A Bunny Tale Part 2

Poppy's Suspicions

Two days after the incident with the Slytherin girl, her shirt mysteriously unbuttoned and flew open in the study hall, exposing her lace brassiere. As she was well-endowed, news of this spread throughout the castle like wildfire, and Severus was soon able to ascertain that the Weasley twins had been involved. He knew the true culprit responsible for the matter, but he could not let any of them go unpunished.

As soon as he had the opportunity, he cornered the twins in an empty classroom.

"If you believe," he lectured in a low venomous hiss, and with his eyes narrowed to mere slits, "that your association with my nephew absolves you from any guilt or punishment, you are sorely mistaken. I don't care what my nephew said to you, you will never ever harass one of my students again."

The twins glanced at each other.

"Harry had nothing to do with this, Professor Snape," one of them said. Severus had never bothered to learn which twin was which. They were equally obnoxious.

"We did it on our own," added the other. "Honest."

There was no need to use Legilimency to know they were telling the truth. Harry had manipulated them into seeking his revenge. Despite Severus's anger and annoyance, he couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration for his cunning coney. Showing only his ire, Severus lectured in his deepest tones, "You are lucky that I am not in charge of your house, for I would have you both expelled for sexual harassment. Stripping the clothing off another student is the most offensive, crass, cruel, and disgusting 'prank' I have ever seen in all my years of teaching. Detention. For the rest of the year, and I will be sending an owl to your mother about this incident."

Gasping in horror at Severus's promise to owl their mother, the twins apologised profusely and left, nearly stumbling over each other as they fled towards the door. Professor McGonagall agreed with Severus's choice of punishment and lectured them for hours on end that evening.

Severus didn't get a chance to speak to Harry alone until after dinner.

"I heard what happened to Miss Latimer," he said when Harry slipped in the door to their quarters that evening.

"Oh. I did, too," said Harry, a little too innocently.

"Sit down." Severus motioned to a chair he had placed opposite his desk. It was an uncomfortable wooden one typically found in the classroom. Harry sat, smoothing out his robes over and over again as his eyes darted all over Severus's desk, looking at Severus only for a bit before glancing away.

Severus just sat there and looked at him, disapproval written on his face. He knew from experience that students often found his stony silence worse than his yelling and so saved it for occasions when he was too angry to yell. The stare ate at them more than his words ever could.

Harry's fidgeting increased as if his guilt were a creature inside of him, trying to escape. He put a finger in his mouth and chewed on it before he yanked it out and exclaimed, "I didn't know they would do that!"

Severus arched an eyebrow, staring down his long nose at Harry. "You thought it appropriate that the Weasleys should do something?"

Shoulders curling in, Harry's eyes darted down to his fingers. "I'm sorry," he said.

Even if Harry had picked on a girl who had deserved to be punished, the outcome had been reprehensible and Harry, as a coney, didn't have the same freedoms as the students. If the Board found out that his coney was really behind the cruel prank, Severus might be forced to let Harry go, or they could order him removed from Hogwarts. Lucius would be all too happy to take Harry in.

Severus gave Harry a punishment he knew would leave the most memorable impression on the coney: "No sex for 48 hours and you will sleep in your own room for the next two nights."

Harry's head shot up, and his mouth dropped open. Severus arched an eyebrow. Harry's head drooped, and he curled his fingers in his lap.

"The students are human, and you are a coney," Severus reminded him. "If you ever do something like this again, don't think that I won't sell you in an instant. Coneys who attack humans are put down, and I will not see my money wasted." Only violent coneys were put down and Severus would've fought to keep possession of Harry, but he couldn't take chances; not when the stakes were so high.

"Go to your rooms." Severus picked up his quill and turned his gaze towards his desk. "You are not to step foot in here until 48 hours from now."

"I'm sorry, Professor," said Harry before Severus heard him leave in a slow, quiet shuffle to the door.

When Harry didn't arrive for breakfast the next morning, Severus worried he'd been too harsh, but at lunch Harry sat with Draco, and Dumbledore commented that Harry had been very helpful that morning, helping him organise his sweet collection.

That afternoon, Severus called Miss Latimer to his office under the pretext of discussing the event that had happened in the study hall. During their meeting, he taught her Langlock in a circuitous manner that could not be traced back to him. An apt pupil, she employed her knowledge at dinner when her embarrassment for what the twins had done was at its height. Although McGonagall pretended to remain ignorant of the source of the curse, all the Slytherins knew, and Latimer became the new house favourite.

