Disclaimer: I do not own any of the people or places that belong to the wonderful world of Harry Potter, as they belong to J.K. Rowling. The OCs (Katherine, Septimus, Helena, Christoph, Elisa, Henry, Nick, Justin, Kyle, Carlos, Mike, Nurse Canter, Headmaster Jeremy Mickels, Hunfrith, Olwen, Huffie, Sorsek, Bilik, Fossum, Lars, Sven, David Suttington, Darius Prescott, Gerard's, Grace, Zielinski & Wakanda) are entirely my own.
--------------------------------------------
Morning didn't seem to come fast enough for Severus. After Christoph and Elisa left, and Septimus was finally persuaded to go back to bed, Severus pulled Katherine's body flush against his own. Not once, during rest of the night, did Severus release his hand from hers, that still rest on her chest. He didn't sleep. He never even closed his eyes once; they were solely fixed on his wife's sleeping form.
His eyes watched her face carefully, for any signs of distress or pain. Then his gazes dropped to their intertwined hands; Katherine's chest was rising and falling softly in her slumber. And finally, his sights dropped to her growing belly. Shifting carefully, he exchanged his right hand on Katherine's chest, with his left, then let his right slide down to her stomach.
The silky fabric of her nightgown stretched tightly across Katherine's belly. Her small waist was seemed to be growing little by little each day. It amazed Severus to no end at the difference between Katherine and other pregnant witches that he had seen in his lifetime. He remember how Narcissa was when she had been pregnant with Draco; the constant whining and nagging had just about drove him up the wall within minutes of being around her. But Katherine was so different; never once did she complain and she was constantly waving him off when he would ask if she should be doing certain things or if she needed help.
But he figured it was due to the fact that she had been on her own when she had been pregnant with Septimus. She was not use to being waited on or pampered; she was still just as independent with him there as she was without him. Severus realized that is what he loved about her, and deep down he knew there was something wrong with her.
And in the morning, he and Christoph would begin their search for what that was.
As the sun rose steadily over the eastern horizon, Katherine began to stir under Severus' arms. She arched her back and stretched her legs as much as she could under her confinement, then turned slightly in his arms so she could face him.
"Morning," Severus said hoarsely, his voice sounding as tired as he felt.
"Morning," Katherine said with a frown, eyeing his face closely. "Are you alright Sev? You look like you haven't slept at all."
"I am fine," he said. "Are you alright?"
"Besides being hungry and in dire need of the loo," Katherine smirked. "I'm fine. Why?"
"No dreams...nightmares, last night?" he asked, as he watched her frown deepen.
"No, not that I can recall," she said. "Why? Was I talking in my sleep?"
"No...no," Severus sighed, as Katherine wriggled out of his arms, so she could sit up. "Just forget I said anything."
"Okay," Katherine said, with a raised eyebrow. "I'm going to use the loo, then start breakfast." Severus watched as Katherine gingerly rose from the bed and made her way to the bathroom. Once she was out of sight, he rose and dressed quickly; Christoph would be arriving right after breakfast, and he wanted to catch Septimus before he left for his run.
------------------------------------------------------
"Septimus," Severus said, as he caught the boy just in time, before Katherine was out of the loo. "After breakfast, Elisa is coming to get your mother and take her into town. I don't want you breathing a word about what happened last night to her."
"Why?" Septimus asked, as he tied his shoes.
"Because Christoph and I are going to look into the possibility of what has happened first," Severus explained. "Please promise me that you won't say a word."
"I promise," Septimus said. "So we won't be brewing today?"
"No," Severus sighed. "Not today. Go spend time with Helena if you want."
"Thanks dad," Septimus smiled, before slipping out into the morning air to start his run.
Breakfast went like it did every morning, with the exception of Severus watching Katherine closer than ever. Shortly after they finished, Elisa flooed through to retrieve Katherine for the day.
"Oh come on Katherine," Elisa said, following the blonde witch around the kitchen, as Severus silently observed the two witches from his spot at the breakfast table.
"Elisa, I have a lot I want to get done today," Katherine said, waving her wand at the dishes, causing them to begin to wash themselves. "Maybe this coming weekend or something."
"This is the only day that I have off this week Katherine," Elisa said. "Plus, don't you want to go shopping for baby clothes and things. You are almost half way through."
"Yes, half way...it's not like I'm due in a month or something," Katherine said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, I have a bunch of baby clothes left over from Septimus..."
"But there little boy's clothes. What if it's a girl?"
"Are you implying that it is a girl?"
"No, I not implying anything. It can only go fifty-fifty Katherine."
"Then if it is a girl, I'm sure you have a lot of Helena's old outfits."
"Oh Katherine, those are sixteen years old. Styles have changed..."
"I don't care about styles Elisa. I care more about convenience and comfort."
