidate the griffin.

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw
Sirius, Severus, and Tahdei running towards him and
knew he had to hurry. He began to shift,
concentrating on moving on to something more powerful than the Arabian. When the shift ended, Harry let out a
frustrated whinny. He could tell that he
was hardly larger than before, if at all.
He could feel wings on his back and turned to greet Severus with as
questioning a look as his horse features could muster.

�It seems you have shifted into a Thestral, Harry,� the dark-eyed wizard said quickly,
casting an uncharacteristically frantic look towards where Eris and the griffin
were still staring one another down.

Harry stamped the ground in
frustration. He needed more size,
something fiercer. An angry cry was
issued by the griffin, which swiped its eagle-like talons at Eris. Harry held his breath as Eris� gigantic Abraxan form danced about the other creature. Harry felt a flicked of rage and latched on
to it. He reached out his mind to Eris
and was hit with an excited feeling of power.

Bigger, I need to be bigger! As his anger and fear for Eris grew, Harry
felt the flicker of flames within himself and focused on morphing into the
meanest, nastiest creature his mind could conjure. As his body ceased its rippling and
stretching, he was aware of the fact that the three concerned wizards who were
standing next to him only a moment before had rushed away.

Harry felt the length and weight
of a massive tail trailing behind him and carefully brought it around to stare
at its tip. Deadly looking spikes were
protruding from the end. He had managed
to attain the form he desired. Looking
back at Eris, he saw that she had taken to air and she and the griffin were
circling each other. Crouching low and
feeling his muscles bunch all through him, Harry launched himself into the
air. He took aim at the pair locked in
an aerial duel and shot towards them with bone shaking roar in the form of a
terrifying, Hungarian Horntail.

________________________________________________________________________

Sirius watched in amazement as his
godson transformed into a dragon and proceeded to tear off towards Eris and the
remaining griffin. The sheer amount of
power he knew it took to transform into something so large baffled him. His shock numbed the terror he felt at Eris
throwing herself into danger. He
understood that she probably felt quite powerful in the body of a winged, Abraxan horse, but that was no excuse for going
head-to-head with the talons of a griffin.
An Abraxan had a powerful kick to be sure, but
not much else. Her sheer size had
frightened away the larger griffin�s wing mates, but now she was locked in
aerial combat with a creature that could out maneuver her in the air as well as
turn her into shredded cheval.

The griffin seemed too preoccupied
with Eris to notice Harry at first. Even
that initial ear-ringer of a roar didn�t seem to penetrate the creature�s
bloodlust. Sirius transformed and ran
closer to the battle scene, his eyes never leaving the two figures in the air
as they swooped and circled. All his
fear ended up being for nothing. As soon
as Harry loosed the first blast of fire, the griffin let out a surprised squawk
and dove for the cover of the Forbidden
Forest. Harry circled over the tree line a few times,
mushroom clouds of fire exiting through his nostrils. Eris, on the other hand, quickly landed and
resumed her natural form, looking livid.

Sirius didn�t stop running as he
approached the girl. He leapt at her
while transforming and wrapped her up in his arms as soon as he hit her. As he frantically checked her limbs for any
slashes or bleeding he noticed that her look of anger had turned to one of
surprise. He also noticed that she
wasn�t fighting him touches. He couldn�t
help but feel depressed at the thought that she was only tolerating him because
she was in shock.

�Eris, sweetheart, did he get you anywhere,�
he asked gently while shifting around behind her to check her back. He glanced up and saw that Remus, Tahdei, and Snape were nearly to them with the rest of the
group close behind. �Come on, love, tell
me if he cut you.�

�He didn�t cut me,� she said quietly.

�Did you strain anything while you were
fighting? Twist anything? Do you feel at all disoriented?� He stepped in front of her again and almost
laughed at the look she was giving him.
Eris� expression was one that suggested that he might be quite insane.