Severus's bed felt empty and cold without Harry, but he had said 48 hours and couldn't go back on his word. He half expected to be pestered, but Harry didn't try to approach him. Instead Harry helped Hagrid feed the Hippogriffs the next morning, assisted Lupin between his responsibilities in the Potion lab in the afternoon, and set up the telescopes in the evening before dinner. At dinner, Harry sat with Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw who made each potion to perfection, despite the fact that she seemed to have no idea what was happening around her. When he stood to leave, Draco walked over and caught his robe, whispering something in Harry's ear. Harry shot a glance at Severus and shook his head, pulling his sleeve out of Draco's grasp.

Not one to take 'no' for an answer, Draco grabbed Harry's wrist and whispered more words that finally convinced Harry to follow him out.

By the time Harry arrived at Severus's door that evening, Severus ached for him. It was easy to ignore his sexual urges when preoccupied with a problem, but without a distraction, he could think of nothing but how long it had been since he last held Harry in his arms. When Harry stepped through the door, there was no thought in his mind but quenching his thirst. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Severus didn't need to hear it. He pulled Harry against him and accepted the apology with a kiss.

Later, as they lay in bed together, Harry tracing shapes on Severus's chest, Severus said, "If you should have problems with anyone, come to me or the Headmaster." Dumbledore sometimes acted like a daft twit, but Severus had known him long enough to feel confident that he could resolve any situations arising from Harry's jealousies.

"I will," promised Harry.

~

Things were perfect for two days. Then a first year arrived at the lab while Severus was cleaning up from the fourth years.

"Madam Pomfrey would like to see you," said the student in a small voice.

In the middle of stirring, Severus absently nodded in response. "Very well, tell her I'll be there in a second." He wasn't due to deliver the newest round of healing potions for another few days, but perhaps she needed an extra order or two after the last Quidditch match.

He arrived at her office in the infirmary to find her with her hands on her hips and a tight frown on her face. "I've seen Harry," she said.

Severus bit back the sarcastic reply on the edge of his tongue. He had never seen her so furious. The only explanation he could find for her fury was that she had discovered Harry to be a coney.

"And? Is he ill?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Severus," she hissed. "That boy has been abused worse than any child I've ever seen."

"Yes, he was. That was why I took him in."

"So you could continue the abuse?"

"What? You think- you think I hurt Harry?" He couldn't believe it. For a Hufflepuff, Poppy was normally quite intelligent.

"Violent abuse is normally perpetrated by parental figures or lovers. And you are not known for your patience."

It made no sense. He said the first thing that popped into his head. "Don't you think that if I was abusing Harry, I'd have the intelligence to do it in a way in which I couldn't be caught?"

Poppy's lips thinned out and her eyebrows arched. She stared at Severus with a stony face as if daring him to continue.

Severus cleared his throat and tried a different approach. "Did he say that I hurt him?"

Poppy shook her head, her disapproving eyes never leaving Severus's face. In a tone conveying her disbelief, she said, "He claimed that you've never even been cross with him."

"He's lying," said Severus. "I've yelled at him and been rough with him-"

Poppy's eyes narrowed to slits.

"But I've never intentionally set out to hurt him. He's quite clumsy and he-"

"Don't give me that excuse, Severus! If he broke his arm due to clumsiness, you still should have brought him to me!"

"He broke his arm? When?"

"Twice! The first time about ten days ago, the second time about a week ago. You never noticed?"

He hadn’t pushed Harry into the floor that hard. Had he really broken the bone? It must've been badly damaged for him to break it without meaning to. "He expressed soreness, but not as if it were broken." This was ridiculous. Where was Harry? Could someone be hurting him? Those Weasley twins perhaps. Severus pushed past Poppy and strode out of her office.

"Where are you going?" she demanded. "Come back here! I'm not finished!"

He paid her no heed as he ripped aside curtains, trying to find Harry. After a startled second year who had turned himself bright green and a sixth year with five arms, he found Harry sitting on a bed.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Severus spoke first. "What happened to your arm?" Only then did he remember to put up silencing charms.

