Chapter One Hundred-Thirteen: The Past Follows

PART ELEVEN

Chapter One Hundred-Thirteen: The Past Follows

Wednesday, 7 April 1999

"You ate, then?" Severus asked, Levitating Poppy's bags into the room and setting them down beside the sofa.

"Yes. I was having breakfast when I read the paper, and I did finish before I left."

"What did you tell the others?"

"Ah, well, that was a bit awkward," Poppy said. "My excuse was flimsy, especially as we'd had plans for the day, and Pomona was annoyed with me, kept after me to stay at least until tonight. I finally took Gertrude aside and told her that I was seeing someone now, that I missed him, and also that he had been involved in the war and these attacks might be upsetting to him." She blushed. "I think she knows about you now. I didn't say, and she didn't say, either, but her expression ..."

"I see." Severus sat heavily into his chair. Lovely. As happy as he was to have Poppy back, she certainly did need to learn a few lessons in discretion. Hufflepuffs simply weren't good at that sort of thing. They could be discreet enough, he supposed, but they weren't skilled at subterfuge. And Gamp was a canny witch. Severus swallowed.

"It's all right, though," Poppy continued. "After we talked, Gertrude ran interference for me and wouldn't let the others try to persuade me to stay."

"She was appalled, though, no doubt."

"I don't know. Frozen, I'd say. I couldn't read her very well, but she was certainly surprised when she realised who I was talking about. But it is okay, Sev. I'm sure she wouldn't tell anyone. I've never known anyone, anyone at all, who's better at keeping secrets or respecting the confidences of others. I would have told her outright, you know, but we did say we weren't telling anyone, so ..."

"Right. Nothing to be done about it." He leaned forward and reached for her hand, taking it briefly. "It is all right. I have no doubt that you are correct about Professor Gamp's discretion."

"I am. We were very close when she taught here. It was hard when she had to go away and I couldn't visit her easily. She was, well, I wouldn't exactly say that she was like a mother to me, but she was a good friend, an older witch, and I always knew I could go to her about anything. There's no one I was closer to, except perhaps Minerva. Which made it awkward when Minerva was, well, before Minerva got to know her and like her."

"But Minerva's brother married her."

"She and Minerva were friends before that, naturally; the three of us were. But Gertrude was Dumbledore's deputy, and I guess there was a bit of rivalry...only on Minerva's side, not Gertrude's, of course. Minerva was younger then than you are now. She wasn't as secure in her position here at Hogwarts." Poppy shrugged. "But Gertrude's a good friend, Severus, and she can keep a secret. She won't say anything to anyone."

"Still, it must have raised questions for your other companions. Not that I wish you were with them rather than with me, but it must have been very odd for you just to get up from breakfast and say you're leaving."

"We'd had a nice time as it was, and I did enjoy it, but I said I was ready to get home, that I was no longer in the mood for a holiday when there was a murderer attacking people whom I know. I couldn't make any pretence that I was close to the Mellifluas, but I did know both Simon and Charlotte. Ro was a brick about it. She said I had to do what was comfortable for me, and she knew I'm a sensitive soul." Poppy chuckled shortly. "She made me sound a bit daft, actually, but she was trying to be kind. I could have jinxed Pomona's mouth shut, though. Heavens! She's a friend and all, but she just doesn't know when to let go, when someone does not want to discuss something."

"Can't be helped, now that you're here, and I am glad you're here." Severus got up and moved over to sit beside Poppy on the couch. "I was missing you especially last night." He put an arm around her and kissed her hair.

"Weren't you going to go out with Gareth and Morgana last night?"

Severus nodded. "And I did. It was enjoyable. Except for a few moments early in the evening."

"Why? What happened?"

"Gwen Burns."

"Gareth's date?"

"She took exception to my company. She didn't stay."

"Oh, Severus! I'm sorry. That must have been very painful for you."

Severus twitched one shoulder. "It wasn't pleasant, certainly, but Gareth ... I wouldn't have expected anything different from him, but he was good. Basically told her that if she didn't like my company, she could leave, which she did."

"Why was she like that? You two scarcely know each other...did you even teach her?"

"For one year. Her last was my first teaching. She was competent enough, and no trouble back then. Apparently, her marriage to Polyphemus has soured her on all Slytherins. And, I gather, on all former supporters of the Dar– of Riddle. In a way, I can't blame her for her feelings, but it was one more occasion that reminded me of who I am, who it is that other people see when they look at me."

