The Guardian

I own nothing, just play with toys that belong to the lovely Miss JK Rowling!!

“Who do you think is coming?” Ron asked as he pushed open a small gate in the Hogwarts large entrance.
“Probably some old witch that Dumbledore has known for a century that will drone on and on about the last time Voldemort rose to power. Like it really matters now.” Harry grumbled. He hadn’t talked much since Sirius had gone through the veil; he’d slipped into a kind of depression that made Ron and Hermione nervous. They knew he was worried about what would happen when he returned to the Dursleys with out the threat of an ex-convict godfather to protect him. The worry was almost too much when heaped on top of the loss of his only true family. Ron and Hermione sighed worry for their friend evident in their saddened eyes. It had been a month since the battle at the ministry a month since they’d watched Bellatrix kill Sirius, a month since Harry had laughed.
“Maybe it’s an old hag or something…maybe it’s one of Dumbledore’s girlfriends. Eww maybe it’s both.” Ron was trying to make Harry at least crack a smile. They were leaning against the fence as they talked.
“Hey, I resent that you little whelp.” At the unrecognized voice all three jumped, wands drawn to defend themselves. Unsure of where exactly the decidedly female voice had come from. The woman who had spoken stayed to the shadows but was still too near for comfort. Her voice was smooth almost calming the trio thought, if she wasn’t hiding herself in the shadows.
“Luminous” Hermione raised her wand pushing the shadows back but not completely revealing the woman. They could see her figure, could tell she was short and curvy. But other than that the only feature they could see was her eyes. They flickered, reflecting the wand light as an animals would. “Are you three just going to stand here and gawk or are we going inside?” Her voice was snarky to the point of sounding like Snape. The three students stared and the woman, she certainly was creepy, hiding in the shadows as she was.
“Um, Dumbledore bids you…” Harry grumbled remembering the exact words the elderly professor had used, “What creature is born in death, lives merely to destroy, Lives off of tragedy and is killed only in a happy birth?”
The woman’s eyes flickered between the trio before she issued a sound that could be considered a laugh. “A Dementor. But really that was quite simple.”
“That’s right… um come on.” Hermione held her wand a bit higher, it was quickly followed by Ron’s and Harry’s as they crossed the lawn up to the main doors of the castle. The woman continued to stay in the shadows just out side of the circle of light from their wands making them feel even more uneasy. She didn’t speak on the long walk to the front entrance and made no sound as they pushed the giant doors open. The halls were deserted as it was late in the evening. The students had long since gone to their common rooms.
“I wish we were in the common room now.” Ron whispered to his friends who nodded in agreement. They didn’t immediately notice the absence of their charge.
“Then you probably should have stayed there instead of traipsing about the grounds in the middle of the night.” Snape stepped out in front of them, his black robes billowing with his movements.
“We weren’t traipsing about…” Hermione tried to defend them to the pale greasy potions professor.
“Thirty points from Gryffindor for lying to a Professor.” Snape sneered “And sixty more for being out of your dorm after hours.”
The sound of jewels shifting in the giant hourglasses filled the hall making it almost impossible to hear anything else.
“But we’re…” Ron spoke up looking positively livid.
“Want to make it more?”
They shook their heads as the jewels stopped shifting and the hall grew silent again.
“Now as for detention…” Snape was drowned out by the sound of jewels dropping back into the Gryffindor hourglass. The greasy dark haired professor glared at the teens before him anger making his black eyes shine. “How did you…”
“Hello Severus.” The woman stepped out of the shadows, cutting Snape off. Silence once again filled the hall as everyone stared stunned at the woman. She was of average height maybe five foot four, with milky white skin. Her hair, the color of honey, was smoothed into a French braid before falling over her shoulder, ending at her thigh. Her hourglass figure was clothed in a fitted black silk dress with a mandarin collar. Her heeled black boots made no sound on the stone floor as she moved in front of Snape. Her eyes were hidden now behind a pair of round black sunglasses.
