Severus contacted Mad-Eye as soon as he returned from Malfoy Manor and told him what he had discovered. "The problem is nobody has any idea where Pettigrew might have gone to ground."
"I'll put Shacklebolt, Crockford, Knightly, and myself on it. If we can't find him, nobody can although I'll admit it's gonna be a lot harder if he stays in his Animagus form."
"I will inform you if I hear anything else," Severus replied.
"I'd appreciate that," Mad-Eye said.
The next morning Severus was preparing Saturday breakfast with Harry and Lily helping him when the floo sounded. Harry went to see who it was then called, "Dad, its Regulus for you."
Severus walked into the living room. "Good morning, Reg. I was preparing breakfast and you are invited."
Reg removed the ash from his robe before stepping out. "Good morning!"
Severus headed back to the kitchen with Harry and Reg following him. "Harry, would you mind setting the table for four please?"
"Sure Dad," Harry replied taking plates out of the cupboard and cutlery out of the drawer.
Lily watched over the breakfast potatoes frying in an iron skillet while Severus cooked the Sausage, Spinach, and Egg Strata and flipped over the bacon. Harry came back into the kitchen and got the teapots full of hot and freshly brewed tea and then came back and got the pitchers of orange and tomato juice out of the refrigerator.
Severus moved to get a platter out of the cupboard to put the bacon on while Harry checked on the blueberry muffins he had made earlier that were baking in the oven.
Finally everything was ready and on the table. They sat down and began to pass round the plates and bowls of food and everyone filled their plates.
After Severus had taken several bites of his food he asked Regulus, "What brings you out so early on a Saturday morning?"
"Oh! I just had to tell you what I witnessed last night," Reg answered. "Dad, Mum, and me were invited to a dinner party Fudge gave for his niece who was visiting. Siri and Potter were there and Siri was encouraging Potter to introduce himself to her and I caught him switching the place cards so Potter would be sitting next to her. They seemed to be getting along famously," Reg said sarcastically rolling his eyes.
"Surely somebody will tell the poor girl what she's getting herself into?" Lily asked. "And somebody will surely inform her how Potter callously disowned his own son."
"Siri threatened me about telling her," Reg replied. "But I said there were a lot of people besides me attending the party that knew about it so Potter can't hope to keep it quiet for very long. The Longbottoms were there and they all looked thoroughly disgusted!"
"The Potter's, your grandparents Harry, always kept up a close alliance with Fudge," Lily explained. "So maybe that's why he doesn't mind Potter's interest in his niece."
"And he would not have heard of Harry's disownment because any transaction done at Gringotts is held to a code of the highest secrecy," Severus pointed out.
"I didn't give a hoot when he did disown me, but I think somebody should tell her what a creep he is," Harry stated. "I'll bet Mrs. Longbottom would do it. She seems the type to speak her mind and not be bothered what anybody else thinks."
Regulus smiled. "Good idea, Harry! Both she and my mum belong to the Witches Aid Society. Maybe I should suggest to mum that she let Mrs. Longbottom know what an outrage she thought it was seeing Potter sucking up to Fudge's niece after disowning his own son."
"That might work," Severus replied with a smirk. Harry was right. Augusta would not give a Shrivelfig about speaking her mind.
Severus brought Reg up to date on Pettigrew. "If he has gone to ground as a rat it is going to be very difficult to find him amongst the millions of other rats throughout Britain."
"Doesn't he have a toe missing or something?" Reg asked then added. "Although I don't imagine it will help in finding him as there's probably hundreds of rats with missing toes."
"I have got Mad-Eye on it," Severus replied. "If anybody can find Pettigrew it will be him."
The end of year was fast approaching and Severus was kept busy revising for the end of year tests, OWLs, and NEWTs. He expected all his students to do well on them. Pomona had told him that the mandrakes were ready and together they brewed the mandrake draught.
Pomona announced at breakfast the next morning that Severus and she had brewed the Mandrake Restorative Draught and it was now ready for Poppy to administer it to the petrified students. Albus, Minerva, Severus, Lily, Pomona, Filius, and Mr. Filch were in the hospital wing to watch Poppy administer the draught and watched as Colin Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchly, and Mrs. Norris woke up. Pomona and Minerva comforted their individual house members and explained what had happened while Mr. Filch picked up Mrs. Norris, hugging her tightly.
