Chapter 19

Hand-pleated silk fans for my betas, LariLee and Keladry Lupin, and my Brit-picker, MagicAlly.

These characters and this entire Potterverse are the property of the incomparable JKR.

Thou are not lovelier than lilacs, – no,

Nor honeysuckle; thou are not more fair

Than small white single poppies, – I can bear

Thy beauty; though I bend before thee, though

From left to right, not knowing where to go,

I turn my troubled eyes, nor here nor there

Find any refuge from thee, yet I swear

So has it been with mist, – with moonlight so.

Like him who day by day unto his draught

Of delicate poison adds him one drop more

'Til he may drink unharmed the death of ten,

Even so, inured to beauty, who have quaffed

Each hour more deeply than the hour before,

I drink – and live – what has destroyed some men.

Edna St. Vincent Millay

Wednesday morning dawned bright and clear, with no sign of the returning Potions master. Undeterred, Stormy was not happy until she had everyone out of bed and at the breakfast table. Today was the day for her trip to the zoo, and she was not to be gainsaid or repressed in any way.

Sirius, who had wandered in to share his now-habitual morning tea with Sophronia, watched the child with a slightly jaded eye. "Is she always going to treat us to these noisy raptures over the teacups?"

Sophronia hushed him. "Watch what you say," she cautioned. "The girls might hear you." She inclined her head toward Skye and Shadow, who were yawning over their eggs near the other end of the table, murmuring with Hermione and Alicia about their plans for the day.

"I don't mind if they hear me. I want them to hear me." He raised his voice. "Girls?"

Sophronia grasped his forearm and squeezed. "Siri, stop teasing!"

Skye and Shadow turned to Sirius with smiling interest. Sirius was a prime favourite with Sophronia's daughters; not only was he the provider of treats such as theatre trips and dinners at posh restaurants, but he made their mama smile and laugh in a way that the girls had never seen her do before. Certainly, Mum had not seemed so young and carefree when Papa was alive, had she? In fact, they had privately agreed that a casual observer would mistake Sophronia for their sister, rather than their mother, now that Sirius Black was in their lives.

Looking at his Sophie and seeing the warning in her prim mouth, Sirius relented. "I was just going to say it's a terrific day for a trip to the zoo, don't you think?"

The girls agreed and went back to their conversation; Sirius tossed his fringe out of his eyes and smiled wickedly at Sophronia. "What will be my reward for being good?" he murmured.

Sophronia gave him a severe look and stood. "I am very serious when I say that I will not consider my own situation until I have Skye settled," she said quietly. "I would like for you to respect my wishes in this, Sirius."

Sirius sat in his chair, looking up into Sophronia's sober bluebell eyes and realized that she was in deadly earnest. It flitted through his mind that he would do better to direct his efforts to getting Skye settled if he wanted to bear his prize off in triumph. He stood and looked down into his love's face with uncharacteristic gravity. "I will honour your wishes, Sophie. I'm happy to wait – I have until New Year's, after all."

The stern look abated somewhat as Sophronia took his hand and pressed it. "Thank you, Siri. I have to go get Stormy ready to leave, now. We'll meet you in an hour."

"I'll be here," he promised. Without vocalising, he added, mouthing the word to her, "Always."

He was gratified to feel the small tremor of her hand before he released her to go out of the room.

---

The residents of Grimmauld Place and their escorts, dressed in their casual Muggle clothing, had an exciting ride on the Tube, emerging at Camden station. They walked along Parkway to Prince Albert Road, finally crossing over the Regent's Canal footbridge to the entrance of the London Zoo. Waiting for them there they found Fleur and Percy, who had arrived separately a few moments before. Bill had been able to clear his schedule for the day and had travelled from Grimmauld Place with the ladies. Percy, seeing Bill firmly attached to Skye, and Ron attentive to Shadow, felt somewhat wronged. He was a Weasley brother – why was he not firmly ensconced at Hermione's side with the assurance his siblings displayed in their places with the ladies of their choice? He turned a withering glare upon Remus Lupin, who was chatting with Hermione near the iron fencing while Sirius dealt with the Muggle money at the ticket window.

Remus murmured softly, "I feel quite relieved that duelling over matters of honour has been outlawed by the Wizengamot."

Hermione twinkled up at him. "Why do you say that?"

With a gentle inclination of his head in Percy's general direction, Remus responded, "Because young Percy would very much like to cut my liver out – for the sake of your fine eyes, of course."

Hermione huffed with annoyance. "I am out of all patience with him, Remus! He offered for me, I turned him down, firmly, but he has an idiotic notion that when my parents return from holiday that he will apply to them and I will miraculously change my mind!"

Remus watched her for a moment before saying, "He's intelligent and has a bright future with the Ministry, Hermione. Why not Percy?"

"He's pompous and hopelessly self-centred, to begin with, Remus. I could never feel that way for him."

"Who then, Hermione? We've been playing this game for weeks now. I enjoy your company immensely – but what are we doing?"

Hermione reached out and took his hand. "Soon, Remus. I can't say more now, but please trust me."

Sirius strode up to them with the tickets and began to hand them out. "Everyone feel free to go where you like within the zoo and the special section" – each of them knew he was referring to the wizarding portion of the zoo "– but please do not wander off alone." Sirius focussed on Stormy. "That goes doubly for you, Miss Stormy."

Stormy bounced excitedly. "I promise I won't!"

The young people began to hand in their tickets of admission and pass into the zoo. Sirius stuck his hand in the pockets of his trousers, then looked quickly left and right, but Sophronia had already entered with Fleur. Taking his hand from his pocket, he squatted before Stormy.

