Tel\' Lindar (The Bard)

I lied! I lied! MWUHAHAAHAHAAAHA

Tel\' Lindar 30

I Wanna go to bed with Mozart or My past meets yours.

***

‘Nana?\' I question her again.

*It is not yours, child. None of it is yours.*

Her voice reverberates inside my head. My hands brace on the lid as I lean over...

‘Nana?\'

*It is time, child.*

‘Time for what?\'

That sweet, precious smile I adored, craved as a child, graces her face and she bends over to place her parchment thin hands on my face.

*It is time to leave the past behind, my precious one. Even for now, even for a little while, you must take the Wizard\'s hand and allow him to lead you through the mazes, through the dark places*

‘But Haldir... my love...\'

Her eyes soften in sorrow.

*Cannot lead you to where you must go. You can\'t keep your eyes on both, my child. You must give all of your attention and trust to the Wizard. You must find your bow.*

She releases my face and strokes the trunk I am leaning on.

*It is not yours, my child. None of it is truly yours. I am so sorry. You have been and will continue to be a wonderful caretaker.*

‘Nana?\'

A single finger silences me.

*Find your bow. He will lead you. Listen to the child. She sees much. Follow the Wizard.*

‘Child? What child? Nana, saes...\'

*Listen to the Wizard.*

‘Nana?\'

*Trust the Wizard.*

‘Oh, saaeeessss....\'


***


The end of November arrived, the weather turning crisper and much colder. The castle braziers and fireplaces poured out the heat, making the upper floors cozy and warm. The dungeon remained cold, dismal; and most of the inhabitants drew inwards and bundled up, seeking their own solitary company.

As Hogwarts turned inwards, tucking in, keeping its charges safe within, Bronwyn emerged from her confinement throwing off the pallor of illness, the heavy cloak of rejuvenating slumber. Like a butterfly spreading its cocoon - dampened wings, she ventured into the Great Hall on Saturday evening for dinner , clutching Remus Lupin\'s arm. Dressed in unrelieved black and with her hair pulled away from her face, more than one student compared her pale complexion with that of a certain Potions Master.

Severus was nowhere to be seen.

Truth was, she had not seen him since Harry had been carried off the field.

Bronwyn had paced her chambers, around the sofa, up the stairs, around the pianoforte, down the stairs, around the sofa...

\"Tithen Aras, please cease that useless wandering. Elrond and Elladan will take care of him.\"

She plopped down next to Erestor and propped her feet up in his lap. \"I could help.\"

The Elf\'s hands grasped her ankles, massaging them slowly. \"You would get in the way. Allow them space. Professor Snape will be down shortly and he will tell you what has happened.\"

\"Maybe he will, maybe he won\'t.\" Bronwyn grimaced. \"I wouldn\'t bank any money on him telling me anything.\" She wiggled her toes. \"Ah, you\'re right. I would be in the way. I just don\'t appreciate the bat ordering me about!\"

When they saw Harry being brought in, both she and Snape rushed to the entranceway, Harry suspended between the two Elves.

Actually, that was not quite true. He had escorted her to her chambers, she had counted to twenty and then snuck out, taking a different route to the small hospital wing. By the time she reached the infirmary, Elrond was waiting, Madam Pomfrey standing awestruck at his side and Severus was scowling. Bronwyn started to follow Dark Wizard in.

\"Go back to your quarters.\"

Bronwyn stared at him, unbelieving what she had just heard. \"No, I-\"

\"I said go to your chambers.\"

\"I can help.\" She went to move around him and through the door. Severus grabbed her arm, none too gently.

\"It was not a request.\" He turned her and literally thrust her into Erestor\'s arms. \"You will be in the way. Go.\"

And with that he slammed the door in her face.

\"Son of a bitch!\"

Amadeus thrust his head in her hand, brushing his head against her. Unconsciously, she rubbed the offered brow, as she was shoved aside by Remus. He was closely followed by Minerva and Albus. They mumbled apologies as they went into the infirmary and closed the door behind them. She turned confused eyes to her Noldor friend, who had in turn, followed her up.

\"I can help-\"

\"N\'uma.\" Erestor shook his head sadly. \"You cannot. Come.\" He took her by the hand and led her back to her chambers, where she fitfully wandered and groused the evening away before Erestor had finally given up and threatened to utter sleep words so he could have some peace.

Elrohir arrived late in the evening, his face ragged and drawn.

