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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
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Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all the characters and places of Potterverse belong to the brilliant J.K. Rowling. Everything else is mine so keep your hands
off of it unless you want me to sic Severus on you!

A/N: Hello there. I�m just going to warn everyone now that
after this chapter things start to get really tense, dark, and none of the
characters can trust what anyone else is saying or doing. Read, Review, and Enjoy!

_______________________________________________________________________

Chapter 28: Forgive Me

February 21^st (still)

Severus moved over to the bar and
poured two glasses of Firewhiskey. Black looked like he needed it and he sure as
hell felt like he did. How long had
those two imps known about this? Who
else knew? Severus realized that the
elves probably knew. Not much got passed
them. But why had no one told him about
this�why hadn�t Eris?

He walked over and handed Black
the drink. �Here, this will help a bit.�

The other wizard took the drink
but simply stared at it despondently. �I
don�t understand. Why wouldn�t she tell
me about this? More importantly, why
wouldn�t she tell you? You�re her mentor
for Merlin�s sake! She loves you, trusts
you, and needs to rely on you but she wasn�t willing to tell you this?�

Severus sighed and took a seat
across from Black. �It seems that I have
greatly underestimated how unwilling Eris is to bond, at least at this point.�

�She said that if she lived beyond the final
battle she would bond with me in a heartbeat,� Sirius spat. �I guess this would be the reason why. Who else would she go to?�

Severus glared at his old
nemesis. �You mustn�t think bitterly
about this. Eris is a reasonable and
highly intelligent girl. She has had many
rough moments in her life, but she does not make a point of allowing herself to
be ruled by emotion.�

�You don�t always get a choice with something
like that,� Sirius said.

�Perhaps not,� Severus replied, �but I have
never doubted that Eris truly loves both you and I from the first moment she
was willing to openly admit it. I can feel her, Sirius. She
can, and sometimes does, hide certain feelings from me but she cannot falsify
them.�

The sad wizard seemed to brighten a bit
then. �So we just need to convince her
that she needs to stop thinking so pessimistically. I won�t deny that there�s a chance that she
could die, but she�s just so�I don�t know.
I just can�t picture someone as powerful and in control as her
dying. The same goes for Harry.�

Severus turned his head and stared
into the fire. �Make no mistake about
it, Black, they can die. I often thought
Albus invincible. I never believed that
there was a soul in the world who had the power to erase his existence until it
was my own hand that did just that.�

�You did what needed to be done,� Sirius said
firmly.

Severus looked at the other man
with mild disbelief. �You would be the
last person I�d ever expect to hear that from.�

�Albus and I hardly ever saw eye-to-eye on
things,� Sirius said with a sigh. �He
was a great man and I was willing to follow him to the grave��

�Something you proved quite admirably,�
Severus cut in with a dry tone.

Sirius rolled his eyes. �Yes well, it was the finer points of things
that usually pulled he and I apart. Being locked up in Grimmauld Place did not add
anything good to my feelings for him at the time. Still, it�s so hard to believe that he�s
gone.�

Severus simply allowed the silence
to hang in the room then. What would
Albus have done in a situation like this?
How would he have reacted to Eris� deception? Severus snorted softly. Albus would have known two seconds after Eris
that Sirius was her predestined mate.
Still, it was hard to determine the severity of what Eris had done. The issue of mates with any sentient creature
was a serious one. There were laws in
place to protect them and their necessary habits. There were laws to prevent a wizard who was
chosen as a mate from denying the creature its due, but what about a reversal
of the situation? Was there anything to
protect the wizard if the creature was determined to deny its own
instincts? Probably not in wizarding law, but the elves had their own body of
government.

�Black, I think it might be time for us to
have a discussion with Tahdei,� Severus said.

�You want to go behind her back?� Sirius looked a bit ill at the prospect. Gryffindor.

Severus stood, placing his glass
on the end table. He folded his arms
behind his back. �I fear that we do not
have the time for Eris� antics.
Voldemort is gathering all his followers to him, slowly but surely. I will probably be kept in hiding, but I�m
sure to be summoned within the next week or so.
Eris needs to be in top form, as Harry now is. She needs to bond with you in order to have
access to the full extent of her powers.�

�There�s not much we can do if she continues
to refuse me,� Sirius said quietly.

