FIC: Phoenix Rising, Part 29 of 37

[geri_chan]

Title: Phoenix Rising, Part 29 of 37
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Word count: ~9,840
Warning: AU; my own version of Year 6 (was written pre-HBP).
Author's notes: {} Indicates character's unspoken thought
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Always (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Summer Vacation (Part 1, Part 2), For Old Time's Sake (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Three's a Crowd (or, Summer Vacation II) (Part 1, Part 2), Return of the Raven (Part 1, Part 2), Phoenix Reborn (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8)
Summary: Snape tutors the Death Eaters' children in the Dark Arts, and Hogwarts gets three new teachers when the new term begins.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28

***

Harry was having a great time. He was much more relaxed around Ginny than he had been with Cho, and although he wasn't a good dancer, Ginny was, and kept him from looking too inept. She was able to direct him without being obvious about it, with a gentle push on his shoulder or tug on his hand, and he pretty much just followed her lead and tried to avoid stepping on her feet. They laughed and joked and talked, about nothing much in particular, about Quidditch and their classes and teachers. While the other students stared in shock as Blackmore dragged Snape onto the dance floor, Harry and Ginny laughed, sharing a conspiratorial look. But then his good mood was interrupted when Dean Thomas came up and said, "Mind if I cut in, Harry?"

Startled, Harry looked around for Parvati, and saw her stalking off in a huff. "Well...um...er..."

"Yes," said Ginny firmly, "he does mind."

"Well, I, uh..." Harry stammered.

"And I mind," Ginny added, just as firmly.

"Oh, come on, Ginny," Dean said. "Just one dance. Look, I'm sorry about before, about that stupid fight we had over Rosier--"

"If you want to apologize to me," Ginny said, not looking very forgiving, "do it later. You're being rude, to Harry and to Parvati. You should be dancing with your date, not me."

"I only asked her because Seamus suggested it, since he was taking Lavender," Dean said sulkily, "and I didn't have anyone else to go with. I'm not interested in her, if that's what you're thinking."

"First of all," Ginny said angrily, "Parvati already asked me if I would mind if she went to the Ball with you, and I told her it was fine with me." Dean looked surprised and a little offended to hear that. "Second, you're missing the point. It doesn't matter if you're interested in Parvati or not; you asked her to the Ball, so you should be paying attention to her instead of going off and asking other girls to dance with you." She danced Harry off in another direction, away from Dean, and Harry gave his friend a sympathetic look and helpless shrug. Dean didn't go after Parvati, but went back to his table and moped.

"I feel a little sorry for him," Harry ventured timidly.

"Don't," Ginny said. Then she sighed a little and said, "He's a nice guy, but he has a lot of growing up to do. I can't stand being with someone that possessive. I want to be with someone who trusts me and has faith in me. Someone who won't be threatened every time another guy smiles at me."

Harry smiled a little. "It's easy to be jealous of Dylan Rosier."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Oh, Dylan's very handsome and charming, but he's a little too aware of it, if you know what I mean. I'd rather be with someone who's not quite so smooth."

For some reason, that statement cheered Harry up considerably, although he had never been particularly jealous of Dylan. Then, to his surprise, he saw Parvati step onto the dance floor with Damien Pierce. Harry heard a few mutters of outrage from some of the Gryffindor boys, but Ginny grinned and said, "Good for her! She's not going to sit in a corner and feel sorry for herself!" Harry was thinking that perhaps Parvati could cheer herself up with a boy who wasn't from Slytherin, but looked at Ginny's smiling face, and decided to keep that comment to himself. He knew it would only start an argument, and he wanted to enjoy the rest of the Ball. Then he grinned to himself, thinking, {Snape ought to be proud of me! I'm actually thinking before I act!}

Meanwhile, the Potions Master hurried off the dance floor as soon as the song was over, and stormed off into the garden, no doubt to vent his rage on some amorous students. Blackmore started back towards the head table, but Hagrid stopped her and asked for a dance; she smiled and consented. Bane watched them carefully from the head table, and although he had not objected when she had danced with Lupin or Snape, he seemed to take offense when Hagrid put his arm around the Incantations teacher's waist, and pull her just a little closer than was proper. Bane flew over and pecked Hagrid's hand sharply, hard enough to raise a drop of blood. Hagrid yelped and glared at the raven as he clutched at his wounded hand.

"Bad raven," Blackmore scolded, but there seemed to be a hint of amusement in her eyes and voice. Bane cawed in a defiant, unrepentant tone. "Sorry, Hagrid," Blackmore apologized. "Bane is a bit overprotective, sometimes."

"Here, why don't you come up to the hospital wing and I'll give you some salve for that?" Madam Pomfrey suggested.

"Never mind," Hagrid muttered gruffly. "I'm fine." But Pomfrey insisted, and he followed her out of the room.

Blackmore returned to the head table, and Harry overheard Damien Pierce snicker, "Serves him right!"

Harry glared at him, and Ginny said, "That's not very nice."

Damien just grinned at her. "I'm a Slytherin," he retorted. "I'm not supposed to be nice."

Parvati giggled. "Well, I think you're very nice!" she said.

"You'll ruin my reputation," Damien replied, and Parvati giggled again. "Well, maybe it wasn't very nice, but I think it's only his just dues, after all the times we've been bitten in his classes!" Damien and Parvati laughed, ignoring Harry's and Ginny's looks of disapproval, and continued dancing.

"Slytherins," Harry muttered.

"He's not so bad for a Slytherin," Ginny said. "Most of the time, anyway. And at least Parvati's having a good time after being abandoned." Harry wasn't sure he agreed, but decided not to argue the point, at least, not right now. And he felt a bit guilty about having abandoned Parvati himself during his first Yule Ball, although she had found a Beauxbatons boy to keep her entertained, and had not seemed to suffer overmuch.

"I suppose so," Harry said in a noncommittal voice, and Ginny smiled warmly at him.

