Twin of a Dog, Part Two. | Tappity tap tap... Helene's shoes tapped as she skipped along the Hogwarts paths. Poppy had made her feel better. Helene had checked her godson's school timetable that morning before the has left. Well.. more like midday... Helene had a problem with sleeping in. Anyway, Harry was due to be out of potions by then so if she hurried she could be finished talking with that teacher and be playing wizards chess in the Gryffindor common room in no time. Before she could think another word, Helene froze. She has heard something behind her. Slowly she pivoted on her right foot, and turned to face her follower. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington's eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped, after five seconds spent composing himself after his shock Sir Nick smiled. "I never understood how you could hear people float." Said Nick. "The air." Said Helene. "You can hear and feel the air move." "Really? How strange..." Said Nick. "Look, I'm sorry." Said Helene. "But I'm quite busy and I have to be somewhere right now." "Alright then Helene" Said Nick. "I'll see you soon." "Not before I see you..." Said Helene as Sir Nick floated through the wall. Helene stared at the wall for a moment before remembering... Harry! So many things had sidetracked her, Happiness, sir Nick, eggshell... She was sure to be so late! Helene ran past the Slytherin entrance, making a mental note to visit it's inhabitants sometime later. As she ran, the fat lady came into her sights. Such a pity... Harry hadn't told her the password and the fat lady had said only one free entry. Oh well then... There was nothing she could do but sit and wait until they arrived. Summoning a bench from down the hall, "Accio bench", Helene sat down and rested her weary feet. Random thoughts ran like a river through her mind. Why did she have this apprehensive feeling? What was she doing back at Hogwarts really anyway? Why did she ever leave Hogwarts? How did she ever think herself up to the task of raising Harry? WHAT was going on in her life? She didn't know. She didn't have a single clue. She thought of the past as she rummaged through her backpack for some chocolate. Searching found her with a half full bottle of butterbeer and a chocolate frog. Butterbeer, now THAT brought back memories. ...Helene had been only fourteen when she noticed Remus Lupin. Those dreamy eyes, that half smile, She hadn't been able to take her eyes off him. They had gone to Hogsmeade together one time, shared a glass of butterbeer, walked arm in arm looking through the practical jokes at Zonko's... when they got back to Hogwarts they were going to top the evening off with a goodnight kiss but she had gotten confused, said she was late for something and run off into the night. For the rest of their Hogwarts years things were different between them... there was a wall, or a gap or something. She never did get that goodnight kiss.... Helene was jolted from her daydream by four sets of footsteps and voices talking. "No, I still say you're a genius." Said the first voice. "It wasn't my idea originally." Said the second voice. "I just helped." "And what if it doesn't work?" Added a third voice. "It'll work." Said the first voice again. "It has to." The voices grew louder as Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville rounded the corner. "Oh, Hi Aunt Lene!" Harry called, waving his free arm. "We're just going inside for a second, to drop off out books." Harry, Ron and Hermione approached the door. "Password?" the fat lady queried. "Caput Draconus." said Hermione and the portrait swung open and they entered. All but Neville, and he sidled up to Helene. "Um... Miss Harry's Aunt?" He mumbled. "I'm... I'm a bit scared of the professor... D'you, d'you think it'd be alright if I stayed here while you, Ron, Hermione and Harry go to talk with him?" "Why certainly." Helene smiled warmly. "We're all afraid of something." "Thank you" Neville said as the portrait swung open, and Hermione, Ron and Harry stepped out. "Bye." Helene called as he entered the Gryffindor house, but the portrait was already shut. Well that sorted out the problem of knowing the password, thought Helene. She stood up and 'banished' the bench back to it's original position. "So... " Helene said. "Where do you have you're potions class?" "In one of the dungeons." Replied Ron. "We'll show you the way." With this he started off down the hall, stopped and gestured for them to follow him, and continued walking. Harry, Hermione and Helene followed. Helene was confused. What kind of potions teacher would teach a class in a dungeon? There would be little air, no vents and the gasses were more likely to gather and cause trouble. On the other hand... Interruptions would be rare, and disasters would have little to no effect