\"Never,\" he sighed, \"never have I seen one so far from the light return.\" He called for Bobbin and asked for wine.

Bronwyn shooed the little house elf off when he returned with the bottle and poured some for the tired Elf. \"What happened to Harry?\" she asked, as she handed him the goblet.

\"I do not know. I cannot explain. Holes, so many holes in his mind.\" He took a sip and gazed deep into the fire. \"I heard mention of a... pensieve.\" Another sip. \"Remus and Professor McGonagall are in his rooms, looking for it.\"

Thus Bronwyn had her suspicions.

Remus finally came down the next day, before dinner. He looked as if he hadn\'t slept.

***

The noise in the Great Hall came to a screeching halt as Bronwyn entered for the first time in weeks. She clutched Remus\' arm; he looked no better than she, so it was anyone\'s guess who was holding who up.

Eventually, the whispering started.

\"It\'s Saturday dinner, right, Remus?\"

The whispering escalated back into normal noise levels.

\"Yes, Bronwyn. Saturday dinner.\"

He escorted her to the Head Table, sitting her in her normal seat where Severus was conspicuously absent. The other professors, teachers greeted her, asked her how she was feeling. Sprout and Hooch both invited themselves to her chambers after dinner for ‘girl talk\' if she felt like it.

She wouldn\'t be.

Minerva was there. Her mouth was pinched into a thin, white line and while she smiled at Bronwyn and dipped her head in welcome, her eyes were distant; she truly didn\'t see anything or anyone. That her mind was elsewhere was obvious. Even Dumbledore seemed preoccupied. At some point, Elrond entered the Great Hall and sat in Severus\' seat. He looked tired, worn. Bronwyn could not remember the noble Elf ever looking that exhausted.

Bronwyn waited until her food appeared before her. The house elves had outdone themselves; the food appeared delightful, delicious.

And she could barely taste any of it.

She picked and pushed her food around her plate, not really wanting it.

\"If Severus were here, he would do something drastic, Bronwyn.\"

Bronwyn scowled at the werewolf next to her. \"No, he wouldn\'t. I\'m not malnourished enough.\" She angrily speared a potato with her fork. \"Besides, by this time, I would think he would be glad to be rid of me.\" Her teeth scraped against the tines of the fork as she shoved the morsel in her mouth and chewed just enough to get the vegetable to swallow without gagging. \"Where is my keeper anyway?\"

Remus looked around the table, at Albus, specifically. Dumbledore cleared his throat and murmured just loud enough for her to hear, \"He has had to go into London. He will return very late tonight, so do not wait up for him.\"

Gone. And no one had told her. Lovely.

\"As Severus isn\'t here to stop you, would you please tell me what happened with Harry?\" She nailed Remus with a glare.

\"Well, I shouldn\'t...\"

\"Let me guess, then,\" she hissed. \"Harry used his pensieve for bereavement management. Any memory that caused him pain or grief, he pulled out until there were so many empty spaces, what was left began to crash down on him.\"

Remus hung his head. \"I-\"

\"This is not the place for this!\" She stabbed another piece of vegetable and made great show of concentrating on her meal.

As the meal progressed, she became more and more agitated. The noise in the Hall rose to a level that pained her; her palms began to itch, then burn. She forced the last piece of food into her mouth before standing abruptly. Both Elf and Wizard looked at her in alarm.

\"What?\"

Remus stood up next to her, causing the noise to drop dangerously low among the student body as all strained to listen. \"Are you all right?\"

\"No. But I\'ve finished eating.\" She was rubbing her palms anxiously. As she passed behind the table, Amadeus on her heels, Elrond jerked with his head, standing up quietly and along with Remus, followed her into the hallway and out to the castle proper.

She was waiting for them.

\"I knew you would be right behind me. Did you promise Severus you wouldn\'t let me out of your sight?\"

\"I-\"

\"Bronwyn!\" Elrond spoke up and interrupted the Wizard. \"You are angry and irate, but you are behaving childishly! Do not take your ire out on one who has not slept due to his worry for a student! You should know better!\"

While his tone should have brought the woman down a few pegs, it only inflamed her barely concealed wrath.

