Slytherin & Gold

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I wanted to get this posted so it is BB (Before Beta-ed), go easy on me for any the mistakes.

Enjoy !!

Glinda

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Slytherin & Gold
chapter 15


Severus

Severus waved down Rosmerta for another whiskey. She gave him a wary look, but poured his drink. He didn’t care what anybody thought at this point. Everyone in The Three Broomsticks could go straight to hell for all he cared. After seeing Minerva and telling her Viviane needed her in the classroom, this was the only place he could think of going.

Viviane, the woman he loved, who was pregnant with his children, had drawn her wand on him. The look in her eye had told him she meant what she said and though he didn’t like to admit it, she was better with a wand than he was. But what had really rattled him was the intensity of his own rage at Longbottom. Severus had little doubt, if she had left him alone with the boy, the Gryffindor would now be dead. He had felt like ripping the boy apart with his bare hands. Sighing deeply he emptied his glass.

“Another Rosie.” Severus said when he saw her pass by him.

“Make that two, please Rosmerta.” A friendly voice said, as the man sat down next to Severus. Turning to find the owner of the voice, Severus saw Lupin smiling weakly at him. A groan escaped him upon seeing the werewolf.

“Dumbledore ?” The dark man asked, already knowing the answer. Lupin nodded, accepting his drink from Rosmerta.

“He saw you leave the castle. I was on my way to see him after running into Minerva in the hall. She gave me the bare facts about the incident with Neville and I drew my own conclusions.” Lupin was quiet, waiting for Severus to offer more of an explanation. Well, he can go jump in the lake, Severus thought. Too many people were into his personal business as it was, the last thing he wanted to do was discuss Viviane with Lupin.

“So…… you were sent to drag me back ?” Severus said staring into his drink.

“No, not at all. Albus sent me to make sure nothing happened to you. You can ignore me if you like.” Lupin said calmly. Severus looked at him, then back at his drink before bringing it to his lips. They sat in silence for several minutes. Severus was finally feeling the effects of the alcohol, as his shoulders relaxed and his head tilted to the side a bit. The worries in his mind came spilling out.

“She her her wand on me, Lupin.”

“Viviane ?” Lupin asked surprised.

“Yes. Told me she was better with a wand and for me to back off.”

“This was over Neville ?” Lupin asked. Severus only nodded taking another drink. “Severus ……”

“Said she didn’t trust me alone with the boy.” They sat in silence for a minute or two. Severus raked his hand through his hair despondently. “I think maybe she was right. At that moment I could have killed the boy and not thought twice about it.”

“Her magic is effecting you too, you know.” Severus looked at Lupin. He hadn’t really thought about that.

“You think her magic ………. “

“I believe it kept you from thinking clearly and made you more possessive. The energy she is sending out hits us on such a base level, it’s hard to fight it. We need to rele ole our efforts to find a potion, now we know the boys are at risk and Viv’s magic is growing daily.” Lupin pushed his untouched drink over to Severus, who raised an eyebrow at him.

“Not drinking ?”

“With the full moon in two days, it wouldn’t be a good idea. I ordered it for you.” Lupin said with a grin. Severus let out a chuckle, shaking his head. He was beginning to like the werewolf to spite himself.

Severus pushed the drink away as he stood. “Enough drink for tonight, I think. I need to go apologize to Viviane. “

“That might not be the best idea, Severus. Between her strong magic and the whiskey, there is no telling what could happen. Viviane told Minerva she was going to her chambers for tonight. Best for you to go to your own and get some sleep. I will go by and tell Viv you are alright.”

Severus nodded sleepily before putting on his cloak. Once outside the pub they apparated to the front gates and walked into the castle.

“Lupin …. Remus” Severus said before heading to the dungeons. “Thank you.” Remus nodded with an understanding smile, then walked up the stairs.

