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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
- 6
- 7
- 8
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.

A/N: Just a quick
note: Snape�s maternal grandmother was a Muggle along
with his father. OOPS. Sorry, hope you will all just go with
it. It is too late for me to turn her
into a Muggle now. Thanks again for the
reviews everyone! On with the show. Read, Review, and Enjoy!

Auctor Rubra

P.S. Here are a few things that I
forgot to put at the end of the last chapter:

Numen Pumilum
= elf

Numina Pumilum
= elves

Hereditas Numinis
Pumilum = Inheritance of the Elf

_______________________________________________________________________

Chapter 6: Spies, Lies, and Family Ties

Harry glanced about the dusty
attic of number twelve Grimmauld Place
with a look of distain. He had never
wanted to return to this place and the memories it held, but it was a
necessity. The Order could not count on
Hogwarts as their base of operations even if the students would not be
returning. Poor Professor McGonagall
seemed very uncertain about whether or not it was safe to open the school up
for the coming term despite the assent of the school governors. Even if Hogwarts did remain open, there was
no guarantee that the students would return.
People were scared and shaken, and rightly so. Death Eaters had infiltrated Hogwarts and
Albus Dumbledore was dead. If the
episode in the Department of Mysteries had left anyone in doubt, they could
ignore the truth no longer.

Madam Prince and Remus were
studying the tapestry displaying the Black family lineage and talking
softly. He wasn�t sure when someone had
managed to get the tapestry away from its former place of rest and stored away,
but he didn�t really care at the moment.
Hermione and Ron were bent over a large chest, inspecting its
contents. Ginny and Tonks stood
interrogating all the stored portraits to see if any of them knew anything
about Slytherin�s locket. The very
thought of that particular piece of jewelry made his blood run cold. Dumbledore went through so much pain over
some stupid decoy. The great wizard died
over a fake trinket with a taunting note.

R.A.B. R.A.B. R.A.B. The initials
even haunted him in his sleep. Eris�
arrival distracted him for a time, but she was currently cloistered at Prince
Manor with Malfoy. Felicity had come and
gone repeatedly from Hogwarts for the past week, but Eris never accompanied
her. The elder witch always smiled
warmly at him and asked him to give it time because Malfoy and Eris needed time
to catch up. Therefore, there was no
sister present to distract him he from focusing on the elusive R.A.B. and the
true locket of Slytherin.

______________________________________________________________________

Remus
sighed as he looked at the scorch mark that had once been Sirius� name. He had always believed that every person was
born into this world with a purpose to fulfill, but what had Sirius done? The man suffered the death of a James and
Lily, false imprisonment in Azkaban, and two years of hiding only to be killed
by his bitch of a cousin. Where was the
point in all of that?

Glancing
sideways at Felicity, he decided to try and take his mind off of his fallen
friend. �Felicity, I wondered if you had
noticed the strange presence following Eris.�

The witch
look startled for a moment and then her brow furrowed in thought. �No, I have not sensed anything and the house
elves have not alerted me to any foreign beings in the manor. What exactly did you see?�

�I didn�t see anything. Its what I smelt�or didn�t smell to be
precise.� Remus ran a hand through his
sandy hair. �There is always this space
next to her that is void of scent. I thought
perhaps she had a shadow guardian in her employ.�

�I don�t doubt that the dear girl
is strong enough to lure one into her service, but I�m certain she would have
mentioned it.� Felicity tapped a finger
against her lips and Remus imagined with mild amusement that he could see the
wheels turning in her head. �Besides,
the house elves would know about the creature and tell me. No, it can�t be a shadow guardian. Eris simply could not hide it from me.�

Harry joined them then and Remus
loosed a sad sigh at the look of misery on the boy�s face. He could understand what the young wizard was
feeling. Grimmauld
Place was full of sad thoughts and memories.

