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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
- 7
- 8
- 9
Disclaimer: *Sniffle* Harry Potter and his wonderful
world do not belong to (Blows nose) Some of this popped out of my crazy
little brain, but if you recognize it, chances are that it belongs to J.K.
Rowling. *sob* I�m not getting paid for this, so
please don�t sue me or anything like that.

________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 7: The Ties That Bind

It had been a long week.

Harry felt that he had taken Madam
Prince�s revelation the day after the �Disaster Dinner� rather well. He had not yelled. He had not whined. He had not even really been that
shocked. Truth be told, this stuff just
did not surprise him anymore. People had
been springing things like this on him for six years.

�Harry, you�re a wizard�,

�Harry, you�re a Parselmouth�,

�Harry, your godfather just broke
out after a stint in Azkaban�,

�Harry, you have a Death eater for
a teacher�,

�Harry, there can be only one�,

and, his personal favorite,
�Potter, I am the Half-Blood Prince!�

Nope. Nothing shocked him anymore. Why would finding out that he is part elf
bother him after all of that? So, when
Madam Prince announced that she was inviting him to stay so that she and Eris
could prepare him for his magical inheritance he simply nodded and accepted a
cup of tea. Hermione and Ron had flipped
out, Ginny began a long (and somewhat annoying) litany of reassurances to him
that she would help him all she could, and Remus looked a bit put out that he
hadn�t known the truth.

Eris had simply rolled her eyes at
them all and swept out of the room to visit with Jackie and Zack. The Johnson boy had left mysteriously the
first night having told Eris that something came up at home. Harry suspected that it actually had
something to do with either Smith or Malfoy, both of whom were obviously close
to Eris. (Or at least had been before he
opened his big mouth.) So now he sat
across from Eris, prepared to speak with her for the first time on their
heritage. Madam Prince had lectured him
nearly nonstop for the past week, but now she was insisting that Eris was the
one who had spent a good deal of time researching what their own particular
changes would be. Apparently, twins were
an even rarer sight among elves than they were with humans.

�So�is Malfoy still angry,� Harry asked
quietly. He cringed when Eris� wand
released a few red sparks. �I�ll take
that as a yes. What should we talk
about? Madam Prince says you�ve done a
good bit of research to sort out what will happen.�

�Yes, our situation is rather rare. If my reactions to you have been any
indication, then our powers will be tightly bound together.� He nodded and watched Eris intently, eager
for her to continue speaking with him.
�Harry, have you noticed anything this past week?�

Harry thought for a moment. �Well, this might sound strange, but I�ve
felt a bit moody lately. I�ll be fine
one minute and then I suddenly feel angry or sad and I don�t know why.��

�It�s me,� Eris said with a self-deprecating
smile. �You�re pulling my emotions into
yourself. It�s our bond trying to
complete itself.�

�How can we complete it? Will we still sense one another? Is the same thing happening to you?�

Eris looked thoughtful for a
moment. �Once we have touched our magic will
feel secure. You see, Harry, my research
seems to suggest that our magic will recognize us as two parts of one
being. With practice, we will be able to
tap into each other�s power. We will
still be able to sense each other�s emotions while we are near to each
other. After our birthdays we will
always be aware of one another, no matter the distance.�

�I suppose that really bothers you�that you�ll
be nearly inseparable from me.� Harry
stared intently at his fingertips and tried to keep his face neutral.