Knowing he had been under the influence of Viviane’s magic didn’t make Severus feel any better. Now he knew how Sirius must have felt. The jealousy and raw hunger for her he had felt was overpowering. It frightened him. He had never felt more out of control, and control he valued above all else. It would all be worth it when his children were born. He chuckled softly thinking of all the stories they would have to tell their children when they were older. Sighing he thought how hard this must be for Viviane. Many of the people who loved her could no longer go near her. Sleep, he thought. Then tomorrow he would pull Hermione and Remus into the lab to work all day. They had to find something, anything, to alleviate this problem.

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Harry

Harry walked into the 5th year boys dorm. The sound of someone crying met his ears. He looked around and noticed a lump on Neville’s bed. Walking closer Harry could tell the sounds were coming from the lump.

“Neville ?” Harry said quietly. Neville sat up at the sound, turning a very wet and miserable face to Harry.

“Go away, Harry.” Neville whispered. “You don’t want to be seen with me.”

“And why is that ?” Harry said, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“Because I’m going to be expelled.” A new volley of tears raced down the sad boys face.

“Neville, why on earth would you be expelled ?”

“I …… because I…….I can’t say it !” Neville said with a thicker than usual accent.

“Just tell me what happened. Maybe I can help.” Harry met Neville’s eyes, trying to reassure him. Harry felt a certain kinship with Neville. They had both lost their parents early in life, though Neville’s were still alive and lived with relatives they wish they didn’t have to.

Neville sat up against his headboard, knees drup fup for his arms to hug. Harry went up and sat next to him and waited for Neville to begin talking.

“I had some extra lessens tonight with Professor Trisstt. She’s been helping me with the defensive spells. We were working on the shield charm and I got it. With her help I can do it now. Only ….” He looked down at his knees.

“Only what ?” Harry asked, urging Neville to continue.

“I was grateful to her for helping me and I told her. But when I looked in her eyes ………” Bringing a hand up to his face, Neville covered his eyes, then raked the hand through his hair. “I’ve never felt like that before, especially around Professor Trisstt. All I could think of was ……..” He trailed off, hiding his face in his hands.

Harry was beginning to understand. Neville was sounding a lot like Sirius did after he attacked Viviane.

“Tell me exactly what happened.”

“I can’t ……. I can’t, Harry. It’s too awful to tell.” He shook his head miserably. Harry took hold of his arm and looked him in the eye.

“I think I have an explanation, but you have to tell me what happened.” Harry said firmly. Neville looked at him and slowly nodded. He took a deep breath and went on.

“I ….. I kissed her. When she tried to get away, I wouldn’t let her go. I wanted to …….” He shut his eyes tightly as if to block out the memory. “And with her pregnant too. I would have hurt her, Harry, I know I would have. What kind of monster am I ?” Neville turned anguished eyes to Harry. Harry sighed, he’d been right.

“Neville, you are not a monster and you’re not to blame for this. I can explain, but I need you to swear a wizard’s oath that you will tell no one what I am about to tell you.” Harry wasn’t positive he should be telling Neville about Viviane, but his friend was so tormented by the experience, Harry had to do something.

“I swear a wizard’s oath to tell no one what you tell me.” Neville looked hopeful that this could all be explained. Harry explained to Neville about Viviane being a nymph and not human. He explained about her natural magical gifts and how they were increasing in intensity as her pregnancy progressed. He also explained about Sirius and what happened that day in the office. When he was finished Neville sat in stunned silence.

“So ……. it wasn’t me ?” Neville said.

“No. But what this means is a protection has to be found quickly. Soon Professor Trisstt won’t be able to be around any males.”

“Protection ?” Neville asked.

“Professor Snape and Remus are working on a potion to help block the sexual energy she is putting out. I hope they come up with something soon.” Harry said standing finally.

“Thanks, Harry.” Neville smiled at him relieved. Harry nodded and got ready for bed. Tomorrow he wanted to go by the potions classroom to see what progress had been made. Hermione would most likely be there as well, so maybe she would give him an update.