"Do you have a pocket?" he inquired in a conspiratorial whisper.

Stormy nodded and indicated the pockets on her pink hooded jacket. Solemnly, Sirius tucked the random notes and change into her pocket. "That's just a bit of spending money so you can buy your own lollies," he said.

Stormy, who had seldom ever had her own pocket money to spend as she saw fit, threw her arms around Sirius' neck and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Sirius!" she piped before heading after the others.

Sirius rubbed gently at his cheek, an inane grin on his face. "Cupboard love," he muttered as he handed in his ticket and followed his charges into the zoo.

---

The Polyjuiced Death Eaters remained in their Disillusioned state, hovering near the entrance to the zoo. Mulciber elbowed Macnair as the Order of the Phoenix party began to flow in, mingling in couples and larger groups. Mulciber watched in outrage and counted heads as the women of the group filed past him.

"How many of the bloody bitches are blond-haired and blue-eyed?" he hissed.

"Too many," Macnair said. "The one with Malfoy's kid isn't a Snape; that Parkinson girl isn't one of Snape's, either. The two with the tall red-heads are Snape's sisters; the older one is the stepmother – she's walking with the fiancée. See? There's the little one – she just ran past us. One of those, mind you."

The two thugs spoke the spells to remove the Disillusionment Charms and headed in different directions, each dressed in the garb of zoo employees and each with one phial of deadly azure blue liquid in their pockets.

---

Pansy tucked her hand into Neville's arm as they wandered along the pavement. He had been so delighted when she showed up for the theatre party, and he had been very attentive to her at the Ministry dance the night before. But today, from the time the young men from Phoenix House had joined the girls at Grimmauld Place, all through their ride on the Tube, and even now, Neville seemed distracted and distant.

"Isn't this nice?" she said. "Just you and me, for once."

Neville made a noncommittal noise and kept his eyes on the pavement.

Pansy let his arm go and stepped into his path, forcing him to stop. "What's wrong?"

Neville raised his eyes from his feet to her face. She was so pretty – he never thought he would have such a good-looking girlfriend – but he just didn't understand ...

"I don't know what you're doing here," he blurted.

Pansy's mouth dropped open. "I can't believe you said that!" she exclaimed indignantly. "I'm here because I want to spend time with you, you great idiot!"

Neville looked into her face with great earnestness. "Then why won't you talk to me about us getting married?"

Pansy's hands were now resting on her hips. "For one thing, you haven't asked me if I want to marry you," she snapped. "For another thing, my parents still haven't gotten over Draco's engagement. They planned for Draco and me to marry when we were in our cribs."

"I'm tired of being your secret, Pansy," Neville said. "I want the whole world to know about us. I'm not ashamed of you and you shouldn't be ashamed of me, either."

Pansy's Slytherin cunning slipped past her adolescent annoyance into the forefront of her mind. Now matters were becoming clear to her. Dropping her hands from her hips, she stepped up to Neville, reaching one hand up to touch his cheek. "I'm not ashamed of you, Neville. You've got to trust me."

Disarmed, Neville looked helplessly down into her light blue eyes.

"If I were ashamed of you, would I kiss you in public?" she asked, suiting actions to her words and pulling his head down so that their lips met.

Neville did not answer in words, but returned her kiss, holding her to him tightly, at once fierce and vulnerable.

---

Sophronia strolled along with Fleur, engaging the younger witch in discussion of the upcoming nuptials. Her failure earlier in the week to include Fleur in their theatre trip had deeply embarrassed her. Sophronia did not consider herself to be a woman of great intelligence or wit, but she was used to believing that she was more than competent in the running of her household and her family. To become so wrapped up in her renewed feelings for Sirius Black that she neglected her duties was a point of shame for her, and she was determined to make it up to her stepson's fiancée. Fleur might not have been her choice for a wife for Severus, but it was her obligation to make things right with the woman who would soon supplant her as the doyenne of the Estuary. It did not help matters that it galled Sophronia to imagine surrendering her place in the only home she had known in the last twenty-plus years to a woman she did not like.

Shaking the traitorous thoughts from her mind, Sophronia made a response to Fleur regarding the bridesmaid dresses which had been chosen for Skye, Shadow, and Gabrielle. The wedding date was set; it was useless for her to spend time imagining what might have been. Tucking her hand in Fleur's arm she gave her daughter-in-law-to-be an encouraging smile and continued her stroll along the zoo pavement, looking for all the world as if she was actually enjoying the conversation.

---

Stormy ran past the zoo entrance, looking for her best playmate. Ahead, she saw Hermione walking with Professor Lupin. She pelted up to Hermione, grabbing her hand and laughing up into her face.

"Hello," Hermione said, unable to resist smiling at the exuberant child. "What are you going to do first?"

"Is there a shop?" Stormy inquired.

Hermione laughed. "We're here to see the animals, Stormy!"

Remus Lupin nodded over to their right. "There's a shop over there, Miss Stormy," he said.

Stormy began to tug on Hermione's hand. "Come with me, please, I need your help!"

Hermione sighed and said, "I'll catch you up later, Remus. Stormy and I are apparently going shopping."

Hermione and Stormy entered the ZSL souvenir shop and Stormy immediately headed for the toys. Hermione looked about at the items, many of which bore the emblem of the Zoological Society of London; there were tee-shirts, books, sculptures, writing paper, and novelty items galore. As was usual for such gift shops, the items were rather over-priced; one assuaged one's conscience with the knowledge that it was for a worthy cause, she supposed.

