A New Definition of Family
Chapter 16: Lions and Snakes
Disclaimer: I do not own any of JK Rowling’s characters or any portion of the Harry Potter universe. If I did, I’d probably be writing this from my vacation home in Hawaii, while getting a massage…while Alan Rickman reads poetry to me in his Snape voice. Sigh. Any characters, places, situations, or spells that you don’t find in her fabulous books, well now, they belong to me!
Sensations exploded like fireworks in Rinna’s brain, disrupting all rational thought. One second her mind had been attempting to warn her about something… what was it... Happening too fast… and the next moment all the voice in her head could say was: Oh. My. Stars…
Warm pressure against her lips, a hand slipping into her hair at the base of her neck, another hand traveling up her spine between her shoulder blades: it all felt so unbelievably right, so wonderfully sweet, like candy floss melting on her tongue, dissolving away the reservations lurking in the back of her mind… She found herself returning the kiss ardently, hungrily, not minding his facial hair and rather enjoying the sensations of his lips moving on hers, and his hands running through her hair and over her back…
Sirius’ heart jumped frantically in his chest when he felt Rinna respond to the kiss, and when she fisted her hands in his hair, well, he thought he might just black out from the sensations being generated from head to toe. Considering he had spent more than a decade in isolation, bereft of human touch for so long, all the tactile input he was now experiencing was intoxicating, almost overwhelming, and amazing…
So intent was she in continuing this pleasurable activity, and so purposeful was she at ignoring the little warning thought scrabbling in her mind, that Rinna missed the subtle shift in magic as the wards surrounding her house were lowered.
Remus entered the house, noting how quiet it was. Sirius must really be sleeping himself out, he thought as he ambled to the guest room to check on his friend. The bed was empty. Remus frowned, and listened for sounds of activity. Maybe he’s taking a shower? There was no sound of running water.
Growing concerned, Remus made his way up the hallway to the master bedroom. “Sirius? Where are you, mate?”
The sound of Remus’ voice pierced the desire-induced haze in Rinna’s head. She placed her palms on the floor on either side of Sirius’ head and wrenched herself away from him, staring down at him with wild eyes. Sweet Mother of Morganna! You haven’t even had a rational conversation with this man in thirteen years and you are snogging him like a lovesick schoolgirl… on your bathroom floor? While he’s starkers? What in the hell are you thinking?
“Sirius?” Remus’ voice was coming closer.
Green and blue eyes stared at each other, wide in panic at nearly being caught, and for a millisecond, the two of them remained frozen on the floor. Then Rinna scrambled off of Sirius with alacrity, grabbed a towel from the cabinet and threw it at him as she hastily exited into the bedroom.
“Siri”“ Remus entered the master bedroom and did not find the person he was expecting there. “--us…Oh great bleeding hell!”
Rinna stopped, crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow dauntingly. “Indeed,” she replied archly.
“What are you doing here?” Whoops. Wrong thing to say, Lupin.
Rinna stood with her hands on her hips and her eyes snapping, a rather vexed expression on her face. “Last time I checked, this was MY house! You were expecting someone else?”
It had been a while since Remus Lupin had had to think this fast on his feet. He had to figure out how much she knew… “Look, Rinna, I can explain… hang on, why is your shirt all wet?”
Rinna’s face turned crimson. “I was… I fell… gah! Stop trying to change the subject, Remus! I suggest you enlighten me as to why I came home to find an escapee, the wizarding world’s most wanted man I might add, showering in my bathroom!”
So she found Sirius in the shower, and her clothing is rather damp… this is interesting. Remus’ eyebrows raised, and he suppressed a smile. “Well, you see, Rinna,” he said ingenuously, “the shower drain in the guest bath is clogged…”
Sirius entered from the bathroom, amazed at Remus’ audacity. Had the man forgotten that Rinna was no slouch at wandless hexes? “Right, then. I believe I need to scrounge a change of clothes, Moony.”
Rinna turned and saw said wanted man, towel wrapped around his waist, looking amused. Her gaze snapped back to Remus as he turned to comply with the request. “Hold it right there, both of you!” Rinna barked in a tone that brooked no argument. “You have some explaining to do. And if there ever was a time to pour on that Marauder charm, this is it.”
Remus turned back to her and put on his best Marauder smile. “Certainly. Shall we all sit here on the bed?” He glanced at Sirius. “You don’t mind having this discussion dressed only in a towel, do you, Padfoot?”
Sirius pretended to look thoughtful. “Well, Moony, it does put me at a distinct disadvantage…” He brightened. “We could level the playing field, though. I’ll just go get two more towels…” He made like he was going to step back into the bathroom.
Rinna let loose a rather exasperated snort and rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll be in the kitchen.” She smirked. “Hexing…er, I mean, fixing some tea…” Her words dangled ominously for a moment before she stalked to the bedroom door. As she passed Remus she said, “And I said ‘Marauder charm,’ not ‘Marauder smarm,’ you dolt.”
As she moved down the hall she heard Sirius quip, “You used to say there was no difference, you know!”
----- -----
Rinna had set out the cups, poured out the tea, and had just placed the teapot on the table when the two men walked into the kitchen. She smirked inwardly at their tactical stance: side-by-side, shoulders touching, their most captivating smiles in place. Clearly they felt that she had the upper hand in the situation. She was flattered; after all, they had the advantage of numbers. Was she really that formidable? She hoped so. She pulled out a chair and sat down, arms crossed, looking from one man to the other. “You may begin the song and dance now,” she suggested with an arched brow.