He glanced warily at Eris, but was
unable to discern any emotion on her face.
�It makes me�uncomfortable. You
must realize that it will only be like that until we learn to block one another
and I will have a definite advantage over you since I have mastered
Occlumency.�

Harry frowned. �So you�ll be able to see what�s going on
inside my head, but I won�t be able to get inside yours?�

�I could never block you out completely.� Eris shifted uncomfortably. �You will be able to sense my emotional
overtones in regards to whatever is immediately on my mind. This could almost be worse than you simply
being able to clearly view my mind.�

�Why?�
Harry felt a bit put out when Eris simply gave him a pointed look. His brow furrowed and he thought hard. How could that be so bad? If he didn�t have any idea about exactly what
she was thinking or feeling�oh. �I could
misunderstand how you�re feeling about things�like me?�

Eris nodded and he admired the way
her silken and very tidy black hair swished about her shoulders with the
motion. If only he had been so lucky as
to have inherited that feature. �Try
growing it out. Mine was nothing but and
unruly mop as well when I was a baby.
Felicity has pictures of it.�

�How?�

�You were staring at my hair and I suddenly
became drowned in envy. Yours
isn�t bad you know. It�s just like�just
like father�s.� Eris suddenly looked
very uncomfortable, though Harry couldn�t understand why. It was just the two of them, what did it
matter if they spoke about their parents?
He decided not to comment on it.

�So, this,� Harry said, motioning between
them, �will get better once we touch for the first time?�

Eris blinked at the subject change
and then looked uncomfortable once again.
�In a manner of speaking. You
will at the very least be able to identify what feelings are mine and block
them to a degree.�

Harry moaned. �That is easier said than done.�

Eris quirked a brow and sipped a
bit of tea. The something flickered in
her eyes and she seemed unsure. �I
could�help you with that�if you want.
I�m very good at both Occlumency and Legilimency.�

Harry snorted and offered his twin
a small smile. �Sometimes I think
everyone but me is. Even Malfoy can do
Occlumency and�well, I thought I was at least as good a student as him.�

�It�s not about that or even how powerful you
are when it comes to learning it,� Eris snapped. �Such things are secondary to having a well
ordered mind and a tight reign on your emotions.�

Harry glared at his teacup. In the back of his mind, he heard a baritone
voice spitting at him, �Blocked again and again and again until you learn to
keep you mouth shut and your mind closed, Potter!� Still, Eris had to be better than Snape,
right?

�Harry,� Eris said softly. �Occlumency comes easily to someone like
Draco, a pureblooded son of a Death Eater who has had need of shielding his
emotions his whole life.�

It
pacified him a bit, even though he was actually angry with Snape. He hated that the murdering wizard was
right. �I think it would be a good thing
if you are willing to teach me.�

Eris nodded. �Very well.
We should call Felicity and Mr. Lupin in here before we attempt
contact. It�s possible that there may be
some backlash.�

�You know,� Harry said slowly, �he would be
very happy if you would call him Remus.�

�I will consider it.�

He took a moment to smile at how
yielding Eris had been that day, even with still being angry about his faux pas
with Malfoy. In retrospect, he should
have been waiting for the other shoe to drop.

______________________________________________________________________

Eris delicately pinched the bridge
of her nose after Harry had hurried from the sitting room to fetch Felicity and
Lupin. She was not at all certain that
she was ready to do this, but it was only a matter of time before her raw bond
with Harry battered its way into her occluded mind. It would not be at all wise for Harry to see
the secrets she shielded. Indeed, it
would probably be lethal for her and the fugitive she harbored. Not that she was certain that she
particularly cared if Severus Snape lived or died at the moment. He was making her life more difficult than it
needed to be. If only
she knew for certain where his loyalties sat. Could she count on his help no matter her
decisions? No, there was no one who
could get her out or through this but herself.

�I hope you know what you are doing.� The man currently haunting her thoughts chose
that moment to materialize to her left.