Stormy had passed through the puzzles, games, and Noah's ark-type play sets and was browsing through the soft toys. There was a fabulous array, shelf after shelf, of elephants, giraffes, lions, tigers and monkeys. As Hermione approached her, Stormy uttered a cry of joy and thrust her hand into the shelf nearest the floor, pulling out a bubblegum-pink hippopotamus. Hermione couldn't help objecting.

"But Stormy! There are all these others that actually look like real animals. See, here are a grey elephant and a brown lion ..."

Stormy clutched the ridiculous pink mini-hippo to her chest in a manner reminiscent of her handling of Fletcher, the Pygmy Puff. "But don't you think she's pretty, Hermione?"

The tragic blue eyes lifted to Hermione's face were too compelling to resist. "Of course she's pretty," Hermione replied.

Stormy plunged her hand into her pocket and pulled out a jumble of crushed notes and change. "Is this enough to buy her?"

Hermione checked the price tag and disentangled a five pound note from the jumble. "This will do it."

Stormy went up to the counter and purchased her pink hippopotamus from the shop lady, then tugged Hermione back out into the sunshine, triumphantly bearing her treasure.

"Now what?" Hermione asked her companion.

Stormy, who had been looking about her, spied Skye and Bill Weasley chatting with Percy just before the entrance to the wizarding portion of the zoo. "I'm going to go show Pink to Skye!"

Stormy pranced off to join her big sister. Hermione waited until she saw Skye smile down at Stormy before she hurried away from Percy's vicinity, in search of anyone else with whom to see the sights.

---

Ron and Shadow ambled together along the pathway, arms occasionally brushing because they walked so close together. Sophronia and Fleur were behind them, followed by Hermione, who strolled between Sirius and Remus.

Ron darted a quick glance over his shoulder, then nodded toward the Giraffe House, down the path to the left. Shadow smiled at him and flitted quickly down the path, breaking into a giggle as Ron followed hard on her heels.

The others of their group, involved in conversations, did not notice their defection. Shadow burst through the door to the Giraffe House, immediately wrinkling her nose against the musky-dung smell of the animal enclosure. Ron followed her in, colliding with her just inside the doorway.

"Oi!" he grunted, reaching out to steady her.

Shadow looked around at the comical expression on Ron's face and let out a nervous laugh. As her eyes met his, she became acutely aware of the strength of his hands as they grasped her waist. Her breath hitched in her throat as she turned to face him.

Ron cast a glance around the building then took Shadow's hand and tugged her into a corner. Swiftly, he bent his head to hers and her arms wound about his neck as he kissed her. Dear Merlin, her lips were so soft and her breath was so sweet – he was overcome with warring instincts to protect her with his life and to completely possess her with his body.

Shadow felt her arms trembling as she twined her fingers in the hair that fell over his collar. Something about being near this boy set her soul aquiver; when she was near him, all she wanted to do was kiss him – and once they began to kiss, her knees became so weak she could scarcely stand. She felt so driven to absorb him into herself – but she was not entirely sure how that might be accomplished, for they had never had time for more than a few intensely sweet stolen kisses.

So completely were they wound about and absorbed in one another that they failed to hear the opening of the door or to be aware of the entrance of Sophronia, flanked by Sirius.

"Shadow Lynn!"

Sophronia spoke sharply into the silence of the room; the lone giraffe which had been lazing in the shadows of the interior pen started and shied out into the outdoor enclosure, away from the angry voice.

Ron released Shadow and stepped away from her with a guilty look; Shadow rounded to face her mother defiantly.

Sophronia paused for only to moment to nail Sirius with a minatory glare before advancing on her daughter.

"Please excuse us, Ron," she said without taking her eyes from Shadow's face.

Ron stepped away from Shadow and gave Sophronia a wide berth as he headed for the door; Sirius detained him with one hand, saying evenly, "May I have a word with you, please?"

Ron continued past the door to the far side of the room, where he came to a stop, turning to face Sirius, half-rebellious and half-ashamed.

"Go on and say it," he muttered to Harry's godfather.

Sirius stood before him and said sternly, "Look as if I'm talking to you, Ron."

Ron's brows contracted in a confused frown. "What –"

"Nod and look sorry," Sirius continued.

The corner of Ron's mouth quirked. "Mate, what are you doing?"

"No, Ronald, look chastised – yes, that's more like it. Now, clear out and keep out of trouble. I'll talk to her later."

Ron nodded decisively and exited the building, with Sirius right behind him.

---

Sophronia regarded her belligerent daughter with a pained expression. "What do you have to say for yourself?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing!" Shadow raged, opening and closing her fists. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"I made it clear to you that you will only be allowed to join in the activities with the older girls if your maturity warrants it."

"All I did was kiss my boyfriend! That's all, Mum! Skye kisses a new boy every day and you don't care. It's not fair!"

"We are only discussing your behaviour, Shadow. I am very unhappy with you." Sophronia stepped closer to her daughter, reaching out a conciliatory hand. "You're only making it worse for yourself, my love. Think of poor Ron! How is he ever going to find a wife if you both keep on pretending that you will be permitted to marry?"

Shadow backed away from her mother's hand as if she were dodging a blow. Her face, which had been red with anger, was now pale as milk.

"I hate you," she said to her mother. Then she rushed out the door, tears blinding her eyes as she fled along a deserted pathway.

---

Hermione and Remus strolled up to join Sirius and Ron, who were standing before the Giraffe House. The door thudded open and Shadow rushed by them with tears pouring down her face.

"Shay!" Ron called after her.

Sirius shook his head. "Best let her have her cry out, Ron. She won't want you to see her with her face all blotched."

Hermione looked to Ron questioningly.

"Her mum caught us snogging and was not very happy," he admitted.

Hermione nodded. "I'll go after her. We'll see you later."