"I know you don't care much for the Slytherins, Harry," she said, "but I'm glad that you're able to be mature about it." And suddenly Harry felt very glad that he'd managed to hold his tongue. He smiled back at her, and decided to forget about Slytherin for the rest of the evening and enjoy the rest of the Ball.

After several dances, they returned to their table to rest, along with Ron and Hermione. Luna Lovegood came up to their table; she was dressed in green robes that were surprisingly flattering (considering her normal unusual appearance), and she wore a wreath of holly on her head, and two small Christmas ornaments (one green glass ball and one red one) as earrings. "Hello," she said brightly. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Luna," Hermione said with a smile, and the others greeted her politely as well. She was a little strange, but she had fought alongside them in the battle at the Ministry of Magic, after all.

"I was wondering," Luna said to Hermione, "if you would mind if I borrowed Ronald for one dance."

"Not at all," Hermione replied cheerfully. "Go right ahead."

"Hey!" Ron protested. "Isn't anyone going to ask MY permission?"

"Would you like to dance with me?" Luna asked.

Ron opened his mouth to say "no" but Hermione gave him a look that said he had better say "yes." Harry wondered if she had picked it up from Blackmore. Ron mumbled reluctant assent, and Luna happily dragged him off onto the dance floor.

Harry turned to Ginny. "I thought you said it was rude to abandon your date."

"This is different," Ginny retorted. "Hermione doesn't mind, and it won't kill him to dance with Luna just once."

"I don't mind," Hermione confirmed. "Luna doesn't have many friends, and she really likes Ron, so he ought to be nice to her. I think it's kind of cute that she has a crush on him."

"Does she?" Harry asked.

The girls rolled their eyes. "Don't you remember that lion hat she wore to the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match last year?" Ginny asked impatiently. "And how she wished Ron luck?"

"I also remember she said that she didn't like to dance," Harry said, watching her dance with enthusiasm if not much skill. Ron stepped on her feet a couple of times but she didn't seem to mind. The girls just giggled, and Harry sighed. Fortunately for Ron, Luna seemed content with the one dance, and returned him to the table, thanking Hermione with a very serious expression on her face.

After Luna left, Hermione smiled at him and said, "Thank you for being nice to Luna, Ron."

Ron, who had been about to complain, suddenly flushed a little and said, "Oh, uh, yeah. No problem."

After the Ball, Harry and Ron said goodnight to their dates in the common room. Harry found himself feeling very awkward as he mumbled, "Well, um, goodnight, Ginny. I, um, had fun tonight."

"Me too, Harry," Ginny said. "I had a really good time tonight. Thank you." She hesitated for a moment, kissed him on the cheek, and then hurried off into the girls' dorm.

Ron was too preoccupied to notice. "I'm sorry I stepped on your feet so many times," he apologized to Hermione.

"It's okay," she said cheerfully. "I still have some of that healing salve we made in Snape's class. A little of that, and they'll be good as new!"

"Yeah, well, I had a good time," Ron mumbled, staring at his feet.

"Me too," Hermione said. "Thank you for inviting me."

"Really?" Ron asked, looking up. He sounded startled but pleased. "You're welcome." He leaned forward, kissed her on the cheek, then turned bright red and hurried off to his room.

Harry and Hermione just stood there staring dumbly at each other for a moment, holding their cheeks, then retreated to their respective rooms.

***

Early on the morning after Christmas, while everyone was still sleeping, the house-elf Dobby ventured into the dungeon and slipped an envelope under the door of Professor Snape's quarters. He was more than happy to do a favor for a friend of Harry Potter's, the nice girl who had knitted him a scarf and mittens for Christmas.

A few hours later, Lupin was fixing a pot of tea when he noticed the envelope lying on the floor. He picked it up and handed it to Snape, saying, "Here, Severus, I think this is for you."

Snape looked startled. "I wonder who it could be from?" he said, staring at the blank envelope.

Lupin grinned. "Perhaps it's a Christmas card, delivered a bit late."

Snape snorted; he was unlikely to be receiving Christmas cards from anyone except perhaps the Slytherin parents, and he had already received all of his obligatory Christmas bribes. He tore open the envelope and read the note inside: "Thank you very much for the book, Professor Snape". There was no signature, but he recognized the Granger girl's very neat and precise handwriting.

Lupin saw the look of horror that crossed his lover's face, and asked with avid curiosity, "What does it say, Severus? Who is it from?"

Snape saw Lupin leaning over his shoulder to read the note, and hastily crumpled it up and tossed it into the fireplace, where it quickly turned into ashes. "Just some, ah, junk mail," he said. "Nothing important."

"It's a bit early for an official mail delivery," Lupin said skeptically.

"I said it was nothing, Lupin!" Snape snapped, flushing a little. "But if you'd care to act as my secretary, you can handle my mail from now on!"

Lupin had his suspicions, but he kept them to himself. "No need to be so grumpy, Sev," he said mildly, and kissed Snape on the cheek. "But I suppose you haven't had your morning dosage of caffeine and sugar yet." He poured a cup of tea, mixed in some cream and a great deal of sugar, and handed it to Snape.

"Thank you, Remus," Snape said, relieved that Lupin seemed willing to let the matter drop. He returned Lupin's kiss, accepted the cup of tea, and silently resolved that he would absolutely, positively not buy any Christmas presents for any of the Gryffindor brats next year. And if the sarcastic little voice in his head scoffed at that, Snape pretended not to notice.

