Chapter 8 - The Rival

~ I hold it true whatever befall,
I feel it when I sorrow most:
'Tis better to have loved and lost,
Than never to have loved at all. ~
- Tennyson

From the tallest tower, she watched the straggles of cloud pass across the greying winter sky. The branches of the trees were bare, and the chill November wind whipped the castle. The winter weather seemed to match Tamara's mood. Not that she was upset, but rather somewhat subdued. The burden of her responsibility was growing heavy indeed. The power and motivation that had initially spurred her into this war was beginning to fade, and she had begun to doubt that she would ever be able to live up to the expectations laid forth by her predecessors, now that her fate had been set in motion.

A dusty old book lay on the floor, still open at the passage she had been reading. Tamara had neglected it some time ago. Instead she sat in the tiny room's window seat, with her knees hugged to her chest, watching the wind tease the stark branches of trees that looked as though they had somehow shape-shifted and taken on the forms of grotesque demons.

"Why aren't you in Hogsmeade?" A cold, drawling voice asked from behind her, startling her out of her thoughts. She turned to see Draco Malfoy standing in the doorway. She didn't have the energy to retaliate. She turned back to the window and muttered "Why do you care?" in a lifeless voice.

"You're right. I don't." He answered, staring at the room with a slightly jaded look. His eyes fell on the book that lay on the ground. Frowning, he reached forward and lifted it from the floor, reading the title of the passage aloud.

"Herbal Sedatives and their Uses in Potion-Making. I thought Potions was your favourite subject. I wonder what Professor Snape would say if he knew that his book is being mistreated?" He wondered, his voice dripping with sarcasm and heavy emphasis.

"Get lost, Malfoy."

"Oh, am I invading your space?"

"Yes," she told him, pointedly.

"Fine. If you don't want to know what I came to tell you then I'll leave."

"What could you possibly have to say to me?"

"Oh, this was too good to pass up."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Hey, you told me to get lost."

"Don't waste my time, Malfoy."

A wicked grin spread across Draco Malfoy's face.

"What would be the fun in that?"

"You're sick." She spat, getting up from her seat and storming across the room. She grabbed the book out of his hand and headed toward the door.

"So you really don't want to know what Juliet's being saying." Malfoy asked her, smoothly. Tamara stopped in the doorway and slowly turned to face him.

"This better be good."

"I'm doing you a favour, actually. It seems that someone has a little secret."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, just something Juliet mentioned."

"Look, I don't have time for these childish games. If you don't have anything constructive to say, then I suggest you leave." She told him, pointedly.

"I guess you'll just have to wait for class on Monday to find out, then." He told her, loving every second. After one more lingering moment, he grinned at her, selfishly, and walked out of the tower, leaving her alone to contemplate his words.

That evening, Tamara sat on her bed in the dormitory, with Rosalyn's book open in front of her. She was lost in thought, and not really seeing the words on the pages in front of her. Jez could see it too.

"What's up?" Jez asked. Tamara sighed.

"Malfoy. He thinks he's being clever by trying to worry me."

"He's a little weasel, Tamara, and you shouldn't pay him any attention." Jez told her.

"I know. Malfoy isn't worth that kind of stress, but he can be so relentless sometimes."

"What did he say to you?"

Tamara looked up at Jez, uncomfortably.

"He said that Juliet found out a little secret, and that I would have to wait for class on Monday to find out what's going to happen."

"You don't think they know the truth about your heritage, do you?" Jez asked, alarmed.

"I wasn't thinking about that..." Tamara began, letting her words trail off as she began to ponder.

"I don't understand." Jez replied.

"I think it's my other little secret that Malfoy was talking about." Tamara explained, hesitantly.

"Oh, I see!" Jez exclaimed, understanding dawning on her. "They would definitely be interested in that."

"I'm screwed, aren't I?" Tamara relinquished, worriedly. "I'm going to be a laughing stock again."

"Not unless you bind her, or something."

"You know I can't that do, Jez. Binding is complicated. I wouldn't know where to start. Besides, I could get into big trouble for using it without good reason." She explained.

"I suppose so." Jez said. "Are you absolutely sure that it was your teacher crush that Malfoy was on about? He could have meant your heritage for all we know."

