All Bets Are Off

Chapter Fifteen: All Bets Are Off

Remus Lupin sat at the large, wooden table in the kitchen of number twelve, Grimmauld Place, drinking a cup of cocoa and reading the Daily Prophet. He was just getting absorbed in an article on a new Irish Chaser when green flames leapt up in the hearth.

"Hello, Remus," Charlie Weasley said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hello," said Remus, setting his paper down. His sleepy eyes crinkled around the corners when he saw Charlie.

"Is Mum around?" Charlie asked.

"No," said Remus. "She went shopping for supper. Anything I can help you with?"

"Just wanted to tell you all bets are off," chuckled Charlie. "Mum would kill us if she knew."

"Really?" Remus said, his eyebrows raised. "I thought 'Mione'd hold out until at least July."

"They went to the ballet." Charlie rolled his eyes.

Remus shook his head, a half-smile playing around his lips. "So who won the pool? I know I lost two knuts."

"Fred and George," said Charlie. "It figures; they were always good at divination."

"I don't know why Mundungus let them bet at all," said Remus, disgusted.

Charlie shrugged and sat down at the table. "I wouldn't have let them, but I know better."

"Well, I'd better go tell Dung so he'll have a head start when they begin looking for him," said Remus, rising from the table. "Give me an hour."

"Will do," said Charlie, waving his wand and watching a cup of cocoa float to him. "It'll give me plenty of time to read your paper."

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Dumbledore was sitting on the balcony of his family home in Switzerland, sipping a glass of mint lemonade, when a large owl swooped down and landed next to him.

"Hello, there," Dumbledore said, reaching for the parchment attached to the owl's leg. "What do you have for me?"

Dumbledore unraveled the parchment and began reading. His face paled as his eyes ran over the page. His pallor turned red as his eyes reached the end of the page.

"Damnedable woman!" Dumbledore thundered, startling the owl on the railing as he leapt from his chair. "Of all the pig-headed, stubborn..." He flapped his arms helplessly for a moment as his mind searched for words.

He bellowed in frustration instead.

"Can I help you, sir?" asked a small squeaky voice.

Dumbledore looked down to see a small house-elf, slightly cowering behind a chair.

"No, Tiddles," said Dumbledore. "This is something I have to handle myself."

He raised his wand in the air and with a loud crack, he was gone.

-+-+-

"Madame?" a young witch said tentatively as she knocked at the door to Sophia's office.

"The door is open. You're more than welcome to come in," said Sophia, her eyes crinkling over the top of her silver- rimmed spectacles. "You're new, aren't you?"

"Yes, ma'am," said the witch. Her short black hair curled out in all directions and her red toga made her light skin and dark eyes stand out. "My name is Helen."

"Odessa's girl?" Sophia asked. "I hear you do well in Charms."

"Yes, ma'am," said Helen, looking nervous. "Unfortunately I'm not here for a pleasure visit."

"Out with it, girl," said Sophia, frowning. Helen looked a little nervous.

"There's a ... well..." Helen looked pained.

Sophia raised an eyebrow.

"There's a man outside demanding to see you," Helen blurted out quickly.

"Ah," said Sophia, taking her glasses off and folding them up. Her hands were shaking slightly as she pushed them into a worn brown leather case. "I should have been expecting that. Lower the bridge, I'm going out."

"But ma'am," Helen said. "How did he find us?"

"He followed his line," said Sophia, shaking her head.

"Ma'am?"

Helen looked confused, but Sophia said nothing more as she used her cane to rise to her feet and toddled out of her office.

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Dumbledore tapped his foot impatiently on the floating piece of ice in front of the floating fortress and watched as the drawbridge lowered.

He knew better than to storm in, as much as he wanted to. He assumed this place had the same type of wards the Brotherhood had.

The heavy double doors creaked noisily as they opened, and he watched a small, hunched figure draped in green begin walking towards him, a dozen or more Amazon warriors in close ranks following behind her. The older woman's descent was slow, and the younger females had to pace themselves, but they finally made it to the end of the drawbridge after what felt like an eternity.

He wanted to bellow at her. He wanted to smack her. He wanted to shake her. She lifted her eyes and met his, her jaw set in the same stubborn way he found so attractive so many long years ago.