***

During the first week of Christmas vacation, Snape had been teaching the Death Eater offspring Dark Warding, which was the least dangerous thing he could think of, and it tied in nicely with what Lupin had been teaching them before the holidays. It was similar to the protective wards Lupin had shown them in class, but taken a step further: rather than simply blocking out an intruder, Dark Wards ensnared or inflicted damage on said intruder. The strongest of the Dark Wards would kill someone who tried to bypass them without the proper consent, but Snape didn't intend to teach the children those, and they weren't ready to handle such powerful spells yet, anyway. Draco seemed to be enjoying the lessons, and Crabbe and Goyle weren't as incompetent at it as Snape would have expected. Perhaps all the time and energy Lupin had expended on them had not been completely wasted. Theodore and Serafina seemed to enjoy the intellectual challenge the lessons provided, although he knew the reason behind the tutoring sessions made them nervous. At least Theodore trusted him a little, but Snape was still not sure how to win over Serafina. It was extremely unlikely that she would be hexed by her father and then inadvertently reveal that fact to Snape as Theodore had; such coincidences rarely happened more than once, and besides, it was more Theodore's fear for Blaise than for himself that had made him turn to Snape for help. Serafina did not seem to care about anyone that way, except perhaps her mother, and there was very little that Snape could do to help Delia Avery. But he caught Serafina staring at him thoughtfully once or twice, as if she were not quite sure what to make of him, which he supposed was better than outright contempt.

He gave them their main lessons in a group, but spent some time with each of the children in individual tutoring sessions, figuring that it would be easier to win their confidence if he spent time alone with them. Draco, as always, seemed pleased to receive praise and attention from his teacher, but his face took on a very odd look one day when Snape casually mentioned, "I am sure that Lucius will be pleased with your progress." All the emotion seemed to drain out of his face, except for just a hint of wariness and resentment in his eyes. Then he smiled and said, "Thank you, Professor," fixing his face in a polite mask, which worried Snape because Draco usually didn't bother to conceal his emotions.

Theodore looked tense and nervous during their sessions, but he smiled timidly when Snape praised his efforts. That vulnerable smile reminded him of Dylan's, and Snape nearly broke out in a cold sweat at the thought that he was just about the only thing standing between these children and the Dark Lord. Well, Lupin and the Order (or some of the Order, at least) would step in if anything happened to Snape, but if something did happen to Snape, the Order probably wouldn't find out about it until it was too late to save the children, and none of the children other than Dylan were likely to trust the Order, in any case. It was bad enough being responsible for Draco, Serafina, Crabbe, and Goyle, even though they didn't know it, but Theodore and Dylan were counting on him personally to protect them, and the thought of failing them filled him with terror and despair. This was ridiculous; he was a hardened former Death Eater and the bane of the students at Hogwarts. He had never before become personally attached to any of his charges during the fifteen years he had been teaching, but now he had, and he wondered, not for the first time, if his father was right about sentiment being a weakness.

Theodore was still worried about Blaise. He told Snape that Draco was cultivating Zabini and Pierce and some of the other students who, having little wealth or influence, might welcome the chance to advance themselves. And while Draco was eager to learn combative magic, Theodore seemed to be grateful for the warding lessons. Snape suspected that was because the boy was desperate to learn how to defend himself and his friend, and he promised to privately teach Theodore more protective spells, which earned him another grateful smile from the boy.

Unlike the boys, Serafina was not moved by Snape's praise; she performed all her assignments efficiently but emotionlessly. Wracking his brain for a way to win just a fraction of trust from her, he finally offered to teach her the same protective spells he was teaching Theodore.

A hint of surprise flickered in her violet eyes. "I thought that was what Professor Lupin's class was for," she said.

Did she sound just a tad offended, or was it Snape's imagination? He knew that Lupin had been trying hard to win over the Slytherins, although he had reported having little success with Serafina. But perhaps he had made more of an impression on her than he realized... Snape debated with himself for a moment, then decided to take a small risk. "I admit that the werewolf is not as incompetent as he seems," Snape said in a haughty manner, but Serafina stared at him in shock, because he had never before said anything remotely complimentary about Lupin, at least not around his Slytherins. "While I am sure that he has been able to teach you a few useful tricks," Snape continued, "only one who is familiar with the Dark Arts can truly defend against them. But if you are not interested..." He almost called her "Miss Avery," but changed his mind and said, "...Serafina, then I won't waste my time."

Serafina blinked in surprise at hearing him call her by her first name, which he rarely did with anyone other than Draco and Dylan. She stared directly into his eyes for a long time, which surprised Snape, because very few of his students had the courage to meet his gaze for more than a few seconds, but he stared back at her, silently entreating her to trust him.

When she finally spoke, her voice and face were as expressionless as always, but she said, "I am interested, Professor. Thank you."

"Very well, then," Snape said. "Return at the usual time for your lesson."

When Dylan returned to Hogwarts, Snape stepped up the pace of the lessons and shifted the focus to more serious spells. He knew that this was dangerous, but it was necessary because Lucius and the Dark Lord would not be satisfied with him teaching the children purely defensive spells, and as nasty as the Dark Wards were, they were essentially defensive and not aggressive magic. So he began teaching them Blood Magic, a subcategory of the Dark Arts in which power could be gathered from the spilling of blood. He cast the Aperio spell so that the children could see the magical energy being released, and tried to teach the children how to cast it themselves. Serafina picked up on it quickly, and Draco and Theodore were reasonably successful at it, although it would obviously take some time for them to completely master the spell; Crabbe and Goyle, not surprisingly, were hopeless at it.

But Snape knew he could not spend too much time on the Aperio spell when he was supposed to be teaching them the Dark Arts, so he moved on to the main lesson. He killed small creatures--frogs and mice and rats--and showed the children how to gather the energy released by their deaths. Although he slew the animals quickly and cleanly, and although they had been destined to become potion ingredients or food for the school owls, he still felt guilty about it. He tried to console himself a little by pretending that the rats were Pettigrew--he should have killed that treacherous piece of scum when he'd had the chance, back in the Shrieking Shack nearly three years ago, and cursed himself once again for not believing Lupin's story--but it didn't really help. It was not really so much the animals' deaths that troubled him, as it was the purpose those deaths were being put to. The children watched his demonstration with combined interest and revulsion, and as Snape had feared, Draco showed the least revulsion and the most interest.

"The bigger the animal, the more power released, right?" Draco asked, his eyes gleaming eagerly. "And the death of a person releases the most power of all, more than any animal."

