Sub Rosa

Kate - (lovely name btw :)) Fret not, the lemons are coming next chapter. I rated it NC-17 for a reason, gosh darn it!

A/N Since I have written most of the story already I should update fairly quickly. It\'s just finding time to get online when the rest of the world isn\'t.


Chapter 16 – Exposed

Kathryn was just marking the last of the second year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw papers when the knock came. Her mirror showed her usual contingent of Gryffindors and she let them in.

“Good evening Mr. Potter, Miss. Granger, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Longbottom, Miss. Weasley, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Finnegan.” She chanted as they filed into her office. She waved them into chairs and called for tea and cakes. The house elves sent up a large tray, getting used to her evening student gatherings.

“Good evening, Professor.” They replied, their voices a chorus that ranged up and down in tone.

“How may I help you this evening?” She leaned back and watched them with great interest. Harry was fidgeting and the others looked equally nervous.

“We have been studying some of the ancient texts, like you told us to.” Hermione began. Kathryn nodded and summoned a large scroll down from one of the shelves. She stood and rolled it out across her desk.

“And this is the map of Hogwarts and the surrounding area, that I sent to the Council for.” She returned, waving them around it.

“The Wizard Council in America?” Ron squeaked, while the other’s looked at her in surprise.

“What? You didn’t think I was going to ask the Ministry, did you?” She rolled her eyes and they all chuckled. She weighted the corners of the map with her inkwell and a couple of books and then pointed to the center of the map, where a complex series of lines was. “This is the castle; it shows the inside and the outside, all floors at once, if you want to see anything in particular you have to ask for it.” She moved her hand to a cluster of buildings and roads. “Here is Hogsmeade.” She now pointed to a series of rolling curves. “These are the hills around the castle.” She pointed her wand at the map “Evulgaro latebra!” She commanded and the map changed to show areas glowing red in parts of the castle, the town and the hills, some of the reds were the lines of passageways.

“What a great spell!” Hermione clapped her hands in delight and the others nodded. “Will it show any hiding place?”

“It will show anything not specifically charmed against the spell. However, the spell was only developed in the 1940’s, so it will show most ancient sites.” She muttered, using the opportunity to teach, but much more interested in the lines and squares, picked out on the map.

“Who developed it?” Hermione asked, still bouncing a little.

“Madam Flora Chanel, who is the present head of the Magical Security Agency, developed it with Professor Dumbledore during the war against Grindelwald.” She ran her finger along a path in blue that led from the castle to the hills. There was a long silence around her and she looked up at the young adults around her and realized they were all staring at her in shock. “What?” she asked confused by their stillness.

“The MSA is not known for giving out their spells to just anyone.” Harry said slowly. Kathryn raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure how he would know something like that. “Hermione, Ron, Neville and myself are kept up on a lot of stuff by the Order.” He added quietly. Kathryn could have kicked herself. Of course, the boy-who-lived would be in on anything the Order was up to.

“This can go no further than this room, gentlemen and ladies.” Kathryn looked at each in turn, testing them with her eyes, they all nodded solemnly. “I am an Agent of the MSA.” She always felt stupid saying that, it was so melodramatic, but they stared at her in wide-eyed awe. Even in England, MSA Agents were legendary, one step above Aurors, chosen to do the jobs no one else would, they were troubleshooters, spies and occasionally assassins.

“No one would believe us anyway, Professor.” Ron swallowed and looked at her nervously.

“Not that we would ever tell.” Dean Thomas assured her with a look of mild terror in his eyes.

“Please don’t kill us.” Seamus Finnegan muttered very softly.

That last remark made Kathryn laugh out loud. Her obvious amusement relaxed the kids a little bit, though Harry was looking at her with an almost calculating manner.

“Oh please, I have never yet been ordered to kill somebody on my own side.” She chuckled again at the looks on their faces.

“You’ve killed people?” Ron asked in shock.

“Yes, but they were all bad.” She said with an expression of earnest innocence plastered on her face. Only Hermione and Harry knew the reference and cracked up. The others stared at them as if they were mad.

“It’s a line from a muggle film.” Hermione tried to explain between gasps of air as she collapsed into a chair, her earlier tension making her laugh all the harder.

“I’m just glad Hermione made me come and talk to you in the first place.” Harry had calmed down from his earlier amusement and was watching her again. “Does Snape know what you are?” He asked suddenly.

“Mr. Potter, you are now stepping into the area of classified information.” He shut up immediately, suddenly seeming to realize that they were in the middle of a room full of people. He nodded and she knew this discussion would have to happen one day soon. The other kids looked confused about what Snape had to do with anything, which was good.

“The Headmaster knows though, right?” Seamus asked.