Poppy shook her head and gave him a squeeze. "Not everyone, Severus. Not me. Not Gareth. None of your friends, and not your colleagues, either."

"You know, if you and I ... I hope that we continue to see each other, that we do more than just see each other, but if we begin to go out in public, this is what you will encounter. It is one reason I did not wish to bring you to Diagon Alley for dinner that time. While we were greeted impeccably that evening, with nothing but courtesy by Delancie and his staff, I have had other less pleasant experiences in London, and not just in London. I wouldn't say they are frequent, and they are less frequent here in Hogsmeade, where people have become used to me, or in McTavish Street, where people simply ... carry on with their own business. But there may come an occasion where someone says...or does...something about me, about my past, about my character, and you are there. It could be uncomfortable for you."

Poppy set her jaw. "And whatever they say, they had better be careful in my hearing! I can see why you can't react without justifying their opinion of you or making an uncomfortable situation worse, but I would have no such compunctions."

Severus shook his head. "I don't want you to defend me, Poppy...not that I don't appreciate your affection and your desire to support me, but I don't think it would help. And I don't want to ... it would be embarrassing for me." He didn't want to be hiding behind a witch's skirts, but he couldn't very well say that to Poppy.

"Well, if it's anyone I know, I am not going to calmly listen to someone say something nasty about you or attack your character, Severus. I just couldn't. It wouldn't be about defending you, it would be defending the truth, and defending my own honour, because if you're attacked, then I am, too, and I'll not ever stand by as if it doesn't matter to me. Don't worry, I won't go doolally on them. I would try not to increase the embarrassment of the situation...although I wouldn't mind redirecting it on whoever deserved it."

"People have their reasons for their feelings, and I am not just some innocent scapegoat, Poppy. I try not to dwell on the past, but it does still follow me. The past doesn't just disappear; people still remember. I did things, both before I joined the Order of the Phoenix and after, that an honest witch or wizard could justly hold against me. And even if it wasn't specifically I who harmed them, many people still look at me and they see other injuries they suffered because of people like me. I don't like it, but it's the way things are."

"That doesn't mean that you don't have a right to live your life without being accosted on the street or insulted in a pub. You have a right to leave the past in the past."

"Well, just be prepared for some of your friends and acquaintances not to like me," Severus said, wanting to end the conversation, "or for them not to like your being with me. I value your opinion of me, and your feelings for me, but I think you're a little naive about what it may be like to be associated with me, and not just as a friend."

"I've seen a lot in life, Severus. I don't think I'm naive. I'm just hopeful for the best in people. I hope you don't think that if someone disapproved of you, I'd just ... drop you, or something."

Severus kissed her cheek. "I don't believe you would drop me over someone's disapproval, no. That's not Poppy Pomfrey." If she dropped him, it would be because of who he was, not because of someone else's opinion of him.

"So did you have a good time yourself the last couple of days?"

"It wasn't bad. I did quite a bit of brewing. Got all of Professor Birnbaum's potions brewed for him."

"That was very good of you."

"Well ... I have a confession to make, Poppy."

Poppy looked up at him expectantly.

"Professor Birnbaum has become my personal florist." He grinned as she laughed at that. "I was having trouble getting flowers for you one day, and so Gareth and I popped up to the Tyree place. He gave me the first ones, but I felt awkward not paying for any others, so we agreed to a trade."

"I wondered where you had got so many beautiful flowers!"

"But now that you've returned early, you've ruined my surprise for your return."

"I can still be surprised. I love surprises."

"I'll just change its timing, that's all," Severus said. "Your unpredictability will not be my undoing, woman. I will simply adjust my plans."

"You have a lot of plans and schemes regarding me, then?"

"Oh, yes. In fact, I'm scheming right now to get you out of your clothes and into a bed."

"Not alone, I hope!"

"Definitely not alone." Severus kissed her lips gently, then took her in his arms and kissed her more passionately, holding her warm body to his.

"Mmm, I did miss that," Poppy said a few minutes later, cuddling up against him.

"What did you do to distract yourself from missing me while you were gone?" Severus asked, smirking.