�Using my own potions against me, Scott?� Eris was not pleased. How the devil had he managed�ah, but she had
given him an extra supply, expecting him to save them for when he was
summoned. �Perhaps I�ve been a tad loose
in trusting you with them.�

Severus glared, but in his current
disguise, his face seemed to lack the ability to pull it off properly. �Trying to teach Potter will either kill you
or drive you insane.�

�Probably both, but Felicity would have been
suspicious if I hadn�t at least offered to help him. Fair is fair, I suppose.� She turned to stare into Severus� currently
hazel eyes. She felt that even if he
hadn�t been wearing a body that she essentially created, she would have
recognized him by the intense scrutiny his gaze was capable of. �I suppose you will want to stay for the
show?�

�Someone who knows what is really going on
should be present to represent you interests,� Severus said in a superior tone,
as though he had everything figured out.
�You won�t be able to block him all the way you know and even if you
manage to beat Occlumeny into his thick skull, he is still to nosey not to take
a peek from time to time.�

Eris made a noncommittal
noise. She gazed about the sitting room
with its pink floral patterns and vases of delicate roses. �I would have Draco, but��

�But, Draco is stilling hiding in his rooms
behaving as if your entire friendship was some elaborate hoax constructed by
you and your brother.�

�Yes,� Eris said bitterly, �the
brother I only met for the first time four weeks ago. The brother who didn�t even know about
me. The BROTHER who is part of a family
who didn�t need me around to clutter up the works.�

�Once you do this, you�ll be forced to feel
all of that brotherly love he has been trying to heap upon you for the past four
weeks.� Severus sneered and, once again,
it seemed oddly misplaced on his borrowed face.
�Its going to start to get to you eventually you know. You are only sixteen and most of the
sixteen-year-olds I have observed do not have it in them to coldly ignore every
bit of trust and love that is shown to them.�

�I�m going to be seventeen at the end of the
month, if you would be so kind as to remember that. Also,� she hissed, leaning in close and
narrowing her eyes. �You would do well to
remember what I really am. I�ve told you
before, in plain enough words, that I do what it takes to protect myself. As long as I come out on TOP the means
doesn�t really matter to me.�

Severus� face had become a cold,
impassive mask, but something flickered in his eyes. �I believe that about as much as I believe
Draco will be welcomed into the Dark Lord�s arms if he should choose to
return. If anyone would do well to
remember anything, it is you who should remember what you will become in a
month�s time. A Numen Pumilum is
incapable of turning a blind eye to the true differences of good and evil,
Eris. You are setting yourself up for
trouble and pain.�

Eris hid her confusion behind her
own mask of boredom. What was the
infuriating wizard trying to say? Giving
into Harry would cause her pain or staying with Voldemort would? Besides, only full-blooded elves felt the
need for magical purity. It did not
really matter; she was probably going to be dead either way. Her own intricate webbing of vows had most
likely assured that.

______________________________________________________________________

Remus pressed his back against the
wall and tried to sort out everything he had just heard. He had been on his way to the sitting room to
talk with Eris and make sure that she was absolutely certain that she was
prepared to finalize her bond with Harry.
As he had approached the door, he had heard Eris whispering fiercely to
one of her American friends, too quietly for anyone else to have heard, but not
something his werewolf ears would miss.
�You would do well to remember what I really am.� Those were the first words to greet him. What was the girl going on about? It was obvious that he had missed something
very important in the conversation.
Luckily, her friend (it sounded like the Smith boy�Scott) seemed
unconvinced, thought his other words did not comfort Remus. What in the name of Merlin could Eris be up
to that this boy thought her elven blood would disagree with her
intentions? There was something else as
well�something about the way the boy spoke.
He knew he was going to have to have a long talk with Felicity again
very soon.

______________________________________________________________________

Harry moistened his lips and held
hands out with his palms facing Eris and fingertips pointing to the sky. They had decided to move out into the garden
to spare the furniture from the backlash that Eris was predicting. His sister mimicked his movements and he took
a step towards her. For a moment, he
felt a rush of pure terror that battled with his excitement. He recognized it for what it was: the emotion
currently consuming his twin though he could never tell by looking into the
cold calculation of her viridian eyes.
Offering Eris a reassuring smile, he pressed his palms to hers and then
gently entwined their fingers.