Poppy appeared, looking as though she were about to hex Severus blind. Red-faced and panting, she moved to stand near Harry as if to protect him from Severus.

Harry's eyes drifted between Poppy and Severus, guilt written into every line of his face. "I fell," he said simply, as if that were a common occurrence.

"Off what?"

Harry kept glancing between them, the guilty look on his face increasing. No wonder Poppy thought Harry was being abused by Severus. "Off the bleachers. Not far," he added, looking at Severus's face.

"And why," said Severus, holding back his impulse to grab Harry's shoulders and drag the truth out of him, "didn't you tell me?"

Harry's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, Professor. I didn't know that I should." He was lying!

Poppy crossed her arms and Severus suspected she wasn't the least bit fooled by that lie either.

Severus held out a hand. "Let me see your arm."

Harry shifted towards the side of the bed and turned to place his right arm in Severus's hand. Closing his eyes, Severus examined the bone with magic. It had been broken and re-healed poorly, edges of it sticking out into Harry's arm. The kit had to have been in considerable pain when Severus shoved his injured arm against the carpet and yet he had brushed it off as if it were nothing.

Severus wanted to send Poppy away and have a private conversation with Harry, but judging by her glower, she would not be easily removed. Did Poppy know that Harry was a coney? If Dumbledore had not told her and she had found evidence of previous sexual activity on her examination, it would explain her raw furor.

Harry's nervousness would not do; he needed to be calm. Severus sat down on the edge of the bed and motioned for Harry to approach him. "Come here."

Harry glanced at Poppy and then scooted over, his body stiff and distant. To Poppy, it must've seemed as if he were scared of Severus, but Severus knew he worried about Poppy seeing their relationship and discovering Harry's true nature.

Severus wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulder and said, "Harry is not my nephew but my coney."

Her eyes widened, and she blinked several times.

Severus pulled out his wand and set up several wards before restoring Harry's ears and tail. "When I bought him in Knockturn this summer, he was malnourished and had been severely abused."

Dumbledore's magic brushed against Severus's wards, and Severus granted the Headmaster entrance.

"Severus! Harry!" Dumbledore transfigured a chair for himself and dropped down into it. A wave of his wand produced a stand with tea for four. "So good of you to call this meeting, Poppy. I should've called it myself a while ago, but better late than never, hmm?" Dumbledore served up tea and let it float to each of them. Poppy's tea bounced against her elbow as she stared at Harry.

"Merlin, Severus, a coney! If the Board knew-"

"They know."

"And they don't object?" Her eyebrows climbed towards her hair. "He is so-"

Harry bristled, and Severus averted the coming explosion. "Atypical for a coney, yes, I know. He is without the commonly high libido. If you would be so kind as not to remark on his elevation deficit. It is due to the Lilliputian characteristic common in litter-producing animals rather than because of an overabundance of juvenility."

"Quite right," said Dumbledore before sipping his tea.

Had he always known Harry to be of age? Severus wouldn't put it past him. The Headmaster had never seemed the type to be knowledgeable about coneys, but then, he always knew a bit about everything.

Poppy finally snatched her tea cup from the air. "That doesn't explain why his broken arm went unfixed for several days. Nor why he has a recently healed injury to his tail bone."

Everyone looked at Harry.

Harry stared at his teacup. "I keep falling and I thought the medicine the Professor gave me would make my arm better, but it didn't."

"Harry," said Severus, his grip on his teacup so tight his fingers hurt. "If someone's hurt you-"

"No!" Harry shook his head. "Nobody's hurt me! I'm telling you, I keep falling. It's my own fault."

Severus stood, sending away his teacup. "I'll bring in Veritaserum if I have to. I'll-"

Harry jumped to his feet. "I'm not lying! Why won't you believe me?" He glanced around the room at them, glaring at each of them in turn. "The Professor didn't hurt me," he told Poppy and Dumbledore before turning to Severus. "If someone was hurting me, don't you think I'd tell you? Don't you think I'd punch them?"

To all of them he said, "I've fought coneys and wizards who were bigger than me. No one here is mean to me, but if they were, you'd see them in here before you'd see me." He closed the distance to Severus, wrapping his arms around him. "I'm not leaving the Professor."

"Hush." Severus petted Harry's flattened ears. "No one is taking you away from me."

"Harry," said Dumbledore kindly. "Perhaps it would help us if you told us what you do before you fall."