"Come off it. It'd be more trouble than it's worth to publically exploit a secret like that with Voldemort back. Even Juliet isn't that stupid. A Slytherin would only go to those lengths if it was completely worth it to them." Tamara reasoned. "Everyone knows that Juliet hates me. I've practically given her an excuse to bully me."

"You have a point there." Jez relented and the two fell silent, Tamara casting her eyes about the room in search of some minute consolation. Jez took a deep breath, and sighed.

"Yep. You're screwed." She affirmed.

That night was an uneasy one. She woke at half past two the next morning, following a nightmare in which Voldemort had tortured her beloved Potions Master until he finally relinquished the truth about her heritage. She sat up in bed, cold sweat covering her face and body. The dream reminded her starkly of the seriousness of her secret, and did nothing to ease her worries about what Juliet had in store for her in Potions class on Monday.

Unable to coax sleep to return to her, she threw the covers off and got up, intending to wile away the long hours of early morning in the common room. When she arrived in the common room, however, she found that the fire was still burning. True, it was only a few smouldering coals, but the light they gave off seemed oddly iridescent. As she advanced toward the arm chairs that sat by the grate of the fire place, watching her shadow dance across the floor, a voice called out.

"I couldn't sleep either." The bodiless voice announced. If Tamara hadn't known about Thalia's uncanny abilities, then she would have been sure it was a ghost.

She sat in one of the empty chairs, unable to keep from noticing the mysterious look that the shadows gave Thalia's face. The shadows flickering across her pale skin, lining her dark eyes and fading into the vibrant ebony of her long hair, gave her a truly gothic appearance. She was gothic in every sense of the word. Not only was it in the way she looked, but it was in every part of her. It was in her poise, her mind... even in her very soul. It wasn't that she seemed to ooze death, or negativity, though. It was that there was an infinite mystery about her, the way mystery envelopes the all-knowing wisdom of time and space, past present and future. It was the mystery of all things, a gothic beauty, and it was in her.

But Thalia didn't seem interested in sustaining a fruitful conversation. Simply being was enough and words were not necessary. This suited Tamara perfectly. Indeed, words would not have been enough to describe what she felt in that instance. It was like a bolt of lightning, illuminating that vast apocalypse of existence; sudden and emphatic. In that moment, everything, her feelings and emotions, events from both her past and present, came rushing back to her, and in that instant it all became crystal clear. The reasons why she felt so strongly about the things that were so dear to her, why she had decided to fight, and the resolute clarity of her love. It rushed through her veins, stronger than ever before. She no longer felt the pain of loss, or the claustrophobia of her situation. She felt, with such a strong conviction, that no matter what could possibly happen these feelings existed in her and that knowledge gave her a power that nothing else could have bestowed in her.

Thalia smiled, knowingly, the fading haze of the burning coals still flickering across her face. She seemed to know exactly what Tamara had experienced in that singular moment. But it wasn't uncanny. It was truth. Pure and simple. She seemed to know more about Tamara than her gift had ever allowed her to know about anyone.

Tamara turned her attention back to the dying coals in the grate. The pulsing glow was mesmerising. Enchanting. Tamara lost herself in it and eventually fell asleep, contentedly, sure that the light cast from the coals was no longer light, but translucent, incandescent figures that danced before her in all their majesty.

Sunday morning dawned clear and bright. Glowing red rays pierced the horizon and the indomitable dark of night, stirring Tamara out of her slumber. At first she didn't recognise her surroundings, but as her foggy, sleep-filled vision cleared, she realised that she had fallen asleep on the banks of the Hogwarts Lake, and had no memory of how she got there. For a few moments she simply allowed the breeze to wash over her, unconsciously shivering as the bite of the chilly late-November wind whipped over her.

Tamara battled the freezing cold in nothing more than her flannelette pyjamas, as she strained to recall the events of the previous night. She remembered waking up and finding Thalia in the common room in front of the fire in the dead of night. That much was clear to her, but after that everything was blank. Apart from the light...

A hand gripping her shoulder, firmly, startled her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see who her companion was, painfully aware of the icy winter wind as she looked up into a pair of eyes that were equally as cold.

"Professor..." she murmured, her voice shaking in the chill wind. Professor Snape said nothing in reply, and his expression betrayed nothing either. Not even a flicker of emotion. It didn't frighten her as such. She knew his disposition. But either she couldn't remember just how cold he could be, or she hadn't seen this depth of iciness in him before. Either way, she was glad he had chosen not to question her on why she was there. She was all too aware of how stupid she would sound if she told him about spirits of light, and at that particular moment she could offer no other honest explanation.