Snape and Remus were standing
beside him them, but did not interfere with his ministrations. He had a feeling that Snape was having to work very hard to hold himself back. Eris hadn�t seemed to notice them at
first. �I�m really fine. He didn�t hurt me at all and I didn�t hurt
myself. Did you see Harry?�

There was a dreamy expression on
her face and Sirius was worried that she may have bumped her head at some
point�he just wasn�t sure how. �Yes, I
saw him.�

�Wasn�t he beautiful,� she asked in a breathy
tone.

Sirius, while very impressed with
his godson�s accomplishment, had never found the Hungarian Horntail to be an
aesthetically pleasant breed of dragon.
He was not about to tell her that though, not while she was letting him
touch her. He slowly pulled her into a
loose hug, knowing full well that he was taking advantage of her state of
shock. �Yes, of course he was and so
were you. Foolish, but
beautiful.�

She pulled away then, not hard,
but insistently, and he sighed.
Obviously she had returned to her senses. �I wasn�t doing anything wrong.�

Sirius, for all that he wanted to
stay in her good graces, lost it at that point.
He had been completely certain right up until Harry revealed his dragon form
that Eris was going to get herself killed.
�How can you say that!?�

Eris flinched, but he couldn�t
back down. She needed to know how
frightened he had been, how frightened they all had been. �I was fine.
He wasn�t going to hurt me.�

�He was attacking you, Eris! He was out for blood.� Sirius clenched his fists at his sides. �You nearly gave me a heart attack!�

Harry had rejoined them on the
ground and was walking quickly towards them.
Sirius felt Snape and Remus step up on either side of him and wondered
if they were going to help him make Eris see reason or restrain him. Snape spoke and Sirius quickly wondered what
the man was playing at. �Black is right,
Eris. You were being incredibly
foolish. Griffins are not creatures to
be trifled with.�

Eris looked as though she had been
slapped and Sirius had the irrational desire to wring Snape�s
neck despite the fact that the git was backing him
up. �Oh, agreeing with him now are
you? Taking sides with Black. Are you all going to just jump into his
corner then?�

Sirius frowned. What was she going on about? Harry tried to talk to her soothingly, but it
didn�t seem to help. �Eris, please don�t
be angry. We were all so scared. What were you thinking? Why did you go after them? I could feel�something, but you weren�t
scared.�

The rest of the group arrived just
as Eris began to respond. Draco quickly
latched onto Eris� arm. Sirius had the
feeling that the young Malfoy was the only one who could get away with that
while Eris was coherent and it made his blood boil. No matter how many times Remus and Harry told
him that Draco wasn�t competition, he still couldn�t stand to see him touching
Eris. When the he heard the boy�s
declaration of love when Eris was returned to them it made him insane. Harry claimed that the pair was best friends,
but it always seemed like so much more.

�I don�t need to answer to any of you,� Eris
spat even as she leaned into Draco�s touch.
Sirius wanted to rip them apart from one another. �I wasn�t hurt. He wasn�t going to do anything to me! It was a matter of who would back down first,
not who would draw first blood.�

�Eris, calm down,� Draco said firmly. Eris immediately pushed him away. Sirius tried not to feel too smug.

�You too? You�re going to side with him,� Eris said and
Sirius frowned as she stabbed a finger in his direction. �Why does everyone want to
side with him?�

Draco frowned, but it didn�t
escape Sirius� notice that the boy also seemed suddenly nervous. What did he know? �It�s not what you�re thinking, luv. I swear. You just need to calm down. We were all scared by what you did.�

�Well, hurray for there being so many
chivalrous and faint hearted men in the world,� Eris drawled and stepped
further away from the boy.

Ginny came forward then and linked
arms with Eris. �Come on,
let�s get out of here before they decide that all us helpless women need to be
locked in a cupboard.�

Sirius started to protest, but the
little minx gave him a secretive wink and began to lead Eris away. Hermione quickly ran along with the other two
young witches. He looked at Snape and
then at Remus. Both wizards were wearing
bemused expressions. Draco�well Draco
still looked very nervous.

