Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: All the characters mentioned from the Harry Potter books belong to JKR. All other characters mentioned in these pages belong to Velvet Song or myself. No monies changed hands during the writing of this story.

Author's Notes: This is the sequel to Velvet Song's "Damsels and Dragons" which she allowed me to complete and post to this archive. If you have not read the first story, I strongly encourage you to do so to avoid any confusion while reading this story. The first chapters by Velvet Song can be found here: http://www.thepetulantpoetess.com/viewstory.php?sid=18337, and my concluding chapters can be found here: http://www.thepetulantpoetess.com/viewstory.php?sid=19501.

Thanks to noybate for the prompt beta.

Chapter 9

Severus Apparated to the gates of the school only to find that, sometime in the last twenty-four hours, the wards had been changed. 'What the hell?' he thought as he felt the shock that meant he was not to be admitted without another teacher present. 'What's been happening here?' His questions were answered a few minutes later when Minerva came charging up to the gate, Lucius and Remus in close pursuit.

"Severus, is that you?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously through the bars of the gate.

"Have you gone daft, woman?" Severus snarled. "Of course it's me. What's going on here?"

"Now, now, old boy, don't take that tone," Lucius drawled. "Just a precautionary measure."

Remus muscled his way past the other wizard. "Can you prove you're who you say you are?" he asked. "Tell us something only the four of us would know."

"I know if you don't let me in, I'll let Athair have you, you mangy cur," Severus said sharply. Then he paused, thinking over his words. "Did I actually say that?" he muttered, half to himself.

Minerva made an adjustment to the wards and swung open the gates. "You certainly did say that," she answered, smiling at the shock on his face. "Where's Hermione?"

"In London," he answered shortly. "I'll answer all questions once everyone is together. And no, Minerva, I don't know how long she'll be." He moved down the path to the castle, his robes billowing out behind him, while the gates clanged shut behind him. "I take it you'll have to let Hermione in as well once she arrives?"

"Yes, but then I'll key the wards to her as well," Minerva said. "We've a great deal to discuss, you and I."

Severus stopped in his tracks, causing the others to have to stop or crash into him. "What are you talking about, Minerva? I've done nothing that I'm aware of." He watched her warily. "Has this something to do with the wards at the gate?"

"Yes and no," Minerva said, waving him on like a recalcitrant schoolboy. "We think we had an intruder. There were some incidents yesterday, and I...Severus! Where are you going?" Hiking up her robes, she took off after the running wizard, practically mowing down Remus and Lucius in her hurry.

The two wizards looked at one another. "After you," Lucius said with a bow. Remus grinned and began to run after the Headmistress. Lucius looked to the sky with a 'why me?' gesture and followed at a jog.

§§§§§§§

"Severus?" Minerva gasped for breath as she caught up with the younger wizard in the entrance hall. "Whatever is the matter?"

He paused, his foot on the first step to the upper floors. "Were the wards to Hermione's Potions lab breached?" he asked, his attention more on the staircase than the Headmistress.

"No," she assured him. "We checked that along with the wards to her quarters. They were tampered with but not breached. Yours, on the other hand..."

Severus swung on her. "If the person who was here even found my quarters, he or she would have to be a wizard of great power," he sneered.

"Exactly," Minerva agreed. "I know where your quarters should be, and even I couldn't find them. That's one of the things we need to discuss."

"I'll not discuss family secrets with you, Minerva," Severus said as he started up the stairs. "For one thing, I can't. For another, even if I could, I wouldn't. Now, I need to see to the projects Hermione and I have brewing in the lab. If you'll excuse me?"

"We're having a staff meeting as soon as Hermione gets back," Minerva called up to the wizard just disappearing around the first landing. "You'll be there or answer to me." She dropped to the first step of the staircase and sat there, her hands on her knees. "Why do I even bother?" she asked rhetorically.

Lucius joined her on the step. "Because you care about him," he answered, placing a hand on top of hers and patting it. "It's probably your strongest as well as your weakest point, Minerva. You care about your people."

Minerva looked at him from the corner of her eye. "You've certainly mellowed out in the past few years," she commented. "I don't believe I've ever heard you say that to anyone."

"Not out loud anyway," Lucius said with a smile. "And if you tell anyone, I'll simply deny it."

"Of course you will." Minerva smiled back. "You're a Slytherin through and through."

"And you're a Gryffindor, but I won't hold that against you," he teased, standing up. "That step needs a cushion if it's going to be used as a seat," he groaned, holding his back. Reaching down, he helped Minerva to her feet.

"Thank you, Lucius," she said, then nodded her head up the stairs. "Look after him, will you? I wouldn't put it past him to try and sneak out just to avoid the meeting." She glanced over at Remus, who stood in the doorway of the staff room. "I suppose we should continue our research. Remus, will you be ready to report on your meetings yesterday?"

"Not that I found out anything new," Remus answered, "but I'll give a report anyway."

"That's all I ask," she said, sounding tired all of a sudden. "I've a bit of paperwork in my office to be done before school starts. Might as well get to it." She turned to go upstairs, but paused and turned around. "Lucius, do you know what magic Severus was talking about?"

"I would imagine it has to do with the Prince side of his family," Lucius said, nodding to himself. "Some of the old family magics are such that witches and wizards are oath-sworn not to reveal them. He probably can't talk about it, and I doubt Hermione would know anymore than I do unless Severus told her."

