Smoke cleansing my apartment before the Full Moon:)
Currently burning:
Basil (remove negative energy from home, purification)
Thyme (purify the area, good health)
Frankincense resin (cleansing)
Rosemary (remove - energy, promote clear thinking
Found another cast iron cauldron at goodwill it’s like the universe wants me to burn stuff lol I found this one and a big one I’ll post a pic of later it’s so crazy cool I couldn’t believe I found it there! Both are like barely used too. 🖤
"Ah, Severus, thank you for joining me," Albus said pleasantly as Severus took a seat in the headmaster's office.
Severus nodded and waited for Albus to get on with what he wanted. Thanks to his spying and his extracurricular activities with Miranda, he was a bit behind in class preparation and sleep, both of which were making him irritable.
"I've asked your friend Miss Rose to join us," Albus began, a knowing smile on his face.
"She's not my friend," Severus interrupted petulantly. He hated Albus’s knowing smile, especially when it was directed at him.
"As you say," Albus said, eyes still twinkling. “I am sure you are aware of Miss Rose’s interesting occupation."
“Unfortunately."
"She's been turning her attention to our friend Sirius."
"He's not my friend either."
"Of course, of course. The point is, she's been coming rather closer to the Order than is perhaps prudent. It is time we discover what side she is on."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"I think your talents will be most beneficial during this meeting,” Albus observed.
"That's what Lucius Malfoy said a few weeks ago,” Severus commented dryly.
"If you've already read the lady's mind, you could simply divulge the information and save us all some time."
"I...haven't." Severus drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair as he realized that it had never occurred to him to do so. Legilimency was much more invasive than veritaserum and he supposed he respected her too much to try to invade her privacy in such a way. He was extremely annoyed with himself for this.
"No?" Albus asked, amused.
“No." Severus answered shortly. He clearly wanted to end the discussion.
“Does that mean that you believe her story?” Albus asked, ignoring Severus’s irritation.
“As far as I have been able to verify it.” He did, in fact, trust Miranda, although he could not say exactly why. She seemed honest, but she might simply be an excellent liar. There was a trail of documents at the Ministry of Magic confirming her address and occupation. He’d checked the school records at Ilvermorny and those also agreed with what she had told him, but he knew such things could be falsified. It was entirely possible that she was working for Voldemort to test Severus’s loyalty. Hell, she could be a spy for MACUSA for all he knew. Disturbed by his carelessness he added, “Without further interrogation it is impossible to be completely sure.”
“I agree,” Albus said. He frowned and then asked, “Do you know if it was Lord Voldemort who put her on Sirius’s trail?”
“I don’t. Lucius has not been keeping me informed of his plans. The Dark Lord has not mentioned her in my presence. It is entirely possible that hiring her was an independent action by Cornelius Fudge that Lucius commandeered.”
“That may be hoping for too much,” Albus observed. “I wonder if it would be wise for the young lady to return to America.”
Severus snorted. “You try to tell Miranda to do something wise.”
There was a knock on the office door and Miranda strode into the room.
”Hello, Headmaster, thank you for taking the time to see me," she greeted, smiling.
“Of course, Miss Rose. Punctual again I see," Albus replied, gesturing to a chair next to Severus.
She eyed Severus as she took her seat. "I wasn't aware that we were going to have company," she said evenly.
“Yes, this must be rather distressing,” Albus said, eyes twinkling, “particularly since Severus has informed me that the two of you are not friends, but I thought that he might be useful during our meeting. I hope you can endure it, my dear. Would you care for a lemon drop?”
Her jaw tightened, but she took a lemon drop. “It’s just as well,” she said, her voice cooler than it had been, “I have questions for Professor Snape also.”
“I am afraid that I must tell you something that you will not like,” Albus went on pleasantly.
“Oh?” She asked, arching an eyebrow.
"You came to this meeting thinking you were going to be asking the questions. I'm afraid you were mistaken. The time has come for me to ask you questions."