"Why, Sophie?" he found himself asking quieter than he would have thought himself capable of. He was surprised at how much the sadness came out in his voice.

"We both had obligations," said Sophia, her face pained. "I didn't see any reason to ruin your life."

"We could have made that decision together," said Dumbledore. "I would have liked to have taken some part of her life."

"I know," said Sophia softly. "I was planning to tell you, but years began passing, and you began having all that trouble with You-Know-Who. I didn't want to bring attention to her. She was safer here."

"But now she's grown and not a child anymore," said Dumbledore. "And we're in trouble again."

"I can't change what has happened, Albus," said Sophia, shaking her head. "All I can say is I was trying to protect you and our daughter."

She laid a hand on his arm gently. She felt him tense up, but he did not pull away from her.

'Our daughter.'

The words sliced through his chest and went deep into his heart. He closed his eyes for a moment and let his emotions wash over him. He opened them and looked at Sophia.

Her blonde hair had gone white and gotten much, much longer. Her back was hunched, and Dumbledore remembered her tall, with a spine of steel, and a stubborn streak to match. Her heavy, green cloak was pulled tight around her to keep out the cold so he couldn't tell if she had kept her slight figure, but he guessed she had by her thin face.

He shook his head sadly at her.

Alexandra stood in the middle of the ranks of Amazons, her wand at her side and her bow slung over her shoulder. She heard her arrows rattle in their case as she began shaking. Kari nudged her slightly with her elbow. It wouldn't do to become a shaking mess when she was supposed to be setting an example of professional behavior to the new trainees.

She stared at Dumbledore and tried to memorize every detail of him.

Something stirred inside her that she hadn't felt since she had been a very small child, and her stomach began feeling queasy. Her head felt light. She noticed she was chewing on the inside of her bottom lip and her jaw was clenched. She was trying to convince herself that she was too old for this. Another part of her screamed he was going to go and she was going to miss her chance.

Something in her broke as she saw him shake his head and her inner-child won.

"Father!" Alexandra cried out and pushed her way through the ranks that hadn't turned at her cry.

She didn't know how he really felt about all this. She knew he wanted to know of her existence, but didn't know about his opinion about being a father. At this point she didn't care.

Dumbledore raised his eyes and saw a pretty red-headed girl pushing her way through the ranks of archers. She vaguely resembled his mother.

"Mighty Merlin," Dumbledore whispered, stepping forward to see her. "My baby. Gods, Sophie, she's beautiful."

Alexandra wanted to hug him, to shake him and ask him where he had been, to kiss his wrinkled face, to smack him for losing contact with her mother. As she got closer to him, she realized she didn't know what to do.

She felt stark, naked, and open.

Dumbledore made the decision for her by pulling her into a tight hug.

Alexandra was being held so tightly, she was having trouble breathing, but she didn't care. Her eyes were wide open and tears were streaming out of them, but she wasn't sobbing. The water ran freely down her face and pooled on the purple velvet of his shoulder.

Alexandra vaguely thought she wasn't setting a very good example, but didn't care. The other girls wouldn't understand. They didn't know their fathers either, but most of them considered love to be an impractical thing that happened to other people.

"Run along now," Alexandra heard her mother say to the troops. "We'll be fine."

Alexandra looked over her shoulder to see the troops walking back up to the fortress in broken ranks. She caught Kari's eye as she looked over her shoulder, and the sisters locked eyes. Kari quirked a corner of her mouth at her.

"I think," said Dumbledore carefully, "that we have some catching up to do."

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Hermione sat in Severus' laboratory with a black leather book in her hand. She ate an apple as she turned the pages. An otherwise hidden portal was open behind her and about a dozen books sat on a shelf.

"Find anything interesting?" Severus asked as he walked into the room, empty bottles in his arms.

"It's all interesting," admitted Hermione. "I'm just not sure why anyone would want to do some of it."

Severus shrugged. He looked a little uncomfortable.

She decided not to push it any further. She continued reading Divination by Reading Entrails by Marissa Lumpkettle.

"I thought you hated divination," said Severus, glancing at her.

"I do," said Hermione. "But this seems a bit more scientific than staring at a hunk of glass."

