Chapter 5 - November Spawned A Monster

Chapter 5 – November Spawned A Monster

The end of November had flown by with increasingly bitter temperatures, and once more, Harry and Ginny had found themselves caught up in a flurry of activity from being back in their old routine of juggling their children with work, which had again left them with no decent quality time alone together.

Ginny's moods would swing from morose to white-hot rage whenever she thought of the seemingly impossible situation that she and Harry were in. When she was younger, Ginny had never been one to hold her tongue when something had angered her. These days, as a mother, she was acutely aware of the damage that arguing parents could have on the impressionable children witnessing them. And she'd had no real time alone with Harry to be able to voice her concerns. This led to Ginny repressing her anger, which made her tired and even more miserable, and feeling evermore resentful, like a pressure cooker that could explode at any second.

Meanwhile, many miles away in Cornwall, Snape happened to be feeling very pleased with himself. He'd just finished a paper for Potioneer Magazine on the effects of the lunar eclipse on the brewing of Wolfsbane Potion. The paper had taken him over six years to complete, owing to the rarity of total lunar eclipses and the need to replicate his experiments in order to guarantee consistent results. It had been complex work, and Snape had needed to use his Astronomy skills as well as his Potions expertise in order for the potion to be successful.

Although he'd not had a werewolf to try out his completed potion on, he was deeply confident that Wolfsbane, when brewed at a lunar eclipse, would be several times more potent than normal Wolfsbane. This meant that a lower dosage would be needed when treating the afflicted. He'd also concluded that Wolfsbane brewed under these conditions, if contained correctly, could be stored in the same way as a medicine. Currently, Wolfsbane had to be brewed from scratch for each lunar cycle in order to treat the lycanthrope, and any remaining potion could not be stored for future usage.

Snape had sent his paper to Potioneer Magazine signed with his usual pseudonym. The irony was not lost on him that this work had the potential to be as great a discovery as Wolfsbane itself, and if his hypothesis were correct, his name, or rather, his pseudonym, would go down in the history books forever. No-one would know who the true creator was.

For Snape, this was just another bitter pill he'd have to swallow. At the very least, it echoed the pattern of the rest of his life to-date. When he had been a part of the Wizarding world, no-one, except Dumbledore, had known who he really was. No-one, except that old, manipulating wizard, had known the true cause of his hostility and anger, and all he had sacrificed on a daily basis to avenge Lily and defeat the Dark Lord. And now, in his chosen exile from that world, no-one would know that it was he who had potentially discovered one of the greatest potions of the twenty-first century.

Snape was choosing to celebrate his finished paper with a bottle of very expensive French elf-made wine, some rich, creamy cheese and a copy of the day's Daily Prophet. He allowed himself a satisfied smirk as the delicious berry notes from the wine danced on his tongue, merging with the velvety tones from the cheese. The taste of success, indeed. Feelings of relaxation and achievement spread through him from the very first sip. Placing his glass carefully onto the small coffee table next to his favourite armchair and leaning back with a contented sigh, he settled down and began to read.

AUGUREY DEATHS RAISES NEW HEALTH FEARS

Ardal O'Flaherty, the Irish Minister for Magic, has called for calm whilst the Irish Ministry investigate the as-yet unexplained bird deaths further.

Snape quirked his eyebrow. He remembered the Nogtail Flu debacle all too well. Miles Bletchley had been one of the many in the Wizarding world who had been killed by the virus, and for some reason his untimely death had resonated with him. Miles had been a student in Snape's own House when he had been Head of Slytherin, and the Bletchleys were one of the few Wizarding families who had not been on Lucius Malfoy's payroll in some way. Personally knowing someone who had died from the illness had made it all the more real.

Snape remembered feeling angry about how slowly the Ministry of Magic had reacted to the crisis. St. Mungo's Healers and potion-makers had come up with an antidote quickly, but the bureaucracy at the Ministry of Magic had meant that there had been acres of red tape to wade through, and it had taken weeks for the medicine to be approved by the Office for the Regulation of Magical Remedies and Potions. This had resulted in needless deaths and because the illness was not contained, it had spread into the Muggle world, causing more devastation.

The Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, had certainly had his work cut out from that point, hiding the truth from the Muggles and liaising with the Muggle Prime Minister on how to tackle the epidemic. Luckily, Muggle healthcare seemed to be better organised than the Wizarding world's, as their own medicines had been highly effective at halting the spread of the disease.

The Ministry of Magic had been restructured once the virus had finally been controlled. A furious Shacklebolt had instigated a whole new branch of government called the Department of Magical Healthcare Services, which had taken St. Mungo's self-regulatory powers away, and he had drawn up emergency plans should another pandemic happen again.

It was no wonder that the pressure was now on the Irish Ministry of Magic to locate the source of the Augurey deaths as quickly as possible and rule out the threat of infection, Snape mused. Had he realised at the time what a tragic farce the Nogtail Flu would have turned into, he would have brewed the cures and issued them himself.

* * *

The last Sunday in November saw torrential rain in Godric's Hollow, forcing the Potters to stay indoors and relax. Ginny welcomed the prospect of a lazy Sunday with relief. Her mother had left her a crock-pot full of delicious lamb casserole for dinner, so all Ginny had to do was whip up some mashed potatoes and steam some vegetables to serve with it.

