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"She told you," Severus said.

"She's worried," Michael replied. "It's all well and good for you to plan the moves of both sides, but if something happens so you're no longer available, she still has to deal with this."

Severus smiled grimly. "She's worth more than the rest of the Order combined." He focused on the question then. "About giants. They are, on average, twenty feet tall, extremely strong and not intelligent, as humans reckon intelligence. They are somewhat resistant to spells, a very aggressive people who distrust wizards and magic."

Michael looked at Zelda in disbelief. "This can't be real," he said uncertainly.

"It's real," she replied. "I saw amazing things at Hogwarts. I met a half-giant too." She paused, then said thoughtfully, "Wouldn't it be easier to persuade them to go away? Giants aren't Death Eaters, and it sounds like they've been tricked into this. Severus, if there are so few, they'll become extinct, and that's horrible."

"What do you suggest?" Severus asked. "Dumbledore sent envoys to the giants, but they failed completely."

"I want to talk to Hagrid," she said forcefully. "If giants really can't grasp that their own survival is at stake, then you can plan how to kill them. But I don't believe it."

Sudden movement and a voice from the wall startled them.

"Shall I send for Professor Hagrid? I doubt he will fit inside this humble shack, but I am at your disposal, Mrs. Larsson."

Phineas Nigellus had been listening for several minutes, and decided it was time to enter the conversation.

She glared at him. "I suppose having you run back and forth between us isn't practical."

"I shall consult with the Headmistress and return directly," he said, sliding out of the frame without waiting for an answer.

"Does he hang out here and spy on us?" Zelda asked suspiciously.

"He cannot be here all the time, but quite possibly he does," Severus replied. "Why?"

A glance at the couch and a tiny smile recalled the previous day's activity to him.

"Oh," he said, imagining that discussion among the portrait population. "Well, it was nowhere near time for his visit," he muttered weakly.

The sound of a portrait throat being cleared recalled them. "The Headmistress wishes all of you to come to Hogwarts immediately," Phineas announced sourly. "That means you too, Snape. I hope you'll keep your pet Muggles well controlled."

Michael's brown eyes were bright with anticipation and, seeing this, Zelda wondered if it was such a good idea.

"How?" Severus asked.

"You are all to Apparate near to the gates of Hogwarts in ten minutes, where Minerva will clear the area. Hagrid will unlock the gates and he will have Potter's cloak for you, Snape." Phineas turned and eyed Zelda. "You have nothing to disguise your Muggle companion, but I suggest that you cover your provocative garment with decent robes."

"I'll look positively nun-like," she said smoothly. "Tell Minerva we'll be there, big guy." She headed for the bedroom and pulled her black work robes out of her bag. She slipped them on, pulled on her black boots, brushed her hair quickly and returned to the others.

Severus had put on his leather jacket and his cloak on in her absence. He smiled approvingly at the return of her witch disguise and then examined Michael's obvious Muggle clothing. "Fortunately, I do not think you will be seen," he remarked. "Are you ready?"

They went outside. Severus pulled the deep hood of his cloak completely over his face, held out an arm to each of them and they were gone.


&&&&&&&&&


It took a minute for Michael catch his breath. He was standing on a narrow, dusty road among huge, ancient trees, and along one side of the road was an elaborate, wrought iron fence that stood about fifteen feet high. It seemed to be early evening, judging by the shadows of the trees. Instinctively he surveyed the area for possible danger, but the sound of forest life was all that he heard.

"This way," Zelda whispered, taking his hand and pulling insistently.

They followed a sinister, black-cloaked figure until they came to the massive gates. Two stone pillars, each topped by what looked like a rabid, flying pig, flanked them.

A huge black dog, the biggest Great Dane that Michael had ever seen, dashed over the rise and began barking excitedly. He reached the gates and glared through at them.

"Fang," Zelda said soothingly. "Remember me? You're a good boy," she murmured, putting her hand up to the gate so he could sniff it.

He ceased barking and flopped to the ground on his back with his tail wagging frantically.

"I can't reach you yet, you big baby," she said with a chuckle.

Hagrid arrived, breathing hard. "Git up, yeh big lout," he shouted at the groveling dog. "Pretend yer good for somethin' besides this.' He glanced back and forth, murmuring," All clear?" to the cloaked figure.

"All clear," Severus replied acidly, as they slipped through the open gates. "Hagrid, are you capable of /stealth/?"

Hagrid blushed. "Not when Fang's with me," he muttered sheepishly. "Here, take this."

He tossed something silvery looking at Severus, who promptly vanished, to Michael's amazement.

"Hi, Hagrid," said Zelda. "Ignore Severus, he gets these little cranky fits sometimes." She knelt briefly to pet the wriggling Fang and kissed the top of his sleek head before she stood up.

A snarl from the air next to her made her giggle, and Hagrid chuckled as they walked by his side, trying to keep up with his large steps.