"What if I told you that I cleaned house a while ago, and gave them to the second hand shop in town."
"You're not going to let me win this, are you?" Katherine snarled.
"Nope."
"Fine," Katherine huffed, as she headed off to the bedroom. "I'll get my purse." As soon as the bedroom door closed, Elisa turned towards Severus will a grin on her face.
"I told you I'd get her to go," Elisa beamed.
"And thank Merlin too," Severus muttered, as he rubbed his temples. "That little scene you two just did nearly gave me a headache."
"Sorry," Elisa chuckled softly. "I'll meet her in the living room, and we'll floo from there."
As soon as the two witches left, Severus flooed Christoph, and the two began their research. Katherine's study was filled with copies upon copies of Albus' books, plus many of her own. She had confessed the first week they were back, that the books she had given him for his birthday and Christmas were actually copies of ones from here. But he didn't care, as long as those books were still in his possession, that was what mattered.
Every wall of the study was a bookcase, and each bookcase was ceiling to floor. Christoph began on the left side of the room, while Severus took the right, and the two began pulling book after book off the shelves that dealt with curses and dark spells. After several hours of reading and skimming, Christoph finally came across a very old and dark book.
"Severus?" Christoph asked, as he laid the book down on the desk. "Can you read French?"
"Vaguely, why?"
"I think I found something in this book," Christoph said, pointing to the print in the open book. "Can you make out these words?"
"A few," Severus said, running his eyes over the text. "Diviser l'âme, pour sauver une âme. Diviser mon âme, pour sauver celui que j'aime."
"What does it mean?" Christoph frowned.
"I'm not sure," Severus said, shaking his head. "But Katherine wrote that in herself, alongside of it. 'Wakanda' is not French. What is Wakanda?"
"It's not a what," Christoph said, his eyes widening with realization. "It's a who. Wakanda is a witch from town. An old witch. Her mother was a Native American Pauwau, or witch, and her father was a French wizard. Maybe Katherine went to her to learn this spell."
"Do you know where this Wakanda is?"
"Yes, but we'll have to Apparate there," Christoph said, as he gathered up the book and followed Severus out into the living room. "She isn't connected to the floo, and her place is in a remote area near the lake."
"Do you think that she will help us?" Severus asked, as he threw on his black cloak.
"Only one way to find out."
Using side-along Apparation, Christoph Apparated Severus and himself to the outskirt of Amadahy. Christoph led them down a dirt road that wound around the northern part of the lake, until they reached a small hill. On one side of the hill, overgrown brush covered up a small passageway that led to a small wooden door.
Christoph knocked twice and waited a few moments, before the door opened slightly, revealing the face of an aging dark skinned, grayed haired woman. Her black eyes glistened in the sunlight that was peeking through the ceiling of the door's overhang.
"Christoph Fuerst," the woman muttered with an accent that Severus thought was something between rough American and slightly French.
"Wakanda," Christoph said, with a small nod.
"What are you..." she began, but stopped as her black eyes landed on Severus. "Ah. I see. Come in, quickly."
"Thank you," Christoph said, as Wakanda opened the door to allow the wizards passage. The small underground dwelling smelled heavily of soil mixed with herbs and incense. Jars filled with strange plants and animals filled the shelves that lined the walls, while dream catchers hung from the dirt ceiling.
"Wakanda," Christoph started again, as he and Severus joined the old witch near the small cast iron stove in the center of the room. "I would like you to meet..."
"Severus Snape," Wakanda said, interrupting Christoph. Severus' head snapped around towards the old witch. Both his and Christoph's face draining of their color, while their brows rose almost all the way to their hairline.
"Do I know you?" Severus sneered.
"No, but I know you," Wakanda smirked. "Not in person, but in soul."
"What?" Christoph sputtered, as they watched the old witch move about, plucking bottles, herbs and books off of shelves.
"You are here about your wife, are you not?" Wakanda stated, as she picked up an old leather bound book. "The one the Easterners called Katherine Dumbledore."
"Yes," Severus hissed, as his eyebrows lowered into a frown. "How do you know my wife?"
"She came to me," Wakanda said, as she threw a fist full of herbs into a cauldron that was sitting on the stove. "Two years ago. She was searching for a spell. A certain dark spell that dealt with the dividing of a soul."
"A Horcrux?" Severus muttered.
"No," the old witch hissed, as she threw the contents of a jar into the cauldron as well. "A Horcrux is meant to destroy a soul through the means of doing something of the utmost evil...Murder.
"No, no," the witch continued. "Your wife was looking for a dark spell that did deal with the soul, but it isn't meant to destroy the soul...it is meant to save a soul."
"Save a soul?" Christoph asked, with a frown. "Whose soul?"
