E Pluribus Unum

A/N - For all of you patient people - THANK YOU!!! The fact that no one showed up on my doorstep with thumbscrews is a testament to your strong wills. Thanks to Kate as always for making me go back and explain stuff.

Thanks to Irish RavenX, Shining Armor (Yes, I do write professionally), Sandlyface, emvee, Droxy, Kateri, Potionmistress 60, jordy, Deeble, jeannette, Ghaeth, JCC, Kim, Brian and deblovesdragon (that\'s a good idea, I will have to write that somedday (assumking they survive of course - heh heh)).


Chapter 49 – Grandmére’s Forethought

Kathryn was pacing back and forth beside Severus’ apparation point in the forest. She had joined Hagrid in his vigil, frightened to death of losing Severus to some damn fool heroic act. As much as she liked Hermione, she would cheerfully sacrifice her for Severus, ruthless though that might be. She hated the part of her mind that made those decisions with such dispassion. It felt as though the killer in her were a separate being, making choices that had nothing to do with the person Kathryn really was, but even she was aware how much her feelings for Severus tended to shape her judgment these days.

There was a pop, Severus appeared, and she was in his arms and clinging tight to him before he was quite steady on his feet. He chuckled in her ear as he held her.

“Mission accomplished, as they say.” He murmured and she relaxed. “Your little brother should be herding her to safety even as we speak.” He stripped off the mask as she gave a start.

“Thank Merlin that ‘Mione is safe.” Hagrid rumbled, his relief palpable.

“Gabriel is here?” She asked in surprise and Severus nodded. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out what had brought Gabriel to England without informing her.

“Tha’ be your brother, Gabriel?” Hagrid asked and Kathryn nodded at him in confirmation.

“He nearly shot me but the beam veered off before it hit me.” Severus added and Kathryn nodded.

“Were you wearing the watch?” She asked him absently, still checking him for other injuries.

“Leave off, woman. I’m fine.” He gently pushed her hands away with a grimace. “Yes I have the watch, what of it?”

“Grand-mére must have put a Blood Charm on it.” She answered with a smile at his aggrieved expression.

“Blood Charm?”

“No member of the family can harm you; their hexes will go awry if directed at you.” She explained. Severus froze in the act of folding his robes away and gave her a look of stunned disbelief.

“Are you serious?”

“No Severus, I am pulling your leg.” She rolled her eyes at him. “Of course I am serious. We all have some sort of ward or protection so that we don’t take ’friendly fire,’ dear heart.” It was one of the few endearments she could get away with using on him.

“Lucky tha’, yer gran bein’ so clever an’ all.” Hagrid said in admiration, taking the mask and cloak from the still immobile Severus and folding them into the magical box with practiced ease. Severus gave the half-giant a look of amusement, accepted the tiny box and tucked it back into hiding.

“Grand-mére’s always thought ahead.” Kathryn replied.

“That must an understatement on a par with saying that Albus is somewhat fond of sweets.” Severus sna at at her and she grinned. He must have been rather more worried about Miss Granger than he had let on. She let him mull over his thoughts in peace as they proceeded back to the castle, the herb-gathering basket which had been their cover for being in the forest, hung from Hagrid’s meaty fist.

Kathryn knew that she had but to wait. Gabriel was too much a Leblanc to not have to drop by and tell her everything. Once Miss Granger had been checked out and been debriefed by the Aurors, he would no doubt escort her back in order to chat endlessly with his big sister. What she hadn’t expected were the companions that he brought with him.

Hermione was escorted in by an honor guard of Aurors and the crowded students cheered them as though they were conquering heroes home from the wars. Which, Kathryn mused was what they were in a sense. It might have been only a skirmish but it had most definitely been a defeat for the forces of badness. The news of Hermione’s rescue had steadied a great number of wavering souls and given hope to the hopeless. It was Voldemort’s first real defeat in this new war.

Gabriel was flanked by Kingsley Shacklebolt and two slender blonde boys, one with slate gray eyes and the other with gentle blue eyes. They looked about eighteen or nineteen; the gray-eyed boy was dressed in all black, both the slacks and oxford shirt, while the blue-eyed one was dressed in all white -- bleached jeans and a t-shirt. They could have been brothers but there was something about them that drew Kathryn’s attention even as the rest of the welcoming committee was utterly focused on Hermione and Gabriel.

Kathryn was careful to keep her face an expressionless mask as Gabriel swept his gaze past her. After all, her cover story of having been sacked from the MSA for dating Severus had led to a “breach” between her and some of the members of her family. That was on top of the real breach that had occurred between her mother and herself. Her conversation with Severus had convinced her to stop having lunch with her mother, which had led to an argument during which she had given her mother precise directions to the portion of the inferno most likely to await her. The benefit to this was that the public battles between them had made for enough of a tangle that it kept Voldemort assured of devodevotion to Severus.

Hermione was engulfed by a tide of students and Kathryn watched the crowd sweep away to the Great Hall. Gabriel caught Kathryn’s eye and his fingers moved in the patterns of their childhood.

“Where can we meet?” He signed.

She signed back, pointing at Albus who was watching with some amusement, and then signed the word “office” at him. Gabriel gave the affirmative and then seven fingers for the time and swept off. If you hadn’t been looking for it, it would have seemed as though all they did was glare at each other for a moment.

They met up after dinner in Albus’ office as planned and Gabriel hugged her with his usual exuberance. She hugged him back with a feeling of relief and joy. The worst part of this charade was how much she missed her family.