Poppy looked over at Sir Nicholas with a confused expression on her face.
"What is wrong, Poppy?" Severus asked.
"How do I administer the potion to Sir Nicholas? I've never had a ghost that needed my services before so I have no idea how to rid him of the petrifaction."
Severus thought about it for a moment and then suggested. "I suppose you could try pouring the draught over him."
Severus levitated Sir Nicholas while Poppy slid a tub under him and Severus lowered him back down again. Poppy poured a flask of Mandrake Draught over Sir Nicholas' head and stepped back by Severus. Nick's head fell off his neck as the petrifaction left him. He floated up and out of the tub then stopped and put his head back in place. "Where am I? What happened?"
"You were accidently petrified, Sir Nicholas," Severus explained. "You have been that way since December and it is now the middle of May."
"Oh my!" Nick exclaimed. "The school year's almost over with!"
"Yes, only a little over a month left of it," Poppy said.
"I must go find the Fat Friar, the Grey Lady, and the Bloody Baron and catch up on all the gossip," he said. "Thank you for returning me." He floated off in search of his fellow ghosts.
Poppy gave a sigh of relief. "Perhaps now the school can return to normal."
"Is Hogwarts ever normal?" Severus asked rhetorically.
Colin Creevey and Justin Finch-Fletchly had been excused from their classes and final exams and allowed to go home early. Minerva and Pomona flooed them to the Leaky Cauldron where their parents picked them up. They were each been given a list of tutors to help Colin and Justin catch up over the summer and then they would take their exams at the end of the summer.
Mrs. Norris was seen roaming the halls once again becoming the bane of the Weasley Twins and other rule-breakers.
"Dad, what are we going to do about Nessendra over the summer?" Harry asked one evening at dinner.
Severus replied. "Salazar can visit her whenever he wants without a problem and she is able to leave to hunt. She should be fine until we get back in September."
"Well, I want to go down and visit her and let her know so she doesn't think I've abandoned her."
"It might be best if you wait until the headmaster is called to the Ministry as he often is during the week," Severus suggested. "I will ask Minerva to inform us when he does leave."
"Okay, but I wish we had a way to get in without having to use the second-floor girl's bathroom all the time."
"I suppose we could try the outside entrance. Remus and I made it so it pushes opens from either side."
"I don't know Sev," Lily said. "Nessendra might think you're there to attack her if we come in that way."
"No Mum, she wouldn't because I always let her know who I am before I get to her lair," Harry said.
"We should try it," Severus said. "We can go out the back door here and that way we need not risk the headmaster seeing us. We can go through the gate out here and around the castle to Nessendra's outside entrance."
"Yeah, let's go," Harry replied enthusiastically. They went out the back door in Severus' quarters, walked across the lawn between the gardens to the gate near the Forbidden Forest. Severus had securely warded the gate as soon as he had taken over the position as potion master.
"Where is this entrance?" Lily asked.
"It should be...yes there it is," Severus called over his shoulder, pointing. He placed his shoulder against the door and shoved hard until it yielded enough to allow them through.
The first thing Harry did was to hiss their identity. "Nessendra? It's Harry and my parents."
"Harry?" Nessendra hissed back. They heard a loud slithering sound and then Nessendra's head came into view from around the corner. "Why did you come in by my hunting door?" She asked.
"To better keep you a secret," Harry hissed his explanation back. "We don't want to take a chance of the headmaster finding out about you."
They followed Nessendra back to her lair. Lily studied the picture frame they had purchased for Salazar. "I can make a copy of this frame to hang at Witches Moon and then Lord Slytherin can report directly to us and let us know if anything has changed.
"Great idea, Lily," Severus replied. "I especially want to know if he or Nessendra see any rats with missing toes."
Lily said the incantation and waved her wand and within a few minutes an exact copy of Salazar frame appeared beneath the original. Severus shrank it and placed it in his pocket.