"Oh, my, so many things. It was actually a bit tiring. We saw two plays, one was a dinner theatre performance our first evening there. Gertrude and I went for a long walk along the beach...which we had almost to ourselves. We ate a lot. Too much. But it was all delicious. Oh! And there was a Muggle magic show! That was very funny, but really quite good. A French Squib who actually is a Muggle magician did all of these tricks, and it was very hard to say how he did any of them without magic. We talked to him after the show...he was a sweet young man, though his English was almost nonexistent, so Gertrude did most of the talking for us, since her French is still quite good. This was only the second time he'd ever performed for a wizarding audience. I guess he was embarrassed about it, but Herr Schiller had persuaded him that his act would be entertaining, so he was giving a few performances just to see how they went. We all enjoyed it."

"That certainly sounds novel."

"And I did have a sauna and a massage after it. We all did that yesterday afternoon. Gertrude hadn't wanted a massage, but I told her that in my professional opinion, it would do her good. She had a very sweet little Japanese witch give her a therapeutic massage, and she did admit that it had been relaxing."

"And your massage ... it was by a tall, young, blond, well-muscled Swedish wizard dressed in nothing but a loincloth?"

Poppy laughed. "Hardly! It was a wizard, but he was slim...rather bony, in fact...and older than I by about twenty years. And he was fully clothed in a long tunic and sleeveless robe. I think he was Czech. I'm not sure. He didn't speak much English. He spoke German very well, though, according to Gertrude. We should go sometime, Severus. I'd get you into a mud bath! We'd have a good time."

"We'll see," Severus said, snorting at the thought of a mud bath.

"I ought to get up to the Hospital Wing and put my things away and check the infirmary, I suppose," Poppy said. "I am sorry I didn't get you anything, Severus. I was planning to, and I'd been looking at things, but I was going to shop today, and obviously, I left before I could."

Severus shook his head. "Do not concern yourself. I certainly did not expect anything. However, while I was brewing yesterday, I brewed something for you. It's not here, though; it's still in my lab. Would you mind waiting while I fetch it?"

"Why don't we meet up in my sitting room? That way I can take care of my luggage and so on."

"All right. I won't be long."

"The password's the same as it was. Just let yourself in."

Twenty minutes later, Severus presented himself to Mrs Framingham and let himself into Poppy's suite. He could hear her humming something familiar in another room.

"Poppy?" He took a step toward the bedroom, but she emerged and smiled at him.

"That was fast."

He held out the large blue pottery crock he was carrying. "You can change the pot, if you like, but I thought this one would go with your sitting room colours."

Poppy took the crock and set it down on the coffee table, bright anticipation on her face. She lifted the lid and looked in. Slightly puzzled, she took a pinch of the substance in the pot and rubbed it between her fingers.

"This is only half of your present. And actually, if you don't want the other half...I hope you will, but since you arrived back early and Minerva's not back till this evening, it's not really ready, anyway."

"This is Floo Powder?" Poppy asked, confused.

"Yes. My specially Charmed soot-free blend. No matter the state of the Floo Network you travel through, you will stay soot-free."

"Thank you, Severus." Poppy put the lid back on the pot.

"And I've not been clear why I'm giving you Floo Powder, which probably seems almost as odd a gift to you as Blood-Replenishing Potion. I thought that, if you like, we could have Minerva open the Floo between our suites. Then whenever you wanted, you could visit me. Naturally, I would not presume the reverse. But it could be convenient for you, and when you Floo back to the Hospital Wing, you could return directly to your own rooms rather than to the infirmary."

Poppy grinned. "I'd love that, Severus. If you're sure you don't mind. I know you value your privacy."

"This was my idea; of course I don't mind."

"Well, I'll always call through first if you aren't expecting me."

Severus smiled. "Good. That's settled then."

"But you must feel free to use the connection, as well, Sev. I think it would be convenient for us both."

Severus hadn't believed it possible to be as happy as he felt at that moment. Poppy was in his life and he was a part of hers. He loved this witch. He suddenly understood what it meant to be overflowing with happiness. He did the only thing he could do at that moment: he stepped up to Poppy, took her in his arms, and kissed her, wishing he never had to let her go.

~*~*~*~

"Melina Obliviated her?" Poppy asked with a disbelieving laugh. She and Severus were in her office, and she had just found, but not yet read, the two separate...and very different...reports from Madam Fuller and Healer O'Donald.

"I could scarcely believe it, myself, but she did save me some awkward questions."

"I hope she doesn't go about doing that on a regular basis!" Poppy said, though she was grinning. "I'm glad that Filius is all right. So, what was the spell you used on him that had such nearly disastrous effects?"