on the rest of the school... Helene's ponderings on the relative merits of teaching a potions class in a dungeon were interrupted but Harry's voice. "Do you know what that jerk did today?" Said Harry. "He scared Neville into confessing and gave us detention for tomorrow and 80 points from Gryffindor." "Ouch," Said Helene. "That's a little harsh." "Yeah," Said Ron. "And then he just told us to leave without any discussion on our punishment." "Psychological damage, that may cause." said Hermione. "And did he say five rolls on one poison, or one scroll on five poisons?" Said Ron. "The first one, Ron." Said Hermione, without pity. "Well we can't all be geniuses like you!" Said Ron. "You two, stop arguing", Harry said, Helene laughed at their fight. "If you can't stick together you have a much smaller chance of succeeding..." Helene trailed off, thinking of something else. They walked down the halls, passing many statues and many paintings and many coats of armor. As they were nearing the dungeons Helene spotted something in a picture and stopped dead. "Quick, hide me." She hissed to the children. The children looked around frantically before looking for something to disguise Helene. "What do we hide you with?" Asked Ron. "Idunno," Said Helene. "Just, please, I can't be seen here." "Here," Said Hermione. "Use my cloak." She quickly slipped it off and threw it over Helene like a shawl. Helene floundered in the cloak for a moment before adjusting it so she could see and walk. "Why can't you be seen?" Asked Harry. "Sir... sir Cadogan." Said Helene, panting from the sudden fright as they continued walking. "Huh? Sir Cadogan?" Hermione exclaimed. "Who's that?" "The mad knight." Helene said. "He... he tends to talk alot. If he'd seen me we would have been here for weeks. He... he took a kind of liking to me while I was at Hogwarts you see." "A painting fell in love with you?" Said Ron. "Weird." "Ya don't think?" Said Helene. "Anyway, I HAVE turned his marriage proposals down hundreds of times but he's in denial." "Poor thing." Said Hermione. "Oh, don't feel sorry for him. There's plenty of painted princesses in the castle." Said Helene. "Trust me, I KNOW." Walking down another flight of steps found the group in the dungeons, a dark and overall gloomy corridor lined with thick oak doors and lots of stringy cobwebs. Harry directed Helene to a door on the left side. "There." he said. "That's the classroom. We'll stay outside so we can stay alive. You can talk all you like, he'll be in there doing his marking." "Thanks alot Harry." Said Helene sarcastically as she approached the door. She put a hand to the door, fingering the shiny brass plates and the thick wood, and it opened with a loud creak. Must be a spell. Drawing Hermione's cloak up around her, as it was very cold, she stepped inside. The room seemed very dark and empty but as Helene's eyes adjusted to the darkness she noticed a figure cast in shadows hunched over a desk at the far side of the room, scribbling away with a quill. She needed more to aid her vision so she cast a quick light spell, "Lumos", and as Helene shut the door behind her the figure looked up. "Um... I'm sorry to disturb you." Helene said. "But I was wondering if I could have a quick word about my godson, Harry Potter." "A guardian? What has that little vagabond been saying now?" Replied the figure testily. "That little vagabond, and his friends have been so terrified of you and your punishments they've forgone feasts to hide from you!" Said Helene, raising her voice and walking towards the desk. The figure stood up from the desk and into the light and started, "It is not the place of a guardian to question my authority and..." But he was stopped by the extremely shocked look on what he could see of the guardian's face. "Oh... But... Oh my..." Helene gasped for words. "How? What the...? You're..." "Is there a problem?" Asked Snape. "Um... no... Rus?" Helene grasped traces of words that she could not complete, shocked as she was. Immediately Snape's face also harbored that same shocked look. "Who?" He whispered. Helene managed to regain some of her composure, and stepping back she slipped off Hermione's cloak, revealing the slim, somewhat more aged but still unmistakinably Helene's body underneath as it fell to the floor. "I hadn't expected to see you here..." Said Helene. Snape stumbled back. "Lenie? No, it can't be... The last I heard of you, you were running from the death eaters." "Whom you were running... with." Helene tested these words with a confident air to herself now. "So you escaped..." Snape said. "I always knew you were powerful... but..." "I didn't escape them Rus." Said Helene. "I hope you appreciate what I went through." "Your divination skills never ceased to amaze me..." Said Snape. "Oh my god Severus, I thought you were dead." said