�Severus,� Sirius said smoothly, �Do you get
the feeling that Draco knows something and isn�t sharing?�

He felt Snape stiffen next to him
for a moment and then quickly relax. �I
do believe you�re correct, Sirius.
Perhaps we should endeavor to pry the information out of him.�

Poor Draco paled considerably, but
Sirius couldn�t afford to be merciful.
He was certain that Snape felt the same considering that Eris was in his
care, for better or worse. �I can�t tell
you anything, so don�t even try it. I
made a promise!�

�Some promises are meant to be broken,� Snape
said coolly. �Eris is in my care and I
need to know if there�s something important that she�s not telling me.�

Draco took a step back. �She just needs some time. She�ll tell you when she�s ready.�

Harry reached a hand towards Draco and Sirius
wondered if the blond was going to bolt on the spot. �Draco, please, we�re already pretty sure
that Sirius is one of Eris� potential mates.
Is that what this is all about?�

�How do you know that,� Draco snapped.

Snape snorted and Sirius
suppressed the urge to elbow the git. �Come now, Draco, you must have realized by
now that the effects of a potential bond connection are not limited to the Numen Pumilum alone. Their potentials are affected as well, but
not as strongly. Not to mention the fact
that she has attempted to avoid Black from the moment she resurrected him.�

�Fine then,� Draco said nervously. �Fine, you know, so just leave it at that.�

It should have made Sirius happy�well, it did make him happy to know that he was one of Eris�
potentials. Still, he couldn�t help but
feel that there was something more that Draco wasn�t telling them.

________________________________________________________________________

Eris sighed and let Ginny loop
arms with her. The petite redhead gave
her a calculating look. �So, you wanna tell me why you wanted to take the griffin on? Was it some sort of territorial challenge?�

She needed to weigh her words a
bit. The last thing she wanted was for
Ginny to think she had some sort of death wish and run off to tell Josie. �Not exactly. When I first saw the griffins I wanted to run
just like Harry and Sirius�.but�but then I just decided that I had enough
things to be afraid of without adding curious creatures to the list.�

�Curious,� Hermione asked softly as she
slipped up to take Eris� other arm. She
wasn�t quite as comfortable with the female third of the Golden Trio as she was
with Ginny, but she could deal.

�They could smell us, I think, when we
transformed and wanted to see what was up,� Eris said quietly. �I was terrified at first and then I felt a
tiny wave of emotion from them. It was
very�I guess primitive might be the right word, or rough. It was just curiosity. So I transformed into the Abraxan
and it was as though all my fear just drifted away. I was powerful then and I felt almost
invincible. The two smaller griffins
were afraid and flew off, but the big one�well he just seemed amused. There was never any hostility coming off of
him.�

�So�you were just playing,� Ginny asked
uncertainly.

�Well, yes, but keep in mind that playing
serves many functions for animals.�

�So there was a bit of a dominance factor in
that,� Hermione said.

Eris cocked her head to look at
the bushy haired girl. �Yes, a bit. I must say, I felt fantastic right up until
Harry swooped in. Then I went back to
feeling a bit small. He was amazing
though, wasn�t he?�

�Very,� both the other girls quickly agreed.

�Alright, you two, let�s just go find
something to occupy our time,� Eris said with a roll of her eyes. She knew that everyone was quite shocked at
Harry�s display of power. With any luck,
they�d keep focusing on her twin and pay a little less attention to her for a
while.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Eris cringed into the corner and tried to ignore the sounds of what was
happening behind her. She knew someone
was coming�someone who would take her away from this, she just had to
wait. But who? Who was coming and why was she so certain
that if she only held on for a few more minutes before a reprieve from her
torture arrived.

�Its okay now,
Eris. I�m here for you.�

Eris looked up to see a strangely familiar, young man. �I�I know you.�

The man�s gray eyes lit up with interest. �Can you remember my name, Eris?�

She tried, she really did, but his name simply wouldn�t come forward in
her mind. It seemed to be right on the
tip of her tongue. �No, but I know that
I�ve seen you before, talked to you even.�

�Yes, you have.�

�Why is this happening? How is it happening?� Eris took the man�s hand and he helped her to
her feet. The nightmare that had been
behind her was no longer present.