"That is correct," Snape replied coolly, keeping his face and voice calm although he felt sick with worry inside. Maybe Moody was right; maybe in trying to save the children, he was only corrupting them further...but there was no point in dwelling on such thoughts now; he was the one who had come up with this plan, and now that the Dark Lord had ordered him to carry it out, there was no turning back. "But you will practice only on small animals under my supervision until I say otherwise." He gave them his most intimidating glare, the one that made his students quake in fear, and they all turned a little pale, even Serafina; it was nice to know that he hadn't lost his touch. "You are not to experiment outside of these lessons, most certainly not on any of your classmates, not even the Gryffindors. It would be most awkward to explain the disappearance of a student, not to mention that the penalty for carrying out a blood sacrifice is death or a Dementor's Kiss. Well, death only now that the Dementors are gone, I suppose." He gave Draco a hard stare. "Is that clear, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Yes, sir," Draco replied obediently, but Snape suspected that the boy didn't fear him as much as he should--the result of all those years of spoiling him and catering to Lucius Malfoy's wishes, no doubt. He decided he needed to emphasize his point, if only for Draco's sake; the other students looked properly cowed. "If you disobey me," Snape hissed, "it is not just my wrath you will face, but our Master's." All the children, including Draco, turned sheet-white. "He will be very, very cross if someone disrupts his plans by arousing the Ministry's suspicions with a foolish and impulsive act. Such an act might put the Death Eaters, including your father, in jeopardy, Mr. Malfoy."

"Don't worry, sir!" Draco said, with a great deal more fervor and sincerity. "I won't disobey you!"

"Good," said Snape, with a dark expression on his face. "Because compared to the Dark Lord, I would seem as soft as the werewolf." Draco paled further at the thought of someone who made Snape look soft, and Snape decided that he had frightened the boy enough. In fact, he hoped he had not alarmed the other children too much; he did not want to undo what little progress he had made with Serafina by talking too freely about the Dark Lord, but he had to make sure Draco didn't run around practicing Dark Magic on his classmates. Serafina's eyes flickered with brief surprise, then narrowed slightly when he made that comment about "the werewolf." He would have to watch himself carefully around the girl; it was difficult to tell what she was thinking, but he suspected that she was as perceptive as Dylan, and this was the second time he had referred to Lupin in front of her within the past week. She stared at him intently for a moment, as if trying to take his measure, then her face went blank again as Draco happened to glance in her direction.

Snape continued the lesson with the children much subdued. "What're we supposed to do with this energy we're gathering?" Crabbe asked.

Draco gave his henchman an impatient look, but Snape explained calmly, "Casting spells uses up energy. You may not have noticed before, because the spells you have learned at Hogwarts so far are relatively simple and easy ones. But performing a very powerful spell--say, summoning a Greater Elemental, healing a person near death, or conjuring up a storm in clear weather--will drain you of energy and make you as tired as if you had worked a full day of hard physical labor. You can take the energy released by blood sacrifice and use it in place of your own to fuel such a spell, or use it to replenish your own strength if you are tired or injured." This was partly why the Dark Lord had been so intent upon killing Muggles and Muggle-born, although Snape did not mention this to the children. It was not just his hatred for them--although that hatred seemed to be sincere--but his desire to gain power from their deaths that had motivated his murderous rampage. "However," Snape continued, "you must learn to properly channel this energy or it will be useless to you. And that is what the spells I am teaching you are for."

"Oh," Crabbe said, looking surprised that Snape had explained all this to him without berating him for being an idiot. Snape noticed that no one other than Crabbe and Goyle seemed to find his lecture particularly enlightening. Draco, Dylan, Theodore, and Serafina all listened attentively and nodded occasionally, but it was clear that they already understood the concept of Blood Magic even if they hadn't practiced it before. But they were Slytherins and the children of Death Eaters; it was only natural that they would have much more knowledge of the Dark Arts than your average Hogwarts student.

Crabbe and Goyle were surprisingly squeamish about killing the small sacrifices, although they did as they were told, and found the lessons rather frustrating, because most of the spells required a subtle touch that they lacked. Dylan, Theodore, and Serafina, although they were adept enough at the spells, seemed to be repulsed by them. But Draco enjoyed the lessons a little too much for Snape's taste, and he worried once again that he had made a big mistake by proposing to tutor the children in the Dark Arts.

"I'm worried about you, Severus," Lupin said one night. "You're running yourself ragged with these lessons."

"I work harder than this during normal classes," Snape said dismissively. "I'm only teaching six students, after all."

"That's not what I meant," Lupin said gently. "It's taking an emotional toll on you, Severus; you can't deny it."

"I'm not sure I'm doing the right thing," Snape admitted. "I think I'm making progress with Theodore and Serafina, but I'm afraid that I'm only pushing Draco closer to the Death Eaters. He enjoys the lessons too much."

"You're doing the best you can, my love," Lupin said, stroking his cheek. "It was important to keep Theodore and Serafina safely away from their parents."

"But what if it turns out that I'm sacrificing Draco for their sake?" Snape asked, his black eyes looking haunted. "On the other hand, how could I sacrifice Theodore and Serafina for Draco's sake? What if I can't save them all? How can I choose which of my children to save, Lupin?" He didn't seem to notice that he had referred to them as his "children" and not his "students," and Lupin didn't think that now was the right time to point it out to him. Snape laughed bitterly. "I let Dylan's father and Lyall Wilkes die for the greater good--"

"You didn't 'let' them die, Severus," Lupin interrupted in a firm voice.

"I didn't try to save them," Snape said. "It amounts to the same thing. I didn't try to persuade them to leave the Death Eaters because it would have jeopardized my cover, and innocent people might have died. But I'm still not sure I made the right choice."

"You did the best you could, Severus," Lupin said gently, although he knew that his lover would not be comforted by his words. "You can't take all the blame. Evan and Lyall were grown men with minds of their own. You made the choice to renounce the Death Eaters; they could have done so as well, but they chose not to."

"But Draco's still a child," Snape whispered. "A spoiled, selfish child, but still, a child. He's not responsible for his actions in the same way that you can argue Evan and Lyall were. If by saving the others, I must give him up to the Death Eaters, should I do it?"