Helene tears coming to her eyes. "I.. came back, like you advised me to..." Mumbled Snape, stepping forward to comfort her. "I'm... sorry." She sniffed. "It's just, *sob*, all these years without hope...." "It's okay now Magica," Snape smiled at his pet name for her. "It's okay." Helene rushed forward and hugged Snape, running her fingers through his shoulder length black hair and burying her face in his robes. Snape was startled, but warmed by the familiar feeling he had forgotten for so long when he had left, apparently leaving his ability to love with her. Helene moved her arms and linking her hands behind his back, she lifted her face to meet his. "I... I missed you Severus, I love you." Said Helene, gazing into his eyes. "I love you too Lenie," Said Severus. "More than you could ever imagine." Severus looked into her eyes and they kissed. The moment lasted for about 30 seconds, before Helene became aware of someone else's presence it the dungeon. "What is it? What's wrong?" Severus said, confused as to why Helene had tensed. In reply, Helene put a finger to Severus's lips, to quieten him. Slowly, Helene turned around to find three people standing at the door at the other end of the classroom. Hermione, Harry and Ron's mouths were gaping open, their eyes were wide open as they struggled to comprehend what they had just seen. They were stunned beyond all reason. Helene snatched Severus's wrist and marched over to the kids, dragging an embarrassed potions teacher behind her. The children regained their senses and Harry glared at Severus. Scowling, he said, "Aunt Lene, Professor... You seem to have hit it off." Helene glanced back at Severus then looked back to Harry. "You could say that, Yes." Said Helene, through gritted teeth. "You said you would stay outside." Harry replied slowly, "We were worried.... when you didn't come back out for so long" "Potter... Weasley... Granger...." Said Severus, finally finding a voice. "Please return to your dormitories. I will let you off this one time, but you will remember that it is for your safety that you do not leave your house after dark." "But... but..." Ron spluttered. "Leave before I change my mind." Said Severus firmly. The boys, startled by this stern comment which contrasted greatly to what they had just saw, ran off quickly. Hermione however stayed a moment longer, glaring at the two of them. "Detention tomorrow?" She asked. Severus frowned at this, "Should there be a change? I think not. Now GO!." Helene shrugged to herself as Hermione ran to catch up to her friends. She turned to look at Severus. "What?" Severus said. Helene put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. "That's EXACTLY what I came to talk to you about." She said, eyeing the professor. "Don't tell me you still care about that?" Said Severus. "He's my godson." Helene said. "Whether you're his potions teacher or not." "Hey," Said Severus. "I let him off for being out after dark...." "The fumes in this dungeon are going to your head, Rus!" Helene said, exasperated. "You need a window or something." "Why?" Severus interrupted her ranting. "Ok, now I'm SURE you're high on potion fumes." Helene said. "Severus, It's barely four O' clock! It's daylight outside!" "It can't be.... I've been marking for hours!?!" Severus was confused. Helene gave a contemptuous laugh and she said slowly, forming every word carefully and rolling her eyes to the bricked ceiling, "Those students will think their professor is MAD." Helene strolled around the classroom, stopping to inspect the many layers of dust on a desk with a slender finger. Peering at the now much cleaner stripe on the desk, she said, "And they're probably right." "Oh, and so you think you can come flouncing in here after all these years with your short robes and your long kisses and tell me how to run my class?" Severus said. Helene put a hand to her chest, "Severus, I am deeply hurt." She said. "I don't think, I KNOW." "True, true." Severus said, walking to his desk. "But not at the moment please. I have marking to do." "Leave your marking for the moment Rus." Said Helene, strolling back to his desk and sitting on it, sprawling over the papers, "Surely you would prefer to... catch up?" Severus leaned over her and whispered in her ear, "Helene, Would you like to go for a walk on the grounds? I could show you around... alot has changed." Helene sat up. "Okay." She said. "See, I'm already affecting your judgment." "Come on, I'll show you my house." Severus said as he picked up Hermione's cloak and wrapped it around Helene's bare shoulders. "Your house?" Said Helene. "I don't understand..." Severus spread his arms out and down to indicate himself, "You're looking at the Head of Slytherin." "No... You didn't...?" Helene replied. "But I though that was just a teenage joke." "It was... but when