Felicity placed her hand on
Harry�s shoulder. �I was wondering if
all of you would like to come to the manor for dinner this evening. Eris has several friends arriving from America
and I have a feeling that she may be more receptive with her reinforcements in
place. You haven�t really been on equal
footing.�

Remus winced and glanced at Harry who
was frowning thoughtfully. It was
true. Harry had several friends at his
side, young and old, from the moment Eris entered his life. Even Felicity seemed to be on Harry�s side,
leaving Eris with only Draco, who wasn�t very well liked by the people trying
to win her attention. �I think it�s a
good idea, Harry.�

His young friend�s green eyes
turned to him. �We should go then. Maybe she�ll feel more comfortable with
Hermione and Ginny, even if she isn�t with me.�

Remus opened his mouth to say something
to comfort the boy but snapped it shut as he watched Harry step closer to the
tapestry and touch the black spot when Sirius belonged. He turned away then, thinking to find
something to occupy himself in the messing attic, but a hand on his arm stopped
him.

�Remus.� Harry�s voice came out as a harsh whisper,
but still carried through the whole dusty space. Everyone in the attic turned to stare at the
boy.

�What is it,� Remus asked carefully as he
turned to face Harry.

�I think I know who R.A.B. is.�

________________________________________________________________________

Severus sat on the low cot in
Eris� potions lab, watching the young witch silently brew a modified version of
the scent remover to complete his new disguise.
With Eris� guests arriving it seemed foolish to simply remain invisible
especially when he had the sense that the werewolf was on to him. Apparently, Eris and one of her American
friends had developed a potion, based on Polyjuice, which created a completely
original appearance based on the appearances of three or more people. Basically where Polyjuice utilized the hair
of one individual, Eris� Metamorph potion used the hairs of three or more people
to create an entirely new form. While
Severus grudgingly admitted that the potion�s design was brilliant (especially
since it lasted twenty-four hours to Polyjuice�s one), it was rather
inconvenient to brew, taking nearly eighteen months. Luckily, Eris had a rather large supply in
storage from the first successful brewing.

A soft sigh interrupted his
thoughts and he turned to glare at Draco who was sitting on the edge of the
counter and tossing a glass vial between his hands. He knew that the boy was concerned and
confused by his friend�s strange silence the past week. The blond had cornered him at least once a
day to interrogate him on what he knew about Eris� state of mind and what they
were going to do about her stupidly serving Voldemort. While Severus agreed that it was unacceptable
for Eris to fight against her brother in the war, he felt that she was
currently too closely bound to the dark wizard to dare broaching the
subject. While Draco would be safe for
the time being because of the girl�s oath, Severus knew he would quickly be
disposed of if Eris unveiled his treachery.

�It�s ready,� Eris said softly and walked to
stand beside him, holding out two small vials.
One was light yellow in color and emitting the scent of lemons. It was the new scent remover. The other was more dubious in appearance.

Severus took the vial of Metamorph
potion and eyed it suspiciously. The
potion looked every bit as foul and sludge-like as Polyjuice, though its
coloring was more black than gray-green.
He glanced back at the two younger occupants of the room to see them
staring with wide-eyed expectance. �Who
exactly did you use as a base for the form I�m going to take?�

Eris glared at him for a moment
before answering. �Three of my male
friends from school, two boys that Jackie claimed were particularly good
looking, and myself.�

�You?!� Severus had no desire to turn into a sexless
pile of much. �But you�re female!�

�The five male specimens override my donation
to the gender aspect. Jackie was trying
for hazel eyes and thought that a bit of green would do the trick.�

Severus could tell that the girl
was becoming impatient. With a quick
prayer to Merlin, he threw the potion back with a grimace. Better tasting things had probably been
emitted from the backsides of baboons.
Within moments he felt his skin begin to ripple and shift. The sensation of his bones shrinking ever so
slightly was rather disconcerting as he lost about three inches of his
height. The aches and pains of his
war-beaten body drifted away to be replaced with a feeling of vigor that had
last been present before he graduated from Hogwarts. When the change ended, he stood straight with
his clothes hanging loosely about him, and inspected his new limbs.