---

Fleur, who had no desire to smell the inside of the Giraffe House, wandered away in search of some of the others. As she strolled past a refreshment booth, she stopped to buy a lemonade.

"One large lemonade, please," she said to the vendor.

"Coming right up!" the cheerful little man replied.

Fleur turned her back to him without answering and looked about her; down the rise from where she stood she saw Skye and Stormy, walking along with Bill and Percy Weasley. Turning back to hand her money to the vendor, she took the lemonade and began to walk toward the others, sipping appreciatively from the cup in her hand. As she strolled along, she saw Stormy wander away from the adults and out of sight. With an indulgent sigh, she adjusted her path so that she would intersect with Stormy. Severus would certainly wish for her to make sure that his baby sister did not wander off.

---

Ginny, Luna, and Alicia spotted the Children's Zoo and agreed they would like to visit the baby animals. Harry, Draco, and Seamus watched them as they entered the enclosure and began to coo over the livestock.

"So, how was Luna's dad?" Harry asked Draco as they leaned up against the fence.

Draco's lips twitched. "He was doubtful, at first. He had Luna in the kitchen, fixing tea, and I could hear him asking her why she wanted to marry into a Death Eater family."

Seamus whistled. "He called you a Death Eater? Doesn't he read the Daily Prophet?"

"No, he just said that my father had been one of Voldemort's chief supporters from the very beginning and that changing sides just before the end of the war is no guarantee of remorse."

"What did Luna say to that?" Harry asked.

Draco chuckled. "She said that she would not care if my father were the Dark Lord himself, but that I was good and brave and honourable and she was going to marry me whether he liked it or not."

Seamus grinned. "That's our Luna, isn't it? She wanders around pretending like she's in a fog, but when push comes to shove, she's right in there with her wand at your throat."

Harry answered seriously, "Any time I'm in a fight, I want Luna on my side, that's for sure. But what did her dad say then?"

"He told her she's his only child and her happiness means more to him than anything in the world. Too bad my old man doesn't feel that way about it."

Harry glanced at Draco's face, intrigued by the bitterness in his voice. "But you had the announcement in the paper–" Draco had uttered a triumphant whoop and passed the page around the breakfast table at Phoenix House that very morning – "so how are you managing that if your dad doesn't approve?"

"Mother left her fortune to me – the money my grandfather Black settled on her when she married my father was kept in trust for me. I don't need his money to support us. I just thought it would be nice to have his approval." Draco shrugged eloquently. "When is your announcement going to be in the paper?"

Harry kept his eyes on Ginny, who was kneeling in the straw and cooing over a snowy lamb. "Not yet. Ginny's parents didn't forbid the engagement, but they want to be sure that we're sure. They'll let us make it formal at Christmas and we'll marry next July."

Draco slanted a shrewd look at his old nemesis. "I see Ginny's wearing your ring, though."

Harry returned Draco's look with one of his own. "Do you think I'm daft? She went out with most of the blokes in her year and mine while waiting for me to get my head out of my arse. Do you think I'm going to let her go back to Hogwarts without my ring?"

"Good thinking, mate," Seamus said appreciatively, drawing the eyes of both his comrades to him.

"When do you think clueless here is going to catch on that Alicia fancies him?" Draco asked Harry conversationally.

Harry shook his head. "He may be a hopeless case, mate. He'll let one of those Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff blokes steal her from under his nose and he'll end up at the Office of Last Resort."

Seamus punched Harry in the shoulder. "I'm standing right here, mate. I can hear you, yanno."

"So what are you waiting for, huh? Michael Corner is moving in on you."

Seamus snorted. "She's older than I am, Harry. And she played Quidditch on the House team – how can a bloke offer for a girl who can out-fly him?"

Highly amused, Draco said, "Seamus, remarkably little of marriage takes place on broomstick, you know."

Harry nodded his head toward Alicia, who was feeding a fuzzy yellow duckling from the palm of her hand. "She asked you to dance for the ladies' choice the other night, mate. And you fought with her in the war. Neither of you are going to find other people to marry who share that with you. I don't think I could have married a girl who didn't understand what it was like on the battlefield."

Seamus followed Harry's line-of-sight and his face softened as he looked at Alicia. "And she's so damn pretty. Why would she want to look at my mug for the rest of her life?"

Draco shrugged. "Girls don't always care about looks – they're interested in other things about men. Who knows how women think? Besides, what's the worst thing that could happen? She could say 'no.' So, show her that you fancy her and see what happens."

Alicia set the duckling on the ground with its siblings and glanced up, as if she felt their eyes upon her. Her gaze locked with Seamus' and held for a long time. Seamus pushed away from the fence and entered through the gate, striding over to Alicia and offering his hand to help her stand.

Ginny and Luna slipped out of the enclosure and rejoined their fiancés. Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry's waist and smiled up at him happily. "Are you responsible?" she asked, inclining her head toward Seamus and Alicia, who were laughing together over the antics of a baby goat.

"Malfoy helped, but yeah," Harry answered.

"Indeed I did," Draco said with an air of self-satisfaction. "We don't all have someone as demonstrative as a wildcat," he added to Harry with the patented Draco smirk.

Ginny flushed pink to the roots of her flaming hair, but nevertheless looked rather pleased to have garnered the nickname "Wildcat Weasley."

Harry grinned down at the girl in the circle of his arm. "Sometimes, a shove is as good as an invitation," he teased her.

"I'll shove you, Harry Potter!" Ginny said with mock indignation, giving him a playful push.

In his best primary-school-teacher's voice, Harry said, "Shoving's not nice." Then he nudged her back and ducked quickly out of her reach, sending her chasing after him, both of them laughing gleefully.