"Agravitas. I got the idea from our discussion of Gravitomancy. And it did work, just not the way I'd envisioned it. I could probably tweak it, practise casting it to achieve exactly what I want...I think I cast it with too much force, for one...but I don't think it's a practical spell for duelling. And outdoors...let's just say I was glad that we were duelling in the dungeons and Filius hit the ceiling and didn't end up lost in outer space." Severus shuddered. He had thought of that only hours after the duel, and although he was fairly sure that he could have reversed the spell quickly enough, he was still glad that they hadn't been practising in the Quidditch stadium.

"I ought to stop by and see him, check and make sure he has no lingering side-effects," Poppy said. "I am very relieved, for both your sakes, that it turned out to be a relatively minor accident. It must be the one that Aine foresaw."

"I hope it was," Severus replied. "I wouldn't want another one on this scale or worse, certainly. I was about ready to give up duelling after seeing Filius lying there, not breathing, his skin all mottled, his hair blue..."

"Your antigravity charm turned his hair blue?" Poppy asked in astonishment.

"No, that was from a mild jinx I had cast earlier. Just a simple colour-change charm, actually. But it didn't help him look any healthier." Severus shrugged one shoulder. "He says I should continue, though, and so did Laura Manning, and she saw him when he wasn't looking very good. I'll just be less experimental with my offensive spells, at least for a while."

Poppy sighed. "You do know how I feel about duelling, but I know it's important to you, and so I'll just ask that you be careful. I would hate to see you badly injured in a duel."

"I am sure that neither Gareth nor Albus will cast anything that will do me any lasting harm."

"How are those new blocks coming that you were practising with Filius?"

"Better," Severus said with a nod. He was becoming more confident with the idea of a wandless duel against Dumbledore now, but until he had made a definite decision, he would wait to mention it to Poppy. Besides, it would only give her one more thing to worry about, and she worried about him enough as it was.

~*~*~*~

"Severus?" Minerva's head appeared in Poppy's sitting room fireplace. "Ah, good, you're there. I looked for you in your rooms and your office. I thought I'd check here before calling Twiskett to look for you."

"You and Dumbledore are back already?" Poppy asked.

"I could ask the same of you," Minerva said. "Mind if I pop through?"

"Of course," Poppy said, and a moment later, Minerva was standing on Poppy's hearth rug, dusting herself off.

"We were going to return this evening, but Albus received an owl from Moody after lunch. Since Moody wants to meet with him...and is on his way now, in fact...I thought we might as well return this afternoon. I had no desire to bring him to Fàinne an Fhithich. What brought you back early, Poppy? Did everyone return early from Schiller's?"

"No, only me. I read the paper this morning and I just preferred being home at a time like this. I know I can't do anything about what's happening, and Severus is perfectly fine, but I knew I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself for thinking about it."

Minerva nodded. "I wanted to let you know I was back, Severus, as well as talk to you about arrangements for your holiday. It's actually good you're here, too, Poppy. Eoghan almost let the cat out of the bag with Albus, but as far as Albus knows, Severus will be making a separate trip to visit Eoghan and his family and deliver some potions to Johannes, and Poppy will be using Primrose Cottage on her own later in the week. I don't think he's associated the two, although he may. There's not much to be done if he figures it out on his own. I made arrangements with Kilbeena to stock the kitchen for you. She'll also provide any meals you would like, although you'll need to let her know in advance."

"I'll pay you back, Min," Poppy said.

"We will pay you back," Severus said.

Minerva waved her hand dismissively. "We'll discuss that when you return from your holiday. Or you can discuss it directly with Siofre. It's all from their stores. I'd just be turning the money over to her."

"We'll take care of it directly with her, then," Poppy said, "and not bother you with it. Thanks for loaning us your cottage."

"Indeed. It will be welcome to leave Hogwarts and not have Poppy worry about the vigilante while we are there," Severus said.

"I asked Kilbeena to prepare the rose guest room for you...do not worry, Severus; it is not pink...and everything should be ready whenever you decide to arrive. I thought it wouldn't be until Friday, since you were to be on holiday until tomorrow evening, Poppy, but I'm sure that if you would like to leave early, Kilbeena will not be inconvenienced. I'll just send Siofre an owl if you decide to leave tomorrow...or even today."