He studied her with a calculating look, for a few moments, before finally addressing her.

"Follow me, Miss Edgecombe." Was all that he said. His tone was ominous, but it didn't bother Tamara. She still felt as though she was half asleep, and in her haze she rose to her feet and followed the Potions Master back into the castle, quietly. The stupor that had taken hold of her was now beginning to loosen its grip, and she was more aware than ever of the painful cold that buffeted her. The castle seemed to be no warmer than the grounds, and Tamara grimaced as Professor Snape led her down toward the dungeons. She knew she would have no hope of defrosting down there.

Snape threw his office door open and ushered her in, impatiently. His office was dark, since no lamps were lit, and the biting icy cold seemed to reach into her very bones. He closed the door, shutting out all sense of light and any heat that might have lingered in the corridors. There were no spirits of light to comfort her now, and he made her no offer to sit down, so she remained standing, her arms and legs aching with the cold. All at once, a single lantern burst with light, casting an eerie shadow across the room. Still, he said nothing, watching her dangerously as she protectively wrapped her arms about her shoulders.

Standing up, he took out his wand and with one wave a silver tray carrying a pot of tea and a mug appeared on the desk in front of her. With that, Snape turned away, under the pretence of being occupied with one of the books on the shelf behind his desk.

"I don't want to know what you were doing outside." He told her with his back to her. "But rules are enforced for a reason. You will return for detention on Monday night at 8 o'clock pm. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"The castle walls cannot protect you if you are not within them." He told her, turning back to face her once more, his expression unchanged. Tamara nodded.

"Yes, sir." She repeated.

"Then I suggest that you hurry up and drink your tea and get back to bed before I make it a week's worth of detentions."

Snape didn't give her the opportunity to question him. He simply walked out of the office, leaving her alone.

Tamara poured the tea and grasped the steaming mug in trembling hands. She failed to comprehend just what had taken place that night, and her confusion was made all the more paramount by the fact that deep down, she knew that she understood perfectly what had taken place. No more explanation was needed, other than that an epiphany had occurred in the still of the night and that in waking beside the lake in the blistering cold proved that she wasn't dreaming. She was alive and strong, and she knew it.

Tamara made her way to Transfiguration on Monday morning with an unusual stillness within her. Nothing had yet happened to cause any trouble, except for the disturbing feeling that thousands of pairs of eyes were burning into her. Eyes that belonged to Slytherins.

Throughout the lesson she tried to concentrate on the complex diagrams that McGonagall had given them to transcribe, but even the motivation of McGonagall's strict standards were beginning to fail her. All she could think about was the upcoming potions lesson, and how she was going to survive it. Jez glanced over at her friend, sympathetically. Potions wasn't until the end of the day. The seed of worry that niggled at Tamara would grow with the anticipation of what the class would bring, until it was an unbearable and crippling anxiety. Quietly, Jez pulled out a spare scrap of parchment and scribbled a message on it; Don't worry, Tamara. I'll help you work out a plan of survival as soon as class is over. Jez shoved the message in front of Tamara, who tapped it with her wand as soon as she had read it, causing the parchment to crumble into dust. Thalia looked up, and raised an eyebrow in surprise. Tamara noticed Thalia and sighed, exasperatedly, in response. Thalia nodded, understanding at once. Neither of them needed a psychic gift to know that Juliet's eyes burned into Tamara with knowing.

As soon as McGonagall dismissed them, Tamara muttered a quiet incantation and stood up, watching her belongings pack themselves into her bag at record speed. As soon as the catch on her bag had fastened itself, she slung it over her shoulder and left the room in such a hurry that she almost knocked an ominous pile of books off of McGonagall's desk as she passed.

Once in the corridor, Jez and Thalia shunted Tamara into an empty class room a few doors along, joined moments later by Hermione.

"So, what do I do?" She asked them.

"What you need is a distraction. Christmas is coming up. You could think about what you're going to wear. You know, to dress to impress, so to speak." Jez suggested. Hermione shot them a questioning look. Nobody explained.

"The last thing I need right now is attention!" Tamara replied, a hard tone to her voice that would have been more becoming of McGonagall.