\"He\'s been grieving! Even I could see it! Who was watching over Harry? Everyone has been so busy watching over me, they weren\'t paying attention! Don\'t you have any... grief counselors? Wizard psychologists for these children to talk to? My God, Remus! These children have seen horrors, been in battles adults shouldn\'t be part of!\"

\"We\'ve been here, every adult has been available to talk to them. Any child knows that!\"

\"All of you? How...\" she realized her voice had risen to a screech and the portraits were shushing her and giving her dirty looks. She brought her voice down to a hiss. \" How accessible have you all been? Look, I love Minerva to death, but she\'s rather... stiff on occasion, you know?\"

\"Minerva is available to all students at all times, Bronwyn. You know that!\" Remus was quick to defend the Head of Gryffindor.

\"That might be well and fine, but would the Slytherins go to her? How accessible is Severus?\"

Silence.

Bronwyn turned and stormed off, following her palms. Remus ran to catch up with her. Grabbing her arm, he spun her around. \"Fine. We messed up. What do you suggest we do?\"


Elrond was following, sedately, blue eyes glowing in the darkening hallway. Bronwyn turned on the tired professor. \"Contact St. Mungo\'s. Get Grief Counselors in here. Hell, let Elrond and the Twins stay on in that capacity. Elladan and Elrohir are excellent at ferreting out information and I would say right now any child here would talk to them.\" She turned and stalked down the hall, coming to a halt in front of the stairway that went to the old Astronomy Tower.

Her palms were on fire.

Gingerly, almost reverently, she reached out to touch the post at the base of the steps. As her hand grasped the knob, her body stiffened, pain etched her face.

Remus extended his hand, to seize her and pull her back from her intent, but he in turn was grabbed himself by the Elf behind him.

\"Leave her be. She needs to do this.\"

\"But-\"

\"Leave her be!\" Elrond repeated. \"Too much lies in shadow and if she is to trust him, she must know all.\"

Slowly, they followed her up the stairs, watched as her hands stroked, grabbed, grasped everything. At times, she moaned, at times she wept; tears streaming, dripping from her chin. When she reached the landing where Severus had thrown his mask, she grimaced, his name falling from her lips. Too fast, too soon, she reached the top, the warded door. She never looked back, simply stood to the side as Remus unwarded the door.

\"Stay here.\"

It was an order, and Remus didn\'t think to disobey her. She left the door open, so he and Elrond could see her and for an hour, she allowed her fingertips to graze the walls, and listened to the howling of the wind. Several times, Remus heard her swear, cry out in fury, in sorrow. As her fingers touched and caressed the stone, she relived more and more of the Final Battle, the more horrors and pain she experienced.

When she left the room, her face was ashen, white, her hands were shaking. But she refused all aid to assist her back to her chambers, where she curled in her bed fully clothed, crying into Amadeus\' furred neck.

***

Sunday morning dawned cold, but clear. She had gotten up early; Severus could sense her disquiet, her restlessness. With the winter hols coming up on them quickly, he knew he needed to move and to move quickly. Today; now. Sighing heavily, he picked up the small cube and gently set it in his pocket. How would she react to it? Should he say anything at all? While the Big Elf was no longer hounding his dreams, the old woman was and she was relentless in her insistence that Bronwyn know the truth.

Personally, he had no idea how Bronwyn would handle the truth that would be found in the cube inside his pocket. He honestly didn\'t think it would matter one way or the other, and it mattered little to him. It would change nothing for him, therefore, it should mean little to her. As he made his way from his room to hers, he delved further, feeling fully, the depth of her anguish, her pain. However, this pain was not the pain of her grief, her own sorrow; rather he sensed her empathy towards another human being.

‘Lovely,\' he thought snidely. ‘She is feeling sorry for Potter!\'

He could hear the pianoforte as he arrived at her quarters door. He muttered the password and entered, the lush sound of Beethoven filling her chambers. The dark haired Elf, Erestor, was curled on her couch with a book. With a nod and a thumb towards the door, the Elf made haste to vacate the apartment. Sounds of her instrument soared as Severus came up the stairs. He went to her bedchamber and leaned against the door frame.

She obviously wasn\'t expecting company. She was in a flowing gown, the diaphanous robe cascading behind her bench and cuffed at her wrists. Amadeus lay beneath the instrument, head on paws, tail keeping a steady beat on the floor. He listened as she finished the sonata, the final chord lingering in the air. She looked up as he spoke.

\"Too many ignore the beauty of Beethoven\'s earlier works.\"

\"Beethoven?\" she asked. \" That was Mozart.\"

Severus smiled, not kindly and walked around to the pianoforte. He was aware of the wolf\'s eyes following him from beneath the keyboard. \"Very funny, Bronwyn. It is Beethoven and you know it.\"

\"Severus,\" she chided. \"It\'s Mozart\'s 17th Piano Sonata.\"

It dawned on him she was serious.