�Well, how do I�� Severus stopped his questioning immediately
at the sound of his own voice. His deep,
smooth baritone had been replaced by a less refined tenor. And sweet Merlin, what was that horrid
accent? Polyjuice did not alter the
drinker�s voice. How in the name of all
that was pure and sacred had the impudent girl managed this?

Eris bore a smug smirk when he
looked up. �I see you�ve noticed the
voice. As near as Jackie and I could
figure, the alteration occurs because of the number of donors used. All but one was American, so�� The girl trailed off with a shrug. �You�ll still have to watch your
pronunciation in order to maintain the illusion, but that shouldn�t be too
difficult.�

He grunted in reply and glowered
at Draco who was smothering snickers.
�What is so amusing, Mr. Malfoy?�

If anything, the boy laughed
harder. �You! You look so�so PRETTY! And, sweet Circe, that voice!�

�Pretty,� Severus hissed. He quickly conjured a mirror to study his new
reflection, perfectly prepared to blame any feminine qualities on Eris� foolish
addition of her own hair. Instead of the
horrid mess he was expecting, he found himself gazing at a suitably firm face
with high cheekbones and well arched brow.
His hair was not black, but a very dark chocolate brown and closely
cropped to his head. His eyes were
swirling gray-green hazel. His nose was
reshaped beyond recognition. Thankfully
it was not some petite and hideous button appendage, but mundanely average in
size and length.

�Alright, Severus, this is your background
information,� Eris said in an authoritative tone that demanded his immediate
attention. �You�re name is Scott
Smith. You are seventeen years old, your
parents� names are Helen and Dan, you are an only child, and you have been
friends with me for two years ever since my arrival at the American
Academy of Transfiguration, Charms,
and Defense. In case you are wondering,
Scott Smith does not really exist, but all my other friends who are arriving
will understand the situation and suitably play along.�

�Fine. Let�s simply get the over with already.� He wasn�t going to survive this. Perhaps being invisible was the better option
after all.

Eris glared at him for a moment
and then swept out of the lab. He
followed close at her heels, contemplating his clothing. Just as he was about to comment he saw her
wand flick over his shoulder in his direction and his clothes immediately
shifted into a pair of loose fitting, black jeans and a dark blue T-shirt with
a long sleeved black shirt underneath.
On his feet were�black combat boots!
What the devil was she trying to dress him up as?

�If you could both wait outside the door,�
Eris said firmly. �I have to change for my guests.�

He eyed her immaculate green robes
and frowned. �What the devil is wrong
with what you�re wearing now?�

�It�s not what my friends are expecting. We do not hang out in robes. Hence the way I have dressed you.�

Loosing a frustrated growl,
Severus grabbed Draco�s arm and pulled him from the girl�s bedroom, slamming
the door behind him. He ignored the
blond wizard and paced the hall, sneering at the portraits who gave him curious
looks. After about ten minutes Eris
finally emerged and both his and Draco�s jaws dropped. She was wearing faded black jeans that barely
reached the top of her hips and clung to every curve. He emerald green shirt was just as bad,
clinging in all the right�er�wrong places and stopping just above her navel to
reveal a pale, but toned abdomen. Her
hair was pulled back in a French braid that fell to her waist.

�You CANNOT appear in public dressed like
this. Its�it�s�indecent,� Severus said,
waving his hand in the air as though he could grasp out for the appropriate
words.

Eris quirked a
brow. �Really? I suppose it would distress you to know that
this is how I dress on a regular basis at the Academy or that the American
girls there dress in clothing even more scant?�

With that she marched passed them
down the hall heading for the staircase.
Severus exchanged a glance with Draco and he was disappointed to see
that the boy was more amused than anything.
There would obviously be no aid on that front. The worst part was, he had to act like it
didn�t bother him or he would blow his cover.