A stricken look of guilt crossed Harry's face. "Please don't be angry," he said to Severus, scrunching up his face and biting his lip.

"Tell me," responded Severus, unable to keep the growl from his voice.

Harry looked up at Severus's face with worry before answering. "I got Draco to-"

"Draco?" He didn't care if the boy was his godson, he would hex him until his brain leaked out his ears.

Harry grabbed Severus's arms. "I told him to! He only did it, because I asked! He flew on his broom and took me with him and-"

Severus's fury did not diminish. Pushing Harry away, holding him at arms length, he snarled, "There are sticking charms and-"

"I told him not to cast those so I could practise standing. I-"

"YOU STOOD ON A FLYING BROOM?! ARE YOU MAD?!"

"I ONLY FELL ONCE!"

"ONCE? HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU DONE THIS?"

"Uhhhh..." Harry had to think. "Twelve... fifteen? I only broke my arm, because I tried to jump from the broom and grab onto a goal post and-"

"WHAT?!"

"I landed on my arm. Professor, please...." Harry wrested himself free from Severus's grasp of his hands and flung himself forward, wrapping his arms around Severus's neck, his ears limp on his shoulders. He gazed up with large, pleading eyes. "Please don't be angry with Draco."

Albus stood. "Harry, I believe it would be best for you to no longer accept broom rides with anyone but Professor Snape. Furthermore, should you become injured in any sort of activity, alert either Madam Pomfrey or Severus to your injuries immediately."

"I promise."

"Will you accompany me back to Severus's lab to collect potions to heal your injuries?"

Harry nodded, his ears flying. Severus had expected Harry to protest and cling to him, but either Harry was stupid enough to believe that Poppy wouldn't have the proper remedies or intelligent enough to know the real reason Dumbledore wanted Harry to step out with him. There was no way to know which one it was.

Dumbledore transfigured Harry's ears into glasses and hid his tail with a flick of his wand, holding out his other arm for Harry to grasp. Harry hugged Severus and left for the Headmaster's side, his eyes on Severus the entire way out.

Once they were gone, Poppy smoothed out her skirts. "I'm terribly sorry-"

Severus waved his hand. "It was right for you to be suspicious. I cannot believe he covered up a broken arm all this time." Not wanting to focus on his faults, he changed the subject to, "You could not tell he was a coney on inspection? I've heard they are similar to us, but I did not expect them to be that similar."

"I've not dealt with coneys before." Her eyebrows lifted and she pursed her lips. "As you can imagine, they are uncommon in the academic setting." In a more sombre tone she added, "I don't doubt you, Severus, but he is half the size of any coney I've seen before. And don't they have blond fur?"

"He's a runt. They are normally culled from the litters. I confirmed his date of birth with his registry, and he states himself that he is of legal age. He has black fur due to the fact that he's a mutt."

"Oh," she said, and her face lightened.

Severus nodded and continued, "I was told they tend to have heart conditions and would appreciate it if you could examine him. I would have brought him to you sooner, but I was uncertain if I should take him to a coney specialist instead. The Headmaster and the Board have advised discretion."

Poppy nodded. "Of course. My... a coney." She patted her chest and gazed to where Harry and Dumbledore had disappeared. "He's not at all like any of the others I've seen."

"No," agreed Severus, doubting she had much experience with them besides passing the ones in Diagon Alley. "I have circuitously requested coney health literature, but I haven't had a chance to slip away and pick it up. I will obtain it during my next visit to Hogsmeade."

"Thank you," said Poppy. "If he responds to potions meant for wizards, he is magically and genetically close enough to us for me to handle everything but specialty care. He's never shown any allergies? Never had an inappropriate reaction or did not respond to treatment?"

Severus had been feeding Harry potions meant for wizards without a second thought since he had purchased him. He should've been more careful, yet Harry had never shown any abnormal reactions except for what had happened before the first time they had had sex. It was possible the allergy claim had really been a trick. After the Slytherin girl and the twins, Severus didn't want to underestimate Harry, but the coney also showed himself to be quite stupid and lacking common sense on other occasions. He couldn't dismiss it.

"He once claimed he'd eaten something which caused an allergic reaction. I speculated he had no allergy and instead... desired attention, so I gave him a placebo. He claimed himself cured when I asked if the placebo had worked. Since the placebo... proved to be effective, I did not investigate the matter further."