Draco pulled Luna close to his side with one arm and began to wander in the direction of the next exhibit. "Potter and I make a pretty good team," he murmured to Luna.

After giving a moment of careful consideration, Luna nodded in agreement. "I think you really do," she said before turning her face more firmly to his chest and giving a sigh of utter contentment.

---

Fleur intercepted Stormy at the bottom of the hill. Stormy was holding her pink hippopotamus and sucking on a drinking straw as she studied a camel, which seemed to also be studying Stormy as it chewed on its cud.

"Why are you by yourself, Stormy?"

Stormy jumped and turned to face Fleur. "I was thirsty ..."

Fleur looked severe. "It is for your own safety that you must stay with an adult, Stormy. Come along, let's go find your sister."

Stormy, who knew very well that she ought not to have wandered off from Skye, tucked her pink hippo into the empty pocket of her jacket and willingly took Fleur's hand. They began to walk back toward the entrance to the wizarding section, near the Children's Zoo. Brandishing her cup, Stormy said, "It's Muggle fizzy drink, Fleur! How do they get the bubbles in?"

Fleur glanced about nervously. "Don't say 'Muggle' in public, Stormy. Try to remember."

Stormy's face fell. "I'm sorry. I'll try to remember."

As they neared the Children's Zoo, Skye rushed up to them, followed by Bill and Percy.

"Stormy!" Skye cried, kneeling to look in her sister's face. "Where did you go? Don't run away like that! You scared me!"

"I'm sorry, Skye," Stormy said, distressed to see her normally placid sister so upset. "I won't do it again."

Skye gave her a little shake, then kissed her forehead and stood, extending her hand to Fleur. "Thank you for bringing her back to us, Fleur. It was very kind of you."

Fleur accepted Skye's hand with a genuine smile. "She will be my sister, too. Of course I will look after her."

More in charity with one another than they had ever been in their whole acquaintance, Fleur and Skye entered the wizarding portion of the zoo with Stormy between them, followed by Bill and Percy, who had been completely ignored.

"Do you feel invisible?" Percy muttered from the side of his mouth.

"Get used to it, bro," Bill said cheerfully, giving his brother a clap on the back.

---

As Hermione and Shadow strolled past the penguin exhibit, Hermione kept a close eye on her companion. Shadow's face was still blotchy from her crying fit, but her breathing was back to normal, and she no longer seemed to be shaking.

"Look, there's a restaurant – let's go in for some tea."

Shadow made no demur, but followed Hermione into the small café.

"I've got to run to the loo," Hermione told her. "Order coffee for me, please, and I'll be right back."

Shadow procured their drinks at the counter and found a table, where Hermione soon joined her. Hermione stirred sugar into her coffee while Shadow sipped at her own lemonade.

At last, Hermione said, "You know, Shadow, your mother is only worried that you're too young to know your own mind about who you want to marry."

Shadow looked up, desolation in her eyes. "I know. I really do understand that. But what she doesn't understand is that I love Ron. I think I could convince Mum to see reason, but it wouldn't do any good unless I could convince Severus, too." Shadow pushed her lemonade away, and picking up a paper napkin, she began to shred it. "If it weren't for this stupid law, Ron and I could just go out together and marry when I leave school – by that time, no one would doubt that we love one another, because we would have been showing them for two years. It just isn't fair, Hermione. If I don't get to marry Ron, I don't even want to live. I truly could not bear to see him with another girl for his wife."

Schooling her features not to show the alarm she felt, Hermione said, "Well, I'm sure it won't come to that, Shadow. We'll just have to put our heads together, and we'll come up with a plan. The important thing is to keep your spirits up and your head down – don't draw negative attention to yourself like you did today."

Shadow nodded apathetically and stared into the distance, apparently unmoved by Hermione's positive words.

---

As at Hyde Park, the London Zoo had a wizarding section, accessible only to magical folk; one entered through a Disillusioned archway near the Children's Zoo.

Stormy loved the wizarding zoo attractions. Her first stop was at the paddock enclosing the winged horses. The grey Granians, chestnut Aethonans and palomino Abraxans held her spellbound. Bill and Percy were drilled with questions as Fleur and Skye found a bench beneath a tree.

"The Weasleys are very good with children, aren't they?" Skye said with scarcely concealed admiration, her eyes resting on Bill.

"Yes, I suppose they are," Fleur said. "There are so many of them, after all. The older ones have always had to look out for the younger ones." She observed Severus' oldest sister for a moment, then said, "You admire Bill, yes?"

Skye's cheeks flushed. "Does it show?" she whispered.

Fleur smiled a superior smile. "I admired him once, too, so I recognise the signs."

"But why would you –" Skye caught herself and flushed more deeply, mortified at her faux pas.

Fleur made a dismissive gesture with her fingers. "I met your brother and my mind was changed forever."

"I see," said Skye, who could not begin to understand how her taciturn brother could ever be more appealing than William Weasley. She sighed deeply.

"Why are you unhappy?" Fleur inquired delicately.

Skye looked up with a quick smile. "I'm not unhappy – I'm just a little frustrated, that's all. Severus left Bill in charge of security for us while he is away and Bill is being very ... conscientious. From the way he's acting, I'm not even sure he likes me that way."

"He does." Fleur spoke with a flat finality that brought Skye's eyes to quickly search her face.

"How do you know?"

A cold little smile touched Fleur's lips. "I recognise those signs, too."

"If I believed that I would be very happy," Skye said softly.

"Nonsense," Fleur said. "Why do you doubt it?"

"He's being so proper!" Skye said, as if 'proper' were a bad thing. "I can't even get him to unbend enough to hold my hand!"