"Really?" Her expression was a mask of amusement as she wondered what was going on here. ”Do you mind if I smoke Headmaster?"
"I do, in fact," he replied easily.
Severus raised an eyebrow at this, especially as he noticed her fingers twitch as though she wanted to reach for her wand. How interesting that she was so tense in Albus’s office when she had seemed so relaxed at Malfoy Manor.
"I think you should hand Severus your wand as well,” Albus ordered politely.
She hesitated a moment, but then did as Albus demanded. She smiled blandly and asked, "Well, gentlemen, what can I do for you?"
"You have been asking many questions about former Hogwarts students,” Albus began. “You have been drawing quite a bit of attention to them and, as a result, raising questions about their current locations and activities. I want this to stop."
"I wasn't aware that tracking a murderer was an activity that the Headmaster of Hogwarts would want to stop,” she observed.
"Sirius Black is many things, but not a murderer.”
“Do you have proof of this?”
“Unfortunately the eye witness and the culprit are one in the same and currently at large.”
“That is unfortunate.”
“Miss Rose, how much do you know about the Wizarding War that took place here about twenty years ago?”
She shrugged. “I know the basics. Some fool styling himself ‘Lord Voldemort’ got a lot of folks worked up over blood-purity and used it as an excuse for a lot of destruction and murder. He mysteriously vanished after attacking a baby named Harry Potter who, as I understand, is currently at Hogwarts and is Professor Snape’s least favorite student.” She smiled wryly at Severus and he gave her a withering look. Then she turned back to Albus and quipped, “I wasn’t aware there was going to be a quiz on British History today, or I would have studied harder.”
“It’s quite all right. You do seem to have the basics correct, but I wonder if you quite understand the depth of terror that reigned here during that time,” Albus commented.
Her smile vanished and she looked rather serious. “No, I don’t, but I do understand that it is not a joking matter.” She studied Albus for a long time and then asked, “Headmaster, is there a reason that you are raising an army of witches and wizards against the Ministry of Magic?"
"We are not arming against the Ministry per se."
"Then what exactly is going on?"
"Voldemort has returned. Minister Fudge is determined to deny this fact and I am determined not to be taken by surprise the way we were when the last Wizarding War began."
“I see,” she said slowly, her fingers fidgeting with the lemon drop and her mind racing. If Albus was correct, than Severus’s checkered past was not quite so much in the past.
She eyed Severus again. “No wonder you were so tense at Malfoy’s,” she said dryly.
His eyes were glittering as he stared back at her. He found it highly amusing to see her caught off guard. “Indeed. I told you it was fortunate that you weren’t dead,” he gloated.
“Well, I didn’t know Malfoy was an active Death Eater when I took the invitation, did I?”
“Perhaps you should have been more careful in your research. It seems as sloppy as your potion making.”
Her eyes narrowed angrily. “You could have volunteered a bit of information, you know.”
His lip curled and he replied, “You made it clear that you don’t like to mix business and pleasure. It is not my fault if you are not as clever as you thought you were.”
“Not as clever!” she sputtered, shooting out of her chair. “I’m the one who talked us out of that situation, as I recall. You didn’t do anything but try to slip me veritaserum. What was your plan after that? A bit of Imperio? Some Cruciatus for giggles?” She whirled back to Albus and said with a forced smile, “Headmaster, I think I need a cigarette. I can keep the smell away from you, I promise."
"The smell is not the problem, my dear, the magic you do with the smoke is,” Albus replied calmly.
Severus snorted. "So that's what you've been doing.”
"Not on you,” she retorted. “I didn't need to use any magic on you."
"Do stop bickering children, we haven't the time," Albus interrupted. "Miss Rose, I am afraid I can no longer ignore you. I want to know whose side you are on."
"I'm not on a side,” she deflected. “America stayed out of the last Wizarding War and I expect we'll do the same if another one begins. I’d probably be sanctioned by MACUSA if I were officially to declare a side."