“It’s been a long time Severus.” She spoke quietly, moving around the potions master who was looking a bit sick at the moment.
“That it has…” Snape swallowed hard “Rhiannon.” He was surprised he could say the woman’s name even after almost ten years.
“You can bring yourself to speak my name aloud. There is hope for you yet you greasy git.” She glanced at the three teenagers staring amazed as the most frightening teacher in Hogwarts practically shook in fear. She knew all to well what Professor Snape was like, she had after all had him as a Professor for her seven years at Hogwarts
“You wouldn’t be doing anything as foolish as punishing my own personal guard for following orders would you?” one perfectly shaped honey eyebrow rose, daring him to answer.
“Your guard? What do you need with a guard?” Snape’s eyes grew wide at his own idiotic courage. This was A Guardian he was talking to what the hell was he thinking questioning her? She pulled her glasses down enough to look him in the eyes. He could feel her slid into his mind. He had forgotten how good she was at Legilimency.
“Hum your time as a spy has made you bold… or being Crucioed so many times has scrambled your brains. Wonder which.” Sarcasm dripped from her words. “Don’t worry your greasy little head, Severus, my powers and my allegiances are as strong as ever.”
“Allegiances? You were always neutral.” Snape’s eyes grew wide and for once he closed his mouth before he got himself into serious trouble.
Rhiannon pushed her glasses back up her nose, “And you never new where to stand and when to keep your mouth shut. I can only hope that your future wife will teach you some manners.”
“Wife? I will never…”
Her eyebrow rose again making Snape scowl.
“Continue with your rounds Severus.” She waved at the darkened halls. Snape nodded and practically flew down the corridor. She waved a hand at the retreating professor’s back “Forget.” She whispered and turned to the teens.
“You three would do best to forget what you heard, especially the wife part.” She studied the three before her starting with Ron. “Ronald Weasley, hmm, you look a lot like Charlie when he was younger.” Ron looked worried, tugging at his robes as she inspected him. But her voice held none of the derision most people looked on him with and he soon relaxed a bit.
“You must be Hermione Granger.” She looked the bush haired teen over and smirked when she tugged at her hair and shifted uncomfortably. “Stop that, don’t fidget.”
Rhiannon then looked at Harry; he could feel her gaze through the dark glasses. “You look a lot like her.”
Harry stared back confused “Every one says I look like my dad, not my mum.”
Rhiannon harrumphed “Him too, I suppose.”
“You were using Legilimency.” Harry accused feeling a shift in his mind as she looked at him.
“And you are bad at Occulmency.” She snarked. “There is enough knowledge between the three of you to fill the Hogwarts library for years.” She looked again at their robes noticing their frayed edges and mended cuts where hexes had torn them open during the battle in the ministry.
“You look like ragamuffins.” She snapped her fingers and their battle worn school robes straightened, the holes were filled in, frays were hemmed, and scorch marks disappeared before the soft cotton turned to even softer silk.
“Much better.” Rhiannon nodded at her work and turned with a flourish of her own robes.
“Come now." She walked quickly towards the stairs that led up to Dumbledore’s office. She could hear three sets of foot steps rushing to catch up with her. “You three sound like a pack of kangaroos, how do you get away with anything?” She paused to let them catch up before waving the grinning gargoyle aside. The office was exactly as she remembered it, spindly metal inventions spinning wildly in every coroner, thick carpeting and a large fireplace. Dishes of candy were laid about on every table. The office was well lit leaving no shadows for her to slip into.
“Albus Dumbledore.” She smiled at the aging wizard.
“Rhiannon Hades.” He regarded her over his half-moon glasses then chuckled as Harry Ron and Hermione slipped in behind her. “I see you have taken on my students. The robes look very distinguished on you three.” In the brighter light they could see their new robes better. The biggest difference was a new patch had been added under the Hogwarts emblem.
“A grim.” Hermione mumbled quickly recognizing the shaggy black dog.
