Chapter Fourteen

Disclaimer: Not mine. Uh-uh. No way, no how.

Author's Note: My apologies for taking so long to post the next chapters. I promise you, the story is finished. I have been dealing with family illnesses for the past year and the eventual death of my mother earlier this year.

Thank you to noybate for her beta of this chapter. And on with the show.

Chapter 14

It was evident by the next morning that whomever the intruder had been, he or she was long gone from the Hogwarts grounds. Even Athair, granted usage of their joint body by Severus, could not discover any trace of the 'flicker' he had seen the afternoon before.

Tired and feeling definitely out of sorts, Minerva led her small group of searchers into the Entrance Hall, only to be confronted with the news that a group of Ministry officials were demanding entrance onto Hogwarts grounds. With a sigh, she turned to start back toward the gates, but Remus and Severus stepped in front of her.

"We'll handle the gate, Minerva," Remus told her. "You go check on Ron and Gabrielle, then make sure you get something to eat."

"Indeed," Severus concurred. He looked at Lucius, who nodded. "Between the three of us, I am sure we can admit Mr. Diggory and help him look for that dratted dragon."

Minerva gave her three unlikely heroes a tired smile. "If you're sure," she said, "then, yes, I do want to see if Gabrielle has awakened. I must admit, I am growing a bit concerned. Oh, Severus," she called as the three wizards started for the door. "Make sure you don't help Amos so much that he becomes suspicious."

Severus could only dignify his answer with a snort. "Minerva, please. Remember what house two of us were sorted into." He glanced at Remus. "Of course, I can't answer for the mongrel."

"The mongrel will be fine," Remus answered with a grin. "Besides, I'm just along for the fun."

"Remus," Minerva warned.

He laughed. "Don't worry, Minerva. I won't spoil their fun." He waved as he walked out the door, followed by two grinning Slytherins.

Minerva huffed in irritation before she started up the stairs to the hospital wing.

§§§§§§§

Lucius stood behind the gates and, crossing his arms, simply stared out at the group of men and nets waiting to be allowed entry. At his back, Severus and Remus mimicked his actions, Severus adding an intimidating scowl to the mix.

"What are you waiting for?" Amos Diggory demanded. "You obviously know why we're here. Let us in."

"Do they think to capture me with nets?" Athair asked Severus with a snort.

"Apparently so," Severus answered, his unvoiced comment paired with a smirk at the crowd. "Why the nets, Diggory?" he called. "There's no dragon here anymore."

"As if I would fall for that chicanery," Diggory scoffed, stomping onto the grounds as Lucius opened the gates. "You were never a dragon, and you're definitely not Severus Snape." He got up into Severus' face. "You might have the people living here fooled," he said fiercely, "but you certainly don't fool me!"

He motioned to the men who had followed him through the gates. "There's the forest," he ordered, pointing to the line of trees. "Follow my directions, use the proper spells, and we should be out of here within the hour and on our way to Wales." He started toward the castle.

"Here now, Diggory, where do you think you're going?" Lucius asked, stepping into the other man's path. "As you pointed out, there's the forest."

Diggory looked him up and down as though Lucius were a particular ugly specimen of bug to be crushed. "I am going to speak with the headmistress," he said coldly. "Move aside, Death Eater."

Remus stepped up and tried to defuse the tense situation. "Perhaps I might help?" he asked. "After all, I'm not a Death Eater"...he nodded at Lucius..."nor am I an impostor"...he grinned at Severus.

"I will not discuss Ministry business with a bootlicking werewolf," Diggory snapped. "Now get out of my way." He shoved past Remus and made his way up to the castle.

"Three for three," Severus snarked. "Apparently we're quite the trio...a Death Eater, an impostor, and a bootlicking werewolf." He smirked at Remus. "Which one of us is the most insulted?"

"He didn't say anything about me!" Athair complained. "I thought I was the reason he came here to begin with."

"He's an ass," Severus growled aloud. "Don't worry about it." He started down the path after Diggory, followed by Lucius and Remus. "When I was you, I could sense the state of a person's mind. Can you do that?"

Athair said nothing for a moment, but Severus could sense the dragon was testing the defences of Diggory's mind. "He does not feel right," Athair said finally. "I am not sure if that is normal because I have only the experience of those here."

Severus paused and turned back to Lucius and Remus, forcing them to halt as well. "He doesn't feel right?" he repeated. Lucius and Remus caught on immediately. "How different does he feel from the three of us?"

"Very different. Not sad; not angry." The dragon sounded confused. "It is like he is feeling both at the same time and confused as to why. His mind is very...what you would call muddled perhaps?...to me."

"Muddled?" Severus blinked. "Athair, tell Hermione. Poppy should be able to observe him unseen."

Lucius grabbed Severus by the arm. "I don't want any of the women around him, especially Narcissa and Susan," he said. "Can the dragon ask Hermione to tell them to stay away?"

"Done," Athair said. "Hermione says she will try to keep him from the den of the nurturing female. The incubating female is awake now, but she is not allowed to move yet. The other females, except for the Matriarch, are in the nurturing female's den."

Severus passed on the information, and Lucius smirked even as he sighed in relief. "I'm pretty sure the 'nurturing female' is Poppy," he said, "and Minerva is 'the Matriarch'..."

"I'll bet she loves that," Remus interrupted with a grin.

"But who is the 'incubating female'?" Lucius finished with a scowl for the interruption.