For a
moment, there was nothing but the warms softness of Eris� hands. Then the eruption came. White-hot power shot up his arms and filled
his body and he could feel the same happening to Eris. It was as though every molecule of his body
was being broken down, separated from its kin, and reordered. It was a pain beyond comprehension. At least he thought it was until the physical
reactions ended and the emotional began.

As soon as the power ripping
through his body subsided, it felt as though a gaping hole
tore into his chest. His fingers curled
tighter about Eris� as he felt years of sorrow, rejection, pain, and indecision
poor into him. At the same time, he felt
all of his own emotions, in their purest forms, pulled from him and sent out to
his sister.

When it
was all over with and the pair staggered apart, Harry could feel a tiny part of
his mind that had been changed. In this
space, he could sense Eris as distinctly separate from himself. As he sorted through everything, he had felt
he came to the painful conclusion that Eris� only feelings towards him so far
were fear and indecision. Why she was
afraid, he couldn�t tell, but he knew it had to do with all of the pain he had
felt coming from her moments before. He
slowly raised his gaze to Eris� and met with a pure look of terror. No shields, no blocks, and no cold mask. Terror.

Before he
could say a word to comfort her, Eris bolted for the manor entrance. He didn�t know how much worse this could
get. Eris was afraid of how much he
loved her.

_______________________________________________________________________

If couldn�t be true. It couldn�t be true. It couldn�t be true. They had only known each other for three
weeks! The stupid boy couldn�t possibly
love her, couldn�t possibly truly see her as a sister already. She had barely spoken to him�hell, she had
barely looked at him.

She ran
to the upper floors of the manor, but decided against her own room. Jackie and Zach were gone to Diagon Alley for
the day, so they were out. Severus was
out in the garden (gloating no doubt), so she could not go to him. Draco, she had to get to Draco.

Pushing open her best friend�s
door, she flew at the blond and he instinctively caught her up in his arms.

�Eris�what the bloody hell happened,� Draco
asked in a shaky voice.

Eris franticly shook her
head. It was all over. There was no way, just no way she could go
through with it. Not now. �Merlin, Draco, I�m doomed.�

She
damned every deity she had ever heard of and cursed Merlin and Circe for good
measure. It seemed that she, Eris Potter,
had a heart after all.

A week
later, Eris found herself in much the same position she had been the Tuesday
before, in the sitting room with Harry.
The only difference was that this time there were several books spread
all around them. Harry was breathing
hard as Eris waited patiently for him to prepare for her next assault on his
mind. Her brother was coming along much
better in his Occlumency than she had expected after the talks she had with
Severus. Of course, from those same
talks Eris discerned that Severus hadn�t really explained to Harry what he was
supposed to do.

After
explaining to her twin the ways that she found best to block and clear her mind
(and practicing for about three days nearly nonstop), Harry was now capable of
holding her out of his mind for nearly ten minutes. Even when she did manage to break through she
saw very little was quickly pushed out.
She was very smug about this when discussing it with Severus while they
worked on her potions tutoring. The sore
loser simply told her to shut up and stir.

Severus had been increasingly
prickly since Eris had completed her bond with Harry. Late at night, when he had reverted to his
natural form and they were working in her lab, she would often catch him
staring at her with confusion and uncertainty in his obsidian eyes. If they had been dancing around one another
before, things had not improved. She
knew that he was trying to decide whom she would give her loyalty to. The trouble was that she still could not
decide, not for certain. No matter what
choice she made, she would be giving something she considered precious up. She didn�t know if she loved Harry in return
yet, but she was beginning to feel a definite affection for him despite her
best attempts to the contrary. Still,
the pure love and longing she had felt from her brother was the most
intoxicating thing she had ever encountered.
Even dark magic didn�t measure up to the pull of Harry�s love. All she could do was thank the gods that she
would not have a predestined mate. Such
a pull combined with her bond to Harry and the decision of whose side to serve
would no longer be her own.