Albus asked me," Severus said. "I couldn't exactly refuse, Could I?" "Oh my god." Helene said, as they walked to the door. "The scoundrel of Hogwarts who vowed to be a Head of house..." "Accidentally made it a reality." Finished Severus. "Ok, This I gotta see." Said Helene. "Let me guess... Lotsa favoring, little punishment?" "You know me so well." Replied Severus as he opened the dungeon door. Severus held out his hand to Helene and they stepped out into the corridor. Helene shivered. "Brrrrr... I don't know how you can stand spending most of your time in a freezing dungeon." She said. "Two words." Severus replied. "Heating spells." "Well I haven't got any and I'm FREEZING." Said Helene. Severus put an arm around Helene. "I'll keep you warm..." "Walls have ears..." Helene muttered quietly. "Especially at Hogwarts." "I know. I know." Answered Severus. Helene snuggled close to Severus. "I missed you." She said. "I missed you too." Severus replied. Helene stopped walking and turned to face Severus. "What?" Asked Severus when he noticed she had stopped and backtracked to stand beside her. Helene pulled his face down to hers and kissed him again. When they were finished she looked into his eyes. "Sorry", She smiled, "I couldn't resist." "I don't mind." Said Severus. "Why am I not surprised?" Asked Helene. "Ummm...." Puzzled Severus. "Possibly because I haven't see the love of my life, you, for twenty years and now that she's back I don't want to lose any more time." "That's pretty accurate." Helene started, but was cut off when Severus kissed her again. "Mmmm... Yeah I definitely missed YOU..." Helene said and they continued walking. Severus opened the door out of the dungeons for Helene and they walked up the steps. Taking a secret door outside, Helene got out her firebolt. "Sorry", She said. "I hate walking and the entrance to Slytherin's all the way over the other side of the school." "There's room for two on that." Severus said. "No way." Helene protested. "I'll go slow, I promise." "Sorry, no deal." Severus said. "Move over." "You actually think there's room for two on this?" Helene asked. "The last time we shared a broomstick we were eighteen!" "Fine..." Said Severus. "I'll just... hmmm... poison your godson during his detention then? It can be a little accident then, hmmm?" "Oh no" Replied Helene. "You are so not using my godson as a bargaining chip." "Then move over." Severus said with a smile. "Oh alright." Helene said, with an exaggerated sigh. "I never could say no to you." "Must be that love potion." Said Severus. "What love potion?" Yelped Helene, startled. Severus laughed to himself. "Just kidding Lene." "I should hope so Sev." Said Helene, then with a very teacher-like voice, "Love potions are banned at Hogwarts young man!" Helene giggled and got on her broom. "Of course you can hitch a ride on my broom." She continued. "IF you can catch me." At this she flew straight up, much to her partner's dismay. "Helene," He said. "At this rate we'll never get to the Slytherin dorms." Helene flew down again. "Oh yeah." She gestured for Severus to get on the broom behind her. "Hurry up, you're making us late." "Me?" Said Severus. " "Yes, You." Said Helene, as Severus got on the broom. "Huh, That'll be the day, Miss Late-for-the quidditch finals." "That was only once Sev," Helene replied as they flew over the school. "And you may recall it was because YOU kept interrupting me when I was trying to get ready and THEN, when it was time to go you held me up yet AGAIN by grabbing hold of me and not letting me go!" "I can't deny that, Lene." Severus said. "But don't you agree, I'm much more important than quidditch." "Yeah right Sev, delude yourself." They flew down and landed near a large statue. "Severus rocks." Said Severus, and the statue moved aside to reveal a passage way. "I chose the password this year." "You don't say?" Replied Helene, stepping into the passage. "You sure it wasn't one of your prize pupils." "Well they did suggest it..." Began Severus. "But only I had the authority to make it official." "You're so funny Sev," Said Helene, snuggling close. "Never mind I think you rock." "Yeah, I forgot what it was like to feel like this, Lenie." Said Severus. "Me too." Replied Lene. "I haven't felt really happy since you were forced to run with the death eaters." "I wouldn't have gone... If it weren't for you, I would have resisted and I would be dead." "Don't say that." Helene replied. "You might ruin your reputation." Helene and Severus entered a room with a few bored looking students sprawled around on couches. Upon Severus' entry, they brightened and straightened up. "Is it time for our extra lesson, professor?" One asked. "We are having a different kind of lesson today." Severus replied. "I would like you to meet Miss Black." Severus eyed Helene and raised his eyebrows in appraisal. Helene smiled back. "Miss Black will be teaching you today and she knows more about potions than me, let alone the other subjects." Severus continued. "I'll let her decide that you learn today." Helene paused, thinking what to say. Deciding on a little show, she materialized a lounge and sat down, Severus joining her with his arm around her back, although this was not visible to the students. "Well guys", Helene started. "How about a history lesson?" The students groaned, especially the blonde haired boy that had made his way to the front of the group, previously eager for the lesson. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. History's boring. I know." Helene said. "I was a Slytherin once too you know." The students quietened. She didn't seem like a Slytherin. "The story starts around the fall of Voldemort." Helene said and the class winced, although considerably less than if she had been in the Gryffindor common room. "Some of you may have heard about the virtues of the Ministry of Magic at this time, some even may have heard about the virtues of the death-eaters. The story I am going to tell is about the dark side of the Ministry of Magic, not that I'm condoning what the death-eaters did either. No, the Ministry of Magic were just as bad in their own way. Frantic in their terror and their feeling of righteousness, the Ministry of Magic ran checks and kept tabs on everyone. One girl had had contact with a few death-eaters, had not been so well behaved when she was at school and had certainly not been in a 'reputable' house. They traced a few of her owls and found she was sending letters to some death-eaters. They then ran checks on that death eater, a guy he was, the same age as her. Apart from the fact that background checks showed that they had been close in high school, and that there was no evidence that she knew he was a death-eater, they grew suspicious of her. She had a brother they had already caught, so that didn't work for much in her defense, and she had been friends with alot of people who went on to become death eaters." Helene stopped to let that sink in. "So what do you think guys? Input time. Can anyone tell me why the Ministry of Magic might have something against her?" A ratty haired Slytherin girl held up her hand, "I don't think she had done anything, Miss." "Yeah, Those Ministry of Magic wizards are jerks." Another put in. A third voice answered, "But really, we already know she was innocent. They had to defend themselves even if they did go a bit too far." "Aren't there rules about the violation of privacy?" "Why do we have to be told this, we hate them anyway." "Because the story gives you reasons to hate them, and reasons are safer than blind hate." Helene answered. "The girl ran from the Ministry of Magic for six years, they didn't even consider the fact that she had already been running from the death-eaters for nine years before that. Eventually they caught her hiding out in Wales. When the Ministry of Magic got their hands on this girl, they didn't listen to her pleas of innocence. Simply because she had run from them, they found her guilty. They tested every known truth charm, potion, hex, curse and spell on her, they even invented some new ones. All the truth spells and stuff came up negative of course but this didn't deter them. They threw her in Azkabaan and did more check. They found no proof but it took a month for them to pardon and release her. That's why dark magic is wrong, not because of the nasty spells or the mean people it turns out, but because of what the fear of it does to innocent people." "Well that was a very unorthodox story." Severus said, squeezing Helene's arm. "Can anyone guess who that girl was?" A large, thick looking boy put his hand up. "It was you, wasn't it Professor?" "You idiot! It was Miss Black." The other students scolded him but Helene laughed. "Well if you want to hear some stories about your professor..." Helene began. "I've got a stockpile of embarrassing tales." Severus stopped her. "But I don't think we have time for that Miss Black ", He said. "I did promise to introduce my student to you, after all." "Ohhhhhhh." The student's whined. "Next time guys." Helene winked. "I'll tell you a little anecdote about a truth serum." The children resumed doing whatever it was they were doing and Severus led Helene over to the blonde boy. "Helene, I would like you to meet my prize pupil, Draco Malfoy." Helene bent down to shake hands with Draco. "Sorry about Crabbe." Draco said. "That was the large thick boy." "No problem Draco." Helene said. "I didn't really want them to answer correctly either. Just wanted them to know what the Ministry of Magic can do if you put a foot wrong. Pass that warning to them." "So you're the Professor's girlfriend then?" Asked