"Gabrielle Weasley," Severus answered. "She and Mr. Weasley made the announcement yesterday at tea." He turned and started jogging toward the school. "I have a bad feeling about this," he muttered.

Lucius and Remus quickly followed, their faces tight with concern.

§§§§§§§

"Amos, I have already told you once," Minerva said, seated behind her desk. She kept her wand discreetly hidden in her hand while Hermione, having given the headmistress Athair's warning, stood by the hearth, her arms arranged across her chest and wand blatantly exposed. "There is no dragon in the Forbidden Forest. The dragon known as Athair was actually a cursed Severus Snape."

"Don't play me for a fool, Headmistress," Diggory sneered. "The Ministry knows of no curse that can change a man into a dragon. It can't be done."

"Tom Riddle managed," Hermione said from behind him. "We found the curse in his papers."

"Prove it," Diggory retorted, swinging around to face her.

"We can't." Minerva drew his attention once more. "All of his papers were destroyed once we found the counter-curse and were able to break the curse on Severus."

"A likely story," Diggory sneered. "Severus Snape died eight years ago in the final battle. I don't know who this impostor is, but he is not Severus Snape. Now, where is the dragon?"

Minerva pinched the bridge of her nose. "Amos," she said softly, "there is no dragon. I don't know how many times I have to tell you this." She laid her wand on the desk and clasped her hands on top of it. "Even if there were a dragon in the Forbidden Forest, you and your department have no jurisdiction over it. It would be part of Hogwarts."

"And Hogwarts is considered to be part of the Ministry," Diggory shot back. "Your funding is contingent on Ministry support. I repeat, that dragon is dangerous and should not be on school grounds where it would have the chance to harm students." Spittle flew from his mouth in his anger.

"He was here for almost four years and never harmed a student," Hermione pointed out. "In fact, he protected the students by discovering and disarming some rogue Death Eaters."

"I don't need some little girl to tell me my business," he shouted. "I happen to be a senior member of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and I know my dragons. Now, where is he?"

"I don't know," Hermione said simply and, throwing a glance of sympathy toward Minerva, walked out of the office.

Diggory sputtered in anger. "Get back in here!" he shouted. "I'll have your job for this! Headmistress, I must demand..."

"You have no right to make demands here, Amos Diggory," Minerva said, finally losing her temper. "I am the headmistress of this school, and I make the final decisions as to whom I hire and fire, not you." She grasped her wand and pointed it at him. "Now, I would strongly suggest you join the rest of your men in the Forbidden Forest in this asinine attempt to trap a dragon which is not there."

Diggory looked down at the wand pointed at his abdomen and back up at Minerva. "You have not heard the last of this," he threatened as he stood up. "The Ministry..."

"The Ministry can send someone who is not going to threaten my professors with the loss of their jobs," Minerva said. "You can show yourself out of this office. There will be someone waiting in the corridor to escort you out of the building. Good day, Mr. Diggory."

Diggory huffed and rumbled, but in the end he left Minerva alone in her office. Once the door slammed shut behind him, Poppy rose from her hiding place in the alcove behind the window curtains.

"Athair was right," she said without preamble. "There's something wrong with that man's mind."

"Is he sane?" Minerva said. "He certainly sounds sure of himself."

"I'm not a Mind Healer," Poppy said. "I couldn't tell you if he's sane or insane. I just know what my diagnostics tell me, and they tell me his mind is not right."

Minerva pinched the bridge of her nose again. "All right. I suppose I should alert the Ministry about this." She looked at the other witch. "You wouldn't have something on you for a headache, would you?"

Poppy just smiled and handed over a small vial.

§§§§§§§

"Harry Potter!" Diggory exclaimed as he exited the gargoyle into the corridor below the headmistress' tower. "What are you doing here?"

"I teach here, Mr. Diggory," Harry said respectfully. "The headmistress asked me to show you the way out."

"The way out?" Diggory got indignant. "I'm not leaving until we catch that dragon."

Harry sighed. "Sir," he said, "there is no dragon."

"That's what she said." Diggory pointed up toward the headmistress' office. "I didn't believe her, and I don't believe you. Now, get out of my way." He shoved past Harry and almost trampled Neville in his single-minded intent to find answers. "Where's the corridor to the hospital wing?" he demanded.

"Why? Are you ill?" Harry asked, knowing the castle had made certain adjustments after Hermione's warnings.

"Certainly not," Diggory huffed. "I want to question Madam Pomfrey about this so-called curse that was supposedly broken. I'm sure she has the records I want to see."

"Medical records are private," the witch in question said, coming up behind Harry and Diggory. "I am not allowed to show them to all and sundry."

"I am an official from the Ministry," Diggory insisted.

"You are with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," Poppy replied. "And I wouldn't show my medical records to the Minister of Magic himself. It would be against every oath I've taken as a mediwitch."

"This is preposterous!" Diggory stomped off down the stairs to the Entrance Hall. "The Ministry will hear about this! You people are hampering an official investigation." He whirled and faced the three of them where they stood on the stairs. "But then, it's not the first time now, is it?" he stated. "I've seen the records."

"Go and find your dragon, you silly old fool," Poppy said, waving toward the outside doors. "If you can," she added under her breath as he slammed the doors open and stomped down the steps and out toward the Forbidden Forest.

Harry and Neville grinned at each other before they turned to follow.

§§§§§§§