"This is my friend, Michael," she continued. "He's here to see Minerva, and I'm here to see you."

"Are yeh really?" he said, eyeing her shrewdly. "Nice ter meet yeh, Michael."

Michael simply nodded, overwhelmed as he was by the magical splendor he saw.

"Yep." She grinned. "Severus thinks I'm going to make an ass of myself. It'll be fun. Let's get Michael safely out of public view and then we can get serious."

They were quite close to the castle when Michael staggered and stopped in his tracks.

"What is it?" Severus hissed, shaking his elbow.

"Wait a second, I feel so strange," Michael murmured. "God... Severus, I've never felt this before."

"Stand still and look forward," Severus commanded, moving to stare into the man's eyes. "What do you feel?"

Hagrid and Zelda waited, listening hard.

"Dizzy. Pressure," Michael murmured. He swayed on his feet. "Ah, my brain hurts, but it's... different."

Severus saw confusion and pain. Also fear, which surprised him. "Michael, we must get you to a safe place. Close your eyes, you will sleep now." He murmured an incantation under his breath and caught the man as he sagged forward.

"Let me," Hagrid said, catching Michael and carrying him as if he were a child. "Where to now?"

"Minerva's office," Severus said shortly. He was thinking furiously as they climbed the stairs, and they arrived at the gargoyle to find the spiral staircase open to them.

Hagrid entered the office first, carrying Michael. "Where can I put 'im, Headmistress?" he asked.

"Over there," Minerva replied, pointing to a couch. She was shocked to see that Michael was unconscious and went to stand next to the couch.

The doors had closed behind them all when Severus realized that there was a new player in the room. Kingsley Shacklebolt stood by the window, watching them. He clenched his hand around his wand, hoping Minerva knew what she was about.

Zelda stared as though mesmerized at the very handsome man in the exquisitely tailored suit. He must be a wizard, but he was dressed to kill, and in Muggle clothing. In addition, she had only seen white people at Hogwarts before this. This man was tall and striking, with rich, dark brown skin and gleaming eyes that seemed to see everything.

"Zelda," Minerva said urgently, breaking into her musings, "Meet Kingsley Shacklebolt. He is a member of the Order and an Auror."

He stepped forward and held out his hand. "I'm delighted to meet you, Mrs. Larsson," he said in a deep, rich voice that sent shivers down her spine. "Minerva has told me about you."

"Really?" she murmured softly. "And what's she told you?"

"That you're a Muggle," he replied smoothly, still holding her hand as he fastened his dark eyes on hers.

Zelda slammed her mind closed and reached for his thoughts. She caught a glimpse of his amazement before his mind was as blank and reflective as her own.

"If you're an Auror, you work for the Ministry of Magic," she said. "It seems to be a contradiction. If Minerva trusts you, that's good for her, but why should I?" she asked, pulling her hand from his grasp.

"Do you have something to hide?" he asked in a slow, hypnotic tone. "How could I possibly be a threat to you?"

"I could watch you two fence with each other all day," Minerva interjected, "but I'm concerned about Michael. Zelda, he knows about Severus, so stop worrying." She bent down and put a hand on his forehead.

"So you're really a Muggle? The Ministry would be interested in your remarkable talent," Shacklebolt said. "But you're helping Minerva McGonagall, and no one messes with her, so I'll not speak of this."

"Severus, are you here? Where are you?" Minerva asked irritably. "What's wrong with Michael?"

Severus was kneeling by Michael, and he tossed off the Invisibility Cloak impatiently. Believing that Shacklebolt would not attack him was difficult, but he trusted Minerva. "When he approached the castle, he was overpowered by the intense magical aura, I believe. He seems to be of an extremely sensitive constitution."

"Can he, perhaps, really be a wizard?" Minerva asked.

"No," Severus replied. "It is a very different thing. I shall wake him now, so please be silent as I attempt something." He pointed his wand at Michael, and watched carefully as he woke.

The pressure in his head was wrenching, Michael thought, keeping his eyes closed. But it wasn't pain, just... pressure.

"Michael, if you can hear me, open your eyes," Severus said calmly.

He found himself staring into intense black eyes. "What's happening?" he muttered weakly.

"You are sensitive to magic, Michael, and we must control it if you are to be at Hogwarts."

"Can you make it go away?" he asked.

"That will not work, but you must trust me now," Severus said with a faint smile. "Try not to resist me."

"Uh-oh," he whined.

Zelda giggled. Even semi-conscious he was still a pain in the ass, she thought as she knelt next to Severus.

"You there, babe?" Michael asked weakly, holding out his hand.

She reached over and held it. "Right here."

Severus pushed his way into Michael's mind, deliberately avoiding his thoughts and memories. The man's new awareness of the deep magic around him blazed painfully. He directed a Healing Charm into the afflicted man using Legilimency, watched the blaze died down and withdrew to study his face.