Severus and Poppy looked at each other.

"I think we need to discuss this first, Minerva, but if we do leave today, we wouldn't expect everything to be perfect," Poppy said.

"I had made arrangements with McGonagall for us to do a little ... a little practice duelling this evening and we were going to have a drink afterwards. However, it was not going to be a serious practice. I will need to think about this."

Minerva nodded. "Whatever you two decide, then. Now, the school. I know that Filius is here and will be here until Thursday morning, but who else is currently in residence? Have any other schedules changed?"

"Ms Benetti moved into the castle yesterday, as you had suggested. As she is now in Ravenclaw, Flitwick took it as his responsibility to get her settled into a new suite. She has rooms near Ravenclaw Tower now, but not the guest rooms. He called them the Rowena Suite."

Minerva nodded. "They have been used by various Ravenclaw faculty in the past, usually married ones, as they are particularly large. I hope he checked their state before installing her there; I don't think anyone's used them in about twenty years."

"I'm sure he did. He was quite excited about it," Severus said, his expression indicating that he was glad that Flitwick had taken care of it, since it was nothing he could become excited about.

"Other than Ms Benetti?" Minerva prompted.

"Laura and David Manning returned yesterday. Sharon Carter, as well, though she informed me she will be leaving again early tomorrow morning. She and some gentleman are going to Monaco. She will be returning to the castle on Sunday night. Rath is still away, but he is scheduled to return today. Hagrid is back, but he said he may be going away again this weekend, again to that Welsh dragon preserve. Vector returned this morning. She didn't mention her plans, but I presume they are unchanged and she will be here for the remainder of the holiday. Cahill is still here. I don't think he's going anywhere. Ouellette arrived at lunchtime ... anyone else here that you remember, Poppy?"

She shook her head. "Caspar would be here if he knew that Helena had moved in, though, I'm sure!"

Minerva laughed. "He does like a pretty witch, doesn't he?"

"I saw him before he left on Monday morning. He said something about helping Aine MacAirt move. He didn't say when he would be back."

"NicAirt," Minerva corrected. "Did he, indeed?"

"Fortunately, Gryffindor has been quiet and Flitwick monitored the House until Vector returned this morning. With all the Gryffindor staff away, we had to make do."

"Don't sound so cross about it, Severus, or I may insist you stay and look after Slytherin," Minerva said.

"So Caspar's helping Aine this week?" Poppy asked.

Severus shrugged. "So he said."

Poppy looked over at Minerva. "Wonder if she knew or if he just showed up."

"Probably the latter," Minerva replied. "She would have discouraged him otherwise, I think."

"They certainly seemed cordial the other night," Poppy countered.

"They always are whenever they happen to meet," Minerva said. "But I don't think that Aine ... I believe that she would have declined his help."

"I'm missing something here," Severus said, looking at the two witches.

"Caspar and Aine were seeing each other years ago. Caspar was in Alroy's House, same year, so they got to know each other well in school. Aine was just a year behind the boys. After Quin was cursed, things changed. Aine had to live the life of a Muggle. Caspar couldn't. He agonised about it, but he simply ... it would have been a lot to ask of him. And Aine wouldn't ask it of him, and she let him go."

"Everyone had been sure they would marry," Poppy added.

"They'd talked about it," Minerva agreed with a nod. "He'd even looked at rings just the week before Quin was attacked. Dad went with him, that's how I know...Caspar apprenticed under my father," she explained to Severus.

"Aine didn't ever seem to hold it against him, though," Poppy said.

"I don't think she did, but understanding it, even reconciling yourself to it, doesn't necessarily erase the pain of losing him along with the rest of the future that she'd thought she'd make with him in the wizarding world."

"But she didn't have to stay with her father," Severus said. The two witches looked at him. "No one forced her to, did they? Couldn't they have hired someone to look after him?"

"She couldn't have done that," Poppy said. "How could she desert her father? And it wasn't as though their life was miserable or as though he was a complete invalid, physically...or mentally. He just had certain ... certain incapacities. She wasn't there to take care of him the way you would someone who was ill...not after the first few months, anyway. She was there to be family for him, to keep him connected with whatever part of his old life that she could. You can't just leave a family member to languish like that, not if you have a choice, anyway. It wasn't his fault he was cursed as he was."

"Alroy could have done it, then. Or they could have taken turns," Severus said.