Again she appreciated their strategy; they split up and one sat on either side of her. She would not be able to fix both of them with a withering glare, or a well placed hex, at the same time. Hang on, why am I thinking of this in terms of a battle? We are on the same side, after all. They just don’t know it yet.
Rinna kept a cool, impassive expression on her face as she listened politely to Remus’ rather smooth account. Remus was thankful that he’d already written it out in the Owl he’d sent her, because the story rolled off his tongue with ease now. He explained how he’d gotten a letter from Sirius, detailing the danger he’d been in, and wrote back asking Sirius to return to London, promising to help find him someplace safe to stay and lay low. Remus had been intending to write Rinna and request she allow him to harbor Sirius, but his first week at his new job had been rather hectic, and he’d had no time to Owl her, nor did he know if Sirius had actually gotten his letter and when or if he’d even show up. He’d walked through the park he’d told his friend to meet him in at the end of each workday in hopes of meeting him, which finally happened last night. The Owl went to Rinna this morning.
Rinna took in a deep breath when Remus had ended. “So… how long exactly have you been planning this little conspiracy of yours?” she asked.
Remus glanced at Sirius, trying to determine if the other man could gauge Rinna’s reaction at all. Sirius shook his head with a small frown. Remus was full of misgivings now; he’d been sure that his glib explanation and the absolute sense of the plan would sway Rinna to their cause. “Well, since the evening after you left for Hogwarts, actually,” he said uneasily.
Both men were startled when Rinna brought her hand down on the table with a loud smack. “Damn it, Remus!” she cried. “I can’t believe you came up with this before I did! I thought I was absolutely brilliant the other night when this very scheme popped into my head!” Remus and Sirius appeared rather gobsmacked as she looked from one to the other, a wily smile creeping across her face. “And when I come here to divulge my incredible plan I find that not only have the two of you already come up with it, but you’ve executed it as well. You’ve taken the wind right out of my sails!”
Sirius recovered first. He let out a bark of laughter. Remus continued to stare at Rinna, shaking his head slightly, as if he were trying to sort out his thoughts. “You, you, you conniving witch… you let us believe you were upset…” Remus spluttered.
“Oh Remy, don’t you remember? Toying with you Marauders has always given me such pleasure.” Her eyes glinted mischievously over the rim of her teacup. “Besides, it’s fair payback for the cheek you two gave me earlier in my room.”
Remus narrowed his eyes and frowned at her, and sipped his tea while he regained his composure. It didn’t take long before he joined in the chuckling of his tablemates.
Sirius had stayed out of the conversation until now, recognizing that it was between Rinna and Remus and their original agreement of use of the house. “Rinna,” he said with concern, “are you sure you don’t mind me staying here? You are, technically, breaking the law, and probably jeopardizing your new job…”
She regarded him solemnly. “I want to help you stay safe until your name is cleared. I’ve been very worried about you, Sirius.”
He felt a twinge in his chest at her words and smiled. If she was worried about him, that meant that she cared.
Remus cleared his throat as he felt a subtle shift in the atmosphere in the kitchen. “Well, I see that my work here is done!” He pushed back his chair and stood up. “I’ll just leave you two now. I’m sure you have a lot to, uh, discuss.” Remus beat a hasty retreat out of the kitchen, and an awkward silence descended on the two remaining occupants.
A very tense, awkward silence.
----- -----
Rinna hadn't really considered that if she provided Sirius a place to stay, she would, as a matter of course, have to engage in some kind of interaction with him. She hadn't considered that, had she? She became uncomfortably aware that somewhere deep in her mind she had not only considered it, but had been gleeful at the thought. Face it, Rinna. You didn't come up with this plan just to be kind to a man unjustly accused and the victim of a miscarriage of justice. You wanted to have an excuse to see him again.
Her musings were interrupted. “Can I assume by your response just now that you’re not averse to feeling things for me anymore?” His voice was earnest and sincere, but held a trace of cockiness engendered by recently having a woman he found very attractive return his kiss wholeheartedly.
Her lips quirked a bit. “I’ve spent the last few weeks ‘processing my feelings’ as Dorrie calls it”it’s a Muggle term,” she sighed, and added quietly, “Your roses had the intended effect, I think.” She smiled fondly. “They called to mind some very good feelings…” The silence descended again, but not quite so strained this time.
Sirius looked at her as she stared into her teacup. She looked good; she had obviously kept herself fit. Certainly not the skinny girl from school; a tendency toward overwork, hours of Quidditch practice and a habit of letting off steam through physical exercise had contributed to that, and later, when she was working for the Order, she often didn’t eat out of nerves. But now, she seemed somehow… softer.
He saw her look at him, and he dropped his eyes to the table. He wondered what she was seeing. He knew that he was now skinny, atrophied of muscle and he had become all hard lines and angles. What would she find attractive about him now? He’d been an idiot for being so forward with her back there in the lavatory. Sure, she’d been surprised, swept away in the moment as he had been, but was that what she had really wanted?
Sirius took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, about what happened in the bathroom. Well, not sorry, exactly…” he saw her cheeks turn a little pink, “because it was a ruddy brilliant snog,” and her face flushed a deeper shade, “but... I shouldn’t have kissed you; not without having a clear idea on whether or not you want to give this a go."
Rinna wrapped her hands around her teacup and once again stared at the amber liquid, and sighed. "You talk about 'giving this a go' like it is just some simple thing, like there is no painful history between us! You don't know me anymore. You don’t know if this is even a good idea. We need to talk first..."
"Isn't that what we are doing right now? I for one DO think this is a good idea. Look at what just happened in there, Rinna! You cannot deny that we still have incredible chemistry!"
“But is incredible chemistry enough to assuage the hurts of the past, Sirius?”