"Everyone must choose a side, official or not. Politics don't matter to anyone but people like Cornelius Fudge."
"The man is my client. If I gain a reputation for betraying my clients, it'll be bad for business,” she protested angrily.
"I'm not asking for an outright betrayal. I am simply asking you to cease investigating the Order. It would also be very good if you would continue to track Sirius Black, but fail to find him.”
"Oh, so you just want me to look incompetent?"
"In a manner of speaking,” Albus said patiently. “Voldemort is one of the strongest wizards ever to live. If he comes to power, he will spread death and destruction throughout the wizarding world, I daresay, even in America. I believe Severus mentioned that you are of Muggle descent. Witches like you will be the first target if Voldemort is triumphant.”
Miranda had started pacing, trying process everything that Albus had revealed. She was furious that she had somehow missed such an important detail as the resurrection of Lord Voldemort, although she supposed that might explain all of the extra activity among the darker magical creatures. She was also fighting to regain control of her temper. While she might have been willing to take on Severus in a fight, she could tell she was no match for Albus. She was at their mercy as long as she was in this office. She’d assumed that they were trust-worthy, but she’d just been shown that several of her assumptions were rather incorrect.
Severus was watching her intently and seemed to have guessed her train of thought.
“Sit down, Miranda,” he ordered quietly. “We aren’t going to attack you. At most, we may have to modify your memory, but you have a much better chance of leaving this room unharmed than you did of walking out of Malfoy Manor at all.”
She stopped pacing and glared at him. “And I’m supposed to trust you? If Voldemort is back, it seems you’re an active Death Eater rather than a former one.”
“Miss Rose, I trust Severus completely,” Albus stated firmly. “And, moreover, I believe that you do as well.”
She inhaled sharply, but allowed, “I suppose that is true, although Heaven knows why.”
She sat back down and was silent for a long time. She finally said, in a business-like tone, “I think we have two issues at hand: the first being what I’m going to do about Mr. Black and the second regarding an English civil war that you’re asking me illegally to take sides in. I think we should deal with the issues one at a time.”
“I understand that this must come as a shock to you Miss Rose,” Albus observed, “but I believe that you are of a strong constitution. I am willing to give you the time you require to take a decision.”
“I am going to take your word on Black’s innocence.” She smirked and added, “Honestly, it is my inclination not to trust government authorities and Malfoy gives me the creeps, so I’d rather not do his and Fudge’s bidding anyway. I can also promise not to reveal what you are up to. I can’t promise to help you beyond that just yet, although I am willing to consider the matter.”
“Thank you, Miss Rose.” Albus smiled at her. “However, there is still the matter of vetting you.”
“How do you propose to do that?”
"I would like you to allow Severus to see your thoughts. He is an expert Legilimens. If he thinks that we can trust you, we will trust you."
She looked grim and asked, ”Is it really necessary to use Legilimency? Is there nothing else I can do?"
"Do you have something to hide?" Severus demanded.
"No more than anyone else. It's just…” Her voice trailed off and for a moment she looked rather vulnerable. “It's going to be unpleasant. I can't let you into my mind, it simply won't work. I was telling the truth the other evening at Malfoy Manor. I really am immune to veritaserum. When you enter my mind, there will only be a wall. You can bore through it, but I can't lower it to let you in. I also can’t get out to perform Legilimency myself without boring through the wall. It’s a shame, it would have been a useful skill in my profession”
"I am sorry, Miss Rose, but I must insist,” Albus said firmly. “Perhaps you would prefer to create the necessary entrance?”
She shook her head, looking resigned. “No. It will be faster if Severus does it. I have a hard time maintaining consciousness when I try to cut my way out.” She folded her legs underneath her in the chair, closed her eyes, and began to breathe slowly and rhythmically. After about five minutes, she opened her eyes and said, “I am ready.”