�She�s forcing herself to deny you. You are what she truly wants and needs,�
Severus said firmly. �You are a part of
her and vice versa.�

Sirius looked rather frustrated now. �Yes, thank you for pointing that out to
me. My point is that I can�t force her
to bond with me
if she doesn�t want to.�

Severus sighed. �Will you stop thinking like a Gryffindor for
five seconds? In this world there are
thousands of ways to get people to do whatever you want.�

�How�s that,� Sirius asked. Severus took a small amount of guilty
pleasure in how unnerved the man looked now.
He was obviously beginning to figure it out.

�Why, you just need to know how to bend the
law.�

________________________________________________________________________

February 22^nd

Sirius didn�t like this at
all. Sneaking about to get what he
wanted went against all his Gryffindor sentiments. He was meant to face things head on. �Are you sure we should even bring this up
with him?�

He didn�t like the nasty look that
Severus shot him then. �If Eris insists
upon being irresponsible and immature about this then we must take matters into
our own hands.�

�She won�t appreciate being trapped.� Sirius received another quelling look for his
statement. �Well she won�t.�

Severus sighed then and Sirius
couldn�t help but reflect upon the fact the he�d never though he�d see so much
emotion coming from the man on a regular basis.
The Potions master was glaring at him.
�Probably not, Black, but eventually she will come to realize that we
did the right thing.�

Tahdei
entered the room then. �You needed to
speak with me?�

�We know the truth,� Sirius said quietly. �We know that I�m Eris� predestined mate.�

The elf, to his credit, did not
appear very surprised by this bit of information. �And what is it you think I can do for you
now?�

�We wish for you to explain to us the laws
your people have pertaining to refused bondings where
predestined mates are concerned,� Severus said.

�I thought I might be answering questions of
this nature at some point,� Tahdei said softly. �I�m sure you�ll both be happy to know that
our laws are quite firm on the subject.
Only death negates a Numen Pumilum�s
responsibility to bond with a predestined mate.
In the past there have been rare instances where part-elves suffered
from varying forms of mental instability that caused them to attempt rejecting
their mates. Full blooded Numina Pumilum do
not suffer from any form of mental imbalance, so it wasn�t until we had a
larger influx of part-elves that such problems arose, bringing with them the
need for such laws.�

Sirius didn�t like the sounds of
where this conversation was going. �They
were suffering from depression?�

Tahdei
nodded. �It has never been a common
occurrence, mind you, and once we had them bonded all signs of any mental
illness vanished.�

�But Eris isn�t sick,� Sirius protested.

�The laws do not specify,� Tahdei
said, giving Sirius a firm look. �The
elders, in their wisdom, recognized that there could be other problems with
part-elves beyond illnesses that we, ourselves, could not experience. Many of the part-elf children were raised
with very different beliefs. We have
nothing against their beliefs, but if they end up killing them��

�Then honoring their freedom of choice becomes
a non-issue,� Sirius cut in quietly. �So
Eris will die?�

Tahdei
closed his eyes and Sirius got the impression that this was a question the elf
had struggled with. �Elves are firm
believers that things happen for a reason.
Harry is now over twice as powerful as he was before bonding with
Draco. The belief system of the Numina Pumilum would suggest that
this is something that was set in motion the moment Harry was born, that he
would need that vast amount of power for a reason. The same goes for Eris and the fact that she
has a predestined mate.�

�What do the laws allow, Tahdei,�
Severus asked.

Sirius didn�t want to know
anymore. He was almost positive that he
didn�t want to know. The elf�s face
turned very serious. �There are very
clear provisions for forced bondings, as well as
severe punishments for any such actions that occur outside of the bounds of the
law. Since Eris has a mentor, you
Severus, your permission must be granted for such an action. If her parents were still alive the matter
would have to be discussed with them.�

�What about Felicity,�
Sirius asked, eager to find someone outside of the three of them who had
authority, someone who would be, perhaps, more objective.

�Elven law will not
recognize anyone who is not blood related,� Tahdei
said firmly.

�Does Harry need to be consulted,� Severus
asked.

�He can be, but it is only considered a courtesy. He is not yet old enough to be taken
seriously by elven society.� Tahdei looked
apologetic. �Of course, he won�t be for
another hundred years, so he�s practically considered an infant. He needn�t be brought into this, especially
considering the fact that Draco is sure to cause trouble.�

�Draco and Eris are quite protective of each
other,� Sirius said with a wistful smile.
The pair of them reminded him of the way he and James had been, only
with a Slytherin twist.

