E Pluribus Unum

A/N - Thank you all for reviewing, this is a revision after Kate had beta-d it so any errors are mine. Jeanette, Deblovesdragon- Thank you. I hope you get your answers in this chapter. Lady Aidil, yes, Severus has a lot of experience with the kinds of trauma Draco has gone through, as has Kathryn, they have a lot of work ahead of them.


Chapter13 – Fallout

Severus was back in the Hospital Wing again, though this time he wasn’t the patient. Still, the cause was the same: Voldemort. The Dark Lord had hurt the children in his care this time and Severus would gladly have taken their pain on himself.

Severus sat de Dde Draco watching the boy as he slept. A few beds over, Ginny Weasley was holding Fauna and rocking her gently as she sobbed brokenly in the older girl’s arms. Kathryn and Harrd god gone to see the Headmaster, Kathryn with an odd look on her face.

Poppy bustled in and gave something to Fauna to drink. The girl drank it down without asking what it was and Severus sighed. She had obviously learned nothing from the situation; she waill ill far too trusting. Ginny held her until she fell asleep and then approached Severus on cat’s feet.

“How is he?” She asked in an undertone.

“Kathryn’s skills with ‘Stupefy’ are formidable; he should sleep for hours.” Severus returned dryly.

“Don’t you want to wake him?” Ginny was watching him with interest. There was something almost… Slytherin …in her gaze. He studied her in return, seeing a greater maturity and intelligence than he had realized was there.

“What on Earth do you see in Neville Longbottom?” He asked her with honest curiosity.

“He listens to me.” She replied with an affectionate smile for the absent Longbottom. “I mean, he really listens -- not just to be polite but because he actually cares. He thinks about the things around him, he pays attention to the world, he is sensitive, kind, patient and honest.” Her face went from sweetly smiling to haunted and sad. “He is everything Tom wasn’t; in fact you could call them polar opposites.”

“A plethora of reasons and all of them excellent.” He admitted. When seen from Ginny’s eyes, Longbottom was a damn fine match for her. “However, you don’t love him.” He mentioned with some gentleness.

“The only person I ever loved was Harry, Professor, and we both know he didn’t love me in return.” She sounded peaceful as she said this.

“Are you still in love with him?” His curiosity piqued by the complex young woman.

“No, I got over him after Cedric died. The dream I had in my head wasn’t the real Harry Potter.” She drew a chair up and settled into it with a sigh. She was dirty, tired and covered in leaves, twigs and Fauna’s tears. He pulled his wand and with a few quick charms had her cleaned up. “You are one of the few people besides Neville who listens to me, you know.”

“You are one of the few people who doesn’t bore me to tears, Miss Weasley.” Her grin made his lips twitch in a desire to emulate it.

“That is the best compliment I have ever gotten, Professor.” She was being sincere, he realized after his initial surprise had faded. “So, are you going to wake him?” She was persistent; he add thd the quality, even though he loathed its application at the moment.

“Just a little while longer, Miss Weasley.” It was almost a whisper and she looked at him with sudden sympathy and understanding.

“Yes, sir.” She rose, nodded to him and left the room.

It was almost an hour before he could bring himself to cast ‘Enervate’ on Draco. He watched with sorrow and grief as first confusion and then a wave of self-loathing washed over the boy. He rested a gentle hand on Draco’s shoulder.

“You were under a spell, Draco.”

“Potter can fight off ‘Imperius’.” Came the reply from between bloodless lips.

“This was far more powerful than ‘Imperius’, Draco.” He willed the boy to listen, to understand, but the blond head turned away and caught sight of Fauna asleep on the other bed.

“Why?” It was a forlorn sound and it tore at Severus with dark fangs of guilt. These were his children; he was responsible for their well-being and he had let them down.

“She thought she was in love with you and a dark creature took advantage of that to feed itself.” It was an over-simplification, but he didn’t think Draco was up to a complex discussion on the nature of evil right now.

Kathryn entered then, Potter, thankfully, nowhere in sight. She came straight to Draco and touched his cheek very gently, as if he were a very small child needing comfort. Draco began to cry, noisily and messily and Kathryn wrapped him up and held him, rocking him, as Ginny had rocked Fauna earlier. Severus sat quietly, watching as Kathryn mothered the boy; being for him at that moment what he needed most and giving him what Narcissa never could.

Kathryn was humming softly as she rocked him, stroking his hair and soothing him, their eyes met over the top of the boy’s head and he was warmed by the fury he saw in her. He nodded solemnly and she returned it. They both silently swore to exact revenge for this atrocity.

Draco was sleeping again, Poppy’s draught having worked its magic on the boy. Kathryn wrapped her arms around Severus and buried her nose in his hair.

“Did I thank you for saving my ass back there?” She sighed and nuzzled close to him.

“It is far too attractive a piece of anatomy to allow it to come to harm.” He retorted, still shaken by the entire encounter.

“I am glad we were here for Draco.” She kissed him softly, just the lightest brush of her lips across his and yet it was an expression of love that left him breathless.

“I am surprised the Headmaster didn’t come down.” Severus clung hard to her. Seeing her helpless before that bastard had really frightened him.

“I am surprised that the Headmaster isn’t singing soprano.” She growled. He pulled back and looked into her eyes.

“What happened? He didn’t blame Draco, did he?” Past unfairness came to mind and he felt his ire rising.

“No, he he and I just had a little chat about David and how he escaped and I am afraid it got a little heated.” She replied.

“She threatened to cut off his nuts with a rusty butter knife if he didn’t release her bindings. It was great!” Harry, black hair sticking out in every direction, was grinning as he entered. “I’ve wanted to say something like that to him for years.”

“Bindings?” Severus remembered the abortive discussion they had had at Grimmauld Place.

“It was amazing! She told him he was a hypocritical bastard without an ounce of trust in other people’s judgment. That he went on and on about free will and choices and then kept people from beinle tle to make them!” Harry was bouncing in joy and almost dancing around the room, punching an invisible enemy. “Take that you withholding jerk!” He crowed. “Fine, don’t tell me that Voldemort is crawling around in my head!”
Kathryn’s head sunk back into Severus’ shoulder with a groan.

“I had no idea Mr. Potter had followed me.” She admitted.

“Bindings?” He repeated slightly louder.

“Yeah, the MSA puts these magically binding thingies on the Agents to control them and now she’s bound to the Order and Dumbledore, only he made it so every time she wanted to kill someone she froze up. Almost got her killed and let that other guy escape.” Harry was still accenting each sentence with a shadow punch and as his words sank in Severus was strongly tempted to join him.

“That sanctimonious, short-sighted…” Severus trailed off as his rage choked his vocal chords.

“On the other side of the ledger, Madam Chanel apparently told him I was a rabid dog who couldn’t be trusted off of a leash.” Kathryn’s bitter tones drew him back from homicidal contemplations.

“She sounds like Moody, all paranoid and off her nut.” Harry had calmed down some, but he was still bouncing on his toes and Severus felt in complete accord him him.

“She is head of a spy organization; that takes a very specific kind of madness.” Kathryn chuckled.

“So, Dumbledore has undone that binding?” Severus asked and Kathryn nodded.

“My leash is a little longer and hopefully not likely to yank me off my feet next time.” She still had her arms wrapped around him and he dropped a kiss on top of her head. Harry’s grin made him realize that he had an audience, but he didn’t really care just then. He could be the Greasy Git tomorrow. Today, he was too damn tired and worried.