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Harry was saddened Saturday morning to find that little progress had been made in finding a protection potion. Remus and Snape were very frustrated and Hermione was pouring over old potions volumes in the hopes that some new information might come to light. Harry was sitting at the table across from Hermione when he saw Neville walk in. Standing, Harry looked at Snape to make sure he didn’t try to kill Neville.

“Longbottom, what are you doing here ?” Sngrowgrowled. Remus went to stand between them.

“I …. I…” Neville stuttered as he scanned the faces looking at him.

“Neville you should go.” Remus said over his shoulder.

“I …No …I came to apologize….. to Professor Snape.” Neville said standing his ground. Remus turned to him, surprised at Neville’s resolve. Frankly, Harry was surprised too. Neville feared Snape above anything or anyone else.

“I am not the one you should apologize to.” Snape said sharply.

“Well I t ….t ….. I mean none of us can go near Professor Trisstt right now, can we ? I will tell her when you find a solution.” Neville said.

“Thank you, Neville. That is very responsible of you.” Remus said. Snape snorted and turned away. Neville still stood there, looking reluctant to go. “Was there something else ?”

“Sir…. Harry explained the problem to me last night. And I started thinking …. and…. well you may have already considered this….…”

“Just spit it out, boy !” Snape said.

“Well …..have you looked into the properties of the chaste tree or rather the chaste tree berries ?” Neville said. Harry was glad to see no one else seemed to know what he was talking about either.

“No, we haven’t. How would it apply here ?” Remus asked suddenly very interested.

“As a medicine, the dried extract of the fruit has been used in the muggle world, dating back centuries in European and Chinese traditional medicine.” He said sounding like a textbook.

“Wait a minute !” Hermione said suddenly. She jumped up and ran into Snape’s private quarters. After a few minutes she came back with a very large old tome. She set it down on the table and began leafing through it. Finally she let out a peep. She read from the text aloud.

“ ‘The greatest use of the Chaste Tree lies in normalizing the activity of sex hormones. The ‘chaste’ part of the name reportedly comes from the plant\'s traditional use as a dampener of libido. The Chaste Tree has no report of even moderate side effects in over 2,000 years of use. ‘ I think this is it, the component we’ve been missing.” Hermione looked at the two Professors with an excited grin.

“This is quite advanced Herbology. How did you even know about it ?” Remus asked.

“Professor Sprout has let me read ahead some. She didn’t want me to get bored with the 5th year curriculum. This will be covered in the 7th year.” Harry could see even Snape was impressed, though he tried hard not to show it. “We have a chaste tree here in greenhouse 5. I picked the berries this past fall and stored them. I could go get them if you like.” Neville offered.

Remus sent Neville to retrieve the berries. Then he and Severus discussed the best way to use them. Hermione was deeply engrossed in the old tome finding out all she could about the properties of the chaste tree. Harry didn’t see what else he could do here, so he turned to go.

“Harry wait. You aren’t leaving ?” Hermione said.

“Yeah, I was.”

“You can’t leave now, we need you.” She said emphatically.

“What do you need me for ?” He asked surprised. Remus had been listening and turned to Harry now.

“We will need someone to test the potion on and see how they react around Viv. “ Remus said.

“No way ! One of you take it.” Harry said quickly. The thought of willingly letting the sexual energy hit him in Viviane’s presence was too frightening. He had seen what it did to Sirius and how it made Neville fall apart after.

“Harry. Remus can’t test it, the full moon is tomorrow, it wouldn’t be safe. And Professor Snape is a special case. We need you. Professor Trisstt will have her wand and you will leave yours here.” Hermione had gotten up and walked over to him. “Please, Harry. We are so close to solving this problem.”

Harry looked at the three of them, but it was the hope in Snape’s eyes that won him over. Harry sighed. “Alright, I’ll do it.” He said sitting down again.


