Chapter Thirteen

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 in order 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.

Gabrielle's French vocabulary comes from four years of college French classes taken some forty years ago along with the aid of Google Translate to jog the memory.

Thanks to noybate for the prompt beta.

Chapter 13

"You hov all thees extra securitee," Gabrielle remarked as Harry and Neville met her and Ron at the gates of the school. "Why ees that?"

"We've had a bit of trouble the last few days," Harry said with a shrug. "We figured this was better until we figured out what's going on." He shook Ron's offered hand. "Good to see you, mate."

"Yeah, me too," Ron said, looking around. "The old place still looks the same. How're you doing, Neville?" He offered his hand to the other wizard.

"Quite well, considering," Neville answered, shaking hands firmly. "Are you still in business with your brothers?" The four of them turned and started towards the castle.

"Yeah," Ron said. "That's part of the reason Gaby and I are in Hogsmeade."

"Do tell," Harry said. "What're Fred and George up to now?"

Ron laughed. "I'll tell you later during tea. A hint, though? It involves Snape."

"That should be interesting," Neville said with a laugh. "I can't wait to hear this."

§§§§§§§

"You 'ave such un logement charmant, 'ermione," Gabrielle said, accepting a cup of tea from her hostess. "Zee view. C'est spectaculaire."

Hermione blushed. "Thank you, Gabrielle. I like it." She offered a plate of biscuits to the other woman. "The house-elves made these from a recipe I got from my mother. They've always been my favourites."

"Merci."

"So, Weasley, what brings you to Hogwarts?" Severus asked, accepting a cup of tea and some of the biscuits. "I thought you were working with those two miscreants you call brothers."

"I am," Ron answered, spraying crumbs. "Say, Hermione, these are really good." Gabrielle nudged him as he took a sip of tea. "I'm getting to it," he said. "Give me a chance."

"Getting to what, Ron?" Harry asked. "Thanks, Hermione." He sat back with his own cup and looked at his best friend.

Ron opened his mouth to speak, but Gabrielle interrupted excitedly before he could get a word out. "Sommes enceintes! We're pregnant!" she squealed.

Hermione choked on her tea at the announcement. "Congratulations!" she squealed in turn, setting down her cup and hugging the younger witch.

"Yeah, Ron, congrats," Harry said, shaking Ron's hand. "You've been trying long enough."

"What is pregnant?" Athair asked Severus silently.

"She's going to have a baby." Severus answered in the same manner.

"Baby? I know this word! She will lay an egg and have a hatchling!"

Severus choked on his tea. Without missing a beat, Neville leaned over and swatted him on the back, ignoring the glare he got in return.

"Humans don't hatch from eggs!"

"Where do humans come from then?"

Severus sputtered into his tea, attracting the attention of the others who were still congratulating Ron and Gabrielle. "You'll have to ask Hermione that question," he answered, using his best teaching glare to silence any questions from the others. Then he smirked as Hermione gasped and sat up straighter.

She glared at him. "Later," she mouthed, and Severus knew it wasn't an idle threat. "When's the baby due, Gabrielle?" she asked. "I'll tell you later," she promised Athair.

"Seven months," Ron said proudly, placing his arm protectively around his wife's shoulders.

"They are mated?" Athair asked, following the by-play.

"For some time now, or so I am given to understand," Severus answered. "This young one is special to them because it has been a long time in coming."

"Ah!" For a moment, Athair was silent. "Family is important," he added wistfully.

"Where is your family?" Severus asked. "Do you know?"

"I have no family," Athair admitted sadly. "I came into being when you did."

"I have no family, either," Severus told him. "You and I can be a family together."

"With Hermione?"

"If she's willing." Severus rather hoped she would be.

"That would be good."

"Indeed."

§§§§§§§

Athair stayed silent and watched the interactions of the humans in the room. The small beings both amused him and confused him. While he had learned much in the past eight years, it was the last few weeks that had taught him the most. Right now, it seemed as if everyone was tiring out. The smallest female, who was mated to the red male, leaned against him and yawned. Not missing a beat, he laid a protective arm across her shoulders, but also yawned loudly.

This was not normal human behaviour, he thought in confusion, as his friends' thoughts also grew muddled. Something was wrong. The black and brown collapsed against one another just as the red slid down in his seat. When Hermione collapsed, and Severus was in danger of doing the same, Athair decided he had to act.