Dumbledore's signature pressed against the wards and Severus allowed him in, restoring Harry's ears and tail as well. Harry slipped around the Headmaster to stand beside Severus.

"I must be off," said Dumbledore kindly. "I'd love to have you visit for tea this evening, Poppy."

"Of course."

"I will talk to you later, Harry. Goodbye." With a wave, he left.

Harry held out a bottle of Skelegrow to Severus.

"Undress," ordered Severus. Harry's ears perked up, and Severus added, "Keep your smalls on. Sit on the bed and Madam Pomfrey will examine you."

Harry's ears flattened, but he undressed, throwing his clothes over the end of the bed before he sat and watched Poppy with distrustful eyes.

In a bustle of skirts, Poppy took two short strides to the bed and clasped Harry's injured arm.

"I'm afraid the Headmaster's assessment was correct," she said after having examined it thoroughly. "As it was improperly healed, I'll have to remove the bone and regrow it."

Severus nodded and watched as her fingers flew over Harry's body. When she was finished, she turned to Severus. "There are a few other broken bones which will need to be taken care of as well."

He would kill Draco.

Seeing his expression darken, Poppy quickly added, "Oh, no, they didn't happen recently. Most of his injuries are old ones which weren't healed properly at the time. He'll have to spend the night here, unless you want to help him back to your rooms, as I'll be taking out a shin bone."

Harry wrinkled his nose in disapproval, and Severus agreed with him. "I'll help him return to the dungeons. Will he need any other treatment besides fixing the damaged bones?"

"No, just a salve for his tailbone to heal the bruise. He is in perfect health otherwise. No problems with his heart or any other organ as far as I can ascertain." She turned back to Harry. "Do you have any allergies?"

Pink seared Harry's cheeks. "Uh.... I thought I was allergic once, but I wasn't. I don't think I have any."

Just as Severus had suspected. A soft charm alerted him to the changing of the hour. "I will return after my class."

Harry nodded, and Severus resisted the urge to pet his ears before leaving.

~

By the time Severus finally returned Harry to their rooms, it was evening.

"I'm sorry, Professor!" he said as soon as the door closed behind them. "I tried to stop her from examining me, but she tricked me!"

"Did she?" Severus guided Harry to the couch, using magic to support his weight.

Harry dropped down onto the cushions, the words pouring out of him as if a cork had been tugged out of a bathtub's drain. "I got a bunch of dust up my nose, so I was sneezing a bunch, and she wanted to look at me. I told her she couldn't and tried to leave, but she insisted. I said that you were taking care of me, and then she said that she would get you and you two would look at me together. I thought it was okay, because you could tell her not to look at me and she would listen to you. She sent a student and told me to sit down and wait for you. She was asking me basic questions, how my day was and stuff, and I didn't know it, but she was examining me! I felt her magic go inside and I made her stop, but she already knew! I didn't want to tell her. I tried not to tell her-"

"Sh, it's alright." Severus pulled Harry into his arms. "We need to find you some new friends."

"I like my friends!" protested Harry. "I convinced Draco to give me broom rides. I promise I won't do it again."

Draco was not a boy easily convinced or led, but he was also quite sensible and would never think that jumping from a moving broom to a goal post to be an amusing sport. That was too Gryffindor. If Harry was to be a Gryffindor, then there was only one thing Severus could do.

~

The next day, Severus led Harry to the library.

"Miss Granger," said Severus.

"Yes, sir?" She looked up from her homework, her quill paused over an overly complex answer to a very simple question.

"My nephew desires to learn more about magic and Hogwarts than I have time to explain, and his literary skills are lacking."

Harry, who had wandered beyond her to stare out the window towards the Quidditch pitch, spun around, his eyes widening. He shook his head frantically, waving his hands to get Severus to stop talking.

Severus continued, "Perhaps you could pick out the books you found most useful as a Muggleborn."

"I'd love to," said Hermione breathlessly, her cheeks turning pink. "I'll teach him everything he needs to know, Professor!" She glanced back at Harry, who immediately stopped shaking his head. He scratched the back of his neck and smiled at her.

"I can't wait," he told her. As soon as she turned back to Severus, Harry scrunched up his face and shot him a dirty glare. Severus had no doubt the coney's ears would be flat against his head should they be restored at that moment.