"The soul belongs to a wizard," the witch grinned evilly. "A very powerful wizard, with hair as dark as midnight and eyes as black as obsidian. A wizard that was ordered to do a very horrible thing to someone he saw as a mentor."
"Me," Severus murmured. "How?"
"Through the dark spell, of course," Wakanda said.
"Wakanda," Christoph said, as he handed her Katherine's old book, that was opened to the page with Katherine's marking on them. "Was it this spell?"
"Ah," Wakanda muttered, as she took the book from his hands. "Yes, this is the spell. 'Diviser l'âme, pour sauver une âme. Diviser mon âme, pour sauver celui que j'aime.'"
"And what does that mean?" Severus asked with a frown. The old witch's black eyes looked up to meet his.
"Divide the soul, a soul to save," she smirked. "Divide my soul, to save the one I love."
"Katherine divided her soul," Christoph gasped.
"Ahhh...but what I sense is that she did not need to do so," the witch mused.
"What do you mean?" Severus asked.
"Damage is only done to the soul when the murderer wishes harm to the victim," the witch explained. "Your soul remains intact, because you regret taking the life of the other wizard. But this is where things became difficult, as where Katherine's soul was still split. But only a fractured."
"Then where is that fracture," Severus snarled, his frown deepening.
"With you of course," the old witch grinned wickedly. "Tell me, how does she react when you are in pain? Does she clutch her chest? Does her heart slow so much that it almost stops?"
"Yes," Severus breathed. His frown disappeared, and was replaced by shock.
"And do you feel pain as she endures pain of her own?" Wakanda continued. "Do you muscles ache and your blood run cold when it happens?"
"Yes," Severus breathed again. "But how did she manage to do it?"
"Through touch," the witch grinned widened. "In order for the spell to work, she had to be touching you while you performed the murder. Was she touching you?"
"Yes," Severus whispered, as he closed his eyes. Behind his eyelids came the memory of that fateful night last June. He could still hear Katherine's heeled boot clicking across the stone floor, then he felt her hand grasp his shoulder.
"The shoulder," Severus murmured, as he opened his eyes. "My left shoulder."
"And what did she look like after you performed the curse?" Wakanda asked, as she began to circle the dark haired wizard.
"It looked like someone had immobilized her," Severus said softly. "Her eyes were dark and unfocused. Her lips were pursed and her right hand was painfully digging into my left shoulder."
"That means that the spell was successful," the witch said. "But unfortunately for her it was not necessary."
"Is there a way to reverse the spell?" Christoph asked. "Some sort of counter-curse?"
"There is," Wakanda smirked, as she hastily hobbled over to the bookshelves and pulled out a dusty, worn leather book. "Ahhh...here it is. 'Réparer l'âme, que je suis lié. Rendre toutes les âmes ensemble à nouveau.'"
"What does that mean?" Christoph asked.
"Repair the soul, that I am bound," Wakanda smirked. "Make all souls whole again."
"That's it?" Severus growled at the witch. "Are you telling us it's that simple."
"Not all things are simple," Wakanda said, as her evil grin reappeared. "This spell can only be performed on a day that holds special meaning to you both. You must both join hands and a bonder must repeat this spell three times while touching your hands with his or her wand."
"Fine," Severus grumbled, as he turned back to Christoph. "We'll prepare to perform this on the night that we conceived Septimus. It's only a few weeks away, so..."
"Ah ah ah..." Wakanda tutted. "I feel that there is another soul involved. Your wife is pregnant, yes?
"Yes," Severus snarled.
"Then it cannot be done until after it is born," Wakanda said. "Or the child's soul could be harmed, and your wife will not carry it to term."
"The baby would die?" Christoph asked, with a horrified look on his face.
"Unfortunately so," Wakanda said.
"Then we will wait," Severus sighed. "Katherine would never forgive me if I caused the death of our child."
"Wakanda," Christoph said. "Could we have a copy of that spell, for later use."
"Of course," Wakanda said, as she placed the tip of her wand on the page then conjured a copy out of thin air.
"Thank you Wakanda," Christoph said. "You've been most helpful."
"Yes," Severus muttered. "Thank you." He turned to follow Christoph to the door, but Wakanda's voice stopped the two one last time.
"Feel privileged dark one," Wakanda's evil grin was back. "It's not every day that a man gets to share the pain of childbirth with his wife." Severus eyes widened, as the old witch began to cackle. He felt a hand on his shoulder pull him out the door and into the sunlight.
"Well," Christoph said as soon as he had managed to steer Severus back onto the dirt road. "At least we know how to heal her now."
"The only problem is," Severus started. "Will she be alright till then?"
"No, I think the problem is, will you be able to endure her pain during birth," Christoph chuckled softly.
"Bugger off Feurst," Severus snarled at the sniggering American wizard.