Severus rose and drew his wand. He had never heard of the strange mental protection that Miranda had described and he did not relish the idea of cutting his way into her mind. He half wished that Albus would do his own dirty work. He frowned and held her silver gaze with his black one. “Legillimens,” he said.
He was standing on a dusty road inside her mind, facing a smooth, gray wall. It reached as high as he could see. He pushed at it, hoping there would be another way in, but it felt as hard as physical stone. In her mind’s eye, he drew his wand and commanded, “Scalpero.”
Red sparks began drilling a hole through the wall. Miranda was sweating, fighting to keep her breathing even. Severus knew he was hurting her, but he put it out of his mind. He had a job to do and the sooner it was finished the better. Slowly and steadily the hole grew larger. Finally he forced his way through the barrier and her thoughts were swirling around him.
……Miranda was wrestling the werewolf, grunting in pain as it slashed her from shoulder to hip…She was lying on Severus’s bed and he was reading to her…She was six years old, singing and twirling around the parlor of a farmhouse in winter. A large man with bright blue eyes was playing the fiddle while a kind-faced woman wearing spectacles and four boys older than Miranda were singing along with her…She was fifteen, terrified, and walking slowly up the aisle of a dark church to a coffin surrounded by six tall brown candles. When she reached it, she saw the body of a silver-haired boy a bit older than she was….She was twenty, lying in a heap on the floor amid the ruins of a bookshelf. She pulled herself to a sitting position, her left arm dangling uselessly at her side. She pulled a vial of turquoise liquid out of a pocket and gulped it. Tossing the vial aside, she pulled herself up to standing and drew a knife out of her boot. She crept silently out of the room and through a dark hallway, towards the sound of a battle. Through a broken door at the end of the hall, she could see two wizards dueling furiously. As she reached the door, the older wizard disarmed the younger. She quickened her pace and stole into the room as the older wizard cast the Killing Curse. The younger man slumped to the ground and Miranda plunged her knife into the neck of the victor, whose eyes widened in pain and surprise before he too slid to the ground, dead. She wiped her blade on the dead man’s robes, kicked him in the head, and continued past him to the side of the younger wizard. When she reached him, she sank to the floor beside him, and silently laid her head on his chest….
Severus was sweating himself as he combed through her thoughts.
Show me what I need to know, he ordered.
I can’t! It hurts…. she whimpered.
The sooner I have what I need, the sooner it will be over.
She shuddered, but tried to direct her thoughts to something relevant to his search.
……She was eleven, standing on the engraving of a Gordian Knot in a large, circular room. She was surrounded by the wooden carvings of four odd looking creatures. Suddenly one of them flapped its wings and she rushed towards a group of students, smiling….She was eighteen, arguing with the large blue-eyed man in the farmhouse. Three other men sat around the room looking irritated and amused…She was twenty-five, on the trail of a strange reptilian creature that moved like a kangaroo….She was riding a gray horse through the woods…She was walking by the sea near her cabin…She was having tea with Professor Horace Slughorn…She was knocking on the door of an old woman Severus recognized as having lived near Spinner’s End for his whole life…She was sitting in Cornelius Fudge’s office, feigning interest in whatever he was prattling on about….She was running her foot up Severus’s inseam, flirting with Lucius….She was in Severus’s bed, arching her body against his….
Severus became aware that she was trembling like a leaf in her chair.
"Please, stop," she whispered. He broke eye contact and she fell forward in a faint. He caught her before she hit the floor and gathered her to his chest.
Without looking at Albus, he said, “She is who she says she is. Was that really necessary?" His voice was very quiet in his anger.
Albus looked grim but answered, "You, of all people, know it was.”
"Were you worried about the Order, or were you worried about her compromising your spy?"
"Does it matter?"
Severus turned and glared at Albus, but the older wizard looked exhausted and waved him away. "Take her down to your rooms, Severus, before Umbridge gets out of class."
