The Way Back Home

WL1031: Well… it’s good to be back!



Jade: *stretching* I know what you mean! It’s been a while.



WL1031: Yeah, it’s been at least a week since we’ve updated.



Jade: Well… that’s okay. Things were a bit busy last week. But guess what?



WL1031: What? Something happened?



Jade: Yeah, fabulous writing dynamo, TheGreyLady, has reviewed our story!



WL1031: *in awe* Wow…. She did?! Oh man!



Jade: And she plugged our story in her latest chapter! WL? *elbows her*



WL1031: *still in awe* *mouth dropped open*



Jade: Well, since WL is still in awe of it all…read and review people!









Disclaimer: I don’t own it. Only the story line and the characters that you don’t recognize are mine. Everything else—the main characters and the Harry Potter Universe—is the fabulous brainchild of J.K. Rowling and her publishing company friends.











The Way Back Home

Chapter 17: Changing Plans, Releasing Tension, and a Link









Harry rushed upstairs to the Headmaster’s office, taking the fastest route possible—one that would not put him on the route of Filch in his nightly rounds. After speeding around another corner, he was soon in front of the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster’s office. Mumbling the password, the statue leapt aside to allow entrance to the winding staircase. Harry stepped onto the revolving staircase, practically flying upstairs in his haste to speak to the older man. Just as he got to the door, it swung open to let him in. Rushing inside, he approached to Headmaster as he sat at his desk.



“Sir, I’ve had another dream.” Harry panted, nearly out of breath. He flopped down into the chair before the desk. “I’ve had a dream and it is not going to be good.”



Dumbldore leaned forward in his seat, a concerned look in his eyes. He waited as Harry worked to catch his breath and calm himself. A cup of tea appeared on the desk and he reached for it. “Go on Harry. What was this dream about? Did it pain you as much as the others did?”



Harry shook his head to the negative. “No sir. This dream was completely different. I could see Voldemort talking to Bellatrix LeStrange. I suppose that they were in his private room because he was sitting on a bed. Headmaster, he specifically said that he had plans for Zeporiap and it was not good. He has special plans for her—maybe to get her magic from her or something—and the way that his voice sounded when he talked about her made my skin crawl with disgust. The even bigger problem is that he expects her to be in his possession by the end of the month. This throws everything off, sir. Is there something that we can do to stall him?”



Harry slumped back in his chair feeling drained. He took a deep breath and blew it out. “The dream ended and I woke up with only a slight tingling in my scar. He didn’t seem angry—rather I got a feeling that the bloke was rather pleased about the goings on.”



Dumbledore set his teacup down after draining it for a second time. He thought quietly for a moment, tapping his fingertips on the arms of his chair. He let out a breath a few seconds later. “I think we need to speak to Severus and Zeporiap first. Then, we need tok atk at the plans that have been set up so far and devise a new plan. In the morning, I will have you all come to my office for a little impromptu meeting to work things out.”



Harry nodded. It would be best to work out a situation in the morning when everyone was lively—caffeine-aided or otherwise—enough to think clearly. “Well, alright sir. I have a few worries about this, but I think we can work something out.”







Later that day, in the blaze of the morning sun, Dumbledore summoned Harry and the others to his office. They all came separately, not wanting to draw attention to themselves as they moved throughout the school. Ron and Harry came in from the Quidditch pitch—Ginny stayed there to make up a cover story; Hermione—as usual—from the library, Zeporiap arrived after a short visit with Madam Pomphrey, and Severus came up from his Potion’s lair.



Waiting for everyone to take a seat, Dumbledore watched as they all settled themselves around the room with cups of tea or pumpkin juice. He took a breath and then motioned to Harry to begin. He nodded and started this tale.



“I had another dream last night and it was not very good. Voldermort’s emotions always come through to me when I’m asleep and this was no different.” Ron had a questioning look on his face.



“What do you mean? Was he angry?” Ron said frowning.



“No, he was not even close to angry. I’d say that he was… almost giddy with excitement above anything else.” Harry sighed, shaking his head. “Either way, what I dreamed about was not good. He was talking to Bellatrix Lestrange, specifically what he had planned for you, Zeporiap.”



Zeporiap’s eyes widened with fear. “Dios Mio, what does he want? What did he say?” She put her teacup down on a side table—she couldn’t hold it up because her hands trembled so badly. She had been feeling overly nervous for the last few days, walking around feeling completely sick to her stomach. She wasn’t pregnant—the visit to Poppy confirmed that—but it was something else that was really getting to her. Trying to sleep the last few days was totally useless unless Severus was there—she completely stopped herself from dozing off anytime during the day because the nightmares would come back. She could still hear his voice and see his face sometimes in her dreams, leering at her from above.



She shook herself out of her mind, forcing herself to get back into the conversation happening around her. Harry’s voice drifted back into her mind.