Draco shrugged. �Come along, Scott.�

By the time they reached the
fireplace, Eris� friends were already flooing in. The indecently (yes he would continue to
think of it as indecent) dressed witch eagerly pulled Draco over to her friends
and Severs took the opportunity to observe the newcomers and eavesdrop to learn
their names. The lone girl was obviously
the much talked about Jackie Green, Eris� partner in potion brewing crime. The girl had shoulder length, dirty blonde
hair and sparkling blue eyes that reminded him painfully of Albus. One of the boys who had arrived stood with
his arm around Miss Green�s shoulder. This
was Zack Rhone. He was a tall, gangly
thing with plain brown hair that looked gelled and spiked. His eyes were an equally plain brown, but
there was an inquisitive spark in them.
The final arrival, another boy, stood close to Eris and seemed to be
brooding, possibly over the many shunned advances that he kept making towards
the girl. Travis Johnson was the boy�s
name. He was darkly tanned, with long
black hair, which hung loose casting shadows on his face. His eyes were dark and had a hard glint in
them. Severus would have thought that
the boy remarkably resembled himself at that age if not for the boy�s shorter
and more solid build. He was only an
inch or so taller than Eris, so about 5�8� or 5�9�, and his shoulders were
broad and his muscles apparent through his tight black T-shirt.

Severus pinched the bridge of his
nose as he listened to Eris and Draco chatter with the new arrivals about
teenage nonsense. It was strange to see
the girl like this, so amiable and open.
She was only ever like this in Draco�s presence (thought rarely during
that past week) and he had yet to discern if this was an act on her part. The young witch had displayed many different
sides in the past two weeks. She was
aloof and even a bit timid when near Potter and his tagalongs, proper and caring
when with his grandmother, doting and playful when with Draco, and cold and
vicious in the presence of the Dark Lord and his minions. Most confusing were the many emotions that
came from her when they were alone. She
seemed torn being submissive, as the Dark Lord demanded, and haughtily
superior. Of course, it didn�t help that
the girl was already brilliant where potions were concerned. There was no lack of creativity, as Voldemort
had suggested, but rather an unwillingness to develop more painful and slow
means of dealing out death. When he
tried to push her she would snarl and demand to know what the point was when
the victim would be dead either way. The
tension caused from her nightmares and the fact that he was supposed to be
using her sexually did not aid their progress.
The girl seemed to expect him to pounce at any moment, but then that was
exactly what he had done that first night.

Eris dreamt of her encounter with
Lucius every night it seemed, and every night he would find himself sitting on
the floor, holding the weeping girl in his arms. He would kiss her forehead gently and whisper
nonsense words of comfort despite how uncomfortable it made him. It had never been in his nature to act in
such a caring fashion, but something in her eyes when he found her that first
night made him break down. She was so
like himself and all he could think of when her tears began to fall were all
the nights when his nightmares tormented him and he longed to be held.

He had been summoned two days earlier
and it had taken every ounce of his considerable will to keep from snapping
Lucius Malfoy�s neck. The details of
Eris� dream had disgusted him. She had
been a child, not quite fifteen, as Lucius had suggested. When he did manage to get her to talk about
the event, Eris confessed that she had been a week shy of her birthday. His disgust had turned inward for a time at
the thought of how willing he had been to accept what Voldemort offered in
Eris, but that had been before he knew the truth, when he thought her a willing
and compliant Death Eater. Somehow, this
had made it �okay� in his mind, but even now, he was not so certain that this
was the only reason. She did look so
like Lily�Lily who had been his own age and who he had always secretly admired
and adored. Learning that the girl was
both a capable and semi-willing Death Eater had shocked him and, after he
realized that she was Lily�s daughter, angered him. Still, the truth was that she did not want to
be where she had placed herself. Eris
was fighting for the wrong side and she knew it and that comforted Severus
greatly. Now all he had to do was find
some way to get just one member of the Order to listen to him and give Eris a
chance to repent. Oh no, that wasn�t
impossible at all.