"Alroy did a lot," Minerva said. "He spent eighteen-hour days at the business, divesting them of many of the wizarding businesses and keeping the Muggle ones afloat. He'd had his own dreams, too, and they didn't involve working for more than another few years in his dad's company. Not a week went by when he didn't visit them, and he'd spend days at a time there when he could. He also kept the MacAirt estate ticking over, which was no small feat, even with help from his aunts and uncles. Alroy's dreams had to change, too."

"If Caspar had been more patient," Poppy said, "something may have eventually worked out for them, but he broke it off with her."

"No, she broke it off with him," Minerva corrected. "She didn't want him to feel obligated, and it was obvious that he found the entire situation difficult to deal with."

"I wouldn't do that," Severus blurted.

"What?" Minerva asked.

"He should have stayed," Severus said, blushing. "It would have made her life better, too. I wouldn't have left."

Poppy reached over and took his hand and squeezed it briefly. "Thankfully, that isn't the kind of choice that people often face."

"He never married," Minerva pointed out. "And although he's a bit of a ... what they used to call a skirt-chaser, he's never very persistent."

"So they were both alone for no reason," Severus said.

"No. They each had their own lives to lead," Minerva said. "Who's to say it wasn't for the best? But if he's planning to try to rekindle things with Aine, he would be well advised to move carefully. Time marches on and things change, people change. Aine is a different witch from the one he fell in love with over thirty years ago."

"She's very successful," Severus said. "Her achievements are admirable."

Minerva looked over at Poppy's clock. "I'd better get back up to the office soon. Moody will be here, and I want to hear what he has to say. Would you like to come up, Severus?"

Severus shook his head. "But if he wants to speak with me, I will. I don't think I can help at all. I hadn't seen either Simon or Charlotte since they left school."

"So he wasn't a Death Eater," Minerva said.

"No. It's possible that he gave money to Riddle through one of his uncles, but he somehow escaped recruitment."

"The Demornays weren't involved with You-Know– with Riddle, were they?" Poppy asked.

"They were certainly pureblood supremacists, but they hadn't been involved years ago, and none were recruited on his return," Severus said.

"But Charlotte's mother's mother was a Muggle-born," Poppy exclaimed. "I was in school with her."

"And my father was a Muggle. Not that I ever preached pureblood supremacy, but I joined Riddle." Severus gave a short laugh. "But I recognised quite early what none of the purebloods did: Riddle hated the purebloods just as much as he did Muggle-borns. He relished his power over them. The only supremacy he believed in was his own. In an odd way, it ..." Severus shrugged.

"Yes? What?" Poppy asked. This was as open as Severus had ever been about his time with Riddle, and she was curious what he had been about to say.

"It says nothing positive about me, but in a strange way, it gave me a certain kind of standing with Riddle. He thought that ... that I was more like him than the purebloods were. It was one of his reasons for planning to elevate me when he conquered."

"Do you think he really intended to do that?" Minerva asked.

Severus nodded. "I do. As long as I served him and was useful to him, and as long as I provided him with an example of a perfect follower. Of course, that made my ultimate betrayal of him even worse, in his view. He could expect such a thing from someone like Malfoy or one of the Blacks, but not from me. He also, obviously, believed himself so powerful and insightful that no one could possibly betray him in the way I did, in such a thorough-going manner. I think that even after commanding my death and having Nagini bite me, he still didn't really believe that I had betrayed him as completely as I had. I think he thought it was just some momentary weakness, some aberration, on my part, brought about by my association with you."

"I think you're right," Minerva said. "When he Apparated onto the grounds, he still seemed to believe that in dropping the wards, you had betrayed Hogwarts to him, even if you hadn't killed me as he had commanded."

Poppy shuddered. "I am glad all of that is behind us, and I am very glad that you were on our side and that you lived!" She reached over and took Severus's hand, and this time, she didn't let go. Severus found that he didn't mind.

~*~*~*~

"The one thing missing in your new office," Poppy said, "is a comfortable chair. Otherwise, it's lovely. Really good job, Severus. Bright, efficient, well-organised. I think you'll find this a good environment to work in. And I don't miss any of your old decorations at all!"

Severus gave her a crooked grin. "If you ever do, some of them are in that cupboard behind you. I did chuck most of them, though."

"Even the..."

"No, I kept that. But it's in the back of the cupboard. It was too rare to simply incinerate or discard."