“…he only said that Zeporiap was going to arrive soon, but did not go into any specific way as to how she was going to arrive.” Harry finished.



Hermione sighed and set her tea cup down as well. “Well if we have to speed things along, we’re left with hardly any options. We could use the plan that was already set up or come up with something not so thought out and hope to the gods that it goes smoothly. Either way, we’ve got to be ahead of them in the game.”







Severus, after listening to the whole conversation, set his tea cup down. It disappeared with a pop. He looked over at Zeporiap and noticed that something was wrong. It was more like he felt that something was wrong. She had been nervous lately—the energy hung around her li shr shroud—and he was beginning to think that she may be coming down with something. She wasn’t pregnant—he used an ancient pureblood pregnancy spell on her one night while she slept—but she still showed signs of being sick. She was sleepy almost all of the time and only ate when she was eating with him—she only slept when he was holding her in his arms.



Still, something was just off. He had the feeling that it wasn’t any particular illness…but watching her made him think that she…Hmm… he thought, when we get back to our rooms we will have a little talk.



“Alright. If the Dark Lord is expecting Zeporiap to be in his presence soon, we may have to play into that.” Severus sighed. “I don’t like it but we may have to let things be noticeable enough for him to catch on. Maybe set up a fake plan that would be too easy for him to figure out—sort of like it all being in plain view—and keep working on what we were doing before.” Ron nodded his head catching onto Snape’s idea.



“I think that would be a very good idea. If we do both, we’ll have something to fall back on. The only problem is that we may not henouenough time to work both plans out.” He said frowning again.






Perdóneme, Señor, I hate to leave in the middle of this, but I am not feeling well. Tengo un dolor… I have a pain… I need to rest…”



Severus caught her before she hit the floor.







The bright lights of the Hospital Ward glared behind Zeporiap’s eyelids. She opened her eyes to see Severus sitting by the bed. He put his book down and leaned forward to caress her face. He looked at her intently.



“You have not been well for the last week or so. Poppy doesn’t seem to think that something is wrong, but I have a feeling that it is something else, something inside you.”



Zeporiap opened her mouth to speak, but Severus placed his finger over her lips. “You see, I feel the same way at various points, but not to the extent that you feel it.” He looked around the room and noticed a few people milling about where they shouldn’t be. Shaking his head, he stood up and pulled the bed sheets back. Leaning down, he carefully picked Zeporiap up in his arms, making sure that the hem of the hospital gown covered her thighs. He moved quickly towards the great doors and opened them with a flick of his hand. Poppy came rushing from behind a privacy screen of a near by bed.



“Severus, what are you doing?!” She demanded.



“I am taking her to my rooms where I can watch her carefully. Classes are done for the day, so I can give her my full attention.” He calmly spoke over his shoulder, never breaking his stride.



Poppy grumbled for a bit and then turned back to another bed.







Downstairs, Severus carefully laid his burden down on the bed. He lit the candles around the room and took off his robes—he draped them over the back of a chair—and then removed the rest of his clothing down to his boxers. He sat on the bed against the pillows and pulled Zeporiap onto his lap.



“Now, I suppose you are wondering what I have to say to you.” He looked down at her, scanning her face to make sure that she was paying attention. When she nodded, he continued.





Zeporiet oet out a shaky breath. “Are you saying that my body…has not fully adapted to having magic? Why not? If it has been inside me all along, wouldn’t my body have built up a sort of immunity to it?” Severus shook his head.



“That would be the case for normal witches and wizards, but as you can see we are not like the rest. Because of the latent magical ability on top of the normal magical powers that you have, your body has to work harder to adapt to both. It is why—”



“It is why what?”



“It is why you are having the nightmares. Yes, I know about them. For some strange reason—one that I have not yet discovered—your emotions project themselves into my dreams. It may be because of our connection; it may be because of my Legilimency skills; either way I am not fully certain. Still, I know that you are suffering from nightmares because I have suffered from them in the past. It makes you tense; you refuse food, any noy not to sleep only to dose off at inopportune times of the day.”



“How did you...”



“Get over them? You never fully get over them. They are always there in your mind circling and waiting for the day that they can come back to unnerve you. Only when you learn to accept them are you able to have a sort of… balance.” He ran his hands through her hair. Zeporiap laid her head down on his bare shoulder, letting out a shaky breath. She relaxed into her arms, squeezing her eyes tight.



“You knew… I was so afraid that I was losing my mind. Estaba asustado…I was afraid that you would not understand…” She turned her face into his neck—Severus felt the hot tears splash onto his skin.



“I will always understand, my dear. Never forget that.” He kissed the top of her head, smiling into her shiny curls.



“Still there is something else… I have also felt a sort of…build-up of magic energy coming from you at various points of the day. For lack of a better word, you’ve been extremely… horny. Not that I am complaining, but it is a problem.” Zeporiap gave a watery laugh and sat up in his arms.