The room was crowded. Along with Kathryn and Gabriel, there was Severus, Minerva, Albus, Harry, Hermione, Draco and the two blonde boys that Kathryn had noticed earlier. The House Elves were pouring tea and handing out plates of scones, frantically trying to find seats and tables for everyone.

After the pandemonium died down and everyone was ensconced in a comfortable chair and in possession of food and tea, the House Elves vanished with a soft indrawn hiss of air and silence fell. Gabriel was looking at Albus with an expression of hero-worshipping awe and Albus was looking back at him with some amusement. Everyone else seemed to be at a loss for words.

“Thank you for saving my life, Professor.” Hermione’s voice, rough from hours of talking to the Ministry Officials came up out of her lowered head. She raised tired eyes to look at Severus and gave him a small smile of weary gratitude. “Thank Miss Mangle as well.” She added and Gabriel frowned.

“I will pass along your gratitude.” Severus had never been gracious about being thanked but he seemed to be making an effort. Kathryn hid a grin behind her hands.

“I am sorry, Professor, but you understand that the demon must be destroyed.” Gabriel at his most straight-arrow could be rather pompous, Kathryn realized with a start.

“Shut up, Gabby; you shoot ‘em and I’ll analyze the situation.” She broke in before Severus or Hermione could protest, jerking her thumb back at herself and bringing his attention to her. It was an old argument between shooters and spooks; the training was so different that conflicts invariably arose.

“Surely you of all people would not defend this creature!” Gel sel shot back, shocked and getting angry. He had been trained to be a defender of the innocent, to fight and kill the bad guys. He was a cop, not a spy and sometimes subtleties eluded him.

“Gabby, trust me, if the girl was a danger to us, I’d be the first to stick a knife in her.” She soothed him with her smile, though it twisted up a bit in wry amusement. “But she has been turning away from the Dark. She is not the enemy, Fenchurch is and Voldemort is, but not Miss Mangle.” She took a deep breath. “Besides I know her true name.” The room erupted into pandemonium as everyone began to speak at once, but Albus merely raised an eyebrow, silencing them all without a word.

“Speaking of names, you still haven’t introduced these gentlemen to us.” He murmured calmly. The blue eyes had zeroed in on the two blondes who had sat silently through the entire conversation.

“Oh, sorry.” Gabriel blushed and Kathryn reminded herself once more that he was only twenty-three. He hadn’t seen Cairo, he hadn’t been in Moscow and he was still in many ways, just a boy. “These are from Grandmére. She said you needed an angel and a dragon for the coming fight.” All eyes swiveled towards the two blondes and they grinned sheepishly back. The one all in white had a gentle smile to go with his blue eyes and he spoke first.

“I am Thumiel. I am Lady Fres gas gardener. This is Thomas Harris, Lady Freddy is his mother.” His voice had a soothing undertone that made the heart feel lighter just hearing it.

“That makes you what, my great uncle?” Severus commented with humor in his eyes as he looked at the younger man. The boy, for he appeared to be no more than eighteen, squirmed in his chair and looked embarrassed.

“Yeah, I suppose so. Mum mentioned you.” He mumbled and Kathryn realized that the boy was shy. He flushed under the intense scrutiny of the people in the room. Draco was watching him in particular interest and Kathryn wondered if it was because he was a dragon, because he was family in a distant way, or because Draco wasn’t the only blonde in the room anymore.

“So Marie thinks we need an angel and a dragon for the battle and sends them now.” Albus brought their attention back to the more pertinent facts. “I wonder what she saw.” He added and Kathryn nodded. She had, as a child, wished that she had inherited her grandmother’s prescience, until she had began to see the cost of it as the years passed. Knowing the future and being unable to stop so much of it was a terrible burden.

“She thinks the final confrontation will be soon, sir.” Gabriel replied. “More than that, she wouldn’t say.” Albus nodded and took a sip of his tea.

“Did she have any advice?” He asked and the whimsy was back in his voice. “You know, something along the lines of, ‘Stand over here and throw that-a-way?’” There were amused grins on every face as he mimicked tossing a bomb at Voldemort.

“No sir, she said you would need an angel and a dragon and that Harry would know what to do when the time came.” Gabriel shrugged. Harry rolled his eyes and snorted.

“Great. Thanks, Madame.” He sighed and then shrugged. “Well, that’s more information than I had before.” He admitted and Kathryn reached over to pat him gently on the knee. The others were conversing now about plans to be made and Kathryn spoke quietly so that she wouldn’t be overheard.

“You won’t be alone, Mr. Potter. We will all be there beside you.” Harry’s face was grave as he met her eyes.

“That’s all that keeps me sane, Professor.” His voice was low and she was the only one who heard it.

Kathryn crawled into bed and snuggled up beside Severus, the look in Harry’s eyes haunting her. What must it be like to know that the entire world’s future rested on? He? He was facing combat at seventeen, not knowing if he would live or die, but knowing that his death would doom all that he loved. She tried to treat him as though he were just another child; that pretense of normality was all that kept her from locking him away bodily to protect him. She was not sure whether, when the time came, she could stand with any equanimity and let him go into mortal peril.

He was a boy, not yet grown; he was sweet and funny and she loved him like a son. Severus’ shoulder moved beneath her head and she wanted to cry. She loved him as well and he too would be in deadly danger. Severus would be fighting Fenchurch, Harry would be fighting Voldemort and she could only be in one place at a time. Which would she protect, Harry whom the world depended on, or Severus whose death would destroy one Kathryn Leblanc? There were no easy answers and once more, she got little sleep that night.