Sub Rosa

A/N - Sorry for the delay, my DSL went down on me.


Chapter 49 – January, Cold and Clear

Kathryn and Harry sat on the window seat in the Room of Requirement, both covered in a sheen of sweat from the fencing practice that had taken up the better part of the last two hours.

“I still hate the snide bastard.” Harry grumbled.

“There is a lot to hate, I und understand your feelings.” Kate replied, the sympathy in her face and voice unfeigned.

“He just never lets up on me, always with the snarky commentary.” Harry banged a fist against the window frame.

“You have been really working hard, there should be some appreciation.” She agreed.

“Nope, nothing, just the usual nasty comments and cruelds. ds. I am sick of it I tell you.” Harry was obviously at the end of his rope and Kathryn couldn’t help but feel bad for the boy. He was insecure enough without all the put-downs.

“I don’t know what to do about it.” She was all out of advice.

“Can’t you talk to him?” Harry’s voice had taken on a pleading tone.

“You know I can’t, the sword only responds to you.” Harry sighed and ran his hands through his hair and stared down at the shining metal blade.

“Can’t we make it shut up or something?” Harry was staring at it wearily.

“I suppose you could chuck it down a well.” Kathryn suggested.

“I tried chucking it, it showed up in my trunk the next day.” The boy admitted with a small blush.

“Hmm. I will write to Grand-mére and see if she has any advice.” Harry nodded, looking relieved already.
“By the way, how’s the romance thing going?” Harry asked.

“Well, Christmas helped, Moldy thinks I am being wooed and that Severus is insinuating his way into the family.”

“Insinuating? They practically kidnapped and forcibly adopted him.” The boy’s laughter was infectious and Kathryn grinned.

“They do that.” She chuckled and he smiled in memory.

“Yeah, they’re brilliant.”

“Speaking of romance, Mr. Potter, what’s up with you and Minuet?” Harry looked at her in surprise.

“She’s fourteen, I’m sixteen, and nothing is up.” He answered

“The age difference won’t always be there you know.”

“Yeah, but I am sixteen now. I like a couple of girls. Min is like a sister, she is sweet, for a Slytherin, and she’s smart and funny.” He shrugged. “I’m too busy to think about girls anyway.”

“Too busy to think about girls?” Kathryn laughed, but sobered when she saw the look on his face.

“You do remember the prophecy haven’t you?”

“Yeah, hard to forget.” She grimaced.

“I could be dead soon, why would I date a girl just to leave her crying all the time the way Cho does about Cedric.” His voice had taken on a wistful quality.

“What if you win?”

“I’ll deal with it then, but the whole Wizarding world is depending on me. I can’t let them down because I got distracted.” His voice was sad, but firm and Kathryn nodded.

“Besides the Faerie woman said that when love took me it would be forever. I am not ready for forever yet, Professor.” He rested his chin on his knees. “I am only sixteen, what if I fall in love with the wrong person and then I’m miserable for the rest of my life?” He shook his head slowly. “No, I am going to wait and see if I even survive this before I start dating someone.”

Kathryn reached out and ran a hand across his hair.

“How did you get so smart?” She asked softly.

“Didn’t have a choice.” His eyes were still and far older than his sixteen years. And what, really, could you say to that?

Severus took her out to dine at an elegant restaurant in Diagon Alley on Saturday night and then he took her dancing. She pretended, during the course of the date, that she didn’t see the three Death Eater chaperones sent to observe the evening. She also pretended to be somewhat reluctantly romantic. Pretending to embarrassment in his company, when she really wanted to shout to the world how much she loved him, was much harder than she thought.

He had dressed beautifully for the occasion in robes so dark a green they were nearly black, decorated with silver and black piping. She wore a sleeveless blood red gown with plunging décolletage and black velvet cutouts trimming the neck and hemline. A black and silver fur-trimmed cloak kept her warm and the dress hidden until they had reached their destination. Severus’ expression upon seeing the dress had been worth the frustrations of the rest of the evening.

