One Only Understands The Things That One Tames

~ Disclaimer: I own nothing but what springs from my imagination. Severus Snape, Hogwarts, and the rest of the Potterverse are the property and the children K RoK Rowling. I have also used some of the words of Antoine de Sainte-Exupery in various places and in the title of this fiction ~

One Only Understands the Things That One Tames
Chapter 10


The morning came and this time, Severus was gone from Ariah’s quarters. She didn’t bother to hide her disappointment at not waking up in his arms. She sighed and got out of bed, grabbed her robe and padded to the bathroom. Much to her surprise, she found a hot bath drawn, a rose on the sink, and a note attached to the mirror.

A~ Gone to my quarters for clothing and to check in on our Slytherins. Be back in time for breakfast and coffee together. ~S

Ariah smiled and slipped into the fragrant bath. She thought over her relationship with Severus. Each hour they spent together she felt him relaxing and opening himself up more. Maybe part of it was that he never had to explain himself to her. He never had to explain why he made the choices he made. She already knew. She was there with him when he made the choices, if if he didn’t know it at the time. As a goddess, she took the form of a raven, a symbol of the Morrigan, and in this form, she tracked Severus throughout his life, falling more and more in love with him with each passing day. Now she was mortal, for the love of him. Ariah shifted in the tub and thought back to the previous night. She sighed as she remembered his hands on her body, the desperation of his kisses, the urgency of his lovemaking. He made love to her like each time would be the last, a thought that saddened her. After all they’d endured, he still considered her love to be something that could disappear in an instant. She didn’t know how else to impress upon him that, as far as she was concerned, this love was forever. She never intended to leave him. More than 20 years after the first time she made contact with him, albeit as a raven, she knew that he was her destiny, the only man she would ever love.

Ariah rinsed off and exited the tub, toweling off her hair and wrapping herself in her robe. She picked up the rose off the sink and brought it back to her bedroom. She carefully placed it in a vase with the other rose he had given her, charming it so it would last. She found a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and got dressed. She liked Muggle style clothing. She couldn’t understand being trapped in robes every day for the rest of her life. She looked in the mirror, ran a comb through her hairabbrabbed a book, and sat at the small round table, sipping a cup of cappuccino that she found there. Bless the house elves, she said to herself. She became engrossed in her book, a Muggle tale of great romance over the windswept moors.

Severus had completed his morning tasks in his dungeon rooms and checked on his house. All was miraculously quiet and the students had made it to the Great Hall for breakfast. Severus gave his apologies to Albus for not attending Sunday breakfast, although Albus of course already seemed to know his plans. On his way to Ariah’s quarters he resigned himself to the fact that he would have to convince her to add her hearth to the floo network. She was just too far from the dungeons. He caught a flurry of movement ahead of him and quickened his pace to see what it was. Reaching the turn in the hallway ahead, he saw nothing amiss. Probably just someone’s damned cat, he thought. It was then he saw a glitter of gold on the floor. He bent down to pick up what appeared to be a large gold coin, and as he touched it, he felt the familiar sickening pull in the midsection of his body and remembewherwhere he’d seen the coin before as he disappeared from the hallway, courtesy of the coin portkey.

Ariah looked at the clock on the wall and realized that Severus was very late for breakfast. She felt a wave of concern rush over her and she quickly ran down to the Great Hall, not even bothering to put on shoes. She had a very strong feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. She peered into the . T. The students were completing their breakfast and there was no sign of Severus. She turned around to head for his quarters and bumped into Remus.

“Ariah,” he said, looking concerned, “what’s wrong?”

“Have you seen Severus?”

“He popped into the Great Hall an hour ago to make his apologies for having breakfast elsewhere. I assumed it was with you.”

“It was supposed to be. He never showed upaid aid Ariah, panic edging into her voice.

“Have you checked his quarters?”

“Heading there now.”

“I’ll come with you.”

Ariah and Remus rushed to Severus’ quarters. She entered using his password and looked around, seeing no sign of him, nor any sign of foul play. Remus checked the potions classroom and Severus’ office and private lab to no avail.

“I think we need to let Albus know about this,” said Remus, feeling concern now as well, as he met up with Ariah in the corridor.

“Remus, I have a bad feeling…”

“Me too. You head up to your quarters, maybe he’s there now. I’ll talk to Albus and Minerva. I’m sure it’ll be all right. What could have happened to him inside Hogwarts? We’re pretty secure here.”

“Not always,” said Ariah darkly as she hurried back to her quarters.

Ariah hoped against hope that he would be there. That this would all be a misunderstanding. That he had errands to run before meeting her. But she didn’t hold much stock in that hope. She knew something was wrong. She could feel it inside her. She entered her quarters to find them empty. She looked out the window and was almost beheaded by a black figure clumsily swooping into her rooms. It was Poe. He landed on his side on the floor, looking up her, gasping for air. It was then she noticed the arrow sticking out of his chest and the blood spilling onto her floor.

“Poe,” she gasp“wha“what happened?”

“I met up with an arrow,” he said, “the arrow won.”

Ariah picked him up and rested him on her lap. She ran her hands over the entry wound caused by the arrow and contemplated how best to proceed.