"We will save them all," Lupin said fiercely, throwing his arms around Snape and holding him tightly. "We won't sacrifice any of them!" He told himself that there was no other option. The guilt Severus felt over Evan Rosier and Lyall Wilkes was bad enough; he was afraid it would break Severus completely if one of his Slytherin children fell to the Death Eaters. And besides, Lupin had come to care for the Slytherins as much as Severus had. He cared for his other students as well--the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws--but the Slytherins seemed especially needy and vulnerable somehow. Crabbe and Goyle, so eager for a little praise and a kind word. Dylan, who had grown up too fast, being forced to live a lie for nearly all of his young life. Theodore and Serafina, always so guarded and distrustful, because they had long ago been betrayed by the people who should have loved and protected them--their parents. Even Draco, who despite his arrogant and insufferable manner, was a child who longed for his father's approval. He wanted to protect all of them and smother them with love. Maybe he was as motivated by guilt as Severus was; maybe he was only projecting onto them his wish that he had tried harder to love and protect Severus when they had been children themselves. Maybe he was trying to atone for his own sins, but whatever the reason, the Slytherin children had become dear to his heart, and he would do whatever he must to protect them. "We will save them all," Lupin repeated, no longer sure whether he was trying to persuade Severus or himself of that. "Even Draco. I reached him once; I can do it again. We just have to show him that we care about him."

Snape knew it wouldn't be as easy as Lupin made it sound, but his lover had that stubborn look on his face that Snape knew so well, and suddenly he felt much better. Whenever Lupin got that look on his face, he inevitably got his way; little Draco Malfoy was no match for a stubborn werewolf, Snape thought to himself with amusement.

Much to Lupin's surprise, Snape suddenly grinned, kissed him soundly, and said, "I love you, Remus!"

Lupin smiled at him, looking confused but pleased, and replied, "I love you, too, Severus."

"We can do it," Snape said confidently, and when Lupin gave him another confused look, he added, "I'm counting on you, Remus. You broke down my resistance, despite a grudge held for nearly two decades. And these children are nowhere near as tough as me."

Lupin threw back his head and laughed. He knew that this was not the end of their worries and doubt, but for now, he felt confident that they could save their Slytherin children. He simply would not allow himself to picture any other possible outcome.

***

Dumbledore called an Order meeting shortly before school started again, and they were joined by a new member.

"You!" Moody snarled in disbelief as Ariane walked into the room.

"She is Mathias Donner's representative," Dumbledore said sternly. "Whatever she may have done in the past, she is on our side now."

"How can we be sure of that?" a furious Moody asked. "How can we be sure she will not betray us?"

"The Dark Lord has threatened her life and her son's," Snape answered curtly. "She will not betray us."

McGonagall gave Ariane a wary look. "How do we know that she will not betray us for the sake of her son?" she asked quietly. "A mother might do anything to protect her child if, for example, the Death Eaters should suspect she is working for us, and threaten Dylan if she does not help them..."

Ariane met the eyes of her accusers without flinching and said, "My uncle has put me under Geas." A murmur of surprise rippled around the table. "I cannot betray you. If I try to speak of this meeting to anyone outside of the Order, the words literally will not come out of my mouth."

"What if You-Know-Who tries to rip the information out of your mind by force?" Shacklebolt asked suspiciously. As an Auror, he had seen some of the victims Evan Rosier and Lyall Wilkes had tortured and killed, and he was not inclined to be forgiving.

"Geas cannot be broken, not even unwillingly or unintentionally," Ariane replied in a steady voice. "If the Dark Lord tries to take the information from my mind with his magic, I will die."

Silence fell over the table. Snape was certain that no one had explained this piece of information to Dylan and he profoundly hoped that he would never have to.

Moody still glowered at her, but no one voiced any further objections as Ariane took her seat at the table. Branwen broke the silence by asking if Goewin was still having any prophetic dreams or visions.

"Yes, but her dreams are vague," Ariane replied. "Math says that is because the baby is not fully formed yet. They will probably grow clearer as her time of birth draws near."

Sirius drummed his fingers on the table nervously. "I wonder why the baby is so important?" he said. "Does Miyako's prophecy mean that Goewin will have some vision vital to winning the war while she is pregnant, or must we wait for the child to grow up and become a Seer?" The first might mean that the war was coming very soon, but the second would mean that the final battle would not come for at least several years.

"Goewin sees the children in her dreams," Ariane whispered, her silver-gray eyes suddenly growing fearful. "She sees Dylan and Draco and the other Death Eaters' children fighting on the battlefield, although she cannot tell which side they are fighting for. And she sees the Potter boy and his friends. They look the same to her as they do now, teenagers, not adults, so if the dreams are true, the war cannot be more than a couple of years away at most. Probably less."

Silence fell over the table again, a particularly gloomy one. Finally Tonks cleared her throat and asked, "Does Goewin see the outcome of the war?"

"Not always," Ariane replied. "Mostly she just sees the battle and not the conclusion. But sometimes she sees the Dark Lord falling to the Potter boy, and at other times the Dark Lord triumphs and we all die."

The other members of the Order stared at her in horror, and Dumbledore said softly, "The future is not set in stone. There were two possible outcomes from the first Prophecy, and Voldemort sealed his fate and set events in motion by trying to kill Harry. A Seer does not necessarily see what will be, but rather the likeliest of all possible futures."

"There are only two possible futures here," Moody muttered. "Either we win and the world is saved, or we lose and the world as we know it is destroyed. I don't need a Seer to tell me that."

"Miyako said the child is important," Lupin insisted, "and that she would help turn the tide of the war. It must be that the child, either directly or through Goewin, will give us some hint that will help us win the war."

"Fine," Moody said skeptically. "But I don't think we should sit around waiting for visions."

"No one is saying that we should, Alastor," Dumbledore said patiently.

"How are your little Death-Eaters-in-training doing, Snape?" Moody asked sarcastically.