When they had returned to her rooms and had at last closed the door, Kathryn wrapped herself around him and held him very tightly.

“I thought it was a lovely evening, you, me, Shiv, Bella and Franco, a perfect group for a fun filled date.” His bitterness was being masked by sarcasm but she understood it far too well.

“I love you.” She kissed him aeld eld him as he struggled with his rage and shame.

“I would like to be able to go out with you without the entourage next time.” He grumbled.

“Allrise is playing again soon.” She soothed him with a gentle hand in his hair and dropped kisses along his jaw line.

“Who knew a muggle rock band would be my sanity’s salvation?” He swept her up into his arms in one sharp move and carried her into the bedroom. “I hate this.” Those were the last coherent words from his lips that evening.


The letter arrived during breakfast and Kathryn’s face was a mask of utter neutrality as she read it, for she knew that any betraying emotion would be very dangerous. She read it and then folded it and slipped it into her inner pocket as if it were of no matter.

Inside she was trembling. Her mind raced with the thoughts that were crowding one after the other through it. She deliberately turned to other thoughts and worked on eating her breakfast calmly.

There was a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin this afternoon and while Kathryn had managed to avoid all the previous matches, the combination of Severus’, Draco’s and Harry’s pleading had broken her resistance down and she had agreed to attend despite her aversion to the game.

Her liking for the young Malfoy had grown steadily since Christmas and the quasi-friendship between him and Harry was a source of much amusement to Kathryn. Draco had never had a real friend before and didn’t quite know what to do with the three Gryffindors and their gleeful adoption of him as their newest cause.

Kathryn had been expecting greater resistance from them when Draco had shown up at Dumbledore’s Army’s first meeting after the holidays. He had sauntered in with Minuet, an arrogant sneer on his face and simply announced that they would be joining.

A stunned silence had descended upon the room and then Harry had simply nodded, made them sign the secrecy agreement and started the meeting. Harry’s easy acceptance had made it a done deal.

If anyone wondered about Draco’s change of heart, no one said anything and Draco had privately expressed his relief at their forbearance to Severus. Of course his actual words were, “Bloody stupid Gryffindors! WhatI’d I’d been a spy?”, but it came out the to the same thing.

She knew she was putting off thinking about the letter, so she finished her breakfast and caught Albus’ eye. He glanced at her and she mouthed “Office” and rose to leave. He nodded back to her and she smiled at Severus on her way out of the Great Hall.

Ten minutes later she was ensconced in her favorite chair in Albus’ office and Albus and Severus were reading the letter with matched expressions of incredulity.

“Narcissa Malfoy has lost what is left of her mind.” Severus muttered.

“I cannot see what advantage she thinks this will gain her.” Albus added.

“I can understand why she would want to secure Lillith for her son, but to take private tea with her at the estate for the sole purpose of presenting her case to me? Does she think I am stupid? I am not Head of the Line to be making deals and accepting bids.” Kathryn shook her head in confusion. This was a way to piss off Marie, not make friends with her.

“This has got to be an attempt to get Kathryn alone with her, nothing else makes sense.”

“Tea with the crazed socialite is at the top of my “most-fun” list.” Kathryn muttered. “I’m sure I’ll have a lovely time.”

“There is no way I am allowing you to go there alone!” Severus shouted.

“Severus, I love you, but this is work and you are not my boss, Albus is.” She kept herself very calm, understanding perfectly how he was feeling at this moment. It was how she felt when he went off to Death Eater meetings. She waited, watching him, till his mind caught up with his heart.

“I don’t like this.” He sat down abruptly and put his head in his hands.

“It’s tea, Severus, most likely a feeling out process.” She added gently.

“What excuse would Kathryn give Narcissa for not going?” Albus asked gently.

There was a long silence at the end of that question, because Severus knew as well as she did that there was no reason to refuse a perfectly civil invitation to tea. No reason that wouldn’t make her allegiances perfectly obvious. No reason that wouldn’t jeopardize Severus’ life and her own.