E Pluribus Unum

a/N - I tried uploading this earlier and must have done something wrong because it went blooey. thanks to Kate for support and beta\'ing.

Thanks to: jeanette, Helen, Deebe, jen, IrishRavenX, Kim, and Brian.

Chapter 47 – Rumors

Minuet frowned at the giggling Hufflepuffs and bent her head back over her books. She had come to the Library to get some homework done since time spent ‘studying’ with Harry never seemed to accomplish anything other than leaving her breathless and flushed.

“...checks on her almost every day…” The words drifted across her consciousness.

“Poor woman, he’s so ugly!” Came the reply and Minuet frowned again, why couldn’t they keep quiet?

“Do you think they do it in the Library after hours?” A third voice said with a barely stifled giggle.

“Eew, that’s gross. Snape and the Librarian, it’s like Beauty and the Beast.” Came a fourth voice and now Minuet was listening with carefully concealed horror. How dare they talk about Uncle Severus and her mother that way?

“Yeah, but she was married to worse, maybe she likes them nasty and evil.” The first voice sneered and Minuet flushed in anger. They were out of her direct line of sight so she couldn’t see exactly who was speaking. She was coldly furious and planning horrible revenge on them all when the giggling girls all drew in a collective breath.

“It’s Harry Potter. He is so cute.” Breathed voice #2.

“I hear he’s a total poofter.” Whispered back # 3. Minuet snorted quietly to herself, if they only knew!

“Oh, what a waste that would be!” Wailed #4.

Harry rounded the corner and met her eyes for a fraction of a second before continuing on. The moment was fleeting but her heart sped up and she flushed slightly despite that. She really loved him.

“So really, do you think that a pretty woman like the Librarian would even give him the time of day?” #2 was asking again, intent on gossiping with the others.

“I wouldn’t touch Snape for all the money in the world.” #3 retorted. As if he’d have her, Minuet thought angrily. She had decided that #3 was a bitch that didn’t deserve someone as wonderful as her Uncle Severus.

“Well, she can’t afford to be picky, it’s not like anyone else will have her.” Voice #1 drawled with a knowing air. Minuet decided that 1 and 3 needed to be hurt badly, preferably sat upon by Crabbe and Goyle. How could they talk about her mother like that?

“But Becca, Snape?” Voice # 3 came back and Minuet filed away the name with plans for terrible revenge.
“Well, what’s her other choice, Filch?” Becca snorted and the girls all snickered. Minuet had advanced from pots of boiling oil to dental tools and acid.

Finally unable to listen to anymore, Minuet got up and sneaking a peek at the four girls, left the Library. She memorized their faces and decided that some way or another she was going to make them pay. Her mother was doing everything in her power to make her life over again and those gossipy cows had no right to make their nasty insinuations.

She was chopping moonflowers with especial vigor in Professor Snape’s lab that night, still fuming and angry from the overheard conversation. The Gryffindors were in detention with Filch for some prank or another that had apparently involved Mrs. Norris, one of Trelawney’s crystal balls, a jar of bubotuber puss and the giant squid in the lake. Filch had set them to cleaning up the mess and they were not due in the dungeons until late tonight.

Draco was going mad studying for his N.E.W.T.s and had declared himself unable to attend the group for a while so she was alone with the Professor. If it hadn’t been for the rage she was in, she would have really enjoyed the time with him.

“Miss Ravagienne, are you finished mutilating that flower?” Black eyes met hers over the chopping board and she returned him a furious glare. His eyebrow arched and she sighed suddenly, letting out her anger with her breath. She wasn’t mad at him after all.

“I was in the Library today and overheard a bunch of girls gossiping about Mum.” Saying it out loud made it sound silly but Minuet was still hurt by the careless words.

“Ah.” Snape nodded and replaced her shredded moonflower with a new one. “Please slice, don’t chop.” Minuet nodded and tried to turn her mind back to the potion she was working on. It was a simple enough draught of easing; when drunk, it caused tension to melt away and muscles to relax. Professor Snape wanted to make a more potent version to ease the pain of Cruciatus but an analysis of the basic potion had to be made first.
“Would you care to discuss it?” He asked with the eyebrow at half-mast.

“They said that you were …interested… in Mum and you were the best she could do.” Minuet mumbled and peeking up at him watched his brows lower and his eyes go black with anger.