�The boys already took a very big step in
telling us the truth,� Severus said and Sirius found himself on the end of a
charring glare. �We can�t ask them to
bear this burden as well. It�s better to
allow them to remain as innocent as possible in all this.�

Sirius couldn�t understand how
Severus could be so calm and determined in all this. He�d thought that the man was in love with
Eris nearly as deeply as he himself was.
How then could he be so willing to�violate her trust like this?

�I can see that you are quite conflicted,
Sirius,� Tahdei said.
�Severus knows what is necessary for Eris to get through this
correctly. He may not be a Numen Pumilum, but his instincts
where his charges are concerned are nearly infallible. He is able to set about this task with ease
because that is what a mentor does. A
mentor does whatever is necessary for
their charges to come through life whole and powerful.�

A thought occurred to Sirius
then. �Will Severus be able to stay with
us throughout the bonding process? I
think his presence will help keep Eris calm.�

�It is somewhat irregular,� Tahdei said slowly, �but if you are considering a triad
relationship his presence should not interfere with the process.�

�Could there be any side effects,� Severus
asked.

Tahdei
suddenly looked a bit mischievious and Sirius wasn�t
sure he liked that one bit. �Nothing damaging in any way.�

Severus seemed convinced, but
Sirius obviously felt there was something they weren�t being told. The Potions master stood then and spoke
again. �The law is clearly on our side
then. Am I correct in assuming that none
of these forced bondings ended bady?�

�Absolutely,� Tahdei
said confidently. �The elders would have
altered the laws accordingly otherwise.
History has shown us time and again that bonding with a true predestined
mate or potential has only positive effects upon the Numen
Pumilum in question.
She may exhibit some resentment at first�I would expect it to be a
certainty really, but she will come around.
As a matter-of-fact, any lingering aspects of depression should be
erased by the bonding. It won�t remove
the horrors she was put through, but the remaining chemical and physical
effects will be gone.�

�Thank you, Tahdei,�
Severus said. Sirius and he shared a
look for a moment and then Severus spoke softly, �Take a few days to think
about it, Black. I see no other way at
this point, but you must be resolved.�

Sirius jumped to his feet. �Just tell me one thing, Severus. Can you give her something that will stop her
from becoming overly alarmed? I don�t
want her to be afraid.�

�A strong Calming Draught should be
sufficient,� Severus mused quietly.
�Once her bonding instinct kicks in there won�t be any stopping her.�

�You�d stay��

�Yes,� Severus cut in curtly, �if only to make
sure that neither of us takes further advantage of her in that state.�

�I�ll think about it then,� Sirius said
softly. It was going to a long week.

_______________________________________________________________________

February 26^th

�Something is wrong, Harry,� Hermione said
again. �I know that Sirius and Eris are
on the rocks again, but I swear that Severus and Sirius look like they�re
plotting something.�

�How would you know that,� Draco asked. Harry was getting quite sick of the pair
arguing about this over his head.

�Severus has the same look that you always had
when you were up to something,� Hermione shot back.

�Would you two stop it,� Harry shouted. �We have enough to worry about without
jumping at shadows. Severus and Sirius
are probably just concerned with some of Eris� more abnormal behavior.�

Hermione was looking at him in disbelief then
and he knew he�d just made a critical error.
�You told them.�

Harry leaned back in his seat and
flung an arm over his eyes. �Yes.�

�How could you do that,� Hermione said
accusingly. �She trusted all of us to
give her time.�

�You know it was the right thing to do,
Granger,� Draco said acidly. �We had our
doubts as well, but what she�s doing isn�t healthy. She needs her mate. Harry is a testament to that. Have you ever seen him so clear headed? Has he ever been this powerful or
focused? Even I feel different.�

�That is beside the point��

�No it isn�t, �Mione,�
Harry said gently. �Severus is her
mentor. He won�t do anything to hurt
Eris.�

Hermione was silent for a moment. She spoke quietly then, �Ginny will strangle
you when she finds out.�

Harry frowned.
�Ginny has her reasons for being protective of Eris and I.�

�All these people protecting the two of you
and then you turn on each other,� Hermione said softly. �What good does it all do then?�

�They haven�t turned on each other,� Draco
said fiercely. �Don�t even suggest such
things.�

Hermione was on her feet then, her face
turning red. �What do you think will
happen when she finds out? Even worse,
what do you think Severus and Sirius are going to do with this
information? They�re not just going to
sit on it! They�re going to think its necessary to act.�

�I told you that Severus won�t do any��

�Mentors do whatever is necessary, Harry,�
Hermione cut in. �They do whatever is
necessary even if it means killing. Now,
how far do you think Severus would go in this case, Harry? How far do you think he will go when he�s
willing to kill anyone he has to in the name of protecting the two of you?�

Harry stared at his friend in
horror. �I hope you�re not suggesting
that he�d kill Sirius to get Eris out of her obligation.�

�Of course not,� Hermione said in
exasperation. �You just think about it
for a while. I�m definitely not going to
be the one to tell Eris about this, so I�d say that gives you until those other
two hatch whatever plot they�re cooking up.�

Hermione stormed out of the room
then and Harry didn�t quite know what to think about what she had said. Draco was, of course, completely miffed. �Well, that was nice. You know damned well that she probably
lectured Eris up one side and then down the other when she first found
out. Now she has the gall to get nasty
with us about doing what she didn�t have the guts to do herself.�

�Its not in Hermione
to betray the confidence of others,� Harry said softly.

�We can�t keep thinking about it as though we
betrayed her,� Draco said gently. Harry
pulled his mate into a firm embrace.

�I know.�
He sat there savoring the feeling of his mate�s closeness. He wanted Eris to have this same comfort and
intimacy. Sirius was a good man who
would take care of her, Harry was certain of it.

_______________________________________________________________________

February
28^th

Eris sat in her special room
reading yet another piece of Muggle literature.
She found such works to be a nice break from the wizarding
world as a whole. She had all of her
backup plans firmly in place at this point, letters of explanation and
such. In a sudden fit of melancholy,
she�d even written out a will and charmed it to be binding, knowing that she
couldn�t go to a legal specialist without raising questions amongst the others. Everything had to be in order if the worst occurred. It gave her a sense of peace to have her
affairs completely in order, hence her ability to focus on something besides
plots and spells.

Severus had been summoned a day before and
Voldemort had been happy to hear that Nox was now a
trusted pet. Their assumptions that
Voldemort was now training a large group of new recruits were also confirmed. Severus hadn�t been able to get a set number,
but the odds still didn�t sound good for the Order. They were going to need all the help they
could get.

There was a knock on the door and Naiya entered.
�Hello, little sister. Indulging yourself again I see.
Who is it tonight?�

�Machiavelli,� Eris said quietly, looking off
through the window at the others gathering in the common room.

�Heavy reading when this is supposed to be
your time for relaxation,� the elf said with a smile.

�Maybe,� Eris said carefully. She looked at Naiya
again. �How was your visit home?�

�It went well,� Naiya
said, her smile growing brighter. �Nanyin is well as is his mate. My niece and nephew are growing by leaps and
bounds. Safra
looks so much like mother did.�

�That must be hard on Tahdei,�
Eris said. It wasn�t often that Tahdei or Naiya spoke of their
family.

�Father knows that we leave when it is our
time,� Naiya said quietly. �I think he takes great joy in being able to
see mother in Safra.
Kenyin on the other hand, well he takes after Nanyin through and through, same playful nature and the
same laughing eyes.�

Eris nodded. �Good.
Children should be like that, no matter what race they are.�

�Yes, they should and those of us who feel
that way are always determined to do whatever it takes to make sure that it is
so.�

Eris gave Naiya
a sharp look. �I feel that it would be
the right course to take if it comes to that.�

�I don�t want to fight, Eris,� Naiya said gently.
�I admit that I�over reacted at the time. You only want what�s best for your
family. I think it took spending some time
with Safra and Kenyin to
realize that. They are like my own
children.�

�How old are they,� Eris asked, wanting to
change the subject.

�Safra is six and Kenyin just turned eight last month,� Naiya
said. �We won�t be certain for a few more
years, but I think that Kenyin has an affinity for
fire, just like Harry.�

�When the time comes I�m sure Harry would love
to meet him and demonstrate.�

Naiya
gave her a strange look then. �The
elders are eager to see Harry�s elemental form.
They�re also anxious to see if you manage to develop one as well.�

�I�m now where near as powerful as Harry. They�re waiting in vain.�

�Ah yes, because you�re going to die any day
now right,� Naiya said sarcastically.

�You shouldn�t ignore the possibility,� Eris
said quietly. Whenever Naiya became angry like this is unnerved her. The sneer that pulled on Naiya�s
lips just seemed completely unnatural.