Harry explained that they would soon be leaving for the summer, but they would be back in the fall and he would come to see her right after school started again. "In the meantime, you should keep your eyes peeled for that rat that was here before," Harry hissed. "He not really a rat, but a human who can turn himself into a rat."
"If I see that rat again, I shall eat him!" Nessendra declared.
Harry grinned and said to his parents, "She said if she sees Pettigrew again she'll eat him."
"I hope she doesn't get indigestion if she does," Lily stated.
"Harry, please tell Nessandra that we need the rat alive because he may have valuable information," Severus said.
Harry repeated what his dad had said to Nessandra. She hissed back at him. Harry grinned. "She says if she sees him again, she'll hold him prisoner until we get back."
"Excellent!" Severus replied.
They said goodbye to Nessendra and returned to Severus' quarters the way they had left. When they were back inside, Lily breathed a sigh of relief.
Severus went into the Slytherin common room through his office to check on his snakes. It was a nice day out so he expected the majority of them to be outside. There were only a few students, mostly seventh years who were studying for their NEWTs. Severus nodded at them and returned to his office and through there into his quarters.
Harry had decided to return to Ravenclaw Tower. He and his friends were gathering there to revise for their final exams.
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
Reg stepped out the floo in Grimmauld Place. Kreacher was there immediately to greet him. "Kreacher is serving tea to mistress."
"I'll join mum, Kreacher," Reg replied.
He went to the conservatory where his mother always had her afternoon tea. Walburga rose as she saw him walk in. "Regulus, dear."
"Hello Mum," he said giving her a kiss on her cheek. "How has your day gone?"
"Busy. As you know I am having a large dinner party for your father's 60th birthday and I've been so busy planning the menu, the decorations, and the flowers with the elves," she replied as Kreacher brought in the tea service with a plate of shortbread.
Reg saw his chance. "Are you inviting Siri?"
"Yes, but unfortunately I cannot tell Sirius to leave his disgusting friend at home."
Regulus saw an immediate opening and dived in. "That was pretty repulsive seeing Potter playing up to Fudge's niece when he disowned his own son."
"I think the majority of people were shocked at seeing it," Walburga answered.
"I don't think she knows about Potter disowning his son because it was done at Gringotts," Reg replied. "And any transactions done there are held in the highest secrecy. The only reason I know is because Severus told me and Lily told Alice and that's probably how the Longbottom's know."
"I realize Cornelius' niece is not the smartest, but surely she deserves better than James Potter. The Witches Aid society meets tomorrow. Perhaps I should have a word with Augusta about it."
"I think that's a good thing to do. The poor girl obviously needs guidance in finding a proper husband," Reg replied.
"I believe you are correct, Regulus," Walburga replied with a cunning look in her eyes.
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
James was stretched out on the couch in the library of Potter Manor. Sirius was still on patrol, guarding against Death Eaters who had slipped through their cordons originally and were still at large like Snivellus and Malfoy.
He thought about Fudge's dinner party the other night. His niece, Amber, had been quite attractive and charming company much more so than Lily had ever been. He had expressed the hope of seeing her again and her response seemed to indicate that she was not adverse to the idea.
He picked up the evening Prophet which he had tossed on the floor previously in disgust. The headline read: Search for Pettigrew On: Aurors Scrimgeour and Moody Ask for the Public's Cooperation in His Capture!
James made a disgusted face. How could anybody believe that Peter, who was a complete dolt and almost a Squib, could have been a Death Eater since the age of seventeen and he and Siri wouldn't have known it?
Sirius came into the library at that point and flopped down in one of the squashy armchairs. "Merlin's Hat! I'm fed up with idiots who scream for an Auror every time they see somebody dressed in black! Pretty soon we'll be arresting funeral corteges the way it's going!"
Did you see this?" James asked tossing Sirius the paper. "We ought to sue that brainless boob, Barnabas Cuffe!"
Sirius read the story and then started laughing. "They really think a moron like Peter could do all this? Remember that time our seventh year when he was trying to change his sock color to purple and he misaimed and ended up with a purple dick?"
James laughed so hard he almost rolled off the couch. "I'd forgotten about that, Padfoot! We had to take him to Madam Pomfrey and Lily got mad at me because I was late taking her to Hogsmeade."