�Think, Eris. Try very hard to remember the things we
talked about before.�

Eris stood calmly and stared into the man�s eyes. She went over every power she could remember
that was possible for a Numen Pumilum
to inherit. Soon the answer seemed quite
obvious. �I�m astral projecting!�

The young man�s face broke into a broad smile. �Wonderful!
You remember faster with each visit I make. Now, can you remember the object that we
discussed?�

�A necklace,� Eris muttered
softly, her brow knitting as she searched her mind. �A locket�the locket of
Slytherin! Is that right?�

The man nodded. �Yes it is,
dear. Now. We need to talk again about where the locket
is hidden and how you�re going to retrieve it.�

�Because it�s a Horcrux�

�Yes!� He seemed very excited now. They talked then, but she couldn�t be sure as
to how long they spent standing there.
He went over the hiding place, safe retrieval method, and the way to
destroy it slowly and carefully. She
could almost feel the information getting stronger in her mind.

�Am I ever going to remember all
this when I�m awake,� she asked dejectedly.
What if it took too long? What if
she never learned to retain the information?

�Of course you will,� the man
said confidently. �One
last question. What�s my name?�

Eris stared hard at him for a moment.
�Your name is Regulus.�

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

August 27^th

Harry was beginning to get
frustrated. Two days of badgering Draco
to relinquish his secret had resulted in nothing, zip, nada. Remus seemed to think that they should just
leave Malfoy alone and let him fess up in his own, good time. Luckily, Sirius was far too anxious to know
what Eris was feeling towards him and openly encouraged Harry�s
interrogations. Even now, Harry was
lurking in a shadowy corner of the boys� dorms, waiting for Draco to
arrive. The blond had been hiding from
him all day and Harry had decided to give up pursing in favor of lying in
wait.

The door opened and Harry pressed
himself hard into the corner. Draco
crept in warily, visibly relaxing after a quick scan of the dorms. Harry decided to allow him a minute of peace
before alerting him to his presence. It
gave him time to observe the Slytherin.
Draco walked with a strange, fluid grace that Harry wouldn�t have
associated with the male gender. His
silver-blond hair had grown long and yet, to Harry, it did not resemble Lucius Malfoy�s. No, the
boy�s looks seemed to favor his mother and the result was
not�disagreeable. However, Harry still
could not quite reconcile himself to calling Draco attractive. It seemed that to do so would be admitting
far too much.

When Draco cast off his out robe
and began to unbutton his shirt, Harry decided that it was time to announce his
presence. Stepping from the shadows, he
cleared his throat. Draco spun about
with a barely suppressed squeak. �Harry,
what are you doing in here?!�

Harry winced at the other boy�s
accusatory tone. �Well, I�ve been
looking for you��

Draco�s expression grew stormy as he cut
in. �Will you ever give it a rest? I�m not betraying Eris.�

Harry growled in frustration. �I�m not asking you to betray her! I want you to help her by helping us
understand why she is so damn averse to actually attaining her mate! If she had her mate she would be more
stable. Tahdei
says that our mates open our full potential through that stability.�

�You�re one to talk, Potter,� Draco
snapped. �I don�t see you going after
anyone, full steam ahead for the good of the cause!�

�What is your problem, Malfoy,� Harry said
with a frown. �This isn�t about me. I haven�t been through what she has. I haven�t locked myself away from everyone.�

�Neither has she, Potter.� Draco was viciously
yanking his robe back on. �She is
speaking with Dr. Green on a daily basis.
She is associating with her godfather.
She allows Severus and myself to touch her
now. For the love of Merlin she�s even
spending girl time with Granger and the Weaslette!�

�Don�t call her that,� Harry spat and took up
a threatening stance.