�Eris?
Helloooooo, Eris. Are you in
there?� Eris blinked and realized that
Harry was standing directly in front of her waving his hand before her
face. �What were you thinking
about? I could feel some very intense
frustration and�apprehension. Am I doing
poorly again?�

�NO, no, Harry. You�re doing great, I just got lost in my
thoughts again.� Eris took a deep breath
and raised her wand. Harry backed up a
few steps, his face hard with determination.
She really wished he would stop that, it only made her respect and like
him more. �Legilimens!�

_____________________________________________________________________

Harry collapsed into an armchair
and scooped up a few books. Hermione and
Ron had returned from a visit to the Burrow and were smiling proudly at
him. �I can�t believe I�m actually
managing!�

�Managing,� his sister asked with a lopsided
smile. �Harry, you�re doing amazingly
well! It took me much longer to get even
half as good.�

�Perhaps he�s puling some of it from you
through the bond,� Hermione said thoughtfully.
Harry beamed at his friend. Trust
her to find the heart of things straightaway.

Eris nodded slowly. �That is quite possible. I hadn�t thought that we would share magic
until after our birthdays, but I was, of course, thinking of the elven powers
we will inherit.�

Harry heard a shuffling noise come
from the door and saw Malfoy standing there with a look of uncertainty on his
face. Glancing over at Ron and Hermione,
he saw that they too had noticed Malfoy.
Hermione�s expression was blank, but Ron seemed a bit peeved that the
blond boy was daring to show his face.
Looking at his sister�s brilliant smile when she too noticed her friend,
Harry knew what he had to do.

Clearing his throat Harry offered
Malfoy a small smile and waved him into the room. �Why don�t you join us, Mal�Draco. We�re discussing my sudden ability to
practice Occlumency.�

Malfoy looked startled for a
moment and then offered his own tentative smile before moving to sit beside
Eris. �Its�coming along for you then?�

�Better than I imagined.� Harry looked at the books he had picked up
and tried to decide which one they should discuss that day. One of the titles caught his eye and he
frowned. The Necromantic Power of Elves?
What on earth was Eris doing practicing Necromancy?

�What�s wrong, Harry,� Hermione asked
softly. He glanced up and realized that
everyone was looking at him strangely.

Try as he might to contain his
confusion and anger, his voice was still strained as he spoke. �What are you doing with a book like this,
Eris?�

His twin frowned and reached out
for the book. She looked startled for a
moment before falling back under her cool mask.
�Harry, there�s nothing wrong with this book.�

�How can you say that,� he snapped. �Necromancy?
You don�t think that its wrong for you to be studying Necromancy?�

�Harry, please calm down,� Eris said in a
rigid tone. �You are thinking of
wizard�s magic and things like Inferi, correct?
Well that�s not what this is. The
title is misleading. Elves do not
practice Necromancy per se, but rather a form of spirit summoning. It is not the practice of raising long dead
corpses to do your biding.�

Harry sank into his chair and
tried to look repentant. �I apologize
for overreacting. I�had a bad experience
with putting too much trust in a book. I
would hate for you to do the same.�

Hermione was beaming at him and
Ron coughed. Draco and Eris were both
giving them all curious looks.

�Hey!
Is this a private party?� Harry
looked over at the entrance to see Jackie and Zack standing arm in arm.

Harry frowned. �Where is Scott?�

The pair
froze and Harry gave them an expectant look.
Jackie shrugged. �Probably off
brooding somewhere and muttering to whatever poor souls will listen that we�re
all immature children.�

He laughed. �He does seem quite different from you two.�

�But not from Eris,� Draco said with a
smirk. Harry offered him a brighter
smile than before, but the blond blushed and looked away. Odd.

He turned his smile towards Eris,
but saw that she was now sitting rather stiffly with her lips pressed in a thin
line. Perhaps those two were together
and simply hadn�t told anyone? He decided
it would be best to refrain from making any comments about Scott Smith until he
knew how Eris felt about the wizard.