�Stop it,� Naiya
cried. �I can�t bear it when you start
talking like this. You can�t die!�

Eris frowned. �I assure that I�m quite capable of
expiring. I�m not yours to worry about, Naiya. I belong to
Sirius.�

�We may not have a chance, Eris, but one of
your children could very well be my intended.�

Eris� jaw clenched and her blood
went cold. �I see.�

Naiya paled. �That didn�t come out the way I meant it
to. Eris, I care more about you than I
do about finding a mate.�

�Yes,� Eris hissed, rising to her feet. �You care about me sticking around to pop out
a few babies and living long enough to make sure that they�re brought up good
and proper. How kind.�

�Don�t,� Naiya
pleaded. �I can only hope that I would
be lucky enough for you to be the mother of my mate. It would be an honor.�

Eris sneered. �Too bad that I won�t live
enough for you or anyone else to ever claim that honor.�

She stormed from the room then,
ignoring her brother and Draco�s calls as she fled the common room. It had been cruel to say those things, she
knew that, but the thought that everyone was only out to use her was driving
her insane. Sirius only wanted her
because fate said it was meant to be.
Severus only cared for her because he was her mentor. Harry only needed her to act as a conduit for
his own power. What significance did she
actually have in the scheme of all things beyond the fact that she was going to
die to keep her brother safe? It was
like she was standing on the edge of a very tall cliff and one more tiny push
was going to send her tumbling over the edge.

______________________________________________________________________

March 3^rd

�She�s going to come up here in about ten
minutes,� Sirius was saying. �I told her
that you and I just wanted to spend some quiet time together with her.�

Severus sighed. �I�m surprised that she was willing to
come. She�s been rather cold to everyone
lately.�

�Harry said that she had a fight with Naiya,� Sirius said sadly.
�No one knows what it is that those two have been bickering about, but
it seems to have caused some bad blood.�

�Tahdei will
straighten Naiya out,� Severus said firmly. �Our concern now is Eris.�

�Well this is going to fix everything, isn�t
it,� Sirius asked sarcastically.

Severus frowned and pinned Sirius
with a cool look. �If you are still
doubtful then I suggest you tell me now.�

He watched as Sirius ran a hand
down his face. �No, I know we need to do
this. I just�I just wish there was
another way.�

�As do I,� Severus said seriously. �You must simply trust that this is what�s
best for her.�

The door opened then and Eris
stepped in. She offered them a
half-hearted smile. Severus smiled back
and projected affection through their bond.
He received nothing in return.
The girl had blocked not only him but Harry out from her emotions
lately. He suspected that it was to
protect them from the negative emotions she�d been experiencing. She slipped into the chair across from him.

�Some tea, dear heart,� he asked in a silky tone. She nodded and he poured her some in the cup
that was already coated with a rather strong Calming Draught. He handed her the teacup and she smiled at
him again. Forgive me.

______________________________________________________________________

Sirius was suddenly quite thankful
that Severus had given him a mild Calming Draught before Eris arrived. If she picked up on how nervous he was then
the game would be up. He watched as Eris
took a long drink of the spiked tea.
Severus had chosen this particular tea to cover up the scent and taste
of the potion. He closed his eyes
momentarily. The potion would take
effect rather quickly considering how strong it was. Surely Eris would recognize the effects�

�Is there something in the tea, Severus,� Eris
asked quietly. Sirius noticed that there
was no accusation in her tone�yet. How
deeply she trusted them, even when angry, and here they were turning that
against her.

�Why, are you feeling unwell,� Severus asked
in a concerned tone.

�Just very�mellow�I feel�something�s
wrong.� Eris� speech was slipping, but
there was still recognizable panic in her voice.

Sirius jumped up from his chair
and knelt next to Eris. �Everything�s fine, sweetheart. It was just a little something to help you
relax.�

Eris looked confused. �Why?�

Severus had moved behind Eris
then. �Its time for
you to accept Sirius as your mate, Eris.
You need this stability.�

Eris tried to stand, but she
stumbled a bit and Sirius had to jump up and catch her. She tried to push away from him, but it
seemed as though she had no strength.
Her head lulled back and her lips parted. Sirius looked into her eyes and saw that she
didn�t seem afraid, only confused.
Severus came over and ran a hand through Eris� hair. His hands were on her shoulders. Sirius kept his own arms firmly wrapped
around Eris� waist. Severus gave him a
pointed look and he knew that he needed to begin. The potion wouldn�t last forever.

He leaned his head down and
touched his lips to Eris�. Forgive me.