“Wait,” he said, “the second you pull the arrow out, I will pass out. I need to tell you…Malfoy has Sev…at Malfoy Manor. Used something called a port-something or other to get him there. His brat is involved too.”

“Is Sev all right?” she asked.

“So far, yeah. But you gotta do something. Malfoy’s got Sev bound up, took him totally by surprise. Don’t go alone, though. I think he’s using Sev as bait. I made the mistake of getting too close and got caught. As I took off, I took an arrow in the chest. Got shot by that blond rat of a son. Now get this arrow out of me and take care of Malfoy. But Sev said to tell you…DON’T GO ALONE.”

“I won’t. Remus is telling Albus about Severus’ disappearance. I’m going to get you to Poppy and figure out our next step.” Ariah gently picked up Poe and carried him to the hospital wing, leaving him in the care of the kind mediwitch. She then ran to Albus’ office, rushing in without knocking.

“Poe came back,” she said, breathlessly, “he’s this raven that’s been spying on Lucius Malfoy for us. Severus is at Malfoy Manor. As near as I can tell, there was a portkey somewhere in Hogwarts and Severus touched it. Malfoy has him prisoner and it seems he’s to be used as bait, probably to get me there. Poe took an arrow from Draco when he took off to tell us. He’s with Poppy right now.”

“We need to cut Malfoy off at the pass,” said Remus, “He’ll be sending word for Ariah in order to get her there. We need to get there before his messenger gets here, hit him unexpectedly.”

“I agree Remus. You go. Ariah, you stay here,” ordered Albus.

“No way,” said Ariah, “I am NOT staying here. I am going to finish what I started with Malfoy. I should have ended him in Hogsmeade a few days ago.”

Albus looked into her fiery eyes, seeing the war goddess still inside. He knew that to attempt to talk her out of her resolve would be futile.

“Fine, but you and Remus are to remain together. I will contact the Order and get some others there to assist, but it will take time.”

“We’ll be fine, Albus,” said Remus, “We’ll get to the gates and apparate from there.”

“No,” stated Albus, “you will apparate from here.”

“We can’t from inside Hogwarts…” argued Remus.

“Usually no. But there are times when it’s necessary,” Albus spoke a few words and nodded, “go. Be safe. Bring Severus and yourselves home to me.” He watched as Arind Rnd Remus disappeared from his office. Come home, my children, he thought to himself as he utilized the floo network to contact the Order of the Phoenix.

* * * *

Ariah and Remus appeared in the woods just outside a small clearing on the Malfoy estate. Peering through the trees, they could see Lucius and son talking heatedly. Severus was bound to a tree.

“Good placement,” whispered Remus to Ariah.

“I got the location from Poe’s mind, we seem to be able to link during times of danger, must be something my sisters did,” replied Ariah.

“So, Snape,” said Lucius, approaching the bound man and kicking dirt onto him, “I keep waiting for you to beg for your life.”

“My life’s not worth begging for,” Severus replied, leveling a dark glare at Lucius.

“No matter. I’m keeping you alive anyway. You’re the proverbial icing on the cake,” stated Lucius coldly, “it’s the goddess bitch I want first. I want to hear her beg for mercy as I force myself on her, then let Draco here take a turn, then kill her. And you’re going to watch.”

Severus laughed, a hollow frightening laugh.

“Why are you laughing?” asked Lucius punching Severus in the mouth, “What’s so funny?”

“Ariah…will…kick…your…ass,” Severus spat out.

Lucius growled in reply and rained punches on Severus’ face and body. Ariah and Remus watch in silence, formulating their plan.

“What now, professor of tactical magic?” asked Remus, giving the former war goddess first call.

“Diversion. We need a diversion so I can unbind Severus. You go in after Draco. That looks like Sev’s wand in his pocket. Then it’s 3 against 2 and gives us the upper hand. I don’t see a wand with Lucius.”

“Good thinking,” said Remus, as he trained his wand at a large trrancranch just outside the clearing. He spoke a few words and the tree branch fell. As it fell, he said a few more words and it began to smolder.

Lucius and Draco Malfoy heard the crack of the branch and smelled the wood burning. They left Severus for a moment to investig Luc Lucius going ahead of his son. Ariah crept out from her hiding place while Remus slipped in behind Draco, tracking the young man. Ariah quietly approached Severus and examined his bindings.

“Finite Incantatum,” she said quietly, waving her wand over Severus, breaking the bindings. She looked into Severus’ dark eyes and smiled, “you were late for breakfast. I hate it when people are late.”

Severus shook himself out, spit blood out of his mouth, and smiled back, “I won’t let it happen again.”

There was a flurry of activity in the woods and Draco Malfoy’s body came hurling forward hitting the ground. A grinning Remus followed behind. He tossed Severus his wand and looked at Draco.

“I always wanted to kick that kid’s ass and shut him up. He’s not dead, merely stunned,” explained Remus, I stunned Lucius, too for good measure, although I don’t know how long it will last on him. The insane usually have a greater threshold for spells, charms, and curses.”

“We’d better get out of here,” said Ariah, “Albus sent for the Order, they should be here momentarily…”

“But you’ll all be dead by the time they do,” said a cold voice from the edge of the clearing, “you’re right, werewolf, about the ‘insane’ and spells. We DO have a higher tolerance.”