“I will assume that you are editing the comments to spare my feelings.” It was as sarcastic and nasty a tone as he had ever used with her and she knew that he was upset.

The door to his private rooms opened and Professor Leblanc entered with Orion in the sling. She paused sensing the tension in the room and looked back and forth between Minuet and her Guardian.

“Problem?” The DADA Professor asked with a puzzled expression.

“Miss Ravagienne was commenting on some rumors she heard in the Library today.” Snape said with an angry glare at the bubbling cauldron.

“Which ones? There are several rumors going around the school right now.” Professor Leblanc shrugged and slipped the baby free of the sling and set him into the playpen that Albus had spelled especially to keep him safe from any potions accidents in the lab.

“Apparently I am having a torrid affair with Mrs. Ravagienne.” Severus growled. The brunette glanced at his face and sighed.

“Well, you are also speculated to have had one with Rosmerta, Minerva and Narcissa Malfoy, so don’t feel so bad. In fact, you are suspected of sleeping with everyone BUT me, which is the one thing I cannot figure out.” As Professor Leblanc spoke, Snape became more and more agitated.

“I have never had such speculations about my private life before. Why am I suddenly the source of so much bloody interest?” He snapped angrily and Professor Leblanc glanced over at Orion and then back at her … Minuet’s mind stuttered, she could not imagine Uncle Severus as anyone’s boyfriend and lover was way too intimate a word. She put the mental label maker away as they continued to speak.

“Severus, you showed up this year with a child in tow; the speculations as to who Orion’s mother might be have been the talk of every dorm room all year.” She retorted with a shrug.

“They don’t think you would date Uncle Severus because they think you have better taste than that.” Minuet put in bitterly. “I hate the way they talk about him.” She felt her vision blur as tears welled up. “I hate that they talk about Mum like she’s dirty because of Dad and that they all think Harry is a poof because he’s not dating a girl where they can see it.” The tears were flowing more freely now and she felt herself being gathered into Uncle Severus’ arms.

“They are a bunch of moronic dolts whose opinions are as relevant as Sanskrit.” He murmured to her. Professor Leblanc stroked her head.

“People will always find something nasty to say, something cruel, because their own lives are so dull and boring that all they have is voyeuristic gossip mongering.” The teacher’s soft brown eyes were filled with compassion and understanding. Minuet sniffled damply and nodded.

The door opened and Harry and Hermione tumbled in looking filthy and disheveled. Harry saw Minuet’s tear-stained face and rushed to her.

“What’s wrong? What’s happened?” Minuet detached herself from the two teachers and flung herself into Harry’s arms. She buried her face in his shoulder and clung hard to him.

“She overheard some nasty rumors in the Library today.” Severus took over chopping the flowers; the sound of his knife on the board was strangely soothing. It brought back memories of the er, er, when it had just been the four of them together in teaceeaceful cottage.

Harry stroked her hair and made soothing sounds at her. Hermione clucked her tongue.

“Gossiping hens. I am so tired of all the wagging tongues in this school.” Hermione’s hand patted Minuet’s shoulder absently and then Min heard her stirring the cauldron under Uncle Severus’ direction.

Min drew back from Harry and kissed him lightly on the mouth.

“Better?” He asked her softly, twisting a strand of her hair around his finger. She nodded at him.

“Yes, now that you’re here.” She admitted and he smiled down at her.

“You know the truth, Min. As long as you know the truth, the lies don’t mean anything.” Harry assured her and she looked up into his emerald green eyes with a sigh.

“You can be such a Gryffindor sometimes, Harry.” She muttered in exasperation. Snape barked a short laugh and Professor Leblanc chortled while Hermione and Harry looked puzzled. “Lies are tools and weapons and I don’t want them being used against those I love.” Minuet explained.

“I leave all that to my Slytherin sweetheart.” Harry chuckled at her. “You just point me at the bad guys, love, and I will do what Gryffindors do best.”

“Charge recklessly and heedlessly into the fray?” Snape asked with a wry expression.

“Yup.” Harry said with a little grin at the Potions Master. “Just like a good little shock trooper.” They all laughed at that, but Minuet looked at her boyfriend with concern.

She would have to take great care of him; his recklessness, so alien to a Slytherin, was just part of his nature. It was the sort of thing that got people killed. Minuet would have to find a way to prevent that.