Severus shrugged. "Not really."

Hermione turned the page to see an illustration of a vivisected Muggle. She felt goose bumps rise on her arms and she closed the book.

"Stopping already?" Severus said, an eyebrow raised. "You've only been reading for three hours."

"I feel like stretching my legs," Hermione lied. "It would be a shame to waste the day."

"Would you like to see the grounds?" Severus asked. "We could go to the lake."

"So you could fish?" Hermione asked, an eyebrow raised in mimic of his.

"Well, it would mean we could have fresh dinner," said Severus.

"Yes, we would starve were it not for your ability to fish," said Hermione sarcastically, a smile playing around her lips.

"We could, you know." Severus shrugged, but she saw him smirk as he turned his back to her.

She walked up behind him and shyly encircled his waist with her arms. "We can go to the lake if you want."

"The carpet is ready to go," said Severus. "You should go to the main library and get a book."

"It will only take a minute," she said as she trotted out of the room.

-+-+-

Severus steered the flying carpet out of his mother's garden and started west to the lake.

"How large is your property?" Hermione asked, startled.

"It is a clever illusion," said Severus. "The lake is behind that crop of trees."

Hermione squinted at the trees in the distance. The land dipped a bit beyond it, and Hermione could see where water must run off.

"Lake?" Hermione spluttered. "It can't be any bigger than a pond."

"Well, it appears to be quite large when you are six," said Severus, scowling.

Hermione chuckled silently.

"Is that when you and Pieter named it: 'The Lake?'" Hermione asked.

"About then," said Severus, nodding as the carpet brushed over the tops of the fruit trees in the orchard. He reached out and pulled an apple off a branch as they passed and bit into it.

Hermione tried to picture Severus at six and couldn't. His mother had to have pictures lying around somewhere.

They soared over the fields, past the orchards, and brushed the tops of the evergreen trees near the water.

Hermione was delighted to see trees enchanted to grow in the shapes of tables and chairs. A couch-shaped tree with the main trunk protruding out of the back of it sat comfortably by the side of the pond.

Severus waved his wand and a golden dome surrounded the area. The air began warming immediately. Hermione slipped her fur cloak off and shook the chill out of her limbs.

Severus walked over to a tree with a huge base that seemed to stop about a meter off the ground. A single thin sprig tapered out of the center of it and jutted upwards a few meters before thin branches laden with light leaves spread out overhead to form an umbrella.

Severus took what looked like small glass blocks out of his pocket and set them on the surface of the naturally formed table. He waved his wand and they grew into preservation chambers. He slid the top off of one and took out a sandwich.

"This is very nice," Hermione said pleasantly. She slid the top off another one to find it full of bait. "EW!"

"Oops," said Severus, setting his sandwich down and closing the top of the box she had opened. "I believe that one is mine."

"Thank heaven for that," said Hermione grimacing. There were creepy things in that box.

"The other one should be safe," said Severus, walking to the shoreline with his box of bait.

Hermione sat near Severus, eating her lunch as he cast his line. When she was through, she went over to a reclining tree and nestled into a nook that seemed carved out just for the purpose of creating a cozy place for reading.

Hermione glanced up from her book from time to time to watch Severus reel in his line.

After a few hours, feeling cozy and satisfied with her reading material, she looked at Severus curiously. "Is the pond fit for swimming?"

"Yes," Severus said over his shoulder. "The bottom is sandy so you don't have to wear shoes."

"Perfect," said Hermione, walking by him, completely nude, and descending into the water.

Severus watched as his line wriggled itself away from her.

He was thankful it was enchanted to avoid anything but fish so he didn't have to worry about snagging her or untangling his line.

"Are you going to come in?" Hermione asked.

"No," said Severus. "I don't have a towel." He smirked at her.

Hermione suddenly wished she had planned ahead but tried to play it off. She had her wand. He was just making excuses.

"Suit yourself," she said, floating by on her back and sneaking looks at Severus' expression.

Severus watched Hermione float on her back and sighed contentedly. She certainly was a pretty girl, if infuriating at times.

On the other hand, if she weren't so infuriating, she wouldn't be running through his mind half as much as she did.