Fleur nodded wisely. "Men are strange creatures. He considers it to be a matter of honour, no doubt." A wayward look came to her face. "Would you like to have him express his interest to you?"

Skye leaned forward eagerly. "What should I do?"

---

Sophronia smiled indulgently as Sirius and Remus chortled over the antics of the monkeys. As much as she cared for the men they had become, it still warmed her heart to recognise in them the boys they had been. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Neville and Pansy emerging from the aviary. Slipping away from the men, she walked toward the couple, who were arm in arm and oblivious to the rest of the world.

"Perhaps you would like to freshen up," she said, removing a twig from Neville's hair.

Neville blushed, while Pansy touched her own hair and looked alarmed. "Good idea, Mrs. Snape," Neville said. "We'll do that now."

Sophronia nodded her agreement and smiled at them before heading over to the lemonade vendor. As the nice little man went to fill her cup, she heard her name. Turning, she saw Sirius approaching, smiling in that way that made her pulse race.

"I would have gotten that for you," he said, taking the drink from the cashier and handing over a note in payment. He presented the cup to her. "Your wine, m'lady."

Sophronia took the cup and chuckled. "As if I would drink wine at this time of day," she said, then took a long drink of her lemonade.

---

Stormy had moved on to the unicorn when Bill glanced around and saw Fleur sitting alone beneath the tree.

"Where's Skye?" he inquired as he approached his former girlfriend.

Fleur raised her eyebrows. "I believe she said she was going to the ladies' room," she responded.

"Which one?" he demanded with a frown.

Fleur tossed her head so that the curtain of silvery hair flew about her face. "I couldn't say, William. I did not inquire as to her exact intentions."

Bill turned away from her without rising to the bait, his keen eyes searching the near vicinity for Skye. "Percy," he called out, as he began to move toward the passage back into the Muggle zoo. Percy turned and Bill said, "Please escort Miss Stormy back to her mama. I am going to retrieve Skye and we will meet you later."

Fleur smiled grimly as the suitor who scorned her set off on a quest of her contrivance.

---

Fleur and Percy dutifully returned Stormy to the company of her mama before strolling on to see the Butterfly Paradise exhibit.

"None of the others are interested in seeing creatures that neither roar nor cavort," Fleur commented.

Percy nodded his head sagely. "I know what you mean. The Hogwarts contingent are still only children, so you can hardly expect them to have any taste at all – except for Hermione Granger, of course," he hastened to add, lest he be untrue to his chosen bride. "She has always had maturity beyond her years."

"I have often noticed the adult manner in which Miss Granger behaves," Fleur lied, happy to encourage Percy in his pursuit of the hateful Hermione.

Percy smiled down at her, gratified by the praise she gave to his intended. "And you, of course, Fleur, have exquisite taste; I have always noticed that about you."

Fleur inclined her head gracefully. "Thank you, Percy. You are the most dignified of all your brothers," she added spitefully, disparaging the eldest Weasley without a trace of regret.

---

Skye noticed the path winding along the canal and thought it might be quite cool beneath the trees, if one were to walk there. She stopped by the refreshment stand and bought a fizzy drink to enjoy as she strolled along – she was so thirsty!

Fleur was a clever witch, she had to admit. Skye had often been put-off by Fleur's bossiness and unkindness, but ever since Severus had reprimanded Fleur in the Malfoy library, she had been like a changed person. She was even pleasant to speak with. It had been very helpful of her to suggest that Skye wander off and force Bill to come find her.

She had not long to wait, though Bill's reaction was not quite what Fleur had led her to believe it might be.

"Miss Snape!"

She turned when she heard the clipped tones and bestowed a dazzling smile upon Bill Weasley. "Hi, Bill."

He stopped so close to her that he was fairly towering over her. "Did you or did you not hear Sirius say that no one was to wander off on their own?"

Skye looked up at him, abashed by his anger – and also strangely excited by it. "I – I heard him," she admitted softly, unable to tear her eyes away from the sparks shooting from his blue-green eyes.

"Did you perhaps think that rule applied to everyone but you?"

The scorn in his voice was a bit more than she had bargained for. Her lower lip quivered as she lowered her eyes to her feet. "N-no," she whispered, struggling to keep the tears in her eyes from spilling down her cheeks.

"Well then, what were you doing?"

With a strangled, "Nothing!" she turned from him and stumbled along the canal-side path, wondering how such a seemingly good idea was turning out so wrong.

Two warm hands descended on her shoulders and halted her progress. "Skye?"

Now he sounded a bit unsure of himself. She just shook her head, mortified by the tears on her cheeks and dreading having him see her this way. Why did she never have a handkerchief when she needed one? She kept one in her robes, but she was wearing these stupid Muggles clothes for this stupid zoo trip ...

Inexorably, Bill turned her until she faced him. "Skye? What's wrong?"

Keeping her eyes averted, she shook her head and wished she could drop through the ground and out of sight.

A soothing finger tilted her chin up. "Oh, love, you mustn't cry," he said, pulling a handkerchief from the front pocket of his jeans and proceeding to wipe the tears and the running mascara from her face.

Completely undone by his gentle touch and the kindness of his voice, Skye continued to cry; Bill looked desperately around them and seeing no one in sight, he deftly Transfigured a large fallen branch into a wooden bench. He led her to the bench and compelled her to sit, removing the drink cup from her grasp, then possessing himself of both her hands.

"Tell me why you're crying," he said firmly.

Skye bit her lip and shook her head. Bill watched her closely.

"All right. Then tell me why you wandered off alone."

She was so relieved he had asked a different question that she blurted, without thinking, "Fleur told me I should."