Snape glared at him, but before he could make a retort, Mrs. Weasley snapped in a sharp voice, "Alastor!" It made Snape regard her a little more benevolently than he usually did, and it pleased him that she seemed to care about his Slytherin students despite the fact that she had produced a passel of annoying Gryffindor brats.

"These children don't give their trust easily," Snape said in a cool voice, "but I believe that I am making some progress. They aren't like their parents; all of them save Draco are a little afraid of the spells that I am teaching them."

"I'm not sure that Mr. Malfoy has the good sense to be scared when he should be," McGonagall muttered, looking a little worried.

"We are making progress," Lupin said firmly. "All the Slytherins, even Draco, are gradually becoming accustomed to working and cooperating with the Gryffindors, thanks in great part to Branwen's project. There are even a few tentative friendships blossoming among them. We will prevent them from making the same mistakes their parents did."

"All well and good for the children," Shacklebolt said, although he didn't look as though he believed Lupin. "But they aren't our main problem; their parents are. Winning over the Slytherin children won't matter if You-Know-Who wins the war."

"It might make a difference," Tonks said thoughtfully. "Ariane said that Goewin saw the children fighting in her dreams. It's possible that which side the Slytherin children choose to fight on could make a difference in the outcome of the war."

Ariane looked very unhappy, though she said nothing, and Molly Weasley cried out, "We can't involve the children in a war!"

"They're already involved, Molly," Branwen said gently. "Voldemort has been trying to kill Harry ever since he was a baby."

"My Slytherins are involved, too," Snape said grimly. "The Death Eaters intend to hand their children over to the Dark Lord unless we stop them."

"How could anyone do such a thing to their own children?" Molly whispered in horrified disbelief.

"The Malfoys are doing it because they believe that Draco will have a position of honor and power in the Dark Lord's world," Snape replied, although her question was probably rhetorical. "And Crabbe and Goyle are doing it because they do whatever Lucius Malfoy does. Andreas Avery and Thaddeus Nott see their children as possessions, pawns to be manipulated in a game of power, and sacrificed if necessary. At best they see their children as a means by which to carry on the family name, but I assure you that they have no tender feelings for their offspring." Molly shook her head, looking more stunned and horrified than ever, and Snape marveled at that typical Gryffindor idealism and naivety. He both scorned her and envied her for it at the same time; a world in which it was inconceivable that a parent could harm a child seemed like something out of a fairy tale to him.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and changed the subject, although he gave Molly a sympathetic look. "The Japanese emissaries have met with the Ministry officials, with only limited success, I am sorry to report. They are willing to accept whatever aid the Japanese wizards will offer, but were less receptive to our allies' suggestion that they grant equal rights to the non-humans."

Sirius groaned, "Those idiots! They won't realize the danger until Voldemort shows up on their doorstep! He already has, come to think of it--shown up on their doorstep, I mean--and they're still more worried about their pride and their stupid prejudices! It's hopeless!"

"Maybe not," Dumbledore said. "They didn't outright refuse--"

"No, let me guess, they decided to form a committee and debate about it endlessly," Sirius said sarcastically.

"That's uncomfortably close to the truth," Dumbledore sighed. "But still, at least they're willing to acknowledge the possibility, which is a slight improvement. They were a bit shaken by the, ah, exotic and unusual nature of the emissaries, but perhaps once they calm down, they'll be more sensible." Sirius rolled his eyes in disbelief. "In the meantime," Dumbledore continued, "Professor Kamiyama and his friends have sent along these protective charms for us." He passed out charms that resembled the omamori charms Kamiyama's temple sold, except that the little brocade bags were strung on loops of black cord so they could be worn like necklaces. The Order members accepted them, although a few, like Moody, looked at them a bit skeptically.

Branwen examined hers closely. "There is a very strong enchantment upon them," she assured Moody, and everyone put them on, tucking the charms out of sight beneath their robes.

"I have also arranged for the emissaries to meet select groups of non-humans," Dumbledore said. "Discreetly, of course--and I have obtained permission for them to teach as guest lecturers at Hogwarts for the coming term."

"Well, this should be interesting," Snape muttered.

"It sounds like fun, Severus," Lupin said in a bright, chirpy tone, and Snape gave him a sour look.

***

When school started again, Dumbledore cheerfully announced that three guest instructors, on loan from the Japanese school of magic, Mahou Gakkou, would be teaching at Hogwarts for the rest of the school year "in order to promote friendship and an exchange of ideas between our peoples." An excited buzz of hushed conversation broke out across the room, and Dumbledore motioned for quiet, but he looked pleased. "Professor Chizuru will be teaching healing and weaving magic." Most of the boys stared in awe at the beautiful woman who rose from her seat, smiled, and bowed slightly in the direction of the students. "Master Karasu will be teaching physical defense and martial arts, and Master Satoshi will be teaching illusion." To the students' further shock, the Headmaster explained that their new teachers were all shapeshifters--Chizuru was a crane maiden, Karasu was a tengu, and Satoshi was a tanuki. Satoshi demonstrated this most dramatically by transforming himself into his true form, a plump raccoon dog, right at the head table. The students gasped in surprise, then giggled as he waved at the crowd of students with one paw, and picked up his tea cup with the other and took a sip from it. He transformed back into his human form after McGonagall gave him a stern look usually reserved for her students rather than a fellow teacher.

"'Friendship and exchange of ideas,' hah!" Draco said to Dylan at the Slytherin table. "The old man's trying to make some new allies!"

"We shouldn't talk about such things here," Dylan whispered, letting his eyes dart over in Snape's direction, and Draco fell silent. He hated to admit it, but Rosier was right; Snape would have a fit if he caught Draco talking about Death Eater business in public. Meanwhile, Dylan was laughing and making harmless small talk with the girls, who were fawning over him as usual, and admiring his new silver hair clasp.

"My mother gave it to me for Christmas," Dylan said happily.

"The rose design is so beautiful," gushed Pansy.

"It's the crest of my father's family," Dylan replied.