His eyes were smoldering, conveying not just carnal desire, but a hopeful yearning as well. Those cerulean eyes tugged at her heart. She had to close her own against them.
“The past doesn’t matter anymore, Rinna,” Sirius said firmly, taking her hand in his.
But it did; yet what mattered more was being honest with him now, for she had suffered a harsh lesson when she had concealed the truth from him before. If she had been forthright then, everything might have turned out so differently… she had to speak; Sirius had the right to know the truth about the woman he thought he wanted.
Without opening her eyes, for she knew if she looked into his amazing blue eyes now she would lose all nerve, she spoke, “I need to tell you something first. About the ten years I spent away…”
Sirius did not let go of her hand. “Remus told me somewhat about it, when I first returned,” he began.
“Remus does not know all of it, Sirius,” Rinna interrupted a bit sharply. She opened her eyes now, and studied his face. She saw concern, longing, and apprehension. Her resolve wavered for just a moment, fear that he would turn away when he heard her confession gripped her for one split-second. And then it passed; she knew that she must say it now, even if it meant losing him. She gently pulled her hand from his.
“I’m probably closer to the person you thought I’d become than the girl you knew,” Rinna said resignedly.
Sirius looked at her, perplexed. “What do you mean?”
“I spent much of my ten years abroad studying ancient and dark magic. One doesn’t spend that much time immersed in it without it tainting one’s soul in some way.”
“What are you telling me, Rinna? That you’ve practiced Dark Arts?” Sirius’ voice was thick with trepidation.
Rinna laughed cynically. “Not to worry, Sirius: I haven’t turned into one of those girls your mum would have been ecstatic to have you bring home.” She gave him a sardonic little half-grin.
He gave her a measuring look, well aware that she had not directly answered his question. But was her answer sufficient? You’ve got to start trusting her again sometime… He filled his lungs, then released the air through his mouth. “You never kept secret from me the darkness you harbored inside,” he said in a low voice, “nor did I from you. Even when such secrets could have torn us apart.”
She nodded. “I could tell you anything, because I knew you were a child marked by shadows, like me,” she murmured.
“But it didn’t tear us apart, Rinna; it made us stronger. And now, it is obvious that we both conceal more darkness than before.” He appropriated her attention with his blazing eyes. Unable to bear the intensity of his look any longer, Rinna dropped her gaze to her lap. “You or I could let that prevent us from having any kind of relationship again, or…” he trailed off.
The silence was pregnant with implications. Finally, Rinna looked back up. “Why, Sirius? Why do you want to have anything to do with me?”
“Rinna, every day I was in Azkaban…” He stopped and ran his hand through his hair, making her heart ache at the familiarity of the gesture. “…not a day went by that I didn’t think of you.”
She studied him keenly. “I can imagine what kind of thoughts they must have been, then.”
“What are you saying?”
“Come on, Sirius. Any feelings or thoughts you had of me must have been tinged with less than favorable emotions or the Dementors would have stripped them from you.”
Sirius got up and paced agitatedly around the kitchen. “Do you know how I survived there? How I kept from going insane in that place?” he asked vehemently. He turned to look at Rinna. “Do you?” his voice grew louder.
Her eyes were wide with consternation. “Tell me,” she whispered as she stood and backed up to the counter.
“Three things saved me, Rinna.” He held three fingers up in emphasis. “The first was maintaining my Animagus form most of the time. The second was the knowledge that I was innocent and unjustly imprisoned.” He snorted. “Not exactly a happy thought, that, so the Dementors were kept at bay.” He glanced at her. He saw sadness and horror written on her face.
“And the third?” she asked, her voice soft and breaking.
Sirius let out a sigh, and ran his hands through his hair again. “The third was the fear that maybe you had told me the truth that day, and that you really didn’t love me.” He heard her sharp intake of breath. “I think that was really the main thing that kept me sane; thinking about you over and over and alternating between anger and despair over you. It made me strong. It made me determined to survive so I could someday find out the truth.” He looked at her with haunted eyes.
“That I had betrayed you?” she whispered, tears running down her cheeks.
He crossed to her and stood very close. “I’d hoped to find that you hadn’t stopped loving me,” he said simply. He held her gaze, searching for the answer he was looking for in the depths of her eyes.
Rinna could not look away. She wanted more than anything to rush into his arms and hold him and tell him that she hadn’t, she hadn’t stopped loving him; but she knew that in all fairness, there were things she needed to say, things he needed to hear, before she could tell him that. She quickly dashed the tears from her face.
“You say that your memories and thoughts of me kept you sane,” she said softly, trying to keep her look impassive. He nodded. “It was thoughts of you, of what I’d thought I’d done to you, that drove me mad, that sent me to St. Mungo’s.”
“Rinna…” Sirius’ voice cracked.
“How do we get over something like this?” she asked him desperately. “Can we, even?”
Sirius reached for her hand, and said very gravely, “I don’t know. But by all that is holy, Rinna, I sure want to try.”
Rinna’s breath caught in her throat, and she closed her eyes, as if she couldn’t quite believe what she heard. Sirius tugged at her hand and tentatively pulled her in toward him. His heart soared when she stepped forward at his invitation and he took her and tucked her in to his chest, her head under his chin, and tenderly wrapped his arms around her.
Rinna sighed as her hands encircled his waist, wrists crossing at the small of his back. She pressed her cheek against his chest and became aware of the sound of his heart. Rinna felt an odd, almost painful, catch under her ribs, as if her heart, somehow sensing that it was off-rhythm, had momentarily paused… and then it began beating again, this time in a new tempo that felt right and filled her being with life and hope.