To top it
all off, Voldemort had given him a new assignment. He was to brew a particularly complicated
potion that was typically used in the illegal forced breeding of magical
creatures that typically had predetermined mates. The potion was used to override the
creature�s instinct to seek out and join their true mate and left them
complaint and over eager to bond with all suitable candidates in the
vicinity. It was obviously for Eris and
the knowledge left a sick feeling in his stomach. It would take some planning to avoid the
inevitable disaster, but first he needed to convince the girl to turn back to
the light. Severus sighed; such a task
was meant for a wizard like Dumbledore, not an ex-Death Eater and renegade
warrior of the light.

_______________________________________________________________________

Eris smiled happily as her friends
chatted with Draco, though Travis� initial reaction to the blond wizard worried
her. If she hadn�t been looking directly
at him as she introduced Draco, then she would have missed it. His expression became shocked and then she
watched as he barely suppressed a sneer.
Perhaps he had heard something about the Malfoy family�s connection to
Voldemort and that was what caused his disapproval. She had only ever talked to Jackie about her
friendship with Draco.

At any rate, Travis seemed
completely at ease once the moment passed and Eris tried to push the thoughts
to the back of her mind to study later.
She glanced over her shoulder and saw Severus brooding a few feet away. She waved him over and nearly laughed as his
lips pressed into a thin line before he stiffly approached them.

�Everyone, this is Scott Smith,� Eris said
with a mischievous smile. �You know what
to do.�

Travis stepped over to her and put
his arm around her shoulder. She
stiffened, but he didn�t seem to notice.
�What, you�re not even going to tell us who he really is?�

Eris shrugged off the boy�s arm
and rolled her eyes. �If I could just
tell you then he wouldn�t need the potion, now would he?�

Giving a nonchalant shrug, Travis
walked over to Severus and extended his hand.
�Nice to meet you, Scott. I�m
Travis Johnson.�

Eris bit her lip and waited to see
how Severus would respond. He needed to
at least appear to be friendly with this group or too many questions would be
asked. She sighed in relief when Severus
immediately took the boy�s hand and then easily slipped into a conversation
with the boy about the upcoming Quidditch World Cup. Severus� tone of voice and self-possessed
manner gave him an air of maturity that the American occupants of the room
seemed to lack, but Eris could see little of the sarcastic and prickly potions
master in the hazel-eyed boy who stood before her. Of course, Draco would know better than she
would if the act would hold up. Just
then, Severus� true test arrived.

Eris chewed absently on the inside
of her cheek as she watched Felicity emerge from the fireplace and was slightly
amused when Severus pressed close to her.
Jackie gave her a strange look, having noticed the proximity that she
allowed Severus with ease, but Eris simply gave her a look that told her she
would have to wait for an explanation.
In truth, she wasn�t certain why she was comfortable allowing him so
close, but she didn�t have the time to worry about it just then. She was just about to give Felicity a hug
when the unexpected arrivals began.

First Lupin came through and Eris
tried to surreptitiously situate herself very close to Severus once again,
preparing for the worse. There was
always a chance that the scent alterations would not fool a werewolf�s
nose. Right behind Lupin came
Headmistress McGonagall and Eris tried to breathe easy. Felicity obviously felt that a bit of extra
adult company was needed to balance out the visiting teenagers�right? Wrong.
The next three people to emerge from the fireplace in rapid succession
were Harry, Ron, and Hermione. A few
moments after them came the petite red haired girl that Eris remembered being
introduced as Ginny. All hell broke
loose inside her head and she felt the desperate need for a headache potion.

She felt Severus stiffen beside
her and forcefully pulled herself together.
She had two people besides herself counting on her help keeping Potter
and his merry band in the dark. She gathered
everyone and began to make introductions, beginning with her friends. She made a point to speak mostly to her guardian,
hoping to convey her discomfort to her friends.

�Felicity, you remember Jackie Green, Zack
Rhone, and Travis Johnson.� Eris
motioned to each one of her friends and then took Severus gently by the arm and
pulled him forward. �This is Scott
Smith. I believe I�ve spoken of him to
you before.�

Eris released Severus� arm, but he
remained close by her left side. Draco
had maneuvered himself close at her right.
Though she wouldn�t admit it aloud, she was rather grateful for the show
of support. When Felicity gave her a
pointed look, she sighed and proceeded to introduce the older witch�s
guests. (She sure as hell hadn�t invited
them.)