"Oh, Fleur did?"

His acidic tone claimed Skye's attention.

Bill looked at her for a moment before he raised a hand to her face; with infinite tenderness, he wiped another tear from her cheekbone. "You mustn't take Fleur's advice about anything without asking for a second opinion," he said.

Mesmerised by the expression in his eyes, she said, "Why?"

"She has some odd ideas about the best way to go about things," he said carefully, mindful that he could very well still end up related to Fleur. "Why did she tell you to go off on your own?"

With one of his hands holding hers, and his other hand cupping her cheek, she felt completely bound to him and wanted nothing so much as to crawl into his lap and wrap her arms around him. Not answering him never entered what was left of her mind.

"She said if I wanted you to express your feelings for me, I should wander off so you would have to come and find me."

When he smiled at her, she felt as if she would never be able to draw another breath, for her heart had swelled to such a size that there was no room to breathe.

"Oh, that was very bad advice. If you want me to express my feelings for you, you have only to wait until your brother returns to town. Then you will know, without any question."

"I w-will?"

He nodded his head, setting in motion the golden fang earring dangling from the lobe of his left ear. "You will. But for now, it is my duty to protect you, not to express my feelings to you. You understand that, do you not, Miss Snape?" As he spoke his last words, the pad of his thumb brushed lovingly over her lips.

"Yes," she breathed, moving her lips against the skin of his thumb.

"Good girl," he murmured. For a moment they continued to sit on the bench, gazing into one another's eyes. Then, with iron-clad self-discipline, Bill stood and motioned back toward the zoo exhibits.

"We had best go on and join the others," he stated.

Skye stood and preceded him back along the path, whilst Bill returned the Transfigured bench to its natural state.

---

The vastly pleased looks on Bill and Skye's faces when they rejoined the group did not gratify Fleur at all. Bill gave her an infinitesimal salute, and Fleur turned from him with a huff.

"Are you well, my dear?" Sophronia inquired.

"No, Sophronia, I am afraid I have the headache," Fleur responded. "I believe I will go home, now."

Sophronia looked about the group, her gaze falling on Percy, who was chattering to a very bored-looking Hermione.

"Percy?" she said. "Will you be so good as to escort Miss Delacour home? She has the headache."

Percy stepped up immediately. Fleur tucked her hand in Percy's arm and they walked away. Hermione gave Sophronia a thankful smile, which was answered with only a softening of the expression in the older woman's eyes.

With a general accord, the group began to move toward the exit, collecting their missing members as they moved desultorily along. Everyone was tired and ready to go home.

Sirius glanced down at Stormy, who was dragging along beside him, clutching her pink hippo in one hand and a sticky mess of candy floss of the exact same colour in her other hand.

"So how much rubbish have you eaten today, Miss Stormy?"

Stormy, though she was obviously very tired, managed a smile up at him. "I had loads of yummy things," she told him. "But I don't think I can finish the candy floss." She uttered a perfectly defined burp, which was fortunately soft enough not to be heard by Sophronia, who was chatting with Luna and Ginny near the front of the group.

Sirius suppressed a grin and said, "A burp among friends is a grand thing, Miss Stormy, but don't let your mama hear you, okay?"

She was extending the candy floss to Sirius, apparently expecting him to take it from her. Sirius received it gingerly and dropped it in the nearest trash bin, groping in his pocket for a handkerchief for his now-sticky fingers.

"I don't feel good," Stormy said, after another little burp.

"Shall I carry you?" Sirius asked her.

Stormy mutely held her arms to him and Sirius swung her up, profoundly hoping that she would not be sick on his best Muggle shirt.

Up ahead of him, Ron walked beside a non-responsive Shadow, directly behind Seamus and Alicia, who were holding hands. Sirius smiled to himself; good for Seamus! Then he looked again at Ron and Shadow and his smile was replaced by a frown. It must be very hard on Ron and Shadow to see their housemates pairing off whilst they were forbidden to even think of one another. For all his own peccadilloes, Sirius was keenly aware of the young men in his charge at Phoenix House, and he was determined to do his best for each of them. He would speak to Sophronia about Ron and Shadow – and yes, if he had to, he would also speak to Snape.

"... the hippos..."

Sirius looked down at Stormy. "What did you say?"

"Please take me to see the hippos before we go," Stormy said.

Sirius tapped Remus on the shoulder. "Miss Stormy wants to see the hippos. Will you pass the message up to the front of the line? I don't want Sophronia to be worried about where we've gone."

Hermione turned and walked along with Sirius. "Is she too tired to walk?"

Sirius nodded. "Had a bit too many sweets to eat, I expect."

Hermione shook her head at him. "Let this be a lesson to you that sometimes there are legitimate reasons why Sophronia has rules for her girls."

Sirius gave her a rueful grin. "Yes, ma'am."

The rest of their group had turned to follow them to the hippo exhibit. Sirius took Stormy right up to the railing and read from the plaque, "Pygmy Hippopotamus."

Stormy rested her head on Sirius' shoulder, regarding the hippo as it ambled out of its pool to lower its head and munch on straw. She looked at her soft toy hippo and then back at the real Pygmy Hippo. She giggled softly to herself, regarding the animal with dreamy eyes, thinking how funny it would be if the real animal was the same colour as her toy. After all, wasn't Fletcher a Pygmy Puff, and wasn't he as pink as her new toy? Then why could a real animal not be pink too?

As she looked at the hippo and wished, he suddenly turned pink before her eyes, just as she had hoped he would. The adults surrounding her, all fifteen of them, gasped as one and went for their wands. The simultaneous spells, cast by fifteen fully qualified wizards and witches, turned the unperturbed pygmy hippo back to his accustomed greenish-black colour immediately; the combined power of the magic also created a sound like a small sonic boom which echoed throughout the park.