“It’s a problem, ¿sí? Pero, papí I thought that you loved it when I was hot for you.” She laughed a little more and placed a kiss on his cheek.



Severus smirked. “You know my dear that I have no problem accommodating your…problem…as it shall so delicately be called, but it is really a result of something else. Because you have a magical buildup of energy, you need to release it at various times of the day.”



“Ohh does that mean that I can visit you in your office?” She licked her lips. “I’ve wanted to schedule time during your office hours…” Severus laughed this time.



“A teacher-student conference? Hmm…visit my office tomorrow at lunch time. Now, what you need to do is use your magic little by little each day to allow your body to adapt. Try small things like levitating a chair or summoning things from across the room; small things like that. Then, you can move on to bigger things that I will discuss with you later.”



“Later?”



“Well, of course my dear…much later. It is time for more pleasurable activities. I am sure that you have no objections.” He pulled the hospital gown over her head and tossed it onto the floor. He rolled over bringing her under him.



Zeporiap rested against the pillows with a sigh—actually it was a moan. Pleasurable activities: a fabulous way to release tension.







The nmornmorning, Hermione approached Zeporiap with a small discovery. She rushed around one of the Arithmancy shelves and sped up to Zeporiap. When Zeporiap was about to ask what was wrong, Hermione shook her head. Motioniowarowards the Restricted Section, Hermione led her friend off to the back of the library. Not many people went in that section of the library anyway, so there was no chance of them being disturbed.



Coming to a stop, Hermione looked around a bef before casting multiple silencing spells and locking charms on the door to the Restricted Section. Walking over to a row of tables, she sat down and waited for Zeporiap to do the same.



She got right down to business. “Zeporiap, have you been experiencing any strange feelings lately? Like a surge in magical energy?” Zeporiap’s eyes widened with surprise.



“Yes, I have been feeling a bit strange lately. How did you know that? Only Severus knew what was going on.”



“Well, the fainting spell was a dead giveaway, but I’ve noticed other things going on with you for the last week or so. I didn’t know how to approach you about it—thinking that you may have been pregnant—but that wasn’t it at all. I couldn’t figure it out until I came across a passage about people with latent magical ability in a book I was browsing through.” She pulled a small sheet of parchment from her pocket and flattened it out on the table. “I copied this down because I thought that you might want to take a look at it.”



Zeporiap looked down at the table, carefully reading what the parchment had to offer.



“People with latent magical abilities often only realize them in times of great emotional and physical upheaval. Other times, when it is revealed, their soul mate—whether they realize it or not— could be in mortal danger.”



Zeporiap looked up from the parchment. “But, I already know about this. It’s why Severus and I are soul mates.”



Hermione pointed to the parchment again. “I knew that you knew about that, but that was only the beginning. The next part is very important.” Looking down again, Zeporiap continued on.



“When two people with latent magical abilities meet, they often are soul mates. They are able to share their emotions with each other; oftentimes, they can experience what the other is feeling. Couples with latent magical abilities between them can communicate with each other over great distances, as the ability to transfer their thoughts to the other results from their bonding; however, the transferring of thoughts, or “mind speaking”, takes time to develop. The minimum amount of time for this link to develop is unknown.



Another aspect of people with latent magical abilities is that they may experience a buildup of enerTheyThey may experience an increase in sexual desire as the day wears on. Other symptoms such as a lack of appetite, lack of sleep due to nightmares, and sluggishness or nervous tension may be seen. Overall, the person will become ill or even die unless a way to release the excess amount of magic is found.



Suggested method: increase the use of wandless magic by using the latent magical energy to do daily magical habits\"



Zeporiap looked up from the parchment. “Wow. This explains a lot of things that have been going on with me. I’ve been more than nervous lately and the nightmares that I told you about have been coming back. I…Pensé que iba loco… I thought that I was going insane.”



Zeporiap was quiet for a moment, letting out a shuddered breath. She looked down at her hands resting on the table and then back up into Hermione’s eyes.



“Thank you so much for understanding, Hermione.” She reached across to Hemione’s folded hands and gave a light squeeze. “I’m just wondering how you figured out that I wasn’t pregnant!” The two laughed for a moment, then quieted.





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WL1031: Well, that was interesting. Things are coming together now.



Jade: Yes, I know what you mean. It was good reading.



WL1031: *looking around* *whispering* And it was super hard to end the chapter right there too.



Jade: Yeah I know what you mean! *shrugs her shoulders* Well, they can see what goes down when they tune in for chapter 18!



WL1031: You know that’s right! And it should be up by Friday! Maybe even two chapters!



Jade: Hey! Well… okay. Review people!









Translations



Dios Mio: My God



Perdóneme, Señor: Forgive me, sir



Tengo un dolor: I have a pain



Estaba asustado: I was afraid



¿sí?: yes?



Pero, papí: But, baby… (Loose translation for this one)



Pensé que iba loco: I thought that I was going crazy.