"Good thing Firenze never visited you in your office," Poppy said. "I can't imagine that any centaur would take very well to someone having something like that in a jar."

"It is fortunate that navigating stairs was difficult for him," Severus agreed, but not losing his smirk. "As for comfortable chairs..." Severus waved his wand, and one of the hard straight-backed chairs was transformed into a comfortable upholstered armchair with yellow fabric scattered with bright red poppies. "I shall have to work at refining the design," he said with a frown.

"I like it!" Poppy sat down. "Very comfortable, too. So, when do you want to leave for Raven's Ring?"

"Tomorrow morning?" Severus asked. "If that would suit you. I could bring Professor Birnbaum's potion with me. It would give us both time to get ready. Of course, I wouldn't be averse to spending the night with you."

"Now that Minerva's opened the Floo between our suites, that will be easier to do," Poppy said. "And tomorrow morning sounds fine. But you'd said that you needed boots or walking shoes. Did you shop while I was gone?"

Severus shook his head. "I will simply Transfigure some that I already have. Or, as you are more conversant with the sort of footwear that is appropriate, you might do that."

"All right, then..."

There was a sharp rapping on the office door. Severus flicked a finger at the door, opening it.

"You two together again," Moody said, his eye swivelling in its socket, taking in first Severus and then Poppy.

"Very observant, Moody," Severus said drily. "The Headmistress said you might be by. Have a seat." He nodded at the other straight-backed chair, and it scooted toward the retired Auror. He suppressed a smirk at the other wizard's expression, and was pleased, as well, that Poppy was smiling and looking impressed.

"And you changed your office around. Wasn't like this when I was here last." His magical eye took in the rest of the office while his natural one settled on Severus. He nodded at the other wizard. "Settling into your new life. Puttin' the past in the past. Good." He sat down in the chair that Severus had offered him.

"What did you want?" Severus asked.

"Thought you'd like to be brought up to date, is all. If you have any new insights, I'll listen to 'em. We've followed up on some of your suggestions from our last meeting. No fruit yet, but I think we're closer to the right track."

"When I made my observations, I had not anticipated that a pair of Aurors would accost Professor Gamp in her home and haul her off for interrogation," Severus said.

"She might've been questioned at some point, anyway. But I wouldn't have recommended that, either, as you well know, Snape. I was glad to get her questioning cut short. Still, in a case like this, you have to follow every lead. There's going to be more deaths before this is over if the witch isn't caught soon."

"Shouldn't you be spending time following leads that are likely instead of ones that are so improbable as to be laughable?" Severus asked. "Not a very good use of resources, I'd say."

Poppy, wanting to cut off and divert the conversation before it became acrimonious...or more acrimonious...said, "What is the latest news, then? How are the Mellifluas?"

"He's dead. Died an hour or so after reaching St. Mungo's. Poor sod didn't have a chance. It was another Conruptus, but this one hit his abdomen, practically dead centre. The damage was extensive. Even if he'd been found right away, the Healers say his chances of surviving such a bad hit were close to nil. Looks like his wife has a good chance of pulling through. She was hit second, and she'd turned to shield her children. The youngest was in her arms." Moody's cheek twitched, and his natural eye blinked. He swallowed and shifted in his chair, his claw-foot scraping against the stone floor. "Anyway, she was hit in the side, in the rib cage. She lost part of one of her lungs, though they say they should be able to regrow it if they managed to completely excise all of the tissue that was affected by the curse. Even so, she'll live. The kids are both okay, though they're ... well, seeing that happen scared them both witless. Even as young as they are, it was horrifying for them. They're staying with their uncle until their mother recovers."

"Polyphemus," Severus said.

"Aye, that's the one. You know him?"

"Slightly. He was a couple years behind me in Slytherin. A rather foul person, but he wasn't a Death Eater, and Simon certainly wasn't. The only Mellifluas whom I'm aware of who were Death Eaters are all dead, except one who was captured at the Battle of Hogwarts. I presume that he's in prison."

"He is. They're going to question him tomorrow, find out if there's any specific person who holds a grudge against him and would take it out on his family. I'll be there for it, though I don't think we'll learn anything. Still, he may know something he doesn't know he knows, and it could come out some way."

"What does Polyphemus say?" Severus asked.

"Not very much. Very uncommunicative, given that his younger brother and his sister-in-law were struck down in front of their own front door. But he says he knows no one who would do this, that the two were completely inoffensive, and he has no enemies, either."