Taking control of Severus' body...easy to do since the male's mind was so weak at the moment...Athair started to discreetly sniff the air. He discovered a strange smell...nothing he was familiar with...and traced it to the entryway of Hermione's den. His eyes...not as sharp as when he was in dragon form...saw a slight flicker against the wall that moved towards the entrance.

A sharp rap at the panel guarding the entryway caused the flicker to start, so Athair chose that moment to surge upwards out of his chair. The flicker pulled the panel open and shoved the older female aside as Athair started in pursuit.

"Severus," the female sputtered. "What is the meaning of this?"

"It is getting away, Matriarch!" Athair spoke with his deeper version of Severus' voice. "I must hunt it down!"

"Athair?" Minerva grabbed at Severus' arm, trying to hold the dragon back. "Is that you?"

"It hurt Hermione and her friends!" Athair replied. Not wanting to injure the female he considered the matriarch of this particular sept, he stopped following the flicker.

"Oh, Merlin!" Minerva had caught a glimpse of what lay in wait in Hermione's sitting room. "What's happened to them, and why weren't you affected?"

"Friend Severus is not there," Athair said, trying to voice his confusion. "Friend Hermione is not there. But they are there. The flicker did something to them."

Minerva quickly moved into the room and began checking pulses. "They're alive," she said, sniffing. "What is that smell?"

"It is what made them not there," Athair explained. "The flicker did it."

"I don't understand what you mean, Athair." Minerva moved to the hearth and frowned. "The Floo powder is gone," she muttered to herself. "What flicker?"

"There was a flicker at the portal," Athair said. "It moved. None saw it but me. It made them 'not there'."

Minerva opened the window to allow the room to air, then checked pulses once more. She lingered the longest on Gabrielle's pulse. Frowning again, she looked at Athair. "Do you remember how to get to the hospital wing?" she asked.

Athair thought a moment. "That is where the female stops the hurting?" he asked. When Minerva nodded in agreement, he continued, "I know where this place is. Do you need the nurturing female?"

"Indeed, I do," Minerva said, "but I want you to take Gabrielle to her and explain what happened. I'll get Lucius and the others to help me carry Hermione and the others up to the hospital wing. Oh, and Athair..." He paused in the process of lifting Gabrielle into his arms and looked at her. "When Severus wakes up, I will need to speak with him as soon as possible."

Athair nodded and gently carried the little female to the portal. "I will tell him," he responded, looking back at the Matriarch. "I think friend Severus will wish to speak with you as well."

§§§§§§§

Severus came awake with a start, wondering how he had managed to be back in a bed in the hospital wing...with a pounding head, no less. Sitting up, he saw Minerva and Poppy conferring with Lucius, Remus, and Draco as they clustered around another bed.

"What the devil is going on?" he demanded.

"The Matriarch wishes to speak with you," Athair responded at the same time Minerva looked over at him and said, "Oh, good. You're awake."

"Awake?" Severus looked down at himself. He was still wearing the robes he had worn to tea with Hermione and her dunderheaded friends. Looking up, he saw Minerva and Poppy moving in his direction, but his attention was drawn to the bed where they had been standing.

"Hermione!" he shouted as he leapt from his bed, his headache notwithstanding. "What's happened to her?" he demanded, grabbing Poppy's arm as she raised her wand. "Why are we here?" He dragged the mediwitch with him as he rushed to the side of Hermione's bed.

"Don't talk so loud," Hermione muttered, her eyes squeezed shut in pain. "It's bad enough having Athair shouting in my head."

"Sorry," Athair said in his version of a whisper.

"It's okay, Athair," she said soothingly as she sat up, wincing. "You're still learning to control the volume." Hermione looked at Poppy. "What happened to us?" she asked. "Are the others okay? Gabrielle! Is she okay? Will the baby be all right?"

"Baby?" Minerva and Poppy looked at one another. "Mrs Weasley is pregnant?" Minerva asked. "Oh, dear. Poppy..."

But the mediwitch was already on her way across the room. "I told you, Minerva," she said. "The girl's about two months gone."

"I just thought she might have gotten a stronger dose of whatever it was, being smaller," Minerva said. "I didn't know she was pregnant."

"Gaby!" Ron yelled suddenly as he woke up from his sleep. "Where's my wife? Is she okay?" He spotted Poppy and stumbled across the room, arriving at his wife's bedside at almost the same time as the mediwitch.