_____________________________________________________________________

Remus released a deep sigh and
rubbed the back of his neck. �I�m still
not certain, Felicity. There is
something going on with Eris and I just have a very bad feeling about what she
has gotten herself into.�

The
elderly witch patted his leg sympathetically.
�I�ve been dealing with that feeling for nearly seventeen years,
Remus. Eris is�a difficult young lady to
get close to, especially these past two years.
I thought allowing her to attend school would open her back up to the
world, but instead it seemed to help her close off more. I�m afraid that a good deal of it is my fault
in the end.�

Remus listened patiently as Felicity
told him the long, and often sad, story of her life with Eris. Their first four years together had been
remarkably quiet and happy. Eris was a
bubbling and loving child who played with the house elves and mucked about in
the garden learning the names of the flowers and herbs. Not long after Eris turned four, the Malfoys
entered the picture. Lucius Malfoy was
courting Felicity�s favor in order to gain access to her ministry contacts and
had brought his wife and son along after hearing about Felicity�s young ward. Draco and Eris were instant friends and for
the next four years were nearly inseparable.
The young boy often stayed at Prince Manor for long stretches of time as
the Malfoys allowed. Then came that
terrible day that a visit from Albus had alerted her to the fact that Lucius
Malfoy did indeed have ties to Voldemort.

�As much as it broke my heart to do so, I had
keep Draco away from Eris. Albus hadn�t
realized who Eris was, but had felt compelled to warn me as a friend.� Felicity took a shuddering breath and Remus
took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
�It was horrible, Remus. The
children screamed as Lucius and I pulled them apart. Eris cried for nearly two hours after they
had flooed away. That was the day that I
explained everything to Eris. Who she
was, who her brother was, what had really happened to her
parents�everything. I gave her a journal
that James sent not long before he died.
After she read it she was never the same, but she would never let me see
what it said.�

�I still can�t believe that James had to
suffer through that alone.� Remus felt
tears prickling in his eyes. �He loved
Lily so much that he took the entire burden upon himself.�

Felicity nodded gravely. �It wasn�t long after all that nastiness
occurred that Eris met Severus.�

Remus flinched and clenched his
jaw. �I hadn�t realized that she ever
met him.�

�Only the one time. It may have been more if I had only felt
safer.� Felicity closed her eyes and
Remus took a moment to wonder how heavily her grandson�s actions weighed upon
her. �Albus reassured me time and again
that Severus was to be trusted, that he had repented. I wanted so badly to welcome him with open
arms, but I would have had to explain Eris to him. All things considered�well, I suppose it
turned out for the best that I didn�t put my trust in him. I can�t help wondering if perhaps he really
had been on our side, but turned away again when he kept facing rejection. Perhaps I could have��

�Do NOT blame yourself, Felicity,� Remus said
softly. �Severus had us all fooled. Well, all of us but Harry and we just didn�t
listen to him. I have come to sincerely
doubt that Severus ever truly came back to us.�

A dark
thought began to work its way to the front of Remus� mind then. �Felicity�how did Eris feel about meeting
Severus?�

The old
witch looked thoughtful. �She was quite
fascinated with him for a time. She
hadn�t know that I had any family and, well with just finding out about her own
she seemed to become quite obsessed with families in general for a time. He was quite kind to her when they met. When Eris was a bit older I explained to her
why I sent him away.�

�But, she does know that he�s the one who
killed Albus?�

�Yes, why?�

�Nothing, just a stray and strange thought. I�m sure she wouldn�t be that reckless anyway,�
Remus muttered.

�Please tell me what you were thinking.�

�I just keep getting the feeling that Eris
knows something about where Severus is and isn�t telling us.� Remus sighed.
�Do you remember when I mentioned that shadow following her?�

�Yes, is it still present,� Felicity asked
with interest.