"Oh yes, I see, it matches the design on your ring!"

Draco scowled. Dylan was the only boy he knew who could get away with wearing a hair clasp--one engraved with flowers, no less!--without looking like a sissy. Draco's hair wasn't long enough to tie back, but even it was, he knew he'd look ridiculous if he tried such a thing.

Damien Pierce, not surprisingly, was drooling over the new female teacher. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" he asked dreamily. Most of the other boys nodded in agreement, looking just as spellbound.

"She's a non-human, you dolts!" Draco snapped. "Are you telling me you'd like to mate with a bird, for Merlin's sake?!"

"If she looks like that, yes!" Damien laughed, then blanched a little when Draco glared at him.

"You're disgusting!" Yvonne squealed. She had not been particularly happy to come back from touching up her makeup and gossiping with some other girls in the restroom to find her date dancing with a Gryffindor girl at the Yule Ball. She still hadn't forgiven him, but Damien didn't particularly seem to care.

"It's not that big a deal," Dylan said in a mild voice. "She's a teacher; it's not like she's going to be messing around with any of the students. There's no harm in admiring a beautiful woman from afar, is there?"

"Exactly!" Damien agreed hastily. "It's an...ah...aesthetic appreciation of beauty!"

Draco rolled his eyes, but didn't argue further, and the conversation quickly moved on to safer subjects. But after breakfast, he hurried over to talk to Snape.

"We both have class in a few minutes, Malfoy," Snape said impatiently.

"Do we really have to take lessons from those non-humans?!" Draco asked in an outraged voice.

Snape sighed, looking annoyed and a little weary. "We can't talk about such things here, Draco; let's go to my office. You'll be late for your first class, but I'll write you a note."

As soon as they were alone, Draco burst out, "It's unthinkable, to force us to take lessons from animals!"

"You're already taking lessons from the werewolf," Snape pointed out in a dry voice, "and unpleasant as that must be, you have managed to survive it." Draco flushed. "And as much as I hate to admit it, he seems to have taught you a few useful spells; I heard that you were able to summon a full Patronus. Quite impressive for someone your age, in such a short period of time."

Draco flushed again, but this time with pleasure. "Yes, sir," he said, in a calmer voice. "But what's the point of all these extra lessons? Besides Dumbledore trying to forge new alliances, that is. Does our Master know about--?"

Snape cut him off sharply. "Our Master knows all he needs to know, Malfoy! Neither he nor I need to be instructed in our business by a schoolboy!" Draco fell into a sulky silence, and Snape added in a more benign voice, "However, I am pleased that you were able to infer the implications behind the Headmaster's little gesture of 'friendship.'"

"Thank you, sir!" Draco said proudly, forgetting his sulk.

"As I have told you before, Draco," Snape continued, "my position here is tenuous at present. I cannot afford to draw suspicion to myself by opposing Dumbledore on this matter. Think of it as a test or challenge of sorts, Draco." Draco gave him a confused look, and Snape explained with a sly smile, "Play along with the Headmaster, Draco. Play the role of the studious, obedient schoolboy and lull the suspicions of our enemies. Let them think you harmless for now; perhaps you can even pretend to be won over by these new 'friends.'"

"Sort of like being a spy?" Draco asked thoughtfully.

"Exactly," Snape said. His mouth was still smiling, but his black eyes were cold and hard. Draco shuddered a little, but he felt flattered at being given such an important role to play.

"All right, sir," Draco said in a determined voice. "I'll do my best."

"Good," Snape said, relaxing a little. The cold look left his eyes, and he smiled at Draco almost indulgently. "Human or not, our new guests are experts in fields of magic rarely taught at Hogwarts; take this opportunity to learn what you can from them. Think of the irony, Mr. Malfoy--Dumbledore's allies educating his enemies."

Draco laughed maliciously. "Someday, maybe we'll be able to use what we learned against them!"

"Exactly," Snape said. "Now, you had better run along, Draco--I believe Incantations is your first class of the day, and Professor Blackmore doesn't approve of tardiness." Draco shuddered again, and Snape wrote him an excuse note.

Draco took the note and hurried off to class; he was only a few minutes late. Blackmore raised an eyebrow as she read the note, but she simply ordered him to take his seat without handing out punishment or asking for any further explanation.

***

The new teachers settled in at Hogwarts, and soon became quite popular with most of the students. Both the male and female students were in awe of Chizuru, who never seemed to hurry; rather, she moved with an air of very slow, deliberate grace. She never raised her voice, either; she spoke in a very soft, slightly accented voice, but she never had any trouble making herself heard. There was something in her voice, as quiet as it was, that made even the rowdiest students fall silent and listen in rapt attention.

There was a reason, it turned out, why healing magic was not taught at Hogwarts: only those born with the Healing Gift could practice true healing magic. Since so few people were born with that gift, a budding healer was usually apprenticed to a more experienced mentor rather than being taught such skills in the classroom.

"How can you tell if you have the Gift?" Hermione Granger asked.

Chizuru smiled. "A true healer can tell. I will examine each of you, and see whether you have the Gift or not." The "examination," as far as Draco could tell, consisted of Chizuru holding a student's hand, closing her eyes and meditating for a minute or two, then pronouncing them Gifted or not. Of the sixth-year Slytherins, only Zabini had the Gift, although a very minor one, Chizuru said. He blinked and looked surprised. "But even a minor Gift can be useful, if properly trained and utilized."

Draco later found out that among the fifth-years, Dylan also had a minor Gift. "Why am I not surprised?" Draco muttered to himself. Dylan Rosier was good at everything; why not healing, too? But what was surprising was that Serafina Avery had the Healing Gift, a full and true one, according to Chizuru. "Avery?" Draco muttered incredulously when he heard the news. She obviously had a gift for hexing; healing seemed antithetical to that. In fact, it seemed inappropriate for a future Death Eater to have a Healing Gift, somehow.