Draco cocked a brow at him
mockingly. �What�s the matter,
Potty? The little Weasley isn�t one of
your potentials? Or did the girl turn
you down once she realized that it wouldn�t be bearable to be stuck with you
and your self righteous attitude for life?�

Harry opened and closed his mouth
several times, trying to find some retort.
He hadn�t felt so badly about losing Ginny as a potential. He had been more worried about how she would
react. Still�it had stung a bit that she
seemed to quickly resign herself.

Draco didn�t allow him much time
to conjure a response. �That�s it isn�t
it? The Chosen One didn�t get what he
wants so instead of looking after his own interests he�s decided to bully his
sister.�

What little control Harry had
snapped. His gut was screaming at him to
stay away from Draco until he cooled off, but all he thought he wanted at the
moment was to wring the blond�s neck. He advance quickly on Draco, whose eyes
widened in surprise, and took the front of his robes in a tight grip. �Listen, Ferret, I just want my sister to be
happy. She�s worked damn hard to help me
overcome my reservations in regards to�mating�with anyone. I just want to help her, but she doesn�t seem
to admit to anything. I need your help to��

�What the hell is going on in here,� said a
cold voice from the doorway.

For a moment, Harry thought the
voice belong to Snape. As a
matter-of-fact, Harry was almost praying that it was Snape. But as he gently released Draco and turned,
he saw that it was Eris. Eris, who was glaring at him as though she could incinerate him on
the spot. �Eris�please�let me
explain!�

�How dare you,� she shrieked. �How could you even stand to think of hurting him? It should be tearing you apart inside. You should be writhing in agony!�

Draco�s perplexed expression would
have been quite amusing in any other situation.
�What are you talking about, luv?�

�This�this�JERK..he�s...�
Eris threw her hands up into the air.
�You�re one of his potential mates, Draco. The thought of harming you should make him
sick.�

It was Draco�s turn to mimic a
fish on dry land. Harry felt his face
burn with embarrassment. �Eris, why did
you do that? You know my reasons for needing more time, which is more than I know
about you right now.�

He watched as Eris took a deep breath
and closed her eyes. �So that�s what
this is all about. Harry, its not that
I�m planning on rejecting Sirius, I swear.
It�s that I can�t reject him.
He�s not a potential. He�s the one.�

Harry wasn�t sure how to
respond. He had suspected that this
might be the reason. Still, she was
keeping something else locked up inside.
�I see. And you thought that I
would just run off and tell him.�

�I�Harry�I trust you, but you care a great
deal for Sirius and I was worried that in your excitement��

�I would go and break your trust so that
Sirius would have even more influence over you,� Harry said bitterly. �Will you ever trust anyone?�

He saw his sister stiffen
minutely. �I trust people. I trust you with things more important than
this.�

�Nothing is more important than your
happiness,� Harry said softly and walked out of the dorm, ignoring Draco�s grab
at his arm and Eris� pleas for him to return.
He needed to think.

______________________________________________________________________

Draco really didn�t know what to
think. He�d hoped that he might be one
of Harry�s potentials, but never honestly thought that he�d have a snowball�s
chance on a salamander�s back of winning Harry�s affections. Did Harry keep it a secret because he was
disgusted with the idea, or was it because he wanted to see if there were
anymore options once school started�or maybe�

�I know what you�re thinking,� Eris said
softly. �I can�t say for certain what
your chances are, Draco, but he mostly kept it quiet because he�d never
considered being with another wizard.
The Muggle view of same sex relationships is�often unpleasant. Considering the Muggles
he was raised by, he was probably taught that homosexuals are abominations that
should be confined to asylums to be �cured�.
Luckily, Harry is both kind hearted and open
minded. Even if he doesn�t choose you,
he will never torment you about being gay.
I swear it.�

Draco nodded mutely. Why, oh why had he resorted to name calling
and sneering? He�d been getting along so
well with Harry�with everyone really, but now it was probably ruined. He could have behaved so much more
maturely. Where had his Slytherin
cunning and guile been just moments ago when they would have counted for something?

Draco sighed and then cursed under
his breath. He needed to think.