Severus snorted.

"You know something to the contrary?" Moody asked.

"No, but I'm sure that there are plenty of people who don't like him, and I doubt that Simon was so inoffensive, either. The Mellifluas couldn't help but be offensive. Even in school, most people who called Polyphemus a friend didn't really like him. His own ex-wife hates him."

"Polyphemus's ex-wife?"

"But Gwen wouldn't do anything like this," Poppy said quickly, giving Severus a sharp look.

"No, I never said she would," Severus said, "and whatever else I may think of the witch, I don't believe she'd attack her former in-laws, particularly with their children right there with them. However, you might get more truth from her than from Polyphemus, who clearly doesn't want to implicate any of his associates, current or former. I'm sure that Burns, on the other hand, would be happy to, what's the saying? 'Dish the dirt'? She'd tell you about Polyphemus's friends and enemies, and if she knows anything about his brother and his associates, she'd tell you about them, too. She has an axe to grind, but I'm sure you can distinguish between what's merely her invective and what's substantive."

"Gwen Burns. I think she's on our list of people to question, anyway. I'll move her up. In fact, I'll question her next, on my own. Know where she lives?"

"No. I think that Gareth McGonagall knows, though. It may be somewhere in Glasgow, since he mentioned having seen her in the Clypeum."

"Never mind, I can find out easily enough," Moody said, jotting something down on a bit of parchment he took from his pocket. "And you're sure she wouldn't be a suspect? If she has an axe to grind ..."

"A lot of divorced people have an axe to grind," Poppy said, "and a lot of divorced couples hate each other. That doesn't turn any of them into serial killers!"

"Course not," Moody said, "but I won't dismiss the idea entirely until I've questioned her."

"Do you know any more about the perpetrator after this attack?" Severus asked.

"It's definitely a witch. We will all be surprised if it isn't, anyhow. Mrs Melliflua clearly heard the first spell being cast, and she is certain that it was a woman's voice. She also said that she had the 'sense' that it was a woman, and that the woman was alone. I presume there were other things that she noticed that indicated the attacker was female, and she just can't identify what they were. In any case, we're looking for a witch, one who's not fat or old, since Melliflua indicated that the voice was that of an adult witch, but it didn't sound like an older one...not one over seventy or so, anyway. But that was a presumption we had already made based on the memories pulled from Bulstrode after she was attacked. A relatively slim witch, at least medium height or taller, probably young or middle-aged. Still not much to go on."

"Had there been any letters?" Poppy asked.

Moody nodded. "One. Polyphemus said that was one reason he was stopping by when he did. His brother had asked him to come read it and give him advice about what to do about it. It had only arrived that afternoon. The Aurors were able to find it in the house. Don't have a copy of it with me, but I read it."

"What did it say?" Severus asked.

"Pretty much the same kind of thing as has been in the others. Accused them of collaboration, of contributing to the deaths of hundreds of innocents, said that the innocent were still suffering, that sort of thing. The only way to fix wizarding society was to get rid of 'em, excise them like diseased flesh."

"That was an exact quote?" Severus asked.

"Which?"

"'Diseased flesh.'"

Moody nodded. "It stuck with me."

"And she seems to favour the Conruptus, which creates rotted, diseased flesh," Severus pointed out.

"And which is very painful," Poppy said, her face anguished. "A dreadful way to die."

"Listen, Moody, if there's nothing else," Severus said, "we were discussing the infirmary's potions needs for the spring term." He didn't want Poppy any more upset than she already was about the vigilante attacks, and remembering treating Ronald Weasley's Conruptus injury and Angelina Johnson's lingering death from the Massuelius hex was unlikely to calm her.

"No, nothing else." Moody heaved himself to his feet. "Glad to see you're making a good new start to it." He glanced over at Poppy with both eyes before returning his gaze to Severus. "Glad to see you have some good folk around you, too."

Severus twitched his finger and opened the door for Moody. "Oh, one thing, Moody. Don't mention my name to Burns."

Moody stopped. "No?"

"No. She would likely not speak to you."

"Doesn't like you, eh?" Moody shrugged. "Wouldn't mention you, anyway. As Polyphemus's ex-wife, she's a natural person to question."

"Thanks for keeping us informed, Alastor," Poppy said.

"I'll let you know if we make any progress." The old Auror closed the door behind himself.