“Hmm yes” Rhiannon glanced at the trio “As well as the other three that fought at the ministry. Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom I believe are their names.”
“Yes you are correct. Order members were involved as well.”
“Be that as it may, these six are unbiased. Their views unwarped by time and actions.” Rhiannon hadn’t moved from next to the door making it easy to shoo the teens out. “You three will meet me before breakfast in the Gryffindor common room. Make sure the other three are with you.”
She could feel their indecision at being told to leave their headmaster alone with a woman that Snape was so afraid of. She understood; they could sense darkness in her. “Go now you three, Albus and I have much to discuss, little of it for ears so young.”
They stared at her a moment then turned to their headmaster who nodded his dismissal. They dragged their feet still unwilling to leave him alone. Rhiannon waved the door closed behind them but remained next to it.
“Am I to assume…” Dumbledore started but paused when she held up her hand. A small flesh colored ear wiggled under the door. Dumbledore peered over his desk at the small appendage then at the woman standing over it. She shook her head and with a smirk dropped into a chair next to his desk. Leaving the listening device alone for the moment.
“They are too curious for their own good.” He nodded at the door.
“Their loyalty is commendable. They are a true guard, which is why I named them as such.” She smiled sweetly “That and because Severus was accosting them in the hall. Taking points and doling out detentions.” She crossed her long shapely legs bouncing her foot.
“Always one to torment Professor Snape.” She smirked and threw her blonde braid over her shoulder to swing an inch above the floor, studying the elderly wizard from behind her dark glasses. She was quiet fond of the doddering old fool, even entertained by the act he put on for most people, hiding the fact that he was usually sharper than them. She knew he had his reasons for trusting Snape, even knew the Potions master wasn’t really that bad. But none of that lessened the amusement she got from making the arrogant prat squirm.
“There is so little to amuse me in the states. I hate hiding out,” She sighed hating that she sounded so whinny. “It’s not the easiest thing to do at the best of times.”
Dumbledore sighed knowing the woman wanted no sympathy.
“Have you considered my request?”
“Yes, I have.” She started drumming her fingers on the arm of her chair. “Creative by the way, sending your true request to meet me at the gates.”
“I was hoping, “Dumbledore steeple his fingers and watched the witch before him. She was truly one of the more extraordinary people he knew. A wealth of knowledge was stored behind her hidden eyes, and power untold crackled around her. She was one of the few students he had watched leave and not felt overwhelming fear for. Oh, he’d worried about her as she had been a withdrawn child with precious few friends, but the woman before him was strong and sure. “You’d be swayed once you saw what we needed.”
“I gave the request to them.” She waved absently at the ceiling. “It’s up to Them; I can’t just go and undo what happened. If it was that simple you would have done it yourself.”
“Most true. Any idea how long it will take Them to decide?”
Rhiannon shook her head making her braid swing again, the Elders, the creators of destiny, tended to ignore requests as long as possible. “No they are being kept as busy by this war as we are.” She glanced up at the clock over Dumbledore’s desk then got up and walked to the ear. “Go to bed now you three, you have heard enough.” She waited until the ear was pulled under the door and the hall beyond grew quiet before turning back to her chair.
“Where have you been hiding lately?” Dumbledore waved his wand and two glasses appeared on the desk along with a bottle of firewhiskey.
“Out of Malfoy’s reach.” She mumbled. “That’s why it took so long to summon me.”
“He’s still bothering you?”
She shrugged “No more than usual likes to keep me on my toes. Summons me every once in a while just to prove he still can. But since Voldemort returned I’ve been able to move far enough out of his grasp that I can ignore him.” She was a guardian, a keeper of souls for the wizarding world. When someone died she would appear to take them to their next destination. Although with wizards the deaths she saw were typically rather gruesome, Lucious Malfoy had a tendency to be the cause of such deaths.
“Oh well, there’s nothing we can do until Voldemort is truly defeated. Let us discus happier things, if there are any.” She filled their glasses again, sitting back to talk.

A/N Please review. THanks