Minerva sighed. "If that's the case, Hermione will be oath-sworn not to reveal it as well." She turned and started up the staircase once again. "I'll see you later, then."

Lucius started to follow her up the stairs, his mission to check on Severus. "Indeed. We shall meet later."

§§§§§§§

Hermione, having been met at the gates and given the same tests and explanations, was more concerned about her potions than the intruder, although he or she did warrant some concern. Once she knew there had been no unauthorised access to the potions lab and Severus had reassured her on the state of the potions, she was more than happy to join the others in the staff room for the meeting.

"Severus said you went to London this morning," Minerva said, opening the meeting. "May I ask why?"

"I thought of something last night and had to find a psychiatrist," Hermione answered, putting her now shabby beaded bag on the table. "I figured..."

"Wait," Draco interrupted. "What's a sigh-ky-at-rist?"

Harry snickered. "It's more a who than a what," he answered for Hermione. "It's a Muggle healer who specialises in diseases of the mind."

"Finally gone around the bend then, eh, Granger," Draco sniggered. "Ow!" He rubbed the arm his wife had rapped with the back of her hand. "Okay, I'm sorry." He grinned at Hermione. "No hard feelings?"

"I didn't go for me," Hermione explained to the group. "I just needed some questions answered. I also went to St. Mungo's." She reached into her bag and pulled out two large books. Holding them up, one by one, so everyone could see the titles, Treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder written by a Muggle named Bennett G. Braun, M.D.* and In Two Minds by Simone Duexesprit, she continued, "Athair made another appearance last night. I thought to check out the popular theories."

She laughed. "Doctor MacGyver is an old friend of my parents and told me to study this book," she held up the Muggle book, "as part of my 'research'. The mind-healers at St. Mungo's wanted to put me into the Janus Thickey ward until I convinced them I was serious. I did resort to some name-dropping to convince them." She blushed deeply.

"Whose names did you drop?" Lucius asked, decidedly curious about the books.

"Um," Hermione said hesitantly. "Harry Potter, Lucius Malfoy, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape..." Her voice trailed off as the room got quiet. "What? They're all respected names, well most of them anyway." She looked at Severus. "It got me what I wanted: the name of this book." She held up the second book. "I've glanced through them both and came to the conclusion that Doctor Braun's book is practically useless in the magical world. Healer Duexesprit's book is little better.

"Severus is not a were-dragon." She glared at Harry and Neville, who had the temerity to giggle. "He's also not an Animagus, as was proven by your spells." She nodded at Minerva. "And. while manifesting Athair, he is capable of communication, or at least understanding the spoken word." She held up her hand at the questions flying fast and furious. "Please let me finish." She placed the books face up on the table.

"These books are not the answer." She laid her palm on the covers.

"Never thought I'd hear the Gryffindor bookworm admit that," Draco whispered to his father, who smiled.

Hermione glared at the interruption. "Remus, I'm sorry your trip to London wasn't necessary."

"Quite all right," he said. "I enjoyed the day out."

"I'm not insane," Severus protested indignantly.

"I never said you were," Hermione retorted. "What you are is a man sharing his body with a dragon."

"That's impossible!" Poppy interjected. "It can't happen."

"I think it has happened," Hermione said. "Severus spent eight years as a dragon. I believe this left an imprint on his mind and body. When Marigold spoke to him last night, he practically ignored her. When I addressed him as Athair, he responded as an extremely intelligent dragon would. Athair doesn't need the full moon to manifest; he just needs Severus to be asleep so he can come out. It's not a true multiple personality disorder, but then Severus is a wizard. Muggle medical information wouldn't be of any help."

"Then why the Muggle book?" Minerva asked. "We certainly can't use Muggle medicine on Severus."

"Definitely not," Severus muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What we need to do," Hermione said, ignoring Minerva's question, "is find a way to have Severus and Athair work together. Both books tend to stress the fact that combining the two psyches seems to repair the mind. Severus?" The wizard in question looked over at her. "Somehow, you need to be able to allow Athair out while you're awake."

"Out of the question," he muttered. "I prefer to keep my mind to myself, if you don't mind."

"Then Athair will continue to manifest while you sleep," Hermione said emphatically. "After a while, both of you will be so tired you'll make yourselves ill."

"Well, we certainly don't want that," he said sarcastically. "I still say no."

"Hermione?" Lucius raised a hand in question. "You said Athair will manifest once Severus goes to sleep?"

"Yes, as far as I can conjecture."

"And he is capable of communication?"

"Somewhat. He doesn't verbalise." Hermione looked confused.

Lucius grinned at Severus. "Then I suggest we talk to Athair. He might be more amenable to allowing Severus to manifest from time to time."

Severus scowled as the rest of the occupants of the room broke into scattered laughter. "I don't find that the least bit funny, Lucius."

"Then allow us to try and help you," Minerva said. "I, for one, certainly don't want you to make yourself ill, and Athair is a rather decent sort...for a dragon."

"I'll think about it." With that, Severus stood up and walked out, black robes billowing behind him.

* Treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder; edited by Bennett G. Braun, M.D.; copyright 1986; American Psychiatric Press, Inc. is a real book. I took the information cited from Google Books. However, I have not read the book, and the theory Hermione discusses might not be mentioned in there. I just needed the name of a Muggle book for comparison to the Wizarding book, whose title and author I made up.