______________________________________________________________________

Eris didn�t know if she was coming
or going and the Calming Draught (she was certain that that was what had been
in her tea) wasn�t allowing her to panic or even struggle at this point. A tiny portion of her mind told her that she
hadn�t asked for this and she should be pushing Sirius away, but instead she
felt her arms encircling his neck. She
was pressed against Sirius and Severus was directly behind her, carding her
hair and gently kissing her neck. Her
mentor was sending comfort to her and confidence. If he felt this was the right thing to do
then she knew there was no getting out of it.
They�d probably even consulted Tahdei. Bloody backstabbers.

Sirius� hands were roaming up and
down her sides. Severus was now gently
kneading her shoulders. When Sirius
slipped his tongue inside of her mouth her mind went blank and her magic ripped
loose. She�d been holding it all in for
so long and the build up simply seemed to explode outwards. It was almost as if she was watching her
actions from outside her own body.

She grabbed for purchase on Sirius� shoulders
and pulled herself up to wrap her legs around his waist. Severus shifted to support a good portion of
her weight, allowing Sirius to continue his exploration of her body and mouth. Her magic was buzzing about them and Sirius�
was starting to echo her own. If she�d
opened her eyes then she was certain that she would have seen their auras
pulsing. Severus� magic seemed to be
fluctuating as well, but her mind was to muddled to
even wonder what that was all about.

It felt like waves of tingling
electricity were washing over her body.
There was a hot wetness between her thighs and she gave into the urge to
move her body against both Sirius and Severus.
The magic was weaving then, she could see it in her mind�s eye, tying
them together. It felt amazing.

The bond was nearly complete and
it seemed like every fiber of her body was tightening in anticipation. When the moment of release came she could
tell, even though her eyes were closed, that the room was filled with golden
light. She slumped against Sirius, the
sound of her own heart pounding in her ears.
Sirius was holding her tightly and she could feel Severus rubbing
soothing circles on her back.

�Request a bed for her to rest in and stay to
watch over her,� Severus was saying.
�I�ll stand guard outside.�

�Are you sure you should leave,� Sirius was
asking. He sounded nervous.

�You need to be alone with her for now,�
Severus said. She felt his warmth pull
away, heard the door open and close, and then felt herself
being laid down on a soft bed. Before
she fell into oblivion she felt Sirius press up against her and pull her into
his arms.

_____________________________________________________________________

Harry leapt up from the seat he�d
been sharing with Draco. Hermione,
Ginny, and the others were scattered about the common room and looked at him in
concern. Draco stood and touched his
arm. �What is it, love?�

Harry looked at him in disbelief. �Didn�t you feel it?�

Draco looked concerned. �Harry, were you having a vision?�

�Oh Merlin,� Harry closed his eyes. �What have I done? Hermione�shit�you were right.�

He pulled his wand from his pocket and headed
towards the door. Blaise called out to
him, �Harry, what the hell happened.�

�Sirius bonded with Eris.� He left them there then, all looking
startled, but he caught the look of fury that broke out onto Draco�s face just
before the door closed.

Harry ran through the
corridors. He knew that they were in the
Room of Requirement. He could feel the
power pulsing out from there. It was the
same sensation that Eris had described after he and Draco bonded. How could they do this to her? He knew damn well that there was no way she
had just suddenly agreed to bond with Sirius.
He could sense that Severus was present and the whole thing smelled
rotten. He should have listened to
Hermione.

If they�d touched her beyond what
was necessary to bond he�d kill them both.

As he approached the entrance to
the Room of Requirement he saw Severus sitting on a chair. �Oh fuck no.
You just sat there and let him do it?�

Severus stood up. �Calm down, Harry. I was in the room when it happened. They�re resting now.�

�How could you,� Harry said harshly. �She trusts you. She loves
you.�

Severus didn�t even blink. �Much as she trusts and loves you and yet you
provided the information that led to this.�

�So that you could reason with her,� Harry
snarled, �not rape her just the same as that bastard Malfoy!�

Severus face twisted into an
unidentifiable expression. �No one was
raped. They have simply bonded as they
should have months ago. Everything that
was done was within the bounds of both wizard and elven
law.�

�I don�t give a fuck about the law,� Harry
spat. �I care about my sister!�

Severus sighed then. When he put a hand on his shoulder Harry
wanted to pull away, but he just didn�t have the strength. His anger had sapped it. �Why?�

�Because it had to be done, Harry,� Severus
said softly. �Come along. I�ll have Tahdei
explain the finer points to you.�

Harry watched a Severus put
several wards up on the door so that Eris and Sirius could leave but no one
else could enter, and then he followed his mentor in silence. He just couldn�t see how this would end well.