"Don't think about the situation at all. Find one thing to concentrate on and that should help get you through the day, at least." Thalia suggested, thoughtfully.

"Any suggestions?" Tamara asked her.

"Your Mother. What you're going to do if you end up having to face You-Know-Who."

"You mean, when I have to face Him."

Thalia didn't respond. They all knew it was true.

"All I'm saying is that you know you need to be prepared for all eventualities, so why don't you focus your attention on that. It would be a lot more useful than stressing about the present situation, which will probably amount to nothing, anyway. It's a useful coping mechanism." Thalia explained.

"And, all you have to do to get through Potions itself is concentrate on your work. It's your best subject, regardless of who teaches it. Ignore the Slytherins. Just concentrate on your work." Jez added. Tamara nodded, resigned to her fate, but deciding to face it with her new found strength. This time, she decided that she wouldn't relinquish her dignity without a fight. Hermione still didn't understand what was happening, and the girls didn't offer an explanation, so she didn't ask.

"If all else fails, just blast the classroom with the wondrous strains of Rammstein!" Jez told her, with a grin. Tamara couldn't help but laugh.

"Rammstein are Muggle rock band from Germany." She explained to Thalia and Hermione. Hermione nodded with faint recognition, but it was obvious that Rammstein were a far cry from her usual musical tastes. But nonetheless, the tension had been broken, and with that the four friends left the room, knowing that they were horribly late for their next class.

Throughout her classes that day, Tamara used the same tactic of survival as she had done when she had first discovered her heritage and the inevitable meeting with Voldemort. Stone cold calculation, every action measured to perfection as though the very charm she were practising would be the one she would use in battle. Her friends almost despaired when they had to join her in Defence Against the Dark Arts. She mastered the lesson's defensive charm with absurd ease, the way she had always done. As the lesson progressed, Thalia watched as Jez took the brunt of the protective charm that Dumbledore was trying to teach them.

When the students were busying themselves with packing up their things at the end of class and bustling out of the room, Dumbledore's hand came to rest on her shoulder and he ushered her into the little office usually used by the Defence teacher. Without a word, he raised his wand and she immediately knew that he had taken her here to test her abilities. She put her bag to one side and taking her wand back out she squared up, preparing herself.

Before she knew what had happened, Dumbledore had cast his spell and she had countered with her own defensive shield and a resounding CRACK! Filled the room. The resulting blast was so powerful that Dumbledore had been knocked backwards, leaning against the teacher's desk for support. Tamara was doubled over. The air between them crackled with magical discharge, almost like bright white electricity. Their charms had been a force of such equal intensity that they had cancelled each other out.

Tamara picked herself up, breathing heavily, and Dumbledore said nothing, but simply looked at her with a twinkle in his eye. His expression told her that he had the utmost confidence in her, which was comforting, but deep down Tamara felt unsettled. It wasn't until she left the office and her friends asked her about it in the relative safety of the library that she really admitted to her concerns.

"Dumbledore tested me." Tamara began. Jez shot her a look of surprise. "I didn't overcome him, obviously..." she went on, "but I think I might almost have equalled him. Our charms sort of cancelled each other out."

"That's great!" Jez exclaimed.

"Well, we all knew the kind of power you inherited. We just never saw it in action before." Thalia interjected.

"It's not enough, though." Tamara told them.

"What do you mean, not enough?" Jez asked, disbelieving.

"It's all well and good being able to equal Voldemort, but the whole point of this is being able to overcome him."

"But I thought that all we were trying to do was keep you alive."

"I saw the look in Dumbledore's eyes when he told me the truth about who I am. It's all or nothing. Between Harry Potter and I the power exists to overcome the ultimate evil. If I chicken out, then we'll never be free of the threat of Voldemort's reign of terror. I hate being one of the one's who the whole world's depending on. The thought that I might fail scares me to death, but there's nothing I can do about it. I have to do this."

Jez didn't have a comeback. She knew that Tamara was right. But, acknowledging it was something she hadn't been willing to do. The four girls spent the next few moments in painful silence.

"What now?" Jez asked, after a five long minutes had passed.

"You need training. You need to be able to control and direct your power." Hermione told Tamara, ever the logical solution.