"He was almost in permanent possession of a purple dick because Madam Pomfrey wasn't sure she could reverse it!" Sirius replied giving a loud bark of laughter.
"But Cuffe's insulting us because he's implying we were too stupid to realize Peter was a Death Eater. We know You-Know-Who took losers because he took Snivellus and Malfoy, but even he wouldn't have accepted a misfit like Peter! Merlin's Wand he's almost a Squib!"
Cuffe's just blowing a lot of smoke out his arse to sell more copies of his worthless paper," Sirius replied tossing the paper into the fireplace. "If you sue him, it's just going to give him even more smoke to blow out his arse!"
"I suppose," James said.
"So tell me, Prongs how did it go with Amber last night? Are you going to see her again?"
"Well, I mentioned it to her that I'd like it if we could see each other again and she wasn't adverse to it," James replied.
"I've been thinking about seeing Mary again," Sirius admitted.
"Go for it, Padfoot!"
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
NEWT and OWL exams were the first two weeks in June and the examiners as usual arrived on Sunday evening. They seemed ancient to Harry and his friends. Draco wondered aloud if they'd still be alive in three years.
"I would assume so," Hermione said primly. "Look how old Dumbledore is."
Harry didn't want to hurt her feelings by pointing out that Dumbledore didn't always appear to be in his right mind either.
The twins appeared at the Ravenclaw table where they were seated and sat down next to Harry. "Are you guys nervous about your OWLs?" Harry asked.
Fred shook his head. "Nah. The ones who worry about OWLs and NEWTs are people like Percy who want careers at the Ministry. We don't."
"What are you planning to do if you don't want to work at the Ministry?" Hermione asked.
"We're planning to be our own bosses, men of commerce," George said.
"We're going to open a joke shop because we know the territory well and we have a lot of ideas for jokes to invent," Fred added.
"I don't see how you can compete with Zonko's or Gambol & Japes," she said. "They've been around for years."
"That's just it, Hermione," George said. "They've been around for years and their joke stuff they sell is old, boring, and tired."
"We've got tons of ideas for all kinds of new joke items," Fred said.
Luna looked curiously at them. "I like jokes. I hope you succeed."
Some of the older girls at the table tittered and started whispering, pointing at Luna.
Harry frowned. He knew that Luna was being bullied by some of the girls that were two years older than her because they thought she was strange. He knew from what Hermione said that Cho Chang and her friends often hid Luna's clothing, her books and her homework just to be mean. He'd wanted to tell Professor Flitwick, but Hermione had cautioned him that he might make it worse for Luna. He decided to talk with his parents after dinner about it and see what they might suggest.
When the Snape's returned to their quarters after dinner and Blinky had brought tea, Harry asked, "Can I talk with you about something that's been bothering me, but I'm not sure if I should do anything about it?"
"Of course Harry," Lily said.
"Are you having a problem with one of your classes or your homework?" Severus asked.
"No, nothing like that."
"Is someone bothering you? If Ron is still being nasty to you; I'm going to have a talk with Molly and Arthur," Lily swore.
"No it's not Ron and it's not me. It's Luna actually. There's some older Ravenclaw girls that have picked on her since the first week of school. They take her clothes, her books, and her homework and hide them so she can't find them. I mean Luna is different and she believes in some strange things, but she's also really nice. That's no reason to bully her just because they think she's odd."
"No it is not," Severus said with a frown.
"I thought about talking to Professor Flitwick, but Hermione said it might make things worse for Luna if I talked to him and I don't want to do that."
"I think you should talk to Professor Flitwick, Harry," Lily said. "He knows how to handle it so the girls won't find out who actually told and won't think it was Luna."
"Your mother's right Harry," Severus said. "If Luna is being bullied then you need to stand up for her."
"Okay, I think I'll go and talk to him right now then," Harry decided and got up.
"Let us know how it went," Lily said.
Harry nodded and left.
Severus got up too. He had office hours for his snakes from 7 until 9. Fortunately he did not have any detention to supervise tonight nor was he patrolling tonight. "I'll see you in two hours," Severus said giving Lily a kiss and picking up a pile of essays that needed correcting.