________________________________________________________________________

August 29^th

Remus walked silently down the
corridor towards the tower where their dorms had been set up. He had no one to go and talk with at the
moment. Sirius was out moping about the
grounds, presumably trying to puzzle out why Eris didn�t like him. Remus couldn�t help but roll his eyes at that
thought. His friend definitely seemed
emotionally and intellectually stunted at times. Thirty-seven-year-old wizards were not meant
to so petulantly bemoan the lack of affection they received from
seventeen-year-old witches. Severus was
holding council with Minerva, trying to decide the best way for him and Sirius
to hide in plain sight in Hogwarts. Tahdei and Naiya were busy in a
training session with Harry, with Ron, Blaise, and Greg as spectators. Draco�well Draco seemed to be avoiding Harry
like the plague at the moment. Dr. Green
was visiting her husband and Jackie, and he had no idea were Roslyn was.

That left Remus with the option of
hunting down the girls and seeing if they�d mind the company of a wizard. He walked up to the entrance to their
dormitory common room and was surprised to see Roslyn sitting outside it,
peeking through the door. He smiled for
she didn�t simply join the girls she was spying on.

�Hello, Roslyn,� he said softly. He stifled a laugh as the witch jumped away
and turned to look at him. There was a
defiant gleam in her eyes.

�Hello, Remus,� she said demurely. �Are you having a nice day?�

�I was looking for company actually.� Remus smiled.
�If you�re finished spying on our little flock of damsels, would you
like to take a walk with me?�

�Sure, why not?� Roslyn smiled and they set off back down the
corridor from the way he came.

�So, what were the girls up to?�

Roslyn gave him a sly look. �Now who�s spying? Well, they�re making plans for a little party
on the thirty-first.�

Remus couldn�t hide his
surprise. �Eris too?�

�Yes, she�s made a replica of Jackie�s Moodaraoke machine and everything. I believe she had Hermione help her cast the
charms.�

Remus sighed and ran a hand
through his hair. �That seems like an
improvement then. I just wish I
understood why she�s trying to hard to push Sirius away. We�ve all realized that he�s a
potential. Nobody�s saying she has to pick
him, but if this is an example of how she�s going to treat every suitor that
crosses her path then I�m going to begin feeling a bit�concerned.�

To his surprise, Roslyn
laughed. It was a rich and infectious
sound. �Oh, Remus, don�t worry so much. Eris isn�t immune to wanting to be wanted.�

�What do you mean?�

Roslyn grew thoughtful for a
moment. �There are three types of women
in this world: those who spend there lives waiting for love and pounce on the
chance, those who grow into the idea of loving and being loved, and those who
will never be able to give their hearts away either because they are too cold
or too committed to something else.�

�I take it from the hope you expressed that
you do not believe Eris to be a member of that final group,� Remus asked
carefully.

Roslyn sighed.
�I would say that she�s somewhere in between group one and group
two. Even with everything that has
happened to her, Eris still has it in her to love and accept love. She just needs to get past the fear of what
might happen if she opens herself up.�

�Do you think that little display she put on
with the griffin had anything to do with that?�

Roslyn nodded. �I think her Abraxan
form itself has a good deal to do with it and Naiya
agrees with me.�

�Really,� Remus asked. He hadn�t taken that into consideration
yet. �Please, tell me what you two
discussed.�

�Take the twins� basic Arabian forms: wild,
free spirited horses able to run free and fast.
Both Harry and Eris have been repressed in some ways so that form makes
a good deal of sense for both of them.
As for Eris� Abraxan form, it is a large and
powerful creature. Eris has spent the
better part of the last two years feeling weak, used, and out of control. In the body of that Abraxan
she feels powerful and confident.�

Something inside of Remus� mind
clicked. �It also explains Harry�s Thestral form. He�s
never been comfortable with all the attention shoved on him. The Thestral would
allow him to become invisible to a good percentage of the population of the
school at the very least.�

�And he would still have the powerful body of
a horse, one with wings no less, to escape with,� Roslyn added.