Remus nodded. �Not always, but�well I�ve been keeping track
of when I do notice it and it seems to present itself whenever Scott Smith is
nowhere to be found. Moreover, Felicity,
that conversation I overheard the two of them having the other day definitely
concerned me. The boy called
You-Know-Who the Dark Lord. And then
there was the way he talked, the way he walks, sometimes even��

�Remus, are you trying to tell me that you
think Eris has Severus harbored here disguised as Scott?�

�Yes.�
Remus let his shoulders slump.
Aloud it sounded quite ridiculous.
Why would Eris help the man after what he had done when she had only met
him once?

______________________________________________________________________

Later
that night as Eris sat on her bed reading The
Necromantic Power of Elves, Severus came to sit with her. The Metamorph potion had worn off and she
noted that he seemed much more comfortable in his own skin, but who wouldn�t?

�Why exactly are you reading that,� Severus
asked in a sharp tone.

Eris gave him a probing look. �I�m looking for surefire ways of getting
Harry to trust me�or, well, more specifically feel like he owes me.�

That
dark-haired wizard looked quite alarmed for a moment. �Surely you can�t be so stupid as to be
considering resurrecting your parents?�

Eris snapped the book shut. �Of course not! I�ve found someone else whose body has been
rather conveniently preserved.�

�Who?�

�Now, now, Severus, if I told you it wouldn�t
be a surprise.�

Eris slipped off her bed and
returned the book to a shelf. She
studied the disgruntled wizard as he rose from his seat and approached her
slowly. He was not like the wizards that
Jackie was always claiming to be �hot� and �gorgeous�. He was far paler than any of the posters her
friend had ever shown her, his teeth were a bit crooked and yellowed, and his
hair hung limply about his face. Still,
his eyes were beautiful, like two pieces of chipped onyx glittering in
sunlight. His tall frame moved with an unearthly
grace that allowed him to slip unnoticed through the shadows. When he spoke (with his true voice), his
baritone rumblings poured over her like smooth honey. Overall, she thought that he was quite
attractive, if only she wasn�t worried about him handing her over to her doom
at any moment or forcing her into submission the way Lucius had. Jackie would call her crazy, she knew that
already. Jackie always said that she had
no sense of beauty. Eris liked to think
that she simply had the ability to find beauty in all things, something that
surprised her considering her general outlook on life.

It was
then that she realized that she was being studied in return. Her companion was now wearing a slight smirk
and she swore she could almost see a bit of humor in his eyes. �Are you quite alright, Eris? You have been staring off into space for
nearly ten minutes. You did the same
thing to Potter today. Is something on
your mind?�

Eris narrowed her eyes at the
smirking wizard. �So, you were slinking
about again. You really must stop
that. Remus is beginning to suspect
something. I know he is.�

The
infuriating man chose to ignore her comments.
�Did you see Draco blush? What
caused that I wonder?�

Eris ground her teeth. She knew very well what had caused it and she
would be damned before she would just tell Snape that. �It�s none of your business. Can we please get back to discussing the many
ways you are endangering both our lives?�

�Temper, temper,� Severus said smoothly. �I do believe that you have forgotten which
one of us is meant to be in charge.�

Eris froze. She knew she had been very lucky up to this
point that Severus had seen fit to refrain from using her as he was
allowed. So far, he had been quite kind,
holding her when she woke up from her nightmares and offering gentle kisses of
reassurance on her face and in her hair.
In the daylight, they were often snide to one another, but it had seemed
to be a game for him really. Had she
pushed him a bit too much this time?