Her mind, which for years had been at odds with her heart, could no longer remain silent in the midst of all this. He is my weakness, plain and simple, and here he is again... and for now, she realized she wanted to be weak, she yearned to give in to what they both wanted... because although he was her weakness, his love had been, those years ago, what had made her strong. Give in. Let him back in. Stop the hurting. Learn to trust him again. You need him. Let him in...
“Blackie,” she breathed against his heart, “I want to try, too.”
Sirius’ arms tightened around her in reaction to her words. She clasped him tightly in return before she pulled away slightly to tilt her head and look up at him. His hands framed her face as he studied it; he memorized it and imposed the images over the recollections of her face as a girl and as a young woman. She hadn’t changed much; there were a few lines crinkled at the corners of her eyes, and near the edges of her mouth. He touched her hair, and trailed one hand along her jaw line as he looked into her eyes…
He knew she would see the same things in his that he saw in hers: pain, tragedy, despair. And yet, he saw something flicker in the verdant depths of her eyes, something that had been missing at their other encounters, and it grew, like a flame spreading out on a log, licking away at the sadness and damage. Hope.
His thumb caressed her chin, and she lifted it up just as he lowered his head. He heard her breath hitch as his lips ghosted over hers, sensing her warmth, feeling her mouth move as she whispered, “I have never stopped loving you.”
“Ruby…” His voice was choked with emotion, and his words would not come out. Demonstration would have to suffice to communicate the effect her declaration had on him. He pulled her chin toward him as his other hand hooked around her waist and drew her body against his. Then he kissed her tenderly, lovingly, longingly until the ache in his chest dissolved away, replaced by the knowledge: she loves me.
----- -----
Remus looked up from his book as Sirius crossed the back porch to throw himself onto a chaise lounge, tucking his arms behind his head before letting out a long, self-satisfied sigh. “So, I take it from your smug expression that you’ve brought her around to your way of thinking, then?” Remus asked his friend.
Sirius smacked his lips. “I’d say she is definitely coming around.”
“Then why aren’t you in there right now?” Remus wanted to know.
“She had to go. She only planned on stopping by here on her way to Diagon Alley. She said she had to get some potions ingredients, and she has afternoon patrol at the school.”
Remus nodded. “Ah, the joys of being the new teacher; always getting the crummiest assignments. So, when are you going to see each other again?” Remus was amused to see a goofy smile take over Sirius’ face.
“Dunno. She’s going to Owl me. Says she can probably get an afternoon off next weekend.” Sirius rolled onto his side and propped his head on his elbow. “You know, Moony, it’s strange. One day you feel like things can’t possibly get any worse, that nothing is going your way, and then, the next… everything shifts. All because of a woman.”
Remus chuckled. “I’m glad you have a new perspective, Padfoot.” He returned to his book, and Sirius returned to his supine position. After about a minute, Remus shut his book in exasperation. “I can’t believe you are making me ask!”
“Ask what?” was the innocent reply.
“Are you going to tell me what happened there in the shower, or not?”
Sirius grinned. “Why, Moony, I thought you’d never ask…”
The next few weeks passed rather quickly as everyone settled into the school year, and the Fourth Years found that their homework loads had certainly gotten heavier this term. The only one who seemed to take that well was Hermione, and when she wasn’t devoting her time to her studies, she was bestowing it on her new project: house-elf rights. Harry and Ron found they saw less and less of her, and were rather frustrated with the situation. They decided to seek help.
“Excuse me, Professor Dunlevy?”
Rinna looked up from her desk where she was grading papers during the midmorning break. She smiled at the two students who had entered her classroom and immediately put down her quill, pushing the stack of essays to the side. “Hullo, Ron, Harry. What can I do for you?”
Ron said, “Do you have a minute? We need to talk to you.” The seriousness in his voice caused Rinna some concern.
“It’s about Hermione,” Harry added.
She got up from her desk at once, and gestured to them. “Follow me.” She led them to her office in the back of the classroom, and pulled up chairs for them. She leaned herself against the front of a very heavy oak desk and quickly cast a silencing charm on the door. “Tell me what’s going on, lads.”
Ron and Harry, who were looking with interest at the shelves and desk in her office, turned to look at each other before regarding Rinna. “She’s gone round the twist with this spew stuff…” Ron began.
“Spew stuff?” Rinna asked in confusion.
“House-elf rights,” Harry explained. “S.P.E.W. stands for Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. She thinks house-elves should be paid, and have representation in the Ministry of Magic.”
“Ah, right.” Rinna had overheard something about Hermione’s new cause from Fred, George and Lee complaining before class about her cornering them with her collection tin and badges, demanding they join.
Harry continued, “She’s spending all of her free time in the library or else she’s waving her badges in people’s faces and trying to browbeat them into joining up. She’s making a lot of the students upset, especially in Gryffindor.”
Ron looked at Rinna earnestly. “We want you, uh, that is, we were hoping you would tell her to stop.”
Rinna was silent for a moment, studying the two young men. “Why?” she asked.
Ron started, “Well, because we’ve tried to, but she won’t listen to us…”
Rinna interrupted. “No. I meant why should she stop? Is she harming anyone?” Both boys shook their heads.
“No,” said Harry thoughtfully, “But she sure isn’t making any friends.”
“And you say you’ve tried talking to her…”
“Yeah we have,” Harry explained, “and she just gets upset with us if we don’t agree to wear the badges or get other people to join. And we hardly ever get to see her anymore…’
“Right,” Ron agreed, “she’s never around to help us with our homework anymore”uh,” he glanced at Rinna in alarm, “I mean, you know, check it over for us and goad us to finish it on time and stuff…”
“Of course that’s what you meant,” Rinna agreed with an ironic lift of her eyebrows.