Remus frowned then. �What about the dragon form? Did you discuss that development with Naiya?�

�Yes,� Roslyn said with an excited smile. �She said that the dragon was a form brought
on by his power over the element of fire.
She was very surprised that he managed to pull it off already, but says
that we should expect the same thing from Eris.�

For the rest of their walk, Remus
allowed visions of the many forms Eris could take on for water and air dance
through his head.

_______________________________________________________________________

August 30^th

Eris bit her lip and looked with
no small amount of trepidation at the tiny being in front of her. Jackie and Zack had arrived that morning with
Josie and an unexpected visitor. Josie
had brought along her eighteen month old nephew, Quentin, along for the visit. Now, everyone was trying to decide upon who
would look after the midget while during the Order meeting, staff meeting, and
party preparations. It was a toss up
between herself, Jackie, Zack, Ginny, and Severus (who wasn�t attending the
Order meeting because he didn�t have anything to report). Severus was eyeing the toddler as though he
was some form of highly dangerous potions ingredient, Ginny was in a rage over
being left out of the Order meeting, and Eris knew that Jackie and Zack were
hoping to make a trip into Hogsmeade for the better
part of the day. If she were to be
noble, she would volunteer, but she didn�t think the look she was giving the
toddler was much better than Severus�.

�If none of you want the job I could always
stay with him,� Josie said while giving her nephew an adoring smile.

McGonagall cleared her
throat. �We could really use you at the
order meeting for a bit Josie and we were hoping you�d speak with Felicity if
she�s up for a short talk.�

Eris pursed her lips. She was beginning to sense a plot. Jackie spoke up next. �Zack and I were going into Hogsmeade. Quentin
can come with us, mom.�

�I don�t think that would be very wise,� Remus
said softly. �You could get yourselves
out of there fast enough if there was trouble, but the castle is the safest
place for the little one. Ginny should
probably come with you as well to make sure you don�t get lost.�

Well, that just left her and
Severus then. She glanced over at Draco
who was doing his best to appear sympathetic while holding back a smirk. He was failing miserably. Beside her, Severus was radiating
hostility. �I have several better and
more important things to do than look after children, even those of a less
irritating age group.�

Eris found that statement
odd. In Snapeglish,
that pretty much meant that Severus actually liked the smaller variety of
children. Unfortunately, it also meant
that he did indeed have important things to look after, most likely the potion
that McGonagall had asked him to make for Sirius. Eris sighed.
There was only one thing she could do.

She looked over at the smiling
infant. �I guess that means its you and me, kid.�

Everyone else disappeared rather
quickly after she had acquiesced to caring for Quentin. Severus had reassured her several times that
if there was any emergency she could come and get hi from the potions lab
connected to the common room. Alone in
the center of the room, baby and witch were facing off. Eris had transfigured every pair of socks she
owned into building blocks and now Quentin was finding it amusing to throw them
at her. She had already blown up several
blocks that had come hurtling towards her head and now they seemed to be in a
stand off. Quentin seemed to be enjoying
watching the blocks disintegrate into fairy dust and Eris refused to take a hit
to the head for the greater good.

�Okay, munchkin, just put the block down and
I�ll transfigure you something bright, shiny, and preferably bouncy.�

Quentin giggled and threw the
block with the squeal of �Boom!�

Eris waved her wand, calling out,
�Reducto!�

The miniscule remains of the block
fell to the floor and Eris sighed at the loss of another sock. That was when Quentin began to cry. Eris tried offering him his sipper cup,
tempting him with crackers, and cajoling him with a few more explosions. Nothing calmed the boy. Finally, Eris came to a rather unhappy
conclusion. Quentin needed his nappy
changed. The Fates truly hated her. She didn�t care that she knew she would have
to do it at least once while she was looking after him.

She pulled a fresh nappy and wipes
out of his little travel bag and laid the toddler down on his changing
pad. She removed his shoes, socks and
pants completely, just for good measure.
It was at that point that she began to very carefully remove the soiled nappy. It was not going to be pretty if the smell
was any indication. As she pulled up
Quentin�s legs and unfolded the nappy she was treated to a sight so disgusting
that even stewed dragon bile could not compare.
What the hell were they feeding the poor child that made him excrete
such runny, GREEN shit?