"What did you do?" Michael demanded, sitting up. "I feel better already." He looked around the room in amazement, seeing Severus, Zelda, Minerva, the giant guy and finally... "Who are /you/?" he asked of the sexy man in the gorgeous suit.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt," he replied slowly. "Call me Kingsley. Minerva's told me about you, Michael."

"Ah, okay," he replied stupidly, "I remember. You're the Auror." He collected his wandering wits, shook his head and smiled. "That's a fabulous suit," he said admiringly.

"Armani," Shacklebolt replied a trifle smugly.

"I know," said Michael. He sighed. "But here I am actually at Hogwarts, so I guess we should discuss business. Why are we all here?"

"Giants," Minerva said, hiding her deep relief. It still felt slightly demeaning to be so fond of a Muggle, she thought guiltily, but she had been extremely worried about Michael and was delighted to get back to business.

"What about giants?" Hagrid asked grimly.

"The Dark Lord plans to use about twenty of them to attack Hogwarts," Severus replied bluntly.

"And yeh want ter know how ter kill 'em?" Hagrid asked angrily. It was his worst nightmare, and he began to pace the office, sending bric-a-brac flying in all directions.

"Hagrid!" Zelda said, placing herself in his path. "Stop! I want to talk to you." She held her breath, wondering if she'd be trampled, but he stopped inches from her, glaring suspiciously.

She put a hand on his huge one and said, "Come and sit down, please?"

Minerva thoughtfully conjured a chair that was up to his weight, and he sat, watching Zelda as she sat down next to him.

"Hagrid, I can't believe if the giants really understood what Voldemort's going to do to them they'd follow him. He must've made promises to them. I don't know anything about giants, but you do. What do they really want?" she asked earnestly.

"Why do you care?" he asked sullenly. "They'd as soon kill yeh as look at yeh."

"So what?" she replied impatiently.

He looked at her intently. "What do yeh mean?"

She snorted. "Hagrid, if I walked into a pride of hungry lions, they'd eat me, right? I don't want to be eaten by lions, but I want lions to exist. I never knew giants existed, but now I know, I don't want them to be killed off in this damned war." She looked at him intently. "Can't we convince them to just leave and go live their lives?"

Kingsley watched the conversation closely. It seemed this naive Muggle woman thought treating Magical creatures with respect would accomplish something. Not a Ministry approved method, but interesting. "Hagrid, will anything satisfy the giants so they'll leave this fight?"

"It's impossible, yeh could never do it," he said sadly.

"What?" Minerva asked. "Hagrid, this defeatist attitude is getting us nowhere."

"They're all squashed together in one place and they fight all the time," Hagrid said angrily. "Giants can't live on top of each other. If they could spread out an' be left alone..."

The humans all looked at each other.

"They couldn't be near Muggles," Zelda said thoughtfully. "Isolated areas."

"We could ward the areas, guard them like Hogwarts," Minerva said, wondering if it could really be so simple.

"It is impossible," Severus said flatly. "Giants have every reason to distrust wizards. They will not believe we mean it. Furthermore, the Ministry would never approve it."

"No, the Ministry wouldn't," replied Kingsley in a soothing voice. "But would they have to know? Severus, Minerva and I could set up safeguards ourselves. I'll gladly assist in this effort."

Hagrid's eyes were full of hope. "I kin help find places that'd be good fer 'em," he offered. "I'll go talk to Grawp now and see if he thinks they'll listen ter this."

"Let me know immediately what he says," Minerva told him. "If it will work, we must begin quickly."

He beamed gratefully at them and left the office as fast as he could move.

"Well..." Minerva said into the echoing silence that followed his departure.

The whole scene had played out without Michael speaking up once. His silence was most unusual, but he was studying the office, allowing the magic of the place and the objects around him to permeate his mind. Since Severus had done whatever he had done, he could consciously feel magic radiating from the things around him, but it was no longer unbearably intense.

"May I say something?" Zelda asked. "Just do it. Prepare places and tell the giants they're safe and available."

"What's in that scenario for us? We need promises of cooperation," Kingsley said coolly.

Zelda grinned cynically. "Spoken like a true bureaucrat," she murmured snidely. "I think if you offer it, lots of them might go without discussion. I'm not sure negotiations with wizards will be very effective."

"It's a practical notion," he admitted with a smile. "Let's explore it. If Hagrid finds us two locations besides their current home, we'll do it."

"Who's this 'we' you're talking about?" she asked curiously. "These two have their hands full, I'd say, and aren't you supposed be to dancing attendance on your Prime Minister? Why aren't you there now?"

Kingsley laughed, a deep, strong laugh that warmed Zelda through. He had to be aware of the effect, she thought, trying not to be charmed beyond good sense.