"How? All I have is my Mother's book. There's only so much you can learn from books." Tamara replied. Hermione, for whom books were her favourite means of learning, chose to ignore this comment.

"Dumbledore. I'm sure he'll coach you."

"I doubt it. He's much too busy. Besides, do you really think he'll be willing to teach a student anything more than classroom level spells?" Tamara asked.

"He might. He knows what you and Harry are both faced with. But if you really want to be sure, then there is someone else who knows what you're going to be up against... someone who won't waste their time with things you can learn in a classroom... someone who'll teach you what you need to know." Thalia told her, knowingly. At first, Tamara had no idea who she was referring to. Then it dawned on her.

"No. No way. Absolutely not. There's no way in hell. It would take a miracle for Snape to agree to this. Besides, you know the added pressure that will give me."

"That's something you're just going to have to live with if you want to be ready. And it might take a bit of persuading, but you're all the miracle you need. He's a capable, intelligent man and he'll understand the necessity." Thalia replied.

"Okay, so how do we convince him?" Jez asked.

"We don't do anything. This is something Tamara is going to have to do by herself. We're not supposed to know, remember?" Thalia told her. Tamara rolled her eyes in trepidation, knowing what she had to do, but not knowing how on Earth she would accomplish it. Jez laughed.

"At least this has taken your mind off Juliet! Boy, if she gets wind that you want extra lessons with Snape, she'll have a field day!"

Tamara shook her head in exasperation.

"I don't know what the hell you lot are talking about, but the situation still remains. This needs to be done. Emotions need to be cast aside for the time being. Tamara still needs to do this if we want to get rid of Voldemort once and for all." Hermione cut in. It took Tamara a moment to realise that Hermione didn't know about her feelings for Snape, but her statement was effective nonetheless. It knocked all the sense and strength in Tamara that she needed. She knew she would do it.

"At least we have Herbology next. We can relax for a bit before anything major needs to happen." Jez voiced.

"Well said." Thalia agreed. "I think I need it. My poor heart won't take any more stress just yet."

The usually easy-going pace of Herbology passed too quickly for comfort. It seemed like they had only been in the greenhouse for ten minutes before they had been dismissed and were heading to Potions. Tamara lined up outside the dungeon with the others not knowing how she would face the lesson, or what she was supposed to do. Her trepidation grew all the more when she noticed that a gang of Slytherins had already gathered there, with Juliet and Draco at the centre. They all seemed to be whispering and looking over their shoulders at her. Let them. She thought, standing tall. I'll be ready for them.

The classroom door swung open and she followed the others into the cold, dank dungeon. Ignoring everyone, and concentrating only on her Potion, she busied herself with adding ingredients. But try as she might, she couldn't help but glance over her shoulder at Juliet. The selfish blonde Slytherin was leaning casually against a bench, watching her. Tamara watched out of the corner of her eye as Juliet sauntered toward her, followed by twenty pairs of Slytherin eyes. Instinctively, she reached inside her robe and closed her fingers around her wand. She didn't have to be able to see when Juliet stood behind her, ready to make her move. She could feel it. She whipped around, and found herself looking directly into a pair of cold Slytherin eyes.

"It's true, isn't it?" Juliet whispered, menacingly. "You're not good enough for him." She told her. Tamara could feel the anger inside her begin to boil. Her knuckles began to turn white, as she clasped her wand tighter than ever. "That's not all you're good enough for. Meet the competition, Edgecombe."

Tamara watched as Juliet squared up, preparing herself, and was completely overtaken by a sudden paranoiac feeling. Whatever was about to happen, she had to stop it.

It happened in a matter of seconds. She had pulled her wand out and had cast her spell before another word was uttered. Juliet had managed to raise her wand in defence, but she was no match for Tamara's power. An unearthly sound filled the dungeon as their two charms collided. A stream of sparkling green issued from Juliet's wand, sapphire blue from Tamara's. The two colours fought for a moment, each struggling to gain control over the other, but Tamara's stream of blue eventually won. The green cloud dissipated in the wake of what appeared to be a pair of blue arms. The arms wrapped themselves around Juliet. The colour disappeared, so that the arms could no longer be seen, but both Tamara and Juliet, and any other magician who knew about binding spells, knew that they were still there, and would remain so until Tamara chose to lift the spell.