�Guys, this is Professor Minerva McGonagall,
the new headmistress of Hogwarts.�
McGongall nodded politely and the three Americans plus Severus made
nice. Next she gestured towards Lupin. �This is Mr. Remus Lupin��

�Eris� godfather,� the infuriating man said
with a serene smile. Eris did not even
want to know what Severus was thinking at that point. It seemed that he drifted even closer to her,
but she was too busy announcing names to investigate his presence.

Ginny was next in line. �This is Ginny Weasley, and the redhead next
to her is her brother Ron. Next to him
is Hermione Granger and last, but not least, Harry Potter.�

�What,� Jackie squeaked. Eris was going to break Jackie�s neck if the
girl started swooning. �Eris, you didn�t
tell us that you know Harry Potter!�

Travis looked completely
unimpressed, but Zack winked at her. She
just rolled her eyes and gave Felicity a pleading look, but it wouldn�t save
her from what was coming next.

�Actually, she�s my�,� Harry began and Eris
had to bit the inside of her lip to keep from screaming for him to stop. Luckily, Hermione elbowed him in the ribs,
cutting him off. Obviously, he had been
told to keep the information to himself.
That didn�t stop the odd looks that Eris was now receiving from her
friends and Draco. Merlin only knew what
they were thinking. Probably something
along the lines of what Severus had first thought, that she and Harry were
betrothed.

Thankfully, Felicity was soon
ushering them all into the dinning room.
Eris was praying for a quiet meal.
She dragged her feet a bit, allowing the others to enter the room
first. Severus lagged with her and
leaned in close to her ear.

�When were you going to tell me about your
godfather,� he said softly. Eris felt he
deserved points for managing to suppress a sneer, though there was definitely
some venom on the word godfather. He pulled a chair out from the table for her
and eased her into place.

�My, what a gentleman you are,� Felicity said
with a beaming smile.

Eris peered over at Severus as he
slipped into the chair to her left.
There was a faint smile on his lips and she wondered for a moment if it
was real.

Draco was soon seated beside her,
and Harry seemed a bit upset about that if his eyes were any indication. He really didn�t reveal quite a bit through
those eyes. In the end, he sat across
from her and settled for alternating between staring longingly at Eris, sending
curious glances at Severus, and glaring daggers at Draco. Eris had to admit that she understood why
Harry was probably upset. Draco was nervous;
for both himself and Severus, and when Draco was nervous he tended to turn up
the charm. As things stood right then,
he was flirting quite openly with her and Harry didn�t seem to like that one
bit. Of course, he wasn�t the only one
who seemed to mind. Travis looked like
he could happily skewer Draco with his butter knife (making Eris quite thankful
that he was seated so far away) and Professor McGonagall looked rather disapproving
of the blond wizard�s behavior. Everyone
else seemed either surprised or amused.
Severus was especially amused.
Eris had felt him shaking with silent laughter at Draco�s antics for
nearly fifteen minutes before he finally caved and laughed aloud. He seemed to startle himself, looking around
quickly to see the reactions of the dinner table�s are other occupants, but
quickly relaxed. Eris was glad that he
could relax, because she sure as hell couldn�t, not with the waves of anger and
distrust that should could feel vibrating down her magical connection with
Harry. Apparently, he really did not
like Draco�at all.

This dislike became even more
obvious when Draco decided to hold Eris� hand.
She allowed it, something she would only have allowed of a select
few. Perhaps it was the fact that he was
not a part of this select few that caused Harry�s intense reaction a few
moments later when Draco gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

Harry jumped up from the table,
knocking his chair backwards in the process.
�Malfoy, would you just keep your hands off of her?�

Eris glared at her brother and
slowly rose to her feet. Her voice was
low and menacing when she spoke. �And
what business is it of yours, Potter?�

Harry looked
hurt�hurt and furious. �Eris, no
sister of mine is going to be involved with a Malfoy!�

Eris stiffened as several gasps
were issued around the table. Draco
stood and faced her, his gray eyes narrowed and his face pale. �Draco�I��

�Save it,� he spat and ran from the dining
room.