"Civil Service rules state that I have a day off occasionally," he replied. "Proudfoot is substituting in the office this afternoon and he can do it again."

Kingsley Shacklebolt turned then to Severus. "You're silent as usual, Severus Snape," he said genially. "Tell me again why I shouldn't send you straight to Azkaban?"

"Because none of you stand to survive without my assistance," he said coldly, "and I believe you to be a practical man, Shacklebolt."

"There is no need to be defensive, Severus," Minerva said sternly. "I realize that you do not wish to trust anyone, but Kingsley is helping us and we need him."

Severus looked irritably at Zelda, who had seemed far too intrigued by the elegant wizard. When she rolled her eyes absurdly and smiled, blowing a kiss discreetly to him, he suddenly felt better. "You are right, Minerva," he said calmly. "My apologies, Shacklebolt."

"Please call me, Kingsley," the other wizard said politely.

"How splendid to see you working together so harmoniously," a familiar voice proclaimed from the wall. They all started, and turned to find Professor Dumbledore's portrait beaming benevolently at them, exactly as he had in life.

Zelda was the first to recover her wits. She loved magical portraits more every time she was exposed to them and she marched happily over to stand in front of Dumbledore. "It's wonderful to see you, Professor," she cooed. "Have you ever thought of changing jobs with Phineas and being our communication link? You seem so much more cheerful."

"Ah, but dear lady, you and Phineas are forming a bond. He would be devastated to hear your suggestion," Dumbledore responded gallantly.

The others had come to stand around Zelda and gaze at Dumbledore, and he smiled fondly upon them. "Friends, you are all looking very well," he said firmly. "Dark times are coming, but you must face the danger with stout hearts. Trust each other and you will prevail."

"What a revolting cesspool of platitudes," Severus snapped, his lip curled in disgust. "Are you trying to unite us in nausea?"

"Really, Albus, Severus has a point, you know," Minerva said acerbically. "Have you given your allotment of useful information away for today?"

"You indeed seem to be becoming a cynical lot," Dumbledore replied. "Kingsley, dear boy, I hope that you have not given in to this prevailing negativity."

"Never, Sir," the wizard replied with a winsome smile. "I'm curious though, did you really ask Severus Snape to kill you?"

Dumbledore heaved a dramatic sigh, after eyeing Severus, who had frozen in place. "Alas, yes I did," he murmured softly. "It was for the greater good, and I hope that when all is said and done, his courageous act will be understood."

Zelda took a step back and leaned against Severus, finding his hand with her own and squeezing it. She felt him squeeze firmly back and she smiled, realizing that Dumbledore was watching them. When he winked at her, she smirked cheerily back at him.

"Michael, this is our late Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore," Minerva murmured.

"Hello," Michael said, unable to resist smiling. Even as a magical portrait, Albus Dumbledore exuded charm and wit. "Don't let Zelda's negative attitude about Phineas bother you. You're welcome to bring a portrait to my house and visit any time, but Phineas treats Zelda and me like we're cat puke, so I want to keep him forever. He's such an amazing bitch."

"He is indeed," Dumbledore replied with a chuckle. "In his life he never knew clever and amusing non-magical people, so knowing you and Mrs. Larsson is an education for what is left of him. I like to think we are capable of learning even in this condition."

"Do not presume to speak for me, Dumbledore," Phineas hissed spitefully. "I have learned nothing except that Muggle women are shockingly over-sexual beasts."

Oooo, Phineas," Zelda murmured seductively, "Too hot for you to handle?" She cocked her hip at his portrait and whispered, "Kiss this!" She smacked her bottom at him and turned back to Severus, where she said, "He probably never knew clever and amusing wizards, either."

Phineas glared spitefully at Zelda, as all the other portrait subjects laughed heartily at his discomfiture. "I shall see you at midnight, Mrs. Larsson, unless you are back at your normal activities with Mr. Snape." He sniffed and walked out of his frame.

"Are we finished here, Minerva?" Zelda asked hopefully.

"Yes, we are. Thank you so much for rushing to assist us," Minerva said pleasantly. "Michael, I hope that Severus can learn why you reacted so strongly to the magic of Hogwarts, so you can come back again."

"Thanks, Minerva," he said quietly. "I'll be staying with Zelda and Severus for a couple of days if you want to practice." He held a hand out to her and she clasped it firmly.

"I shall walk you out to the gates," she said graciously.

Kingsley smiled warmly and offered his hand to each of them in turn. Charming to the last, Zelda thought, smiling coolly up at him. "It's lovely to have met you, Kingsley, and I'm very happy that we're on the same side here."

"No worries, pretty lady," he rumbled in that deep, sexy voice. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "See you soon, luv," he murmured provocatively.

Zelda flashed him a brittle smile and turned quickly, following the others down the moving stairs. She looked irritably behind her once and saw him still smiling in the doorway of the office.