*The Vessel cracks...*

\"Bronwyn.\" His voice was uncommonly gentle. \"That was one of Beethoven\'s earlier sonatas. The four movement sonata, as a matter of fact. Number three, Opus ten number three. In C Major. You just finished the second movement, the slow movement.\"

\"Severus, I-\"

\"The third movement,\" he continued, \"is a scherzo with a ripping arpeggiated trio and the fourth movement is a chorded seven part rondo.\" He watched as the realization slowly dawned on her that he was right. \"It was a favorite of my mother\'s.\"

Bronwyn rose from behind the keyboard and went to stand in front of the long window. The angle of the sun caught the sheer material of her flowing gown and he could clearly see her form outlined in the rays. The sound of a cello rose on the air.

\"Do you know what that is, Severus?\"

For a moment, he thought to be glib and name the instrument, but he thought better of it. \"No.\"

\"Do you have any idea who composed it?\"

\"No.\"

He heard her breath catch as she sighed. \"It\'s been in my mind for a week,\" she said softly. \"I can\'t remember the name.\"

The silence hung over the room like a heavy blanket. Amadeus had crawled out from under the pianoforte and sat at Bronwyn\'s heel, his head thrust in her hand. She unconsciously rubbed the beast between the ears before looking down at him. \"Pathetic, aren\'t I, my friend?\"

Severus shifted, bored, from foot to foot, annoyed at the attention she bestowed on the animal and the obvious love he had for her. ‘He *is* her husband,\' he tried to reason with himself. ‘But he is dead and useless and he needs to stay dead and useless!\' he retorted back at his nobler voice. Severus smacked himself in the head. Now she had him talking to himself! Bah! He would soon be as crazy as she if he didn\'t take control now! He looked over to see her staring at him expectantly.

\"Severus? Are you all right?\"

\"I am fine.\" He took a deep cleansing breath. \"Bronwyn, we need to-\"

\"How is Harry?\"

Severus rolled his eyes. \"Potter will live, despite his stupidity.\"

Bronwyn had turned her back to Severus, gazing out of the window. \"He must have been in a great deal of pain to do that to himself,\" she whispered.

\"He was wallowing in self-pity, Bronwyn.\"

\"Severus!\" she admonished. \"Have you ever thought of taking a sensitivity course?\"

‘Oh, we are back to that\', Severus thought snidely to himself. He looked at the ceiling. \"Why, Bronwyn, I think I am a very sensitive soul.\"

\"You are as sensitive as a brick!\" she retorted.

Snape quirked an eyebrow, his coiled reflection visible to her in the glass. \"He did not handle it well. He should know-\"

\"He\'s seventeen, Severus. Did you not make mistakes at that age?\"

Silence.

\"Now, who is being insensitive, Bronwyn?\"

Bronwyn felt a chill in the air and she suddenly seemed aware that she was scantily dressed in front of a man she desired, no matter how much she disagreed with him.

‘You don\'t just disagree with him, girlfriend, the two of you just do not get along at all.\'

She began to nervously button the tiny pearl seeds at the top of the filmy robe. \"You are right, Severus. I apologize.\" The silence following was over- bearing.

\"You are sleeping well?\"

She nodded, finishing the buttons.

\"No dreams?\"

\"N\'uma. It\'s weird, you know-\" She caught his eye in the mutual reflection. \"I\'ve been ill, weak. One would think this descendant of mine would have used my weakened condition to his advantage - would have pressed me for information. But he hasn\'t. What dreams I\'ve had have been... pleasant. Rather nice.\"

\"Well, let us not look a gift horse in the mouth, shall we?\"

She smiled humorously but returned to her listless staring out of the window. Inside, her thoughts churned at a nauseating speed. Captured by the morning sun glinting through her hair, Severus saw an errant curl and unconsciously, he reached out to tuck it into place.

\"Severus?\"

His fingers combed gently through her locks, mesmerized by the spring of it and its determination to wrap around his fingers. \"Hmm?\"

\"I... I\'m aware you aided Elrond and Remus in Harry\'s... recuperation.\"

\"Did they not keep anything from you?\"

\"Do you think they could?\" Bronwyn leaned forward, pressing her forehead to the glass.