"Okay, Sev," Lily said.
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
Harry knocked on the door of Filius' office and when he called, "Come in, Mr. Snape," Harry figured he must have his door charmed like Professor McGonagall's was.
Harry came in. "Sir, I wanted to talk to you about something you might not be aware of."
"And what is that, Mr. Snape?" Filius asked.
"My friend, Luna Lovegood is being bullied by some of the older girls. Mainly it's Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecombe, and two other friends of theirs. They hide her clothes, her books, and her homework. They think she's odd and deserves to be treated badly."
"How long has this been going on?" Filius demanded.
"Since the beginning of the year. I've tried to convince Luna that she should let you know what they're doing, but she thinks they're just teasing her."
"Ravenclaw is not Gryffindor and I will not permit a student under my care to be bullied! I will have a chat with Miss Chang, Miss Edgecombe and whoever else is involved in this and make it clear that bullying is not tolerated and if it continues despite my warning, they will receive detention and the loss of house points. Thank you for letting me know about this unseemly behavior, Mr. Snape."
"Will you make it clear it wasn't Luna who told you so they don't think it was and really gang up on her?"
"Of course," Filius assured him. "I will send them a message to come to my office immediately."
"Thanks Professor," Harry replied.
"Thank you for defending a fellow Ravenclaw, Mr. Snape," Filius said.
He left the office and returned to the Ravenclaw common room where his other friends were seated and busily revising for their final exams. In a few minutes, Harry saw Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecombe, and two of their other friends come down the stairs that led to the girl's dormitories and head towards Professor Flitwick's office.
Ginny and Luna had joined their study group and we're studying quietly.
About 20 minutes Cho and her friends came storming back into the common room.
"How did Professor Flitwick find out?" Marietta hissed.
"Someone tattled that's how!" One of the others whispered. They continued upstairs to the dorms still moaning and grumbling.
Harry smiled. He hoped they'd learned their lesson and would leave Luna alone now.
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
The Witches Aid Society meeting this month was held at Meadowview Manor, the Longbottom Estate.
It was after the official business had been concluded and the witches were gathered around the table of refreshments that Walburga approached Augusta.
"I trust you felt the same way as I did about that sickening display at Cornelius' dinner party the other night," she said.
"Indeed!" Augusta said nodding her head vigorously. "We heard about Potter disowning his own son from Neville who was sitting by Harry when the letter from Gringotts came," she replied. "Lily also told Alice about it and she told Frank and I."
"That poor girl does not know what she is getting herself into with that ruffian James Potter," Walburga said. "Cornelius and his wife have been shockingly lax about who they allow their niece to associate with."
"The Potters, before their deaths, had always supported Cornelius so it's no surprise he would allow his niece to become acquainted with James," Augusta said. "I never like them or Cornelius! They're too toadying for my taste!"
"Orion does not like them either. He complains how much Cornelius has cut the Auror Department's budget and how Potter is always nipping off to see Dumbledore rather than completing the assignments he is given."
"I think we would be doing the girl a favor, dare I say even say a mercy, to cautiously and carefully inform her that she does not have to accept the first proposal that comes down the road," Augusta said. "And James Potter is far from the best."
Walburga smiled, nodded and began to talk of her husband's upcoming 60th birthday party.
~*~* Page Break ~*~*
Peter sat in one of the squashy red arm chairs inside the hidden quarters of the house in Godric's Hollow reading that morning's Daily Prophet. He had been stealing the newspaper by levitating it off the porches of the magical residents there. He chuckled as imagined all the outraged floo calls and owl messages Barnabas Cuffe must be receiving from people in Godric's Hollow about their missing papers.
He had a least six months worth of food here before he would need to find himself another bolt hole. He was sure the Aurors were looking for him, but since Dumbledore, other than James and Lily, was the only ones who'd known about this emergency refuge, the chances of them finding him were nil. It had been James who told him about it.
He needed to find a way to raise hell so the Wizarding World would think another dark lord had risen and while they were dealing with that he would be breaking Mulciber out of Azkaban. That's when the real fun would start!
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