�Merciless Medea! I
think I�m going to gag.� The toddler
simply giggled at her.

The process of wiping the midget�s
arse clean while keeping his hands away from the mess
was rather delicate and she wonder if, perhaps, a binding spell would have been
wise. It took a good deal of wrestling
and maneuvering, but soon Quentin was sitting happily in a fresh nappy, sipping
on his juice. Eris observed the soiled
nappy with a strange feeling of accomplishment before banishing it. She was just beginning to think of herself
with the title of Mighty Kaka Conqueror when another block connected with her
head. She never saw Severus slip back
into the lab with a small smile on his face, convinced that Eris would be just
fine.

_______________________________________________________________________

August 31^st

Sirius looked around the boys�
dorm room and smiled. The kids had all
tuckered themselves out with their little end of holiday party. They had even managed to get Remus and himself
up for a few rounds of Moodaraoke. Eris sang in several duets and trios with
Jackie and Ginny, but they couldn�t get her to go alone. It worried him a bit that she wouldn�t sing. He couldn�t help but wonder if it was because
she was being shy or because she was afraid of the song the machine would
choose for her.

He sat up in his bed and noticed
that Snape�s bed was empty. Curiosity and suspicion got the better of him
and he decided to slip out of the dorm and see what the old bat was up to. As he neared the door to the common room, he
heard the faint strains of music.
Cracking open the door he immediately spotted Eris next to the Moodaraoke machine.
Not far from her, hiding beneath one of the armchairs, was Snape in his animagus form. It
seemed that Eris had just finished a song and was waiting for another.

Sirius was about to step into the
common room and announce himself when the music started up again. At first there was only the sound of a guitar,
but Eris� voice quickly joined in. It
was low, mournful, and had a gentle vibrato that reminded him of how she
sounded immediately before she broke into tears.

I hurt myself today

To see if I still feel

I focus on the pain

The only thing that�s real.

The needle tears a hole

The old familiar sting

Try to kill it all away,

But I remember everything.

What have I become,

My sweetest friend?

Everyone I know,

Goes away in the end.

And you could have it all,

My empire of dirt.

I will let you down.

I will make you hurt.

Sirius had drifted a short
distance into the room as Eris sang. Her
back was to him and the pain in her voice seemed to pull at him, beckoning him
to come to her and help chase away her demons.
As she sang the last line of the refrains, Eris turned and looked him
right in the eye, but continued to sing.
He didn�t speak, didn�t utter a sound, afraid that she would stop
singing. What was she hiding? Was it just what Malfoy had done to her that
made her feel like this, or was there more?
Something the rest of them were missing.

I wear this crown of thorns,

Upon my liar�s chair.

Full broken thoughts,

I can not repair.

Beneath the stains of time,

The feelings disappear.

You are someone else,

I am still right here.

Eris walked right up to him and
placed a hand on his cheek. He placed
his hands lightly on her shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes as she
continued to sing. Her gesture seemed to
communicate that the song was for him even though she hadn�t planned on him
hearing her.

What I have become,

My sweetest friend?

Everyone I know,

Goes away in the end.

And you could have it all,

My empire of dirt.

I will let you down.

I will make you hurt.

If I could start again,

A million miles away,

I would keep myself,

I would find a way.

Sirius couldn�t help himself. As
the song ended and Eris� wavering voice faded, he leaned down and pressed a
gentle kiss to her lips. When she didn�t
pull immediately away he felt like cheering, but the words of the song were
still ringing in his ears. After a
moment, Eris stepped back and looked at him sadly. �I will make you hurt, Sirius. I�m sorry.�

Sirius watched as she hurried away
into her dorm. He sighed sadly and closed his eyes. �You already make me hurt,� he said softly,
forgetting that he still wasn�t alone.
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Numen Pumilum