\"You have also been places you should not have been to.\"

She took a deep breath and pressed further against the cold pane. \"I know.\" The whisper was barely audible. \"You risked your life for Harry-\"

Severus stood behind, against her; his hands splayed. \"I risked nothing I was not willing to give. And I did not risk it just for Harry.\"

He could feel her chuckling dryly. \"How many times, Severus? How many times have you pulled him out of the fire?\"

\"I have lost count,\" he lied smoothly. \"It has become habit.\" He could sense her disquiet, yet deep down she was...

Accepting.

What was she accepting? Bronwyn did not just accept blindly.

\"Severus?\"

\"Yes?\"

\"We... we need to find my bow. I don\'t know why I have had a reprieve from my demon spawn, but I don\'t think it will be for long. We should take advantage.\"

Ah. Good girl!

Her body felt delightful against his and he drew his nose through her hair, inhaling the scent of winter berries. His hand covered hers, pressing it into the glass, and he nuzzled her ear delighting in her shiver, in her -

Growling.

- being reminded that they were not alone.

Severus backed up a hair, smiling ruefully to himself. ‘I gave you my word, dog,\' he thought to himself, knowing the wolf could hear him clearly. ‘ I will not break it.\' He backed up more and put his hand in his pocket, fingers brushing the miniaturized box. The Wizard scowled to himself and backed completely away from her, refocusing on her walls.

Walls with pictures, artwork... the Big Elf, his brothers and families... their children... diplomas, certifications, degrees...

Bronwyn Morgan ap Powell.

\"Bronwyn?\"

\"Hmm?\"

He looked closely at the university degree on the wall. \"Ap Powell. That is Welsh?\"

\"Yes. My first husband was Welsh. As was my mother.\"

\"Ap. That means ‘son of\'.\"

\"Yes. I took his name when we married.\"

He continued to stare closely at the framed certificate. \"You did not change it when he died?\"

Bronwyn turned from the glass, arms crossed in front of her. She was chilled, her nipples perking through the gossamer material. \"No. I had Duncan and I kept it for his sake. He wouldn\'t have understood.\"

The silence was wretched, a painful thing to both, Severus looking around a room he was both familiar with and was yet alien to him, Bronwyn pulling in uncomfortably both physically and mentally. For a brief moment, he was aware of snippets of music, falling on top of each other, like a soft waterfall.

The Vessel cracks....

Bloody hell. The Vessel doesn\'t just crack, the Vessel is falling apart! Severus\' fingers clamped painfully over the miniaturized trunk in his pocket. And I\'m going to shred what little fingerhold that she thinks is hers from her. Do I have the right to do that?

‘Once you do that,\' Haldir\'s voice echoed painfully in the Wizard\'s head, ‘she will have no one but you. You will be her sole support, her everything on this Earth. Are you prepared to be everything?\'

Everything?

Amadeus began curling around Bronwyn, his head rubbing, weaving her legs closer. ‘Aye, everything. The good, the bad, all of it.\'

\"I\'m losing control, Severus.\" Bronwyn\'s voice was far away, listless. \"We are no where near finding my bow and I don\'t think my descendant is going to give me much more of a reprieve.\" Music spiked in angry peaks. Her eyes rose to meet his. \"I\'m frightened and I\'m sorry.\"

\"Sorry?\" he scoffed. \"Sorry for what?\"

Tighter, tighter in she pulled. Severus was reminded painfully of himself... coiling...

\"Sorry you were dragged into this. Sorry that after your hard work to make sure Voldemort didn\'t come to power, you are now forced to babysit me. I\'m sorry I\'m a whiny brat; a pest. I\'m sorry I\'ve invaded your solitude; sorry I\'ve thrown your life into turmoil. I realize I am everything you hate, despise-\"

\"Madam,\" Severus interrupted smoothly, \"are you quite through degrading yourself?\"

\"I\'m being honest-\"

\"Do not. It is my job to keep you in your place. If you do it for me, I have no purpose. Now,\" and with this, he coiled in himself, creating the perfect mirrored image, \" stop sniveling and put on some clothes. You are cold and the evidence of it is making my day spin faster. When you are dressed, please come to my chambers. We have much to discuss.\" He turned on his heel and made his way around the piano-forte. He stopped at the doors.

\"And leave Amadeus here. Bobbin is just now getting all the doggie hairs out of my cauldrons.\"

The next sound that came from Severus was the whisper of the downstairs door opening and shutting.