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Viviane

Viviane sipped her tea as she sat in front of the fire with Professor Nemean. Severus had asked Cassi at breakfast to keep Viviane company today. He hadn’t told her why, he just vaguely said Viviane wasn’t feeling up to leaving her rooms. A convenient enough excuse, seeing as she was pregnant.

“How far along are you ?” Cassi asked. Viviane didn’t want to explain everything about herself.

“Just over 5 months, I’m due the end of May. I already feel like a pot bellied cauldron.” Viviane said rubbing her tummy. Cassi laughed.

“Pregnant women are always beautiful and they always think they look terrible.” Cassi said smiling. Viviane was enjoying the young woman’s company. Her friendly, easy going manner was refreshing. Everyone else was constantly tense around Viviane. it it was nice to have a woman to talk to for a change. Hermione was sweet, but was still a teenager.

The two women talked throughout the morning. Viviane had lunch brought to her chambers and they enjoyed a quiet, comfortable repast. Cassi was very excited about teaching and was having a great time. Watching her exuberance was refreshing. Most of the teaching staff had been here so long they were a bit jaded, even the potions master. Severus. Thinking of him made Viviane frown. She hoped the efforts in the lab were successful today. She missed him. Remus told her Severus wasn’t angry about the incident yesterday. She was glad of that. The whole situation had been difficult. Remembering her guest, Viviane finally spoke again.

“Have you had a chance to talk to much of the teaching staff ?” She asked the younger woman.

“Some. Professor McGonagall has been great and Professor Sprout and I have had some interesting dinner conversations.” Cassi paused, but Viviane could feel a question forming. “You are friends with Professor Lupin, right ?”

Viviane wondered when she would ask about him. Remus was still no friendlier to the woman. When ever he was around her, Viviane felt fear and anxiety from him, very unusual for Remus.

“Yes. Remus and I went to school together here.”

“I wondered ….. I mean…… Do you know why he seems to dislike me so much ? I’ve never done a thing to him, as far as I know.” Cassi said, her confusion showing in her eyes.

“Remus …….. is a bit on edge, in these times we live in. He is suspicious of a new teacher coming here in the middle of the year, I would not take it personally.” Viviane said.

“It’s kind of hard not to take it personally, when someone dislikes your person without bothering to get to know you. If he didn’t glare at me all the time, I would say he is attractive.” Cassi confessed. Viviane’s brows arched. Maybe that is it ? Could it be ? Remus’ gaze did seem to follow the woman where ever she went.

“He is quite attractive. A gentleman of great intelligence and compassion. I love him dearly.” She smiled at the young woman.

“Well ……. let him know he can talk to me. Then he can decide whether I work for the dark lord.” Cassi said with a giggle.

“I do not believe Dumbledore would have hired you if you did.” Viviane laughed, too. “I will talk to Remus, when I can.”

“Thank you. Are you feeling any better ?”

“I think I just may need a bit of a lie down. Thank you for your company today. I have enjoyed it immensely.” Viviane said standing. Cassi stood too and made for the door.

“Let Professor Lupin know I don’t bite. Well, unless provoked.” Cassi let out a girlish giggle and left.

Could this be the explanation of the fear she had been feeling from Remus ? He was attracted to Cassi ? And the anxiety ? What of that ? Was he anxious to know her or stay away from her ? Viviane vowed to find out as soon as she could. Remus deserved to be loved. Though, how would Cassi react to knowing Remus was a werewolf ? Or did she know already ? It really wasn’t a secret anymore, not after it was printed in the Dailey Prophet.

Viviane kicked off her shoes and lay down on the bed. The twins were kicking and stretching more today than they ever had before. She hoped a nap would be good for all three of them.

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Much more to come…………….

Please review !!!!

Glinda

*** Believe it or not the information on the Chaste tree is real. If you are interested here is the link.(or you may have to cut and paste.)

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/30/1702640264



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