Severus moved to stand behind her
and she allowed herself to be pulled into his arms and back against his warm
chest. She held herself rigid, uncertain
of what to expect. He began to rock her
gently and she felt him place several light kisses in her hair. When he spoke again, it was in a low murmur that
soothed her and caused her to relax against him. �You worry too much, my dear. I promise you that I have one last trick up
my sleeve if things should take a turn for the worst and I am discovered.�

�If you have another way to hide we will
probably need to use it once it comes time for Jackie, Zack, and Scott to go home.� Eris sighed.
�They�re leaving right after my birthday and that�s only two weeks
away.�

Severus stepped out in front of
her then. �What I�m going to show you
does not go beyond this room. We will
tell Draco before we put the plan into motion.�

Eris nodded. She smiled brightly at Severus� form began to
shift and shrink. Severus was an
animagus! Within a few moments and long,
jet-black ferret with glittering black eyes sat on the floor before her. She squatted down and gingerly picked him
up. �My, my, what a handsome little
thing you are.�

Settling back in the center of her
bed, she gently stroked the ferret�s back.
�You are quite right, Severus.
This will be perfect. I think I
know what Scott is getting me for my birthday.�

She gave a startled squeak as
Severus returned to his human form with lightening speed and pinned her to the
mattress with a sly grin. �Well, now
that that�s settled�are you going to tell me who you�re bringing back from the
dead?�

�All in good time, Severus,� she said
playfully and leaned upwards to kiss the tip of his nose. Slipping out from beneath him she glanced
back to see that he had sat back on his heels with a dumbstruck
expression. �Whatever is the matter with
you?�

�I�ve only ever seen you like this with
Draco,� he said quietly.

Eris blushed. �Well, I suppose I�ve gotten used to having
you around.�

He walked over to her then and
gently brushed his fingertips across her cheek.
�Its good that you�re slowly opening up to more people. It will help you get past it.�

Eris felt herself go rigid again
as she glared at Severus. �I don�t have
anything to get over.�

�Do you think I haven�t noticed that you
hardly let anyone touch you? It�s been
two years, Eris. You�ll never forget it,
but you can get better. You can
heal.� Severus gently pulled her to him
then and Eris chose to offer no resistance.
�I need to know what you�re going to do, Eris. I know you don�t truly want to serve him. Tell me what you really want.�

Eris leaned back and looked up
into his eyes. She knew that they would
give no hint as to whether or not she was about to fall into a trap. �I really don�t know, Severus.�

He nodded. �I take it you�ve discovered that you may
actually have a liking for your brother.�

�Yes.�
Eris took a deep breath. �I�m
going to lose something either way. Its
just a matter of deciding which way is really the right way to go.�

Severus snorted. �As though you hadn�t figured it out. Did you think it would escape my notice that
both you�re little American friends are Muggle-born? You don�t believe in his cause and you�re
being treated as his slave. Felicity
will be safe. We can make sure of that.�

�Wait a minute.� Eris pulled herself away from his grasp. �I thought�but you�all this time I didn�t
know if I should trust you.�

�I felt the same way about you.� Severus sighed. �Eris, I had no choice but to kill
Dumbledore. I was meant to protect my
role as a spy no matter what the cost was.
I made an Unbreakable Vow to Narcissa Malfoy. In short, I was cornered. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to
do, though I dare say not the thing that weighs the heaviest on my soul.�

�What��

�Some other time, my dear.�

Eris pursed her lips, but
nodded. �All right. So we�re good guys, spying on the bad guys.�

Severus shook his head. �I am spying, you are getting out of this as
soon as we can come up with an inconspicuous way to get Felicity to stay at
Hogwarts where she�ll be protected.�

Eris sighed. Well, it was decided then, at least for
now. She didn�t think Severus would be
so keen for her to abandon Voldemort if he knew the whole truth, but some
things were better left as secrets. She
still had time to change her mind if it turned out Harry wasn�t worth it. �Well, I suppose this means that I�ll have to
chose my own mate now,� she said with a small smile.

Severus rolled his eyes. �Never fear, Eris. Perhaps fate will spare you such a stressful
decision and choose for you.�

Eris allowed her horror to
show. �Don�t even think such things.�

All the infuriating man did was
laugh.
- 7
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