\"Damn the man.\" Bronwyn sniffed. \"He\'s so fecking hot when he\'s in a snit.\"

***

Severus would have paced, if it was his inclination. It was not however, and not something he ever deigned to do. He had warded his fireplace, made sure the area was clear.

‘This will completely destroy her.\' The Big Elf\'s voice reverberated in his head.

Snape narrowed his eyes and scowled. \"You under- estimate your wife\'s strength. It will make her determined as hell to find that damnable bow. She will have no reason to want to linger.\" Somehow the thought did not have the pleasant resonances he had hoped. Severus caught himself grabbing a high ball glass from his sideboard, the other hand reaching for the fire-whiskey on the mantle. Slamming the glass with a determined ‘thunk\', he scowled again and looked at the clock.

Fifteen minutes. Fifteen bloody long minutes. How long does it take a woman to change clothes?

‘Ah, that is a problematic question, Sssssssnape baby!\' The Big Elf\'s voice was jovial, almost triumphant. ‘Do you know the female soul so slightly? She is in the shower. ‘Twill be at least thirty minutes before she releases me to the Twins and sees what it is you have to offer.\'

\"What do you know of it, Elf?\"

‘Hmmm.\' Haldir\'s voice went from jovial to serious. ‘The old woman walks in another realm. I see her, but I cannot hear or converse with her. It is as if a glass wall is between us.\' There was a moment of silence before he continued. ‘I do not trust her motives.\'

*I would surely bet on that.*

For several minutes, it was quiet while Severus contemplated the flames in the fireplace. The flames danced, writhing figures deep in the orange conflagrations. He felt her move, come towards him...

Silently, he pointed his wand, undoing the wards, allowing her entrance.

‘Saes...\'

Without a word, a sound, Severus envisioned the walls to cut off the Big Elf.

***
Sunday all the lights of London
Shining , Sky is fading red to blue
I\'m kicking through the Autumn leaves
And wondering where it is you might be going to

David Grey
Babylon
***

\"Well?\" Bronwyn had showered and was in jeans and a long sleeved tee. \"What was so important?\"

At least her attitude was back. Severus much preferred the mouthy brat to the self-loathing child. He motioned for her to have a seat. He conjured her a cup of hot tea, candied zinc lozenges gracing the saucer. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the tiny cube and set it gently on the floor. He cast an enlargement spell and stood back between it and the fire; watching it grow.

Watching her eyes grow.

Horrified. She was horrified and shaken and frightened out of her skull.

\"Where did you get this?\" she whispered, hoarsely.

\"Have you seen this trunk before?\"

The ancient trunk took up almost every inch of free space on the floor.

\"In a dream.\"

A dream? \"Hmm. How recent was this dream?\"

Bronwyn couldn\'t take her eyes off the trunk. She shifted nervously in the chair. \"The other night. God... it was... was...\"

\"Yes?\"

She moved her gaze from the trunk and rubbed her palms. \"It was not pleasant.\"

Severus poured himself a cup of tea and sat down in the opposing chair. \"Would you like to tell me about this dream?\" He did not let on that he was aware that she was looking at him suspisciously.

\"Where did you get this trunk?\"

Severus was stirring, nonplussed. \"What about your dream?\"

\"Damn it!\" She slammed her teacup down. \"I asked first!\"

Her fit of anger caused her to go into a coughing spasm that Severus appeared to watch with little interest. Waiting until she finished, he asked again. \"Tell me about your dream, Bronwyn.\"

Bronwyn had her head down, trying to regain her breath. \"Arsehole!\"

\"Complimenting me will get you nowhere, Bronwyn. Surely, you know that. The dream, please.\"

Bronwyn grabbed her teacup and thrust it at him. \"Talking is thirsty work.\"

Severus levitated the teapot and poured with a smirk. \"That has never stopped you before.\" The teacup levitated back in front of her. \"The dream, if you would be so kind.\"

Bronwyn picked the cup out of the air and dropped two peppermint laced sugar cubes into the delicate piece of china. \"I\'m really sick of peppermint.\"

Severus was stirring... stirring... \"My patience is wearing thin, Bronwyn.\"

\"And you wear it, oh so well,\" she muttered, bringing the steaming cup to her lips. \"The dream?\"

\"Today. Now.\"

The tea was hot and she scowled, as it burned her tongue. She pulled back and blew in it, then savored the minty steam.