*****
Severus paced the length of his bedroom, waiting for Miranda to awaken. She was lying on his bed and had been unconscious for perhaps twenty minutes since she had fainted in Albus’s office. He had no idea how long she would be out or if there would be any lasting damage from his entry into her mind. He was angry at Albus, although he knew that the older wizard was right to be cautious. He was angry at Miranda for making what should have been a simple excursion into her thoughts a traumatic one. He was angry at himself for hurting her and he was angry that he cared. After all, it was not his fault that she had a strange mind. Why should he feel so guilty, then? He had not really taken any time to consider what exactly he was doing carrying on with her. Obviously the physical part of the relationship was exquisite. He had thought that was his primary motivation for seeing her, and that had probably been true at the start. He had been telling himself that his concern for her safety was simply due to his selfish desire that she continue warming his bed. If he were fair, he supposed he enjoyed her company as well as her body. She was competent; a trait he usually did not find in others. She was comfortable with silence and did not feel the need to prattle on constantly. She knew what questions to avoid asking him. She actually seemed to like him; something he had rarely experienced. And she was certainly never dull.
Miranda suddenly opened her eyes, although they did not seem to notice their surroundings. “David?” she whispered. "Where are you?"
He stopped pacing and went to sit next to her on the bed.
She sat up, her voice urgent and frightened. ”David? Where are you? I can't see you.”
He put his hands on her shoulders. “Miranda, it's Severus.”
Her eyes focused on him, but she still seemed completely confused. She asked for David a few more times before finally recognizing Severus. He handed her a glass of water, which she drank, hands still shaking.
After she had drained the glass, he asked quietly, “David is one of the young men I saw dead?”
She looked away from him and gave a short nod. "We went to school together. We were going to be married. Had a date set and everything. Then we set out after a dark wizard, Isidore Carter. He must have taken a page out of Voldemort’s book, he was murdering No-Majs right and left.” She inhaled deeply to calm her voice. “I suppose you saw the rest.”
“I did.”
She was still in her memories and went on, speaking half to herself. “David was a bit like my brother Columba, always a kind word for everyone, always looking on the bright side of things. He was no match for me in a duel, but he never minded. He was more patient than I was and his potions always turned out perfectly.” She covered her eyes with her hand. “He never should have taken on Carter alone. We were tracking him together, but Carter separated us and got ahold of my wand in the process. By the time I got to them, I was too late. But I had my poisoned knife, so at least Carter couldn’t hurt anyone else ever again. I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. You saw it anyway, it must be terribly dull to listen to.”
“No. It isn’t.”
“Well," she smiled angrily and tried to turn the subject, "I'm glad Malfoy wasn't bright enough to ask you to do that. Fainting is so undignified."
“It is unfortunate that Legilimency is so painful for you.”
“Unfortunate that Legilimency is so painful for me?” she repeated incredulously, still avoiding his eyes. “I’d say it’s unfortunate that you and Headmaster Dumbledore thought it was necessary.”
“Come now, surely you realize that we had to be certain that your story was true,” he said, a bit patronizingly.
“All I realize is that you and Malfoy are rather more similar than I had thought,” she replied coldly.
"Miranda, look at me," he demanded.
"Why, so you can mentally rape me again?"
“Stop being melodramatic,” he snapped defensively. “You agreed to it. It is not my fault that your mind is so unusual.”
“I agreed because I had no choice,” she said in a low voice. “I could have taken my chances with you, but Dumbledore obviously had me outmatched even before he relieved me of my wand and my cigarettes. What else was I supposed to do?”
A heavy silence descended on the pair. Eventually her trembling stopped and the color returned to her face. At last, she stood.
"May I have my wand back now?" she asked, finally looking at him. "I'd like to go home."
Severus handed it back to her reluctantly. He didn't want her to leave like this, but he had no idea how to convince her to stay. He certainly wasn’t going to apologize for doing something he felt justified in doing.