Sophronia turned agonised eyes to Sirius, who handed Stormy into her mother's hands and jerked his head at Remus and Bill; they immediately began to prowl the perimeter of the area, to see if any Muggles had witnessed Stormy's burst of spontaneous magic.

"Mummy, I made the real hippo pink!" Stormy whispered, awed by her own prowess.

Sophronia pressed Stormy's face against her shoulder. "Yes, love, you did, and Mummy is so proud – but we really mustn't do magic in front of Muggles if we can help it," she whispered back.

Stormy, over-excited, over-fed, and over-tired, burst into tears in response to her mother's mild reproof, and was not to be comforted. Sirius came back, assuring Sophie that the magic had been unnoticed by the Muggles, who were attributing the boom to the RAF.

"They should not be allowed to fly those jets so close to the city!" one indignant man remarked to another.

Lifting the exhausted child from her mother's arms, Sirius herded his charges out of the zoo for the dreaded ride back on the Tube.

---

Sophronia had seldom been so glad to see a day come to an end. Between toadeating Fleur, quarrelling with Shadow, and Stormy's first controlled display of magic, she was emotionally wrung. And all of the girls seemed unwell. Skye was utterly useless as a helper this evening; she was so distracted that Sophronia was relieved to see her go to bed early. Shadow was so lethargic and dull that Sophronia wanted to box her ears; she knew the child was pouting over the reprimand she had received for kissing Ron, but Sophronia had no patience for such die-away airs when she was feeling out of sorts herself.

Tumbling into bed that night, she devoutly hoped that the new day would bring better behaviour from her children.

---

The next morning, after receiving Minerva's assurances that she would preside over the breakfast table, Sophronia indulged herself by taking her breakfast in bed. If Siri showed up for breakfast, he would just have to content himself with Minerva's company today.

After attiring herself in a becoming robe of celestial blue, Sophronia was in the act of leaving her room when Tonks met her in the hallway.

"Lucius Malfoy is here to see you. I put him in the sitting room. Would you like for me to tell him you're not receiving guests this morning?"

Sophronia smiled sweetly at Tonks. "Thank you for offering, dear, but I may as well see him."

She entered the sitting room to find Lucius standing with his back to the mantel. As at every meeting with him, Sophronia marvelled over his good looks. His hair was tied back today, and his silvery robes exactly matched his eyes. The austere beauty of his pointed face was not lightened today by a smile; he bowed to her, rather than reaching for her hand.

"Won't you sit down?" Sophronia said.

Lucius inclined his head courteously, waited for her to seat herself, then took the chair closest to her.

"I saw Draco's engagement announcement in the paper yesterday," Sophronia said to break the silence.

Lucius sneered. "Despite my best efforts, the boy has committed himself to marry the daughter of a tabloid journalist. I must wash my hands of him, I suppose."

Somewhat taken aback, Sophronia wracked her brain for another topic of conversation. "Everyone with whom I've spoken has had nothing but praise for your ball," she said.

Lucius' lips tightened and he looked directly into her eyes. "The ball was a dismal disaster, my fair torment. Tell me the truth: are you betrothed to Sirius Black?"

Sophronia opened her lips to answer just as Winky popped into the room. "Mistress please come quick – there is something awful wrong with Miss Stormy!"

Sophronia was on her feet and running up the stairs, Lucius completely forgotten. Never had it taken her so long to reach the nursery. She burst into the room, pushing past Skye and Shadow, and found Stormy sleeping, her breathing stertorous.

"Stormy?" she said, grasping the child's shoulder, as if to rouse her.

The little shoulder rose slightly from the mattress, then fell back to the bedclothes; the motion caused her head to bob slightly on the pillow, but she did not stir.

"Stormy!" Sophronia's voice rose as she seated herself on the cot and took the child's hand in hers; immediately the other hand flew to Stormy's forehead.

"She's burning up! Winky, have you tried a fever-reduction spell?"

Winky wrung her hands. "Yes, Mistress, Winky tried. Winky has never seen a sickness like this."

Sophronia felt panic rising in her breast, into her throat, constricting her voice. Skye put her hands on her mother's shoulders, while Shadow knelt at Sophronia's feet, her eyes glued to her baby sister's face.

Unapologetically, Lucius Malfoy stepped into the room and directly up to Sophronia, who glanced at him with uncomprehending eyes before her gaze went back to her unresponsive child.

"Command me," he said to her, bending so that his face was on the same level as hers. "Tell me how I can be of service to you."

Sophronia convulsively gripped Stormy's hand and methodically reached behind her to press Skye's hand as it lay upon her shoulder, then moved to stroke Shadow's hair. "Find Severus. Bring Severus home."

"I will go now."

Lucius paused only to make a small, stiff bow; then, he was gone.

---

A/N: Yes, it is a despicable thing for the baby girl to be sick. Even my Muse is angry with me.

The good news is that the Potions master returns to us in the next chapter, and he will be with us until the end of the story.

"Shadow Lynn" got her middle name from "Subversa Lynn," which is what MollysSister called me when she was reprimanding me for some cliff-hanger or another. She said that since she did not know *my* middle name, she had given me hers. So, now Shadow has your name, doll – I hope you don't mind!

Lots of love to my Slytherin, who poked at me until I got the banter right between Harry and Draco; he also suggested the "A shove is almost as good as an invitation" scenario.

Thank you so much to whomever it was who nominated this story in the Multifaceted Awards; the categories are "Endurance" and "Rapture."