“But it’s more than that. She’s never around, period. I”I miss her.” Harry’s shoulders slumped a little. He would never admit it to Ron, and most likely not to his godmother, but he’d been missing more than Hermione’s company terribly, and was a little hurt that she was devoting so much time to her new cause. He was also feeling rather guilty, for without Hermione around, he found his eyes wandering around the Great Hall more during meals now, and they often found rest on Ravenclaw’s pretty Seeker, Cho Chang.
Rinna huffed out a breath. “I’m sorry, lads, I’m not going to tell her she has to stop. But I will,” she added, holding up her hands to forestall their simultaneous groans of disappointment, “go and talk to her. Will that suffice?”
Harry and Ron looked at each other and smiled in relief. “Brilliant,” said Ron. “You’ll be able to tell if she’s gone mad. Besides, she’ll listen to you. You’re a teacher.”
----- -----
About half an hour before curfew, Professor Dunlevy entered the library, and whispered quietly to Madame Pince. The librarian indicated one of the study tables in the back, near the restricted section. Rinna smiled her thanks and walked to the indicated table. She was amused at the irony that Hermione had chosen one of Rinna’s preferred tables for quiet study. What was it that James used to say? “Swotty minds think alike!”
“Hullo, Hermione.” Rinna slipped into an empty chair next to the girl.
Hermione looked up, annoyance at the disturbance showing in her eyes. “Good evening, Professor Dunlevy,” she said stiffly.
Goodness. She doesn’t like me very much, does she? “I’m here because Harry and Ron told me they were worried about you. I think they are feeling a little abandoned.” She indicated the books and scrolls and S.P.E.W. badges that littered the table.
“What?” Hermione was incensed. “They are the ones who abandoned me! They won’t help me with any of this!”
“Why not?” Rinna wondered.
The brown-haired girl scowled and crossed her arms defiantly. “They don’t think that what I am doing is important,” she huffed.
“Ah.” Rinna leaned back in the chair, nodding thoughtfully. “Tell me why you think it is important.”
“Because house-elves have been enslaved for centuries. Centuries! And no one seems to think it is wrong. Ron and the twins tried to tell me that the house-elves like it! That’s ridiculous! No one likes slavery! And they are abused, treated like property, forced to do things or go places they don’t like. They don’t get paid! They are required to injure themselves as punishment. It’s beastly!”
After going on a good deal longer about the importance of S.P.E.W., Hermione finally looked at the professor sitting next to her. Seeing the neutral, polite expression on Rinna’s face, she spluttered, “You don’t agree with me, do you? You are a Pure-blood. You probably think my cause is utterly stupid, just like Ron and Harry!”
“Hermione!” Rinna held up her hands in a calming gesture. “Hermione, I can see that you perceive that an injustice is being done. I can see that you believe very strongly that there is something you can do about it. And I see you acting on that conviction. Whether or not I believe that your cause has merit is not the point here.” She picked up one of the S.P.E.W. badges, and rubbed her fingers meditatively on its surface. Then she pierced Hermione with her gaze. “The world needs people like you in it, Hermione Granger. People who will point out injustice. People who will act when no one else seems willing to. People who take their convictions and do something with them. I applaud you for what you are doing.”
“Oh.” Hermione was very taken aback. “So you’re not going to tell me that I should give this whole thing up?”
“Ha! I’d rather roll around in a pen full of blast-ended skrewts!” Rinna chuckled.
Hermione considered this in silence for a few moments. “Then why are you here?” she queried, confused.
Rinna smiled gently. “I’m here because Harry and Ron asked me to come; they told me they miss you. And because I promised them that I would talk to you and make sure that you weren’t barking mad.” Hermione laughed a little at that. “They care about you very much, you know.”
Frizzy brown hair bobbed as she nodded her head. “I know,” Hermione said softly, an indulgent smile on her face. The smile quickly turned sly as she added, “And they are probably getting woefully behind on their homework, I imagine.”
Rinna laughed knowingly, but quickly quieted when she heard Madame Pince pointedly clearing her throat behind them. She glanced at the library clock and said, “Come on. I’ll walk you back to the Gryffindor common room so you won’t get in trouble for being out after curfew.” She helped the girl put away books and clean up the table.
The teacher and the student walked quietly through the halls. At the portrait of the Fat Lady, Rinna held out the S.P.E.W. badge she had been holding all that time. “Would you mind if I kept this?” she asked.
Hermione’s head whipped up in surprise. “Ah- All right.” Rinna did not miss the calculating glint in her eyes.
“I’m not allowed to wear it. Staff dress code, you know.”
“Oh.” Disappointment was evident in Hermione’s voice. Having a teacher wearing the badge would have been an absolute coup for her cause.
Rinna smiled, admiration for the girl’s persistence and ambition growing by the minute. She’d have done well in Slytherin, she thought. “But I will keep it at my desk.”
Hermione smiled. “Excellent!” she declared.
It happened one rainy night towards the end of September that dinner in the middle section of the Slytherin table was a quiet affair; Draco Malfoy was sulking. The school year was nearly one month gone, and Draco was heartily getting tired of the whispered slander and outright spoken taunts of the Fourth Year Gryffindors. He ground his teeth and mentally blasted Mad-Eye Moody for ever transfiguring him into a ferret. He felt particularly irritated by the insults from Potty and the Weasel, mostly because Draco had yet to find a suitable comeback that would push the right buttons. He did not dare trot out any derogatory remarks about the Weasley matriarch again.