Juliet had been bound. She was still able to work magic, but now anything that she wished to use against Tamara, that could sabotage her, would be useless. Juliet's wand dropped from her hand. The look on her face was almost comical. She looked as though she had been taken completely by surprise, rather than seething with anger as Tamara would have expected. The rest of the students looked on in shock. Something was up with Tamara and it scared them. But the person who was the most scared was Tamara herself. She dropped her wand to her side, unable to believe what she had just done.

The one person she did expect to be seething with anger, however, didn't seem to be showing his usual emotion at all. Snape stared at her, almost as though he had been expecting it. This reaction lasted no more than a second, though, and he swept over, ready to punish, as though he knew his reaction had been suspect, though no-one would have noticed unless they were watching for it.

"Girls, my class is not the place for duelling practice. I will not tolerate this sort of behaviour, do you understand me?" He told them, his voice raised just enough to be heard by his students, but not enough to warrant shouting. Ordinarily, Tamara hated hearing him speak with this tone, but in the present situation she was so taken aback that it didn't register at all. All she registered was the odd lack of anger in his countenance. She couldn't help but feel that he was deliberately undermining the seriousness of what had just happened. But why? Had he guessed that this was no ordinary situation? If so, then she rather appreciated his reinforcing her anonymity.

"Miss Edgecombe, you will move your things to the desk at the front of the classroom and finish your work there. I will discuss your detention with you after class. Move." He told her in a commanding, no nonsense voice. Without hesitation, she silently obeyed, knowing she had been given a unique opportunity to gain tutoring lessons and she didn't want to ruin it. Juliet was sent back to her cauldron with little more than a warning.

Tamara continued her work at the isolated bench that was placed directly in front of Snape's desk. Concentration was imperative but Tamara found great difficulty in actually achieving it, knowing that Snape sat in front of her and that he was watching her like a hawk. Damn it, she thought, as her hands began to shake. Why does this keep happening to me?

As always, however, Tamara was able to cultivate the potion to near perfection. She bottled a sample, corked it and labelled it, and pushed it across onto Snape's desk for marking. She tapped her bag with her wand once more, as she had done in Transfiguration, and all of her belongings began to pack themselves.

All that was left to do was wait for Snape to begin discussing her detention with her, as the rest of the students moved out of the room. She watched as her friends shuffled past. Thalia gave her a wink before moving out of the room, as if to say; "Ask him." Tamara gave a slight, almost undetectable nod, in response.

He remained silent for a few moments after the last student had left the room, and studied her thoughtfully. At last, he spoke.

"You do realize the implications of performing binding spells."

"Yes, sir. But it was an accident. I didn't mean to!"

"That may be so, but you need to control your emotions. I realize by now that you are an uncommonly gifted witch, but you need to be careful with your power. Especially in a class full of Slytherin students, some of whom have Fathers with ties to the Dark Lord."

So that was why he had downplayed the situation in front of the other students.

"I know." She told him. He narrowed his eyes, curiously, at her response.

"You will not always have someone to protect you in these situations. But, as that is what I seem to be doing, I am still going to have to give you detention. If certain students realize what you are capable of, you will be in far worse trouble than any teacher can put you in." He told her. This time, it was her turn to be surprised. Surprised at his willingness to protect her. The least she could do was use this to her advantage.

"You're right. Which brings me to something I've been meaning to ask." She hesitated, not knowing if she had the courage to go through with it, but no longer having a choice. He watched her, waiting for her to continue.

"I cast that spell today without meaning to. The lack of control I had was frightening, not to mention dangerous. I can't let that happen again. I need help learning to control it, and knowing what to do with it." She paused, forcing her eyes turn to him. "I wondered if you would give me a bit of coaching." She finished. He stared at her in surprise. This was obviously not what he had been expecting.

"I imagine Professor Dumbledore would be better suited to this task." He answered, carefully. She had been expecting this response.

"Maybe, but he's so busy and I need specialist training, from someone with specialist experience… Sir." She told him. It was a speech that she had been rehearsing in her mind all afternoon. It felt good to finally say it.

"This isn't something to be taken lightly. I refuse to do anything unless you pursue this with the utmost seriousness. Do you understand?" He asked, a hard edge to his tone.

"I wouldn't have asked you, otherwise." She replied, looking him straight in the eye. He let out a deep breath of air.