Among the Gryffindors, Lavender Brown and Neville Longbottom both had minor Gifts; Draco found that even more shocking than the news about Avery. "Longbottom is Gifted at something?" Draco exclaimed in disbelief. The Gryffindors glared at him, but Professor Chizuru just smiled at him serenely and said, "Everyone is gifted at something, Mr. Malfoy."

For those who were not Gifted, their class time was not wasted. She taught them more mundane healing methods--such as how to set broken bones and bandage wounds. It might not be magical, she told her class, but in an emergency such knowledge might save the life of a victim until a healer could be summoned. Draco chafed at performing such Muggle-like tasks, but recalling Snape's instructions to "play along," he gritted his teeth and did as he was told. The beautiful crane maiden rewarded him with one of her gentle smiles, and he found himself smiling back without thinking. He berated himself a moment later, reminding himself that it was one thing to play the role of the obedient schoolboy, but that he couldn't fall into the trap of being beguiled by a pretty face like that skirt-chaser Pierce or those idiots Crabbe and Goyle, who stared at her with a befuddled, almost worshipful gaze. Draco would berate his two henchmen in private about going soft, and they would promise not to do it again, but every time Chizuru smiled at them, they would get that glazed, adoring look in their eyes again. Most of the boys in all the Houses looked at her that way; sometimes Draco had to stop himself from doing it, and wondered if she could be projecting some sort of glamor.

She also taught them how to prepare healing salves, poultices, and elixirs, somewhat different from the ones Professor Snape was teaching them. Draco spoke in private to Snape, who confirmed that the Japanese healer's concoctions were effective, if a bit exotic. In fact, Draco noticed them discussing healing potions at the dinner table sometimes, and she stopped by his office every now and then when she needed a particular ingredient for her classes. If the crane maiden did possess the ability to beguile men, Snape seemed to be immune to it, treating her with a kind of cool politeness, although that oaf Hagrid was as tongue-tied and befuddled around her as Crabbe and Goyle were.

She also set up a loom in the classroom to teach what she called "weaving magic." Her people, she said, were expert weavers. She asked if anyone had ever heard of an old Japanese folktale called "The Crane's Gift"; not surprisingly, Granger raised her hand and recited the story:

"An elderly couple found a wounded crane in the snow, nursed it back to health, and released it. Not long after that, a young woman showed up on their doorstep, begging for shelter. The kindly couple took her in, of course, and having no children of their own, soon came to look upon her as a daughter. The couple was very poor, and their adopted daughter said she would weave cloth for them to sell, but told them that they must promise never to look in on her while she wove it. To their amazement, she wove the most beautiful cloth they had ever seen. They were able to sell it for a good price in gold, and soon they were living comfortably. Whenever they needed more money, the daughter would retreat into her room and weave more cloth. The old couple grew quite curious about how she wove such magnificent cloth, and one day they could not resist, and peeked in on her. To their surprise they saw a crane, plucking feathers from her own breast, and weaving them into cloth on the loom. It was the crane they had saved, who had come to repay their kindness. But now that they had seen her true form, she could no longer stay with them, and flew away forever."

"Very good, Miss Granger," Chizuru said with a smile, and Granger beamed at her. "Weaving is the Gift of my people, you might say. I cannot teach you to weave with feathers, of course." She laughed gently, and the class--or most of them, anyway--smiled at her adoringly. "But I can teach you how to weave magic into the cloth. Spells of healing can be woven into bandages, to help wounds heal faster, and spells of protection can be woven into cloth to make healing charms or garments. A Master class mage can make a robe that will provide as much protection as a suit of armor. Such things are beyond the scope of this class, of course, but I can teach you to weave small magics of healing and protection. There are also practical spells that can be woven into cloth to make them stronger or to repel stains, and spells of no practical value save to make the cloth more beautiful, to make it shimmer and glow."

Chizuru told them she had woven the cloth for her own kimonos; she usually wore one of plain white silk bordered with black, but sometimes she wore ones that seemed to made of the magical cloth in the fairy tale of the Crane Daughter, in beautiful lustrous colors and intricate patterns of birds or flowers or waves. She made the weaving look easy, but it was really quite difficult. Working the loom was not as easy as it looked--more Muggle work, Draco thought disgruntledly--and working the spells into the cloth took a delicate touch, not to mention that it was difficult and to weave and cast a spell at the same time. Chizuru could work her weaving magic without a wand, but the students could not, and the magic worked best, their instructor told them, when it was being cast upon the cloth as it was being woven. So they found it was easier to work in pairs, with one person weaving and one person casting the spells. Crabbe and Goyle had the most difficulty in this class, with both their cloth and their spells turning into a knotted, tangled mess, but Chizuru never scolded them, and always encouraged them and praised their hard work (if not their talent), and despite the fact that they found the lessons rather frustrating at times, they were always eager to come to her class.

She also started an informal sort of social club, where she gave lessons on origami (the Japanese art of paper folding), flower arranging, and the Japanese tea ceremony, or sometimes simply talked about the customs of her homeland. It was an extracurricular club, so no one was required to attend, but these sessions were quite popular, as most of the boys were infatuated with crane maiden, and most of the girls idolized her and wanted to emulate her. Draco attended a few of the meetings, but he found the flower arranging boring, and all the complicated rituals that went into making and drinking a simple cup of tea (and bitter tea at that) for the tea ceremony rather pointless. The origami folding was mildly amusing, though, and she taught them a useful little enchantment: how to make the little origami cranes fly. One could write a brief message on a square piece of paper, fold it into the shape of a bird, and send it flying off to whomever the message was intended for. The enchantment lasted only briefly and had a very limited range, so it would never replace the owl post, but it was useful for sending notes to friends within the school, and it soon became all the rage for sweethearts to send each other love notes via the little paper cranes. The students soon learned not to send them during class, though, after one crane found its way into Snape's third-year Potions class. He plucked the crane out of the air, unfolded it, and read it aloud in his uniquely scathing voice as the Slytherin half of the class howled with laughter, and the intended recipient of the message (a Gryffindor girl) turned beet-red with humiliation.

Part 30