The house did not look like a bomb had hit it, for a change, and the boys were in the lounge watching black and white cartoons on a Muggle television that Harry had insisted on purchasing for these very occasions. Harry himself was having a very rare lie-in, which Ginny could not begrudge him. Lily was in her high-chair, gurgling quietly to herself.

And so, finally, Ginny had some much-needed "me" time. She was currently sitting at the kitchen table with Nyx purring contentedly on her knees and a steaming cup of tea, sorting through old photographs and arranging them into albums, which was one of the many odd tasks that seemed important to do but which she never had time for.

Ginny smiled as she picked up a photo from Ron and Hermione's wedding. Harry and she were best man and bridesmaid, respectively. Hermione was smiling broadly, her eyes shining, looking absolutely beautiful in a long, pale ivory gown. Ron kept tugging at his dress robes self-consciously, looking flustered, but breaking into a huge grin whenever he looked at his glowing bride. Harry and Ginny were also grinning and waving happily, their arms around their friends. It was a truly wonderful and unforgettable day. Her brother George had presented Hermione and Ron with a prank present of a gnome in a box at the reception, which had then gone on the rampage, skittering under the guests' feet, scaring Muggle guests and climbing onto the buffet. The gnome had managed to eat half a plate of vol-au-vents before George had managed to capture it and stow it safely back in the box before presenting the happy couple with his real present (a beautiful magical clock, not dissimilar to the one in the kitchen at The Burrow).

Ginny smiled to herself once more as she placed the picture neatly into the photo album. She had just picked up a picture of Al's first birthday when, all of a sudden, a familiar bushy-haired head began to spin inside the middle of the fireplace.

'Morning, Ginny!' Hermione said brightly, after a delicate coughing fit. 'I hope I'm not interrupting anything. Got time for a chat?'

Ginny grinned. 'I was just thinking about you! Was going to Floo you later. You alright?'

Hermione blew a strand of bushy hair out of her face. 'Ron's visiting your mum with the kids today, so I've had a chance to get the chores done. Honestly, I have no idea how I would cope if I had to do it the Muggle way!'

'I've got no idea how I'd cope without Mum, either. She's so good, she made us a casserole for dinner tonight,' Ginny replied, tickling Nyx behind the ears.

'Molly is a superstar; she's always doing stuff like that for me and Ron, too,' Hermione agreed. 'How's your weekend going?'

'It's quiet. I'm sitting here arranging old photos into albums whilst the boys are busy watching cartoons. Harry is having a lie-in, and Missy here,' she said, gesturing to Lily in her high chair, 'is as quiet as a dormouse. It's bliss!'

Hermione grinned back. 'Lazy Sunday all round then.' Her tone suddenly became more serious. 'Look, I won't keep you, but I wanted to tell you something.'

Ginny's brow furrowed. 'What is it?'

'You know The Prophet has been going on about Augurey Flu after those Augureys were found dead in Ireland last week?'

Ginny nodded.

'Well, it's been confirmed. Leopold Volksgeist, who is one of the officers within the Spirit Division in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, was taken ill to Saint Mungo's late last night. Kingsley Shacklebolt has sent owls to all heads of departments this morning confirming the news. Harry and Arthur should be getting an owl about it any moment.'

Ginny looked shocked. 'Merlin's beard, that's terrible! Is he alright? What about the rest of the Ministry?'

Hermione sighed. 'It's too early to tell yet, but Kingsley will be making a formal announcement to The Prophet this morning before meeting with the Irish Minister for Magic, so expect it to be all over the news by the end of the day. Kingsley's advice to us is to keep calm and keep it business as usual. We're all expected to go into work tomorrow. Leopold had apparently just come back from a meeting in Ireland with the Grogoch Control Office on Friday night, so there should be no risk to the rest of us.'

Ginny gnawed at her bottom lip with her teeth. 'This doesn't look good, Hermione.'

Hermione nodded slowly. 'I know. But I wanted to let you know the facts as soon as I'd heard, rather than The Prophet's speculation. No offence,' she added quickly, flushing slightly as she realised she was slighting her friend's employer.

Ginny, however, did not seem to notice. 'Thank you for telling me. I'd better go and wake Harry up before the owl does.'

Hermione gave her a reassuring smile. 'Don't worry, Ginny. Kingsley has taken steps to make sure a pandemic like Nogtail Flu can never happen again. He'll be issuing symptoms and advice in his Prophet announcement later.'

Ginny smiled weakly in return and bade Hermione goodbye, watching the fire long after Hermione's head had gone. How could she not worry? Her father, her husband, her brother and her best friend all worked at the Ministry. As much as she had faith in Kingsley's emergency plans, she could not help but feel anxious. Nogtail Flu had rocked the foundations of the Wizarding world, and the thought of that happening again sent shivers down her spine.

Leaving her still-steaming cup of tea and the piles of photographs on the kitchen table, Ginny carefully removed Nyx from her lap, left the kitchen and set off up the stairs to wake Harry and tell him the news.

Author's note: The title of the Irish newspaper, Ogma Scéala = Ogma is a God from Irish mythology, one of Tuatha Dé Danann. He is the God of Eloquence and Runes. Scéala is one of the Gaelic words for news.

Grogoch - a half-human, half-spirit entity which originated in Scotland and settled in Ireland.

Thanks to my Betas, Agnus Castus and Apple Blossom, for their patience, enthusiasm, and hard work.