_______________________________________________________________________

Eris woke slowly, a languid
feeling of calm filling her. Her mind
was still muddled and the strange sense of contentment filling her wasn�t
helping. What had happened? Was she in a bed? She felt warmth behind her and slowly rolled
over to see Sirius smiling sadly at her.
�Finally awake I see. You were
out for nearly twenty minutes. I didn�t really
expect you to pass out.�

She felt so sleepy, and Sirius was
there with her, and the way his hand was stroking her arm felt so nice. She reached out and pulled his head to hers
in a crushing kiss. It felt so right. �I love you, Sirius,� she mumbled through the
haze.

She continued to kiss him, sliding
her hands up under his shirt. Smooth
skin met her palms and she felt her heart beat a bit faster. The elf within her was urging her on like a
soft voice whispering in her ear. She
was with her mate. She should fully
complete the bond. She really couldn�t
be complete until they�d been together physically.

Her hands drifted down to the
waistband of his pants and under. All
these clothes were just getting in her way so she whispered a charm, divesting
them both of their garments. Sirius gasped
and tensed, but she pulled him close to her again, placing gentle kisses on his
neck. �I need you,� she whispered
huskily. �Finish what you started.�

_______________________________________________________________________

Sirius wasn�t sure what to
do. It was a bit difficult to think
clearly with Eris, his mate, lying naked beside him. Her hands were all over him. She kept muttering that she loved him and
seemed lucid enough. There was only a
small niggling of doubt in his mind, telling him that the potion couldn�t
possible have warn off already. Then she pushed him on his back, straddling
his waist.

He let his eyes roam over her
body, not quite believing that he was lucky enough to have someone so beautiful
for his own. She was lithe and taut, yet
smooth like satin. The only imperfection
that graced her skin was the Dark Mark above her left breast. He pulled her down and kissed it once before
moving on to trail kisses along her collar bone and up her neck. He could feel wet heat pressing against him
and bucked up against it. She shifted a
bit and slid down on top of him. All he
could focus on in that moment was the tight warmth squeezing gently around
him. Eris seemed to surround him. He breathed in deeply and enjoyed Eris� musky
scent that seemed mingled with jasmine.

He gently rolled Eris so that she
was beneath him. Her eyes were glowing
like jade fire as she arched up against him.
All he could feel was contentment as he made love to her. How could it be wrong?

_______________________________________________________________________

March 4^th

Eris woke suddenly, her mind finally
clear and completely aware of all that had been done in the past twelve hours
or so. She knew what had been done to
her�what she had done in return. She
gently pulled away from Sirius and dressed quickly. Half of her wanted to cursed
the man right out of his skin and half of her wanted to crawl back into his
arms. She chose, instead, to run out of
the Room of Requirement and straight for the only person she still felt wanted
nothing from her but her love. She ran
to Remus.

________________________________________________________________________

�What the bloody hell were you two thinking,�
Remus raged. The wolf in him was
demanding blood for what it knew had been done to his cub. �Not only do you initiate a forced bonding,
but then you have sex with her!�

Severus head snapped up to look at
Sirius. Remus noted that the man looked
quite surprised by this information.
�What the hell did you do,� Severus snapped.

�Oh no,� Remus said coldly. �You do not get to judge him. Your hands are just as dirty as his.�

�Where is Eris,� Sirius asked softly. Remus refused to let his anger go, no matter
how penitent and miserable Sirius looked.

�I sent her with Ginny to go to Madam
Pomfrey,� Remus said. �I want to make
sure you haven�t done any damage.�

Sirius jumped up from his seat. �That�s hitting below the belt, Remus. I thought she knew what she was doing.�

Severus was on his feet then to
and he grabbed Sirius� arm. �You imbicle, I told you how strong that potion was! Of course she didn�t know what was happening. Everything she did was based completely on
her elven instinct.
None of it was actually her.�

Sirius collapsed in his seat and
put his face in his hands. Remus felt a
grim sense of satisfaction at how distraught the man looked. It didn�t compare to the panic Eris had been
in, but he planned to make sure that Sirius suffered.

�What they did is condoned by the laws of the Numina Pumilum,� Tahdei said firmly.