Suddenly her eyes flashed and she pointed her wand at him, "Legilimens!" she hissed.
Severus was so startled that she was in his mind, seeing his thoughts before he could do anything to stop her.
…..He stepped over the corpse of a bespectacled man that lay at the top of the stairs. He did not want to enter the room at the end of the hall. He could hear a baby crying and he knew what he would see, but he could not stop himself. He opened the door and a red-haired woman lay dead on the floor, her child in the crib behind her. His knees buckled and he leaned against the wall for support, then he gathered her into his arms, holding her and weeping….
Miranda withdrew. She lowered her wand and said causticly, “It will take a while for the hole you made to close again. I thought I’d take advantage of it.”
Severus stood up slowly, his eyes blazing murderously at her. “How dare you,” he hissed.
They looked daggers at each other for several minutes. Then she pocketed her wand, walked away from him, and leaned her shoulder against the wall near his wardrobe. Her hands were shaking slightly as she took out her cigarette case. She drew out a cigarette, lit it, and took an extremely long drag of smoke. A gentle breeze started, and she stood there smoking, meeting Severus’s glare with her own.
“The dead woman was Lily?” she finally asked indifferently.
“Brilliant deduction,” he bit back at her.
She smoked to the end of her cigarette in silence, snuffed it out on his wall, and vanished the butt into thin air. Then she muttered, “Severus, I think we need to go out and get shit-faced.”
“Am I supposed to understand that charmingly plebeian phrase?” His asked, his voice a knife of sarcasm.
“Drunk,” she answered condescendingly. “We need to get drunk.”
She stalked to the bathroom and when she reached the door she turned and gave him a once over. “You know how to dance?” she asked dubiously.
“Of course I do,” he spat. “What does that have to do with…”
“Good,” she interrupted. Then she turned on heel and entered the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
He shook his head in disbelief as he heard the water start running. How dare she? How dare she invade his mind? He never wanted to see her again! He whirled around, stormed through his sitting room, into the hallway, and slammed the door behind him. He did not stop until he reached his office, where he slammed the door so hard that the jars on the shelves on the wall rattled in protest. He sat down at his desk and started furiously marking scrolls. He had work to do! He did not have time to waste on that vulgar, imperious harpy!
Half an hour later, his breathing had returned to something resembling normal. He threw down his quill and sat back in his chair, his eyes staring blankly at his desk. He knew exactly how Miranda felt. How many times had he submitted to the Dark Lord’s invasion of his mind? How long had it been since he had had a choice? It was true that he took a grotesque sort of pleasure in knowing that he was able to fool the Dark Lord with his powers of Occlumency, but it still made him want to vomit every time. He inhaled sharply. He was livid with Miranda for what she had done and furious that she was attempting to order him about. However, sitting in his office reading the twaddle his dunderhead students had written seemed even less appealing than whatever Miranda had planned.
“Very well,” he muttered. “Shit-faced it is.”
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End Notes:
I head-canon that the Fidelius Charm (which is ambiguously described in the books) was still protecting Harry at the point that Severus came upon James and Lily after Voldemort murdered them. This would explain why he did nothing to help Harry--because he could neither see nor hear the child.
Miranda finally gets caught using one of her tricks in this chapter. Her cigarettes contain tobacco as well as other useful magical herbs (although not marijuana--that's a thing unto itself). She can use the smoke to relax herself and to help herself heal more quickly. She can also use it to relax other people and make them more pliable to her manipulation of them. She has not used this trick on Severus, although she certainly used it at Malfoy Manor. Smoke and magic will appear later in the story.
Handmade Rosemary and pink rose cleansing smoke stick ✨ •this was my first attempt at a smoke stick, and it's yet to dry out still so I can't say yet whether it will billow well but I've filled it with all the lightest and lovliest of intentions• •what are your favourite herbal and floral combinations? And for what intentions of rituals do you smoke cleanse for?•