\"Br-\"

\"I was running; being chased, by people I knew in paintings. They were dead - all of them, my parents, people from the past.\" She blew gently, watching the ripples scamper across the dark liquid. \"It was so noisy.\" A tentative sip. \"I ran around a corner and it all stopped - the cacophany, the bedlam, and there was my Nana. And that trunk.\" She nodded at the archaic item. \"She said none of it was mine; that I had been a wonderful care - taker.\" It was not lost on Severus that her voice got softer and softer. \"I have no idea what she meant.\"

*I do.*

Severus pointed his wand at the trunk. \"Adaperio.\" Slowly, the lid opened and lay back, creaking, but no dust flew. \"There is something in there you should find interesting.\" He slid his wand back in his sleeve. \"Go on. I know your palms are itching.\"

Bronwyn had put her tea down. \"You won\'t slam it shut on me?\"

\"Bronwyn, please,\" he spat. \"If I wanted to harm you, I would have done it already.\"

She made short work of digging into the trunk, laying aside aging fabric, mementos. \"You never said where you got this trunk.\"

\"No. I did not.\"

\"Severus!\"

\"Fine,\" he smiled nastily. \"I found it in the attic of your cottage.\"

She rocked back on her heels, the decrepit journal in her hands. \"So that\'s what you were doing, digging through my Nana\'s unmentionables.\" She waved the journal at him. \"You kinky bastard!\"

\"Believe me. What under things I found up there, one could mast a ship with.\" He nodded at the journal. \"Is that what you were looking for?\"

She was already getting back in her chair. \"Of course it is. Why the game?\"

Severus didn\'t answer, simply began to sip his tea.

\"Fine. Be a prick. What\'s in it?\"

\"If you are going to speak to me in that manner, I do not think I even wish to converse with you.\"

There was a staring contest for several minutes, before she gave in. \"You know, we might get to the bottom of this, if we would share information. You have information about this journal, please share.\"

\"I know nothing, Bronwyn.\" His considerable nose would not fit in the teacup, but he tried, none the less.

\"If you know nothing, eagles do not fly!\" she muttered. She gently opened the journal and began to read...

\"Yr 31ain dydd yng Ngorffennaf 1689,

Heddiw, tylluan mar gan y nos wedi arddangos ar y garreg y drws. Â llythyr rhwym i\'w coes e. E wedi yn ngwahaddiad i Hogwards School of Witchcraft and Sorcery. Sairye nhw ngyffroi mawr, ond y bentrefwyr tawel gwylio ni guda gwael llog y gofuned ni drwg dim ar\'n mam. . .\"

\"Do you have any idea what that says?\"

Bronwyn snorted. \"I learned Welsh at my Nana\'s knee. Of course I know what it says!\" She looked back down at the book. \"Would you like to hear it in Olde English?\"

\"31st daye of July, the year of thy Lorde, 1689...

Todai a grate byrd of the nyght showed up on dorsteppe uf our hom wyth a myssive tid to yts great legge. It was an invetation for Hogwards Skool of Witchcraft and Sorsery. Sairye is moste excited, but the vilagers stille watch us withe vile intrest and aye wishe no harm on our mother....\"

\"Please,\" Severus pleaded. \"It was hard enough to read...\"

\"You\'ve read this?\" Again, Bronwyn waved the journal. \"In its original...\"

\"I put a translating spell on it and yes, I read it in the spidery, loopy, young female scrawl!\" The Wizard had put his cup down and was rubbing his forehead. \"In Olde English, no less.\" He waved his hand at her. \"Go ahead. Read it.\"

Bronwyn looked at him dubiously, before finally continuing on.

***

When the knights come along at the end of the day
Some are half-alive and some have run away
Hear our triumph, hear our roar
We\'re gonna drink a barrel, and much, much more
Hurrah, Hurrah, Hurrah, yea
Over the hills came the swords of a thousand men

Swords of a thousand men
***

She read the journal from beginning to end, not drinking or eating. It took several hours and she squinted and held the delicate book at arms length more than once as if to focus on the words. Finally, she reached the end, and shutting it, laid it gently back in the trunk.

