Within the Wings of a Storm

And Then She Is Your Darkness

Chapter title from "Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac. Note- I changed the title of this chapter for a better fit.
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When Rhiannon awakened the next morning Severus had already gone to breakfast in the Great Hall, which was the norm. He'd scrawled instructions for her to research the technical aspects of both Occlumency and Apparition, as he felt both were more vital now than her regular studies. Much to her surprise he'd left little other direction, and Rhiannon planned to use the opportunity to explore some of the books on his shelves.

With the renewal of morning came a renewed sense of self for her, in a way. If Sirius was well and truly gone, then she was well and truly Snape's. And her last intimate moments with him had given her a taste of what his magic could produce. She wanted to know what he knew. She wanted to wrap herself in the study of the Dark Arts. Knowing it didn't necessarily mean being it. She could straddle the line, just as Severus did. Mastering it, appreciating it, but ultimately using her expertise for the power of the good. It was in her blood; it ought to come naturally.

Rhiannon enjoyed her croissant and jam with her quintessential cup of coffee, then she began perusing the titles on his shelves. There were hundreds, in all varying subjects, including Muggle literature, philosophy, and history. Given what Minerva had told her about his hatred for his Muggle father, she was still a bit surprised, but she remembered Severus saying he valued all aspects of a well-rounded education. His mind simply wanted to understand all facets of everything, which required Muggle knowledge as well as wizard.

She decided the titles she was looking for must be in more remote spots, so she dragged a chair over to reach the higher shelves. The volumes there were almost all black, old, and covered with dust. It must have been years since he'd actually studied them. Most of titles were so obscure she didn't even know where to start or what any of them would actually teach her.

Rhiannon nearly fell off of her standing perch when the door behind her creaked open. She felt like the proverbial kid caught with hand in the cookie jar, only she was the girl caught with a tattered, smelly old copy of a book entitled Basic Blood Magick. The one who caught her was none other than Albus Dumbledore.

"Good morning, Miss Aspenfell. I do hope you are well. If you are seeking assistance with a blood borne pathogen, I do suggest seeing Madame Pomfrey rather than trying to decipher that old tome. It is rather archaic and esoteric."

Rhiannon blushed and returned the volume to its shelf, then stepped down from her makeshift ladder. There was no way Dumbledore could have seen the faded book title from his distance across the room. He was reading her mind as easily as one would a neon Muggle billboard on the side of the road. Rhiannon made a note to remind Severus of the urgent need for Occlumency lessons. It needed to happen tonight. She was tired of these men having access to her private thoughts. In the meantime she threw up her own mental wall, imagining her stallion patronus charging at the old wizard head-on as a warning. Dumbledore met this image with an amused smile.

"You have a defiance in your eyes like your father's," he commented quietly. "When I met him nearly sixty years ago he immediately knew what I was doing and threw up shields. Interesting yours is your Patronus though. I'm not sure I've seen that approach before."

"I have my own way of doing things," Rhiannon replied simply, taking a seat on the sofa with a guarded stance, arms crossed and one leg over another. Dumbledore came over and helped himself to a seat in one of the highback chairs.

"I didn't intend to disturb you, though it may have been fortunate I did." He gave a pointed glance back to the highest of Snape's bookshelves. "I only wanted to deliver a message Professor Lupin brought to me today. Apparently it was too urgent for Owl Post."