Malfoy. "No, I wouldn't say that." Answered Helene and at the same time, Severus said, "Yes." They looked at each other. "Just old friends." Said Helene. "Definitely girlfriend." Said Severus. "Geez, Make up your mind." Said Draco. "Bleugh." "Shall we go then Lene?" Asked Severus. "Yeah I'd say so." Said Helene as they left the room. As soon as they were out of hearing range in the passage way Lene continued, "Sev! Do ya have to brag so much? And you didn't say I would be giving an improv lesson. I had no time to prepare. Gosh, I had to churn out some crap about the Ministry of Magic to entertain them. At least I still know how Slytherins think." "So that story wasn't true?" Severus asked. "Of course it was." Helene said. "But the amount I had to tone it down, it was just about fiction like that." "I guess we've both seen horrible things." "I know Sev... I forget what you've been through too. Forgive?" "Yes. Forgive me?" "Yeah." They exited the Slytherin section and just wandered around for a few hours chatting (and kissing) before Severus brought up another topic. "Would you like to stay in my rooms for tonight." Helene's soaring heart was felled by a sobering thought, "Uh... actually I think I'd better spend another night in the Gryffindor dorms... to sort things out with Harry you know." "Oh, Of course." Severus relied, rather crestfallen. "So I'll see you tomorrow then?" "Only if you forget about those point deductions from Gryffindor and let them off their detention." Helene said, a sly smile appearing on her face. "Oh all right." Said Severus. "You win." Helene and Severus had a final kiss and parted. ************************************ Helene arrived to find noone waiting outside the door for her and she wasn't surprised. The kids were probably still outraged. Luckily she had heard the password before. "Caput Draconus." She said. "But don't you want to talk a bit first?" The fat lady asked. "Not at the moment, too much on my mind. You didn't tell me about Severus." "Well deary, If you wanted to know about the Professor I..." The fat lady was cut off by Helene. "Just open." "Fine." Said the fat lady as she swung open. "I won't talk to you either." Helene was too apprehensive to answer so she just entered. She didn't want to risk waking the girls to she decided just to pick a nice couch in the common room. Helene let out a small gasp when she entered the common room and four chairs swung around to face her. "Hello Aunt Lene." Said Harry. "We thought you'd be back." "Oh Harry.." "Don't 'Oh Harry' me. That was kind of a betrayal back there Lene. Just couldn't control yourself?" "Don't 'Don't 'Oh Harry' me' me. You don't know the full story so I can't expect you to understand, can I?" "Full story?" I'd like to hear that." "I don't think you would." "So who is the Professor to you?" "The Professor, to me, is a very long story which I will promptly summarize." Helene sat down in a chair. "Tell us the story please Helene." Said Hermione. "But first, tell us of our punishment for tomorrow." "Your punishment?" Asked Helene. "What punishment. If there's one thing I've always been able to do it's bend poor Sev to my will" The students blanched at the sound of their much hated teacher being referred to as poor Sev but Helene continued. "No points deducted, no morning detention." "I think I'm already beginning to see your side of the argument Aunt Lene." Said Harry. "But lets hear the whole thing." "Well", started Lene. "I was in Slytherin when I was at Hogwarts. The paintings may have told you that. My best friends were all in Gryffindor, Sirius, James, Remus, Lily and Peter." Helene paused to quell the anger that rose in her from the mention of the last name. "But there were two, in my own house, who were closer to me than even the Gryffindors sometimes. That was Tiffany and Severus, who the story focuses on. Severus was the class clown, but I found out in my third year that he was, somewhat tragically, in love with me... and I loved him back. We've been through alot together but when the dark times came upon us we were separated. Until today I hadn't seen Severus for about 20 years. It was a bit of an awkward reunion when you guys popped in." "Oh..." Harry looked down. "I guess I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I still hate Professor Snape though. You can't change our ideas of him." "I don't hope to kiddo." Said Helene. "But if you're ok with it, I have to go now. See ya round." Helene left the Gryffindor section and decided that she would spend the night with Severus. She snapped her finders and apparated into his room. (I know, You can't apparate of dissapparate inside the Hogwarts grounds. Helene's special, K?) "Severus... surprise." Helene whispered to Severus as she slipped into bed with him.
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