"Very well. I will consider it. You will report back here for detention at 8pm. You may go." He told her, dismissing her with a wave of his hand, and turning his attention to marking his students' work. At least his off-hand dismissal was normal, she thought to herself, as she stood up and left the room to catch up with her friends.

Dinner that evening was a very tense affair and she received nothing but glares from Juliet and the group of Slytherins that followed her everywhere she went. Jez and Hermione were strangely quiet. The unusual display of Tamara's power had seemed to frighten them. The only one who seemed to understand was Thalia.

"Don't worry about it, Tamara. What can you expect from someone as powerful as you?" She whispered. Jez and Hermione smiled at her, sheepishly, realising that their fear was misplaced.

"I don't blame you for being afraid. It scared me." Tamara told them.

"Well, before long, the only person you're going to be scaring with your displays of power is Vol… You-Know-Who." Hermione replied, changing her words mid-sentence so as not to draw attention.

"Just as long as Snape agrees to coach me."

"He will. I bet he'll say yes in detention tonight." Jez reassured her. "And then you'll be able to hit two birds with one stone."

"Is that all you ever think about?" Tamara asked incredulously. Jez grinned.

"Seriously Tamara, don't stress about what happened with Juliet in Potions. Did you see the look on her face? The old bag really had it coming! I bet she knows not to mess with you, now." Jez told her.

"Yeah, and you know the risk of it happening again is minimal because you will be having coaching from an expert." Thalia added.

"But he hasn't actually agreed, yet!" Tamara pointed out.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem." Thalia told her, mysteriously. Jez smirked.

"What are you not telling me?"

"Oh, nothing." Thalia said, shrugging it off, knowing that it would annoy Tamara exceedingly.

"Okay, one of you is going to have to tell me what's going on, because it's starting to bug me, now." Hermione cut in. Jez grinned. Before anyone could stop her, she leaned across to the Gryffindor table, where Hermione was sat directly behind them, so that she could hear the conversation, and whispered the truth. Tamara buried her face in her hands with an embarrassed smile. The look on Hermione's face was nothing short of shock. Jez's infectious grin spread to her, and she couldn't help but shake her head and smile. Thalia placed a comforting hand on Tamara's shoulder.

"What's all the commotion about?" Asked a familiar but strained voice. They all looked up to see Adelaide.

"We haven't seen you in days. Are you alright?" Tamara asked, glad for the opportunity to change the subject.

"Yes, I'm just tired. I've been under a lot of pressure, lately, that's all." Adelaide responded, trying not to let her voice crack. Tamara didn't miss the way her hand shook as she reached forward to pour herself a goblet of pumpkin juice. Thalia noticed it, too. She raised an eyebrow at Tamara.

"I know. We all are. Just make sure you're eating properly, getting plenty of sleep, and taking time out to relax." Tamara told her.

"You sound like my Mother." Adelaide responded with a smile.

"She made a joke!" Jez shrieked. She bounded forward and wrapped her arms around Adelaide. "Welcome back to the club!" She told her. Adelaide smiled again, but Tamara and Thalia couldn't help but notice that it seemed to simply be a cover for the amount of strain she was under. To Tamara, she looked like a stretched elastic band that would snap at any moment. Tamara was worried, but as long as they were looking out for Adelaide, she couldn't worry herself unnecessarily about it. After all, she had her own life-threatening problems to worry about.

Later that evening, Tamara stood in the dormitory she shared with Jez examining her image in the mirror. She wore a pair of warm black trousers and a figure-accentuating sweater that she had borrowed from Jez. Over her shoulders, hung her Hogwarts robe, her hair tied in a single braid down her back. Her wand stowed carefully in her robes, she turned to leave, her destination – detention with Snape.

"Knock em' dead, Tamara." Jez hollered after her. Tamara waved at her friend over her shoulder.

When she entered the dungeon, Snape didn't even look up at her. He simply pointed to a pile of dirty cauldrons.

"Clean them. No magic. You will report to me when you are finished." Were his only words. He continued with his work. Reluctantly, Tamara made her way to the pile of cauldrons. This lot is going to take me all night. She groaned, inwardly. He better give me an answer after all this.

Two hours later she was only a third of the way through the pile and after scrubbing a particularly difficult mound of grime from under the rim of a half-melted cauldron she threw her cloth down and sighed. At that