Now Granger and her new house-elf campaign gave him plenty of fodder, and he’d come up with some rather nasty slurs, if he did say so himself. But the bushy-haired bint had taken to just tossing him a sneer of contempt and then ignoring him. He couldn’t get a rise out of her! It was galling, especially when he remembered the smack in the face she’d given him last year. What he wouldn’t give to elicit that kind of response from her again!
As it was, the situation was intolerable. He’d reached his limit. If those filthy Gryffindors, any of them, made one more reference to ferrets… well, there’d be hell to pay. He grinned evilly, causing his cadre of Third and Fourth Year sycophants to shudder.
----- -----
It also happened that night that Hogwarts’ Third and Fourth Years were busy working on a joint Transfiguration project in the library. At about fifteen minutes before curfew, Madame Pince began shooing everyone out. A group of about sixteen Slytherins, and a little more than a dozen Gryffindors remained until Madam Pince demanded that they please vacate the premises immediately.
Draco Malfoy found his exit blocked by bushy brown hair. “Out of my way, Mudblood,” he hissed, elbowing Hermione aside.
“OY! Malfoy, you git!” Ron shouted to the Slytherin’s retreating back. “Learn some manners!”
Draco turned with a smirk and said, “Oh, that’s rich, coming from a destitute, uncouth slob like you, Weasel.”
Harry placed a restraining hand on Ron’s chest. He sneered at the blond boy. “What are you trying to transfigure your pincushion into, Malfoy? A ferret? It should be easy for you.”
Draco froze, and so did his Housemates around him. Harry and Ron laughed along with the other Gryffindors, and they turned to make their way to their dorm. Draco didn’t move as he watched them leave, a petulant scowl on his face.
“Shouldn’t we go to the dungeons, Draco?” asked Vincent Crabbe.
Draco held up a hand to forestall any more inquires. When the last Gryffindor was out of sight, he whispered, “Follow them.”
The corridor that ran from the library to the stairs to Gryffindor Tower had several places where it widened out so much that it was like a small courtyard or antechamber. This was to accommodate a side hallway or two. It was in one such spot that the Slytherins caught up to the group.
“Potter!” Draco bellowed.
Instantly, Harry and his group spun around to see the Slytherins arranging themselves at one end of the hall, wands drawn. “What do you want, Malfoy?” Harry gritted out. The Gryffindors immediately took defensive stances, wands at the ready.
Draco took a menacing step forward. “You have called me ‘ferret’ for the last time, Potter!”
A cocky smirk took over Harry’s face, his eyes alight with glee. “Oh really. Have I now? What are you going to do about it, Fer-rr-ret?”
Draco’s eyes narrowed with indignation as he raised his wand in response. “Serpensortia!” he shouted, and suddenly a large snake was weaving toward the Gryffindors, hissing angrily.
Hermione grabbed Harry’s arm. “NO, Harry! Don’t you dare counter! We’ll all get in trouble for dueling in the halls!” But it was too late; Harry had yanked his arm free and his snake was quickly slithering forward to meet the other.
Hermione’s mind was working furiously, looking for a way to end this unfortunate encounter when two more Slytherins stepped forward, shouted the spell and two more snakes joined the fray. We need the advantage, she thought, I wonder, I wonder… And in that millisecond, she decided to employ the charm she’d been using to make all her S.P.E.W. badges: “Serpensortia accensere decem!” she cried.
Ten snakes moved with zeal toward the Slytherins, and for a single moment, everyone froze. “Bloody hell, Hermione!” Ron shouted, breaking the stillness. Suddenly, everyone erupted with curses, hexes and blocking spells. Harry, Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini all picked up on Hermione’s modification and soon thirty or more snakes had joined the melee. It was quickly becoming very dangerous.
Uh oh, Harry thought. I think things just got very, very out of hand…
----- -----
Rinna grimaced as she ran down the little-used hallway trying to work her way back to the main part of the castle and to her quarters. She would much rather run outdoors, but the rain had never let up so she had to resort to jogging the hallways and climbing the stairs. Unfortunately, several of the moving staircases had conspired to not only lengthen her workout, but to dump her off into one of the lesser used areas of the castle many floors up.
Her breath was ragged in her ears, and she was tired, which might have explained why she didn’t hear the strange hissing or sense the swirling of magical energy until seconds before she rounded the corner at full tilt. Damn it! Should have slowed down!
Rinna stepped on a rather large serpent, wrenching her right ankle, and experienced one of those strange sensations of time slowing to a near stop as she fell to the floor and skidded right into a large writhing mass of perhaps dozens of snakes. She had the presence of mind to shout a shielding charm that repelled the striking animals and gave her a perimeter of about two feet.
The students involved in the fracas stilled suddenly as a person burst out from the side hallway and stumbled into the scene, literally. Several gasps were heard as she fell and Harry’s heart leapt into his throat when he recognized his godmother as she landed among the reptiles with a shout.
“Holy hell, it’s Professor Dunlevy!” exclaimed Gregory Goyle, looking in consternation at Draco, but Draco’s and his Housemates’ horrified attention was riveted by what was happening. The red-headed woman had managed to get on hands and knees and was making the oddest hissing noises at the snakes that were raised up and ready to strike all around her.
Harry watched his godmother with wide eyes as she carefully, slowly, painstakingly got her feet under her in a crouch, the entire time speaking softly in a sweet voice very much at odds with the situation: “There, there, my beauties…see? I’m not going to hurt you. Come on now; settle down, there are my good laddies… I’m not going to hurt you.” She slowly stood up, keeping up the soft patter in a lilting voice that seemed to soothe the serpents, and soon they were swaying to and fro in front of her.