"Hermione?" Severus called out.

"What?" Hermione asked, righting herself, her toes sinking into the sandy bottom of the pond.

"I've never had any reason to do the Bubble-Head Charm," he said, clearing his throat. "Do you understand its theory?"

"Of course," said Hermione snippily. "Everyone did after the Tri-Wizard Tournament."

"If you wanted to encapsulate another part of your body in air, would it be plausible?" Severus asked, slightly annoyed at her matter-of-fact attitude.

"Well," Hermione said, screwing her face up as if she were trying to recall a textbook page. "I don't see why not, but what would the point be?"

He felt the color creeping into his face and hoped she was too far away to see it. She was his wife, for heaven's sake. He shouldn't be so coy when asking for something so minor.

"I understand a woman's natural lubrication has an annoying habit of washing away," Severus muttered as he reeled in his line. "I wouldn't want anyone to get injured."

"Oh!" exclaimed Hermione, blushing furiously. She had to stop that; it was embarrassing.

She watched as he disrobed and he applied the Bubble-Head Charm to his pelvis. She began giggling hysterically as he entered the water.

"What's so funny?" he demanded as he swam to her and wrapped his arms around her. He hoped desperately it wasn't something he had done.

"I'm not sure that's the head they had in mind," Hermione said, unable to control her laughter.

"How would you know that?" Severus asked as he pulled her closer.

She had an enchanting way of squirming in his arms when she laughed.

"Practicality?" suggested Hermione as she felt him nudge her under water. She wrapped her legs around him and put her hands on his shoulders. She was nowhere near ready to receive him, but she sighed at his persistent nudging as she felt herself begin to smolder.

"Oh, I don't know. It seems quite practical to..." Severus growled suddenly and let go of her, effectively dunking her.

Hermione came up spluttering and resembling a wet sheepdog.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, concerned, between coughs. "What's wrong?"

Severus brushed the hair out of her face and patted her on the back. As his hand went by her face, she saw a black skull and snake etched into his skin of his left forearm.

She grabbed his hand and stared at the burn.

Severus didn't know what to do. Perhaps she had forgotten he had it. Did she find it repulsive? Did she now find him repulsive?

"It looks like it was branded into you," Hermione said, her fingertips hovering above the mark as if she wanted to touch it.

"It was," said Severus.

Hermione looked at the crinkled skin around the brand.

"It doesn't look as if it's healed. Why does it look fresh?" Hermione asked sharply.

"It's frozen in stasis," said Severus, dipping it under the water. The cool water eased the burning a bit. He raised his arm to the surface so Hermione could see it, with the water still covering it. He'd never really shown it to anyone before like this. "It's hidden inside the body and when the spell is woven, it 'wakes up' as it were."

"Does it hurt?" Hermione asked.

"What do you think?" Severus asked sarcastically.

"Well, that was a silly question," said Hermione, embarrassed. "Never mind."

"I think we should get back in the house," said Severus, looking at the sky. "Just to be safe."

Hermione looked up and failed to see anything unusual.

Hermione and Severus climbed on the carpet with just their cloaks wrapped around them and flew back to the manor.

Hermione followed Severus through the house and down to the basement levels of the manor to get to his laboratory. He pushed on a picture of a Mandrake, and Hermione was startled to see a small fire burning cheerfully in a cubby hole in the wall.

"This is a direct line to the Order." Severus threw a pinch of brown powder in the fire before the flames turned green, and he stuck his head in. "Twelve, Grimmauld Place!"

Cherv padded into the room with a change of clean clothing for Severus and Hermione. He smiled cheerfully and waved, but didn't say anything while Severus talked to someone in the wall.

"Hold tight," Severus said indignantly as he pulled his head from the flames. "The Dark Lord is on the loose and he says 'hold tight.'"

"Who?" asked Hermione.

"Lupin," said Severus, his lips pressed thin. "Apparently Dumbledore is off somewhere and no other news has arrived."

A small silver bell started ringing somewhere nearby, and Hermione noticed a small glass orb on a shelf began glowing orange.

She watched as the little color Severus had drained from his face.

"What's going on?" asked Hermione, her voice quivering.

"The Ministry's under attack," whispered Severus.