Remus whirled on him. �Well I think that wizarding
law might have a thing or two to say about taking advantage of a drugged witch
and coercing her into a permanent bond.�

�Remus, calm down,� Minerva said briskly. �You know very well that there�s nothing that
our laws can do to punish this. Our laws
protect the ways of the Numina Pumilum
completely. As for Sirius� indiscretion
after the bonding�well, as they are mated pair there�s nothing we can do to
interfere.�

�Oh I can think of a few things we can do to
him,� Draco said bitterly.

Remus knew that Draco and Harry
had a small part in what had happened, but he also knew that the boys had never
seen it coming down to this. Harry
seemed far too calm about all this now and Remus knew that Severus had talked
him down. Draco on the other hand, well
Remus knew that he had Draco�s complete support.

�Castration seems like a wonderful option at
this point,� Remus muttered and saw Draco nod in agreement. Sirius blanched.

�Enough,� Felicity said sternly, �all of
you. We do not need to be fighting
amongst ourselves. Eris has known for
years that she was going to have to face this.
She needs her mate.�

�None of you fools realize what you have
done,� Naiya spat.
She turned to look at Tahdei. �But you, father, you knew what was going to
happen. You chose to keep it a
secret. I hang her distress upon your
head. Severus and Sirius would never
have gone this far if they had understood.�

Naiya
marched from the room then and Remus turned his glare back on Severus. �I don�t understand how you could do this,
Severus.�

�You�re supposed to protect her,� Draco said.

�He was,� Harry said sadly. �He was doing what had to be done.�

________________________________________________________________________

�Everything seems to be well in order, Eris,�
Poppy said gently. �You arm completely
unharmed physically.�

Eris nodded and glanced at
Ginny. The redhead looked miserable and
enraged, but she also understood what Eris was going to have to ask next. �I need to ask you to do something, Poppy,
but you need to understand that I will have to remove your memory of everything
we discuss if you agree to proceed.�

Poppy gave her a speculative
look. �May I ask why first?�

�There are certain aspects of elven society that are closely guard so that they can not
be used against us,� Eris said slowly.
�I trust that you could keep the secret, but the laws of the Numina Pumilum demand that I not
allow you to remember.�

�Very well,� Poppy said briskly. �Please explain what you need.�

�I need you to test me for pregnancy.�

Poppy looked stunned for a moment
and then quicky set about casting the appropriate
charms. �You arm pregnant
dear�everything seems to be fine�your body is well prepared�oh
my�congratulations dear, you�re going to have twins.�

Eris lay there in shock as Poppy
continued to cast charms. Twins? Was that
really possible?

�Goodness,� Poppy exclaimed suddenly. �My dear, well I�m not sure how to say
this�the twins, well they do not share the same father.�

�Thank you, Poppy,� Eris said in a flat
tone. � Obliviate.�

�Yes, everything is fine, Eris,� Poppy said
gently. �You may go back to your rooms.�

Eris nodded stiffly and looped
arms with Ginny before leaving the ward.
Ginny leaned close to her. �How can she tell all that when it only happened�what, a few hours
ago?�

�The minute a witch is pregnant the fetus has
its own magical signature. The signature
is always unique except in the case of twins,� Eris said softly. �Twins have identical magical signatures
until the moment they�re born and then they shift minutely. If the children have different signatures��

�Then they can�t be true twins,� Ginny cut in
gently. �That�s amazing that she can
tell all that so soon.�

�Yes, she won�t be able to tell the sex for a
few months though.� Eris stopped and
took a hold of Ginny�s shoulders.
�Ginny, I need to ask you something.�

�Okay,� Ginny said slowly.

�Can you promise me that if I call on you to
protect these children you�ll help me in every way you can,� Eris said
solemnly.

Ginny stared hard at her for a moment before
answering in a similar tone, �Anything, Eris.
And if anything happens to you I�ll treat them like they�re my own.�

Eris nodded. �Thank you.
Now, you know we need to keep this a secret.�

�Yes,� Ginny spat. �Those bastards don�t deserve to know
anyway.�

�Give them a bit of credit, Ginny,� Eris said
flatly. �They were only doing what they
thought was right.�

�Well bully for them.�

Eris sighed. Dark thoughts were swirling in her head,
thoughts of never getting the chance to see her children�s faces. What would she do to be willing to watch them
grow? That was when she felt herself
falling over the edge of that cliff and it was a long way to the bottom before
she�d have the option to pull herself back out.
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Numen Pumilum