Once she had her balance evenly distributed on her feet, she made a brusque, cutting gesture and sharply uttered a banishment charm. Instantly, all the snakes in the room vanished. There was a collective gasp from the spectators, and then everyone fell silent. Professor Dunlevy’s eyes swept the hall, as she stood, breathing heavily, assessing the situation. She looked rather perturbed. The students shuffled their feet nervously.
“Well,” she drawled sardonically as she crossed her arms. “Would anyone care to enlighten me as to what was going on here?” Her voice was calm, unruffled, and dangerously soft. No one moved or made a sound.
Harry doubted that anyone present would appreciate the honor of being the first students to arouse the ire of Professor Dunlevy. No one had yet seen or heard of her losing her temper, and the apprehension in the air was palpable. Only he and his friends had ever seen her in a fit of pique, and, based on that experience, he was not looking forward to the next few minutes.
Rinna drummed her fingers on her upper arm as she gave the group one more chance. “Come on, now. I can see that this was more than just a meeting of the Hogwarts Herpetological Society…” Still there was no response. She smirked. She could appreciate the irony that these two groups were at least momentarily aligned in the solidarity of silence.
Rinna extended both her hands in a grasping motion. “Accio wands!” Immediately, every wand in the room went flying into her doubled grip. “Tell me,” she said in a deceptively conversational tone, “have any of you heard of the spell ‘Prior Incantato?’”
Harry was horrified to see Hermione’s hand shoot up. She just can’t help herself, can she? He tried to pull it down, but Rinna had seen.
“Yes, Miss Granger?”
“It is used to discover the most recent spell a wand has cast, Professor,” Hermione answered quietly.
Rinna suppressed a smile. “Very good. Ten points to Gryffindor.” She glanced again over the assembly. “Let me explain how this scenario is going to go down. Each of you here that cast a curse or a hex will have an opportunity to step forward. You will receive detention and lose ten points for your House.” Everyone began shifting and muttering uneasily. “If you choose not to step forward, I will proceed to cast Prior Incantato on your wand, and, if I discover that you were a perpetrator, you will receive detention for a week and lose one hundred points for your House. Is this clear?”
“That’s unfair!” exclaimed Draco. “You’re blackmailing us into incriminating ourselves!”
The Professor cast him a mordant look. “No, Mr. Malfoy. Either way, one’s culpability is exposed. I am merely expediting the conclusion of our dealings here. There are a large number of wands,” she lifted her hands for emphasis, “and it will take far longer than I want to go through them all. Besides, haven’t you heard that confession is good for the soul?” Draco scowled at the aphorism.
Harry took a deep breath. No point in delaying the inevitable, he thought. He stepped forward and declared, “I cast a serpensortia, and, uh,” he turned to Hermione, “what was the other one, Hermione?”
“Serpensortia accensere decem,” she supplied. Professor Dunlevy’s eyebrows raised in interest.
“Yeah, that one, and…”
“I cast that one, too,” Hermione hastily added, stepping up to join Harry.
“As did I,” Draco insisted as he moved up.
One by one, students from each House moved forward and admitted to various spells, until all that were left were Neville Longbottom from Gryffindor, and Miriam Baddock, a Slytherin Third Year.
“All right, you two. Am I to understand that you did not cast any hexes or curses during this little scuffle?” Rinna looked at each of them, not unkindly.
Neville shuffled his feet uncomfortably. “I-I-I tried to, ma’am, but all that came out of my wand was a spray of daisies,” he said with shame. Sure enough, a trampled bouquet was evident in the corner. Several snickers were heard from the Slytherin side of the hall.
“Longbottom, is it?” Rinna inquired. Neville nodded miserably. “Well, your well-known talent in Herbology would explain that. Professor Sprout speaks very highly of you.” Neville brightened and flushed from the praise. “You confessed to intent, so the punishment still stands. Detention and ten points from Gryffindor.” Neville nodded.
She turned to the pretty but rather quiet Slytherin girl. “And you, Miss…”
“Baddock. I-I, uh, didn’t participate in the brawl, ma’am.” She hung her head, knowing that she would be put upon by the others later for not only not trying to hex Gryffindors, but for confessing to her lack of contribution as well.
“All right, Miss Baddock. If you would kindly take your wand.” Rinna proffered the handful of wands and Miriam carefully extracted hers. Rinna set the two bundles of wands down by her feet, and reached behind her to remove her own wand from where it was tucked into the waistband of her track pants.
Harry was startled to realize that up until this very moment, his godmother had been using wandless magic.
Rinna cast the Prior Incantato which revealed that the last spell Miriam Baddock had used was an acne banishing spell. The poor girl flushed with embarrassment, until the Professor took her chin and turned it to each side to study Miriam’s flawless complexion. “Oh, well done,” Rinna exclaimed. “Remarkably well executed, Miss Baddock. I wish I had had your skill with skin care spells when I was in school. I would’ve given anything to keep my face from breaking out into spots!” The girl smiled shyly at Professor Dunlevy, who winked.
“All right, you lot.” Rinna bent to pick up the remaining wands. “Please come forward to claim your wands, and then you are dismissed to your dorms. Oh, and I suppose I should say something to the effect of ‘I hope we’ve all learned something here today.’ I know that I have.” She smiled ruefully.
“What did you learn?” Blaise Zabini asked cheekily as he retrieved his wand.
“To slow down when I’m turning corners!”
The Gryffindors waited until the more pushy Slytherins had taken their wands before moving forward. Harry was amazed to hear Pansy Parkinson say, as she moved down the hall, “I learned that Professor Dunlevy is a Parselmouth!” He saw Rinna’s shoulders suddenly tense. Of course, that’s why she was talking to the snakes!