"What's wrong with her, Madam Pomfrey?" he asked, sinking to his knees next to the bed. "Why isn't she waking up? Gaby? Baby, can you hear me? Come on, sweetheart, don't scare me like this." He took her hand and laid his forehead against it in anguish.

"Mr Weasley, please let me do my job," Poppy said, trying to work around him. "I need you to back away for a moment. Please!"

Ron looked up at her, his blue eyes dim with tears. "She's going to be all right, isn't she?" he asked. "Please let her be all right."

"I'll know in a moment," Poppy said briskly. "You need to let go right now and stand back."

Hermione took his arm and helped him to his feet as Harry, still a little shaky, moved a chair up behind him. "Sit down, Ron," she said. "You need to sit down."

He collapsed onto the chair, his eyes never leaving the mediwitch who moved her wand in intricate patterns over his wife. Poppy muttered an incantation, then frowned at the results.

"What?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"There's nothing wrong, Mr. Weasley," Poppy snapped. She repeated the incantation. "How much does your wife weigh?"

"I dunno," Ron said. "Between seven and eight stone, I guess. Why?"

"I would say that being smaller and part Veela as well, she is reacting to whatever it is more strongly than the rest of you." Poppy paused and made some notes to the case parchment. "It will take a little longer for her to wake up.

"Don't worry," she went on. "Your wife and the baby are fine. You're lucky Athair was there, and Minerva arrived when she did."

"Athair?" Ron looked confused. "The dragon? I didn't see him there. How'd he fit into Hermione's sitting room?" He looked down at Gabrielle and picked up her hand again. "Ya know," he said, looking up at Poppy and his friends. "I don't think I really want to know. Just thank him for me, will ya?"

"Indeed, Mr. Weasley," Severus said. "I believe he already knows."

"Indeed."

§§§§§§§

Hours later, Minerva returned to the hospital wing to find Ron still seated by his wife's bedside, her hand in his. He looked haggard and worn, but still hopeful she would wake up soon.

"Ronald," Minerva said, laying her hand on his shoulder. "I've had the house-elves prepare a guest room for you."

"Thanks, Professor," he said, "but I think I'll stay here until Gaby wakes up." He looked up at the headmistress. "If that's okay, that is?"

Minerva smiled. "I thought you might," she said, "but the room is available should you wish to make use of it. Shall I call your parents?"

"If you haven't already, then Merlin, no!" Ron said. "Mum would make this huge fuss about Gaby travelling in her condition, and say I had no right to expect it of her and..."

"I understand perfectly, Ronald," Minerva said. "You can explain or not, as you desire. I just thought I would make the suggestion."

"Professor, what happened to us?" he asked. "One minute we're drinking tea and talking about the baby, and the next, we're here and Gaby won't wake up."

"Hogwarts seems to be under some kind of attack, Mr. Weasley," Minerva explained with a sigh. "We don't know who is doing this or why, but in the past week we have had several incidents."

"That's why the wards were changed," Ron said, catching on with alacrity. "But whoever it was, he still managed to get in." He frowned. "I'll bet it was when Harry and Neville let me and Gaby in, wasn't it?"

Minerva smiled tiredly. "A most astute supposition," she said. "We believe so."

"That must mean he's still on the grounds, then." Ron looked down at his sleeping wife. "Have you searched for him?"

"Hogwarts is huge, Mr. Weasley," Minerva pointed out. "And the wards only keep strangers out, not in."

"In other words, whoever it was could be long gone by now." Ron frowned. "I know most Aurors probably wouldn't be bothered with this. They'd consider it some kind of prank, especially if Snape was involved, but what about Tonks and Shacklebolt? They're usually more open-minded about him."

"We haven't reported it to the Aurors for just that reason," Minerva said. "It would instantly throw suspicion on Severus, and that's the last thing we would want. We're working on it, and Athair's on the scene. He won't let anything happen to the school or us."

"Yeah, I don't get that," Ron said. "I thought Snape was the dragon, but you're talking like the dragon is still here. How's that possible?"

"All in good time, Mr Weasley," Minerva said briskly, patting him on the shoulder. "All in good time. Right now, you need to concentrate on Mrs Weasley and that baby of yours. Can you do that?"

"Yeah, sure." Ron lifted Gabrielle's hand and kissed the back of it. "She's going to wake up and be just fine. The baby, too."

"We'll help you keep those good thoughts," Minerva assured him before leaving the hospital wing to help in the ongoing search.

§§§§§§§

un logement charmant = a charming accommodation (nice quarters)

sommes encientes = "we are pregnant"