Eris sank slowly to her chair. Severus put an arm around her shoulders and
she did not have the will to shrug him away.
She was not even certain that she wanted to.

�Harry James Potter, what is your problem,�
Granger hissed at her friend.

Eris watched through burning eyes as
her brother stared at her in horror.
�Bloody hell�you never told him�but he�s your best friend.�

Telly popped in to announce dessert then, but nobody seemed
to have much of a sweet tooth just then.

_______________________________________________________________________

Severus found himself sharing a
bedroom with a rather grouchy Draco Malfoy.
He had been the only one with the guts to volunteer once it became
apparent that the manor was going to be filled to maximum capacity. Miss Granger and Miss Weasley were sharing a
room, as were Potter and the Weasley boy, the werewolf had his own room, and so
did the three American brats. That left
him with Draco, though he had an ulterior motive. In the last week Eris had created a secret
passageway between her room and Draco�s, similar to the one she had created to
give her a quick escape to the outside world.
It was the only way that he would be able to both visit Eris secretly
and slip away if summoned.

Draco was being rather tight
lipped about what had happened at dinner.
He had not emerged from the bedroom since then. Draco�s acknowledgment of Severus� presence
had been limited to a short and venomous rant when he mentioned the fact that
Felicity had invited Potter and company to stay for the month of July. The boy was somewhat placated by the fact
that Eris had vocally protested. Severus
was certain that his grandmother felt it was time for Potter to be made aware
of his upcoming magical inheritance. He
almost felt badly for the boy being kept in the dark for so long. Almost, but not quite.

Severus sighed. �You know that she did not tell precisely
because she was afraid you would react like this.�

Silence.

�You�ve been friends for what�thirteen
years? Are you just going to throw that
away because she�s Potter�s sister?�

Silence.

�The way I see it, as
they�re twins, Eris must have taken all the good genes and left poor Potter to
become the spectacularly arrogant brat he is today.�

Snort.

�Loath as I am to admit affection for any
being baring the surname Potter, I must admit that there is much about her that
is appealing. I have decided that this
is a combination of Eris taking after her mother and being raised by my
grandmother. Being raised by Muggles left Potter both void of manners and intelligence,
a condition his sister has thankfully avoided.�

Chuckle.

�So, in the name of remaining united against
that insolent brat Potter and his friends, I think we should pay a visit to
Eris and reassure her that you will not abandon her.�

Silence.

Severus growled and ran a hand down
his face. Merlin save him from moody
teenagers. �Very well, I will go alone.�

Pulling out his wand, he tapped
three times on the wall and sighed in relief as the passageway was
revealed. Hurrying through the space, he
entered Eris� room only to see that she was about to slip out herself through
the main door. Knowing that he couldn�t
follow her out the same door for fear of the household portraits, Severus
sprinted back into Draco�s room and silently slipped into the hall to follow
Eris at a distance. He was surprised
when he noticed Eris motioning for him to come forward.

He slipped up next to her and she
offered him a slight smile. �I have a
bad feeling about Travis. I didn�t like
the way he looked at Draco.�

Severus nodded. �I noticed that, but I thought maybe he was
jealous. He seems infatuated with you.�

Eris shrugged and he watched as
her long black hair slipped over her shoulder.
�He�s always been comfortable with physical interaction even though he
knows it makes some people
uncomfortable.�

�Have you ever had reason to suspect him of
something before?�

�There�s always been something�off about him,
but he slipped up badly tonight.� The
girl sighed sadly and Severus spared a moment to consider how few friends Eris
actually had. Too few to find out that
one was against her. �I should have
known that he would have someone watching me in America. I guess I did, but just didn�t want to admit
that someone could get that close to me without me knowing their true intentions.�

That was when Severus noticed
Travis� door opening. He pulled Eris
back tightly against him and pressed himself to the wall next to a large
cabinet. Travis drifted by with an oblivious
smile on his face. Severus followed
silently leading Eris along by the hand.
When they reached the fireplace and Travis was about to escape, Eris
stepped out of the shadows with her wand drawn.