Rinna had almost completely relaxed as she reined in the whole situation until she picked up the bundles of wands again. Immediately, she felt an odd prickling in one of her hands, a sensation that she had noticed before but ignored. She shrugged it off as nerves. Pansy’s comment only served to further her discomfiture, but coming face to face with Harry was her undoing. She saw something flicker in his eyes: accusation. She knew why. Once again she had kept something from him, but honestly, could he blame her for not blithely telling people she spoke Parseltongue? It really wasn’t something you admitted to if you were trying to make a good impression… and she’d desperately been trying to make a good impression on Harry for two months now.
“All right, Harry?” she asked as he pulled his wand, the last one, from her hand. He nodded. “Did this all start, perchance, with an altercation between you three and Malfoy?” she queried. Harry nodded again, not meeting her eyes. “Ah.”
“I’m sorry that you almost got bitten,” he said to her feet.
She sighed. “Well, it was fortunate that it was me that came around that corner, and that I was able to talk my way out of some snake bites.”
Harry raised his eyes to her then, and he realized that things could have turned out much, much worse. “Yeah. You’re right.” The blaze of indignation left his expression, and a smile threatened to move his lips. “It’s a good thing it was you and not Professor Snape, or we Gryffindors would have made out a whole lot worse.”
“Indeed,” she agreed. “Well, good night, Harry.”
“Good night, Prof”uh, Rinna.”
She watched him join Hermione and Ron who were waiting for him where the hall narrowed again. As the three disappeared, leaving her alone, she began to notice the ache in her right ankle, the scrapes on her forearms where she’d landed, and that the weird prickling was no longer present in her hand.
“Well done!” came an encouraging voice, and Rinna spun around to see Hogwarts’ Headmaster emerge from the very corridor she’d barreled onto the scene from.
“Just how much of that did you witness?” Rinna demanded suspiciously.
He crossed toward her, eyes glinting over his half-moon spectacles. He pointed his wand at her ankle and each of her elbows in turn as he spoke, healing her injuries. “Oh, enough. Enough to know that the Third and Fourth Year Slytherins are now looking forward to taking your classes next term; that Hermione Granger will need special tutoring to hone that natural talent for modifying spells she possesses; that Neville Longbottom’s self-esteem has risen a notch; and that Miriam Baddock will soon have a wildly successful underground business selling skin care charms.” Rinna let out an unladylike guffaw. “As I said, well done.”
“Except Harry is now upset to find out that I’m a Parselmouth.” Rinna said regretfully.
Dumbledore looked thoughtful. “Perhaps he was merely surprised to discover that he is no longer the only one at Hogwarts with that particular gift,” he said mildly.
Rinna’s eyes goggled. “WHAT?”
Dumbledore took her hand and patted it. “Would you care to join me for a nightcap in my office, my dear?”
“You know damn well I would, after a comment like that, Albus!”
----- -----
It seemed to Harry that everyone took forever to retire to bed. When the Trio was finally alone in the common room, Harry put down his quill and said in a low voice, “What do you make of Rinna?”
“She makes bloody wandless magic look easy-peasy, doesn’t she?” Ron said.
“I was referring to her speaking Parseltongue,” Harry amended dryly.
Ron was puzzled. “What about it?”
Hermione huffed a little impatiently at Ron. “I think Harry is a bit concerned about this new information, Ronald.” At Ron’s continued quizzical look, she explained, “It’s usually only found among dark wizards, remember?”
“Oh. I guess I’ve gotten so used to Harry being able to speak it that I forgot about that.” Ron seemed deep in thought. “I don’t think you should be concerned about her. She’s never given any indication that she’s into Dark Arts. Besides, Harry just proves that there can be exceptions to the rule. You speak it, but you’re not a dark wizard, Harry,” Ron pointed out.
“Yes, but we know how I acquired my ability to speak Parseltongue. It is rather unlikely that Rinna got that particular skill from Voldemort like me.”
“Well, we know she’s a Pure-blood, right?” Hermione said. “Didn’t Sirius tell you that?” Harry nodded. “She probably comes from a family with Dark Arts roots.” Privately, she agreed with Ron. Rinna may be secretive, but she wasn’t evil.
“Yeah,” Ron agreed. “And Sirius came from a very Dark family himself, and he’s okay.”
Harry visibly relaxed at Ron’s comment. “You’re right,” he mused. “And you know, I really hated it when everyone was judging me and thinking I was the Heir of Slytherin when it came out that I was a Parselmouth. In fact, I don’t blame her keeping something like that hidden.”
The others nodded. “So,” Ron queried, “what was it she was saying to the snakes, anyway?”
Later, when Harry was lying in bed and reviewing the whole incident in his head, he realized that things really could have turned out so much worse on so many levels. He sighed, and resolved to put the quandary of Rinna’s newly revealed ability out of his mind.
A/N: “accensere decem” really just means “add ten” in Latin. I made that up, just like Hermione! I guess swotty minds DO think alike! Hee hee.
I would love to hear what you think of this chapter as it was one of my favorites to write! So hurry, don’t wait one second more, and go to the review button below! Please please please tell me what you thought! I’m begging you!
And muchas smooches to the wonderful people who reviewed my last chappie and made me dance about in glee! I'm still unable to respond to any reviews for this story. It only seems to affect this story. Sigh.
A New Definition of Family by RahNee
Chapter Notes: When we last saw our two lovebirds, they were snogging on the bathroom floor. But will they get back together? And what happens when a duel in the hallway between our favorite Gryffindors and Slytherins gets a wee bit out of hand? Read on!