To prevent Harry from escaping, Severus waited until Harry took a seat beside Granger before he patted Harry on the head and said, "Be good," then turned and swept out of the library.

Harry arrived at Severus's rooms that evening with his arms full of books. "I don't really have to read all of these, do I?"

"Yes. The more you know about Hogwarts and magic, the better you will be at assisting me."

As expected, Harry sat by Granger at breakfast the next morning and attended her lessons in the library of his own accord. Severus couldn't have been more pleased to see Harry in the library for hours on end. Even better, now that Granger had Harry to lecture incessantly, she no longer felt the need to be such a know-it-all in his classroom.

~

A few weeks before Christmas, Harry returned to Severus’s rooms late.

“Draco and Fred and George both invited me to spend Christmas with their families,” he noted as he pulled off his robe.

Severus glanced up from the scroll he was reading but gave no other indication that he cared a whit about the news. “Oh?” He'd never let Harry go. Not to the Malfoys, who would spend the time trying to molest him, and certainly not with the twins who would teach him all sorts of mischief.

“I told them I was spending it with you.” Harry crossed the room and gave Severus a kiss on the cheek before disappearing into the bedroom.

For Christmas, Harry knit Severus the ugliest jumper he’d ever seen. It was chartreuse and reminded Severus of the ones the Weasleys wore. As soon as he was sure Harry wouldn’t catch him in the act, he spilled acid on it. When Harry saw the palm-sized piece that was all that remained of it, his ears dropped.

“I’ll knit you another,” Harry offered, staring at the piece of cloth morosely.

“As much as I would appreciate another jumper from you,” Severus lied, “my work requires me to wear special clothing that’s designed to withstand dangerous chemicals. I’d hate for something like this to accidentally happen again to another article of clothing.”

Harry believed the explanation, and Severus tucked the remains of the jumper into the back of his top desk drawer.

For Harry’s Christmas present, Severus drank a self-brewed male potency enhancer and proceeded to screw him silly. Starting Christmas Eve, they didn't stop until mid-Boxing day, and the experiment ended only because Harry passed out. Severus followed shortly thereafter and when they woke, sprawled out on the floor in Severus's den, Severus couldn't move. Harry had to feed him several restorative and healing potions, and Severus still couldn't make it to the Great Hall without using magic to aid himself. Still, he was proud of himself for having outlasted a coney – a supposedly impossible task.

When they finally arrived at the Great Hall, Albus gave them a knowing smile and a wink.

“Did you enjoy your trip?” the meddlesome Headmaster asked Harry. He seemed to have the need to explain why both of them hadn’t been seen for a few days.

“It was very nice,” answered Harry, turning bright red. Severus, worried that his face revealed their secret, spelled the coney’s pumpkin juice to fall into his lap. Harry left to change his clothes and by the time he returned, the conversation had shifted.

Severus decided the Headmaster was too concerned with his and Harry's private activities and therefore desperately needed to find a partner. Taking it upon himself, he mail-ordered all the gay wizarding magazines he could find and had them anonymously sent to Dumbledore.

As he was leaving the Owlery, Malfoy's family owl arrived with a letter. Breaking the seal of the Malfoy family crest, Severus read through the sprawling, elegant script.

My dear friend Severus,

I would be most pleased if you would attend a gathering of friends to be held at my manor the eve before this respite ends. Formal attire required. Pets are most welcome.



To make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, Severus read it three times. Since when were pets allowed at the Knights of Walpurgis meetings? And why on earth had Lucius decided to host it during his son's break when the boy would be at home? Surely it was too soon for the boy to take the Rites. How much had Lucius told the other Knights about Harry? He better not have told Bellatrix anything but that Harry was human and his nephew.

He sent the reply back with Strix.

Dear Lucius,

I would be most delighted to attend your gathering, although I must admit I did not expect to see pets and formal attire in the same invitation. I'm sure the mix of guests and animals will be most amusing, but I am afraid that only my nephew will accompany me.


A meeting called so hurriedly did not bode well. The Knights of Walpurgis had subsisted as long as they had by remaining in the shadows and only calling meetings outside of their yearly gatherings when necessary. What could Lucius be planning?

[Chapter 5, The Knights of Walpurgis, the last chapter of part 2 will be posted on Easter!]