“He has an agreement with Madam Chanel to have me here on loan for a year.” She cocked her head at him and grinned. “He was afraid of what Fudge would foist on him next if he didn’t find someone to fill the position.” She shrugged, making sure her true feelings were carefully hidden. “Besides, I am off active duty till something can be done about my leg.” They all nodded. They were apparently fooled by her act into thinking she was fine with the situation and she was becoming reconciled to it. She just missed field work.

“Now, about these passages.” She pointed again to the line that led into the hills. “These look promising.” The kids gathered around her again, heads bent over the map.

There was a knock on the door. Kathryn looked up at her mirror and saw Minute, looking frightened outside her door.

“Enter, Miss Ravagienne.” She called. Minute hurried in, but stopped at the sight of Harry and the other Gryffindors. Kathryn smiled at her and waved her forward. Harry was looking at the girl in shock.

“Professor.” Minuet looked at oth other kids in fear.

“You may talk freely in front of them, they will not harm you.” Kathryn assured her. Minuet nodded and stood up straight.

“Malfoy got an owl from home this morning, something is up. He got very quiet and then dragged Crabbe and Goyle off with him to his rooms.” The Gryffindors were looking at her with confusion.

“What did he do with the letter?” She asked.

“Burned it in the common room fireplace.” Kathryn nodded.

“Rally?” She called and a house elf in the Hogwarts uniform tea towel popped into being on the rug in front of her. “I need the ashes from the Slytherin Common Room fireplace, please.” She instructed. The house elf bowed and vanished.

The children all looked at her in surprise. The house elf appeared again a moment later and placed a bucket of ashes on Kathryn’s desk.

“Will that be all, Professor?”

“Yes, thank you, Rally.” She nodded to the elf, which bowed low, her long ears sweeping the floor and then vanished again. “Cinis recordaro!” She chanted, waving her wand in a complicated arc over the bucket. Inside the bucket were now a couple of small logs and a sheet of parchment. She carefully removed the parchment and began to read.

Dear Draco,
As you are no doubt well aware, the family is very pleased
about your progress at school. It is important though, that nothing
be allowed to hinder the family’s plans for you. There is some
consternation about the recent earthquakes in several quarters.

Also, it is important to discover whether cousin Kathryn is truly
all that she seems to be. We have had little luck tracking down
information on her time with the American Aurors. One of our new
friends is sure that she is not loyal to the family. Also, if she is
disloyal, is Professor Snape aware of it? Are they really all she
said they were? Please write soon.

Lovingly,
Narcissa Malfoy

Kathryn sighed as she read this to herself.

“Only a Malfoy would set up her own son in such a way.” She shook her head and nodded to Minuet. “Thank you, that was very helpful.” Minuet brightened and left the room, quite pleased with herself.

“Do you trust her?” Harry asked jerking a finger at the departing Minuet.

“She thinks her father is a jerk and that Voldemort is a loser.” Kathryn repeated with a straight face. Harry grinned, Hermione nodded and the others winced to hear the name being used.

“What does the letter say?” Hermione craned her neck to try to see it.

“Well, you can rule out the possibility that the earthquakes are some sort of Death Eater’s party, they seem pretty stumped too. The rest of it needs to be discussed with Albus.”

“Classified?” Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. Kathryn smiled at him, realizing she growgrown fond of the perceptive young man.

“After I talk to Albus, I will have a very long conversation with you. If you are really good I’ll tell you some of the declassified stories about things I’ve done. Well, the ones that won’t give you nightmares, anyway.” He chuckled at that.

“Now what did you all discover in the library?” She asked Hermione.

“Well, the manuscripts clearly state that the four founders each chose an element and used them as the four corners of the wards for Hogwarts. Gryffindor Summoned a Fire elemental, Ravenclaw and Air elemental, Slytherin a Water elemental and Hufflepuff an Earth elemental.” Hermione shrugged. “I’ll have to go with the Earth elemental as the cause of the quakes.”

“Makes sense, Miss Granger. On that assumption, do we have the original binding spell that was used?”

Hermione shook her head and spoke with some frustration. “The manuscripts of the Founders aren’t exactly just lying around.”

“I’ll see what I can find out for you then.” Kathryn turned to look at the others. “So what about my other assignments, anything interesting turn up?”

”Everyone is freaked by the quakes, but no one is acting weird and no one seems to have any clues.” Ginny rolled her eyes and bit into her cake.

“Then I should be off.” She said as she gathered her cane and cloak.

“What about this passage?” He asked pointing to the red line on the map.

“We will need to explore it, but not until I have dealt with this.” She said patting the pocket where the letter from Narcissa lay. “No ditching me, Mr. Potter! I want to go too.” She insisted, hands on her hips. His eyes glowed with his amusement.

“Cross my heart, Professor.” He replied, suiting actions to words.