\"Severus?\" He looked up from his own book and eyed her. \"Who is this Solomae and Sairye Dafydd? And what do they have to do with me?\"

\"Ah.\" He shut his book and laid it on the small table next to his chair. \"Sairye Daffyd is the ancestress of your Nana. Most interesting history; I looked them up, followed the birth records and school records of both.\" He stood up and moved by the fireplace. \"Do you realize that your home has been owned by women? It has been passed down from eldest daughter to eldest daughter. None of them were married. Ever. Most unrespectable, the women of your Nana\'s family. Very interesting history, your cottage.\"

\"And Solomae?\"

Severus picked up the long desired bottle of fire whiskey and uncorked it. Taking a swig from the bottle and with his back to Bronwyn, he spoke softly, but no less firmly, \"She married a beak - nosed Pureblood by the name of Severus Snape.\"

\"What?\"

He started to take another gulp from the bottle, but he decided against it. Corking it, he set it back on the mantel before turning to her. \"She is *my* ancestress, Bronwyn. I imagine I\'m a disappointment to the family, as I am the only male in the line. There have always been females, until me. Descended from the youngest. Always the youngest.\" His fingers flicked at the dust that had settled on the cuffs of his shirt. \"I have the records, if you wish to see.\"

Bronwyn sank down, next to the trunk, staring into nothing. \"Are there... are there any others? Other descendants?\"

\"None. I am the last. Only twice has your Nana\'s family married into the Snape family. Solomae. And my mother, Saralinde.\"

She had found the abyss. The chasm was deep, dark and she could not see the bottom. Poised at the edge...

\"Do you realize that your Nana\'s side of the family has refused the invitations to Hogwarts for the past century? They preferred to ‘home school,\' how wretched and droll.\" He delved in, felt her misery... \"Bronwyn, you will not leap. Did you know,\" he grabbed her by the upper arms, forcing her to look at him, \"that your cottage lies on ley lines? And not just one or two, but where several cross? Do you have any idea of the supernatural power and earth magic it shelters, that it harbors? Your cottage breathes, it vibrates, Bronwyn. Your Nana was a powerful witch and she turned her back on our world as did her mother and her mother and her mother. I wonder why?\"

Bronwyn turned empty eyes to him, before pulling herself free. She rose up, and went to the mantel, uncorking the same bottle of fire whiskey. She took one gulp before recorking it and setting it back on the shelf. \"It doesn\'t matter,\" she whispered. \"It\'s yours. You find out.\"

Snape followed her up, coming up behind her. He quietly closed and shrank the trunk, putting it on the mantel, before allowing his hands to rest on her shoulders. \"Bronwyn, your cottage-\"

\"Did you not hear me? She was right. It\'s not mine! I\'ve been a caretaker. You are the descendant. It is your cottage.\" She rested her head on the edge of the mantel. \" I have nowhere to go. I\'m truly... adrift.\"

Severus squeezed her shoulders, pulled her to him. \"I have a home; a drab, wretched, run-down place, but it is bigger than that hovel of yours. I do not want your ghost - filled shack. I do not want it.\"

\"Until you get mad at me! And then what is to keep you from taking it by force?\"

Severus slumped his shoulders in tedious boredom. Merlin, she was taking this worse than he anticipated. \"Bronwyn, my lineage is so far removed, no court would give me your home, if I paid them. However, if you desire, I will contact my solicitor on Monday and I will put it in writing that your cottage is yours and I relinquish all claim to it.\"

She turned on him, in his arms. \"You want something. I know you. You do nothing out of the sheer goodness of your heart,\" she sneered.

Snape\'s fingers lingered at the neckline of her tee. \"So bright, like a twinkling star, you are. You are correct, I want something. I want several things, Bronwyn. We need to find your bow. Not in the future, but as soon as possible. I wanted to see first hand, how quickly you could find pertinent information, as this coming Friday night, I will be asking you to use it.\"

\"What do you mean?\"

He was pressing her backwards, intimately pushing her against the wall. \"The Ministry is having their Winter Social this Friday evening, before their children come home for the holidays. No one will be ‘minding the store\', save one lone watchman, who owes me a rather large favor. Whoever has your bow, was more than likely born in Great Britain and their birth records will be in the files. I plan on letting you find them.\" He was whispering in her ear and she had begun to shudder in anticipation.

\"And... the other... thing...\"

She felt him smile against her neck, his teeth now nipping lightly.

\"I want the morning Lucius Malfoy and his brat stole from us. I want it, now.\"

***
tbc
***

Saes - please
Adaperio - to open

Thanks to Bbatmyte for the Welsh and to Bbatmyte, Dame Niamh, and Ranger for the Olde Enlish.