�Homesick, Travis?�

The dark haired boy started and
smiled brightly at Eris. �Nonsense,
Eris, I simply have an interesting report to make.�

�You�re not going anywhere, traitor, until we
have a little talk.�

�Traitor? That�s a bit of the cauldron calling the
kettle black, isn�t it?� The young
wizard slipped his own wand out then and Severus tensed as he watched him
approach Eris. He gripped his wand
tightly and waited patiently to see if Eris would need him to intervene.

�Yes, well I haven�t been spying on you now
have I,� Eris spat.

�No, I suppose you haven�t, but then again I
haven�t been hiding something the Dark Lord badly wants.� The boy�s face hardened then. �I suppose Scott is actually Snape? I�m surprised he hasn�t announced Draco�s
whereabouts. How did you manage
that? The Dark Lord will not be pleased,
Eris.�

�Draco only arrived shortly before you did and
I have made the only secret exit from the manor inaccessible to Snape without
my help. He�s quite trapped unless I
help him.�

Severus bristled and wondered if
the girl believed what she was saying, but then reminded himself
of the extra passageway that he was certain had been added specifically for
him�and maybe Draco.

Travis laughed. �The man was able to kill Dumbledore and you
think he won�t find a way to get the Malfoy brat out of here? It�s only a matter of time, Eris. Snape is rooming with him at this moment, for
the love of Merlin!�

�I have several elaborate detection spells
placed upon Draco. No matter what kind
of condition he is in, I will know immediately if he�s being removed from that
room against his will.� The boy looked
stunned and Severus smirked as he heard Eris chuckle. �I�m not His favorite for nothing.�

�His favorite toy maybe,� Travis spat.

�Perhaps, but I think you�ll find that he
tends to accommodate me, toy or no.�
Severus held his breath as Eris aimed her wand for Travis� heart. He hand no idea what the girl intended to
do. �I think its time for you to
leave. Tell Him what you have learned
and I�m certain he will find use for it.
He knows that I am incapable of aiding him in this. Do NOT return under any circumstances.�

Travis nodded curtly and then
flooed away. Severus could hardly
believe that it had been that easy. He
had to wonder how protected he would really be against what this spy had learned. Would Voldemort really believe he was unable
to deliver Draco?

�Calm down, Scott,� Eris said smoothly and walked up close to him. �Everything is going to be okay. I promise.
The Dark Lord is often foolishly blind where I am concerned.�

Severus gave the girl a hard
look. It was moments like these that he
wondered if there was an opening to charm her back to the side of the
light. �Is that any way to talk about
your master, Eris?�

The young witch did not look
contrite, but something flickered in her eyes.
Was she waiting for him to admit that he did not truly serve
Voldemort? There was too much to lose by
telling her so before she could fully be trusted. He could bring her back; he knew he could
simply because he couldn�t believe that she had ever really gone. Not really, not in her heart. A true Death Eater would simply have killed
Travis Johnson rather than chance him causing any more problems.

�Don�t worry about Travis. Besides, I was telling the truth. You can�t leave without my knowing and allowing
it�at least not without killing me first.�
Eris smirked at him and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He wished she would take seriously how close
she had just come to signing someone�s death warrant, be it his, Draco�s, that
Travis boy�s or her own. He didn�t feel
that Voldemort was as easily manipulated by the girl as she believed. The potion he had been asked to brew spoke to
that.

The problem was that Voldemort
wasn�t the only one they needed to be afraid of, but it would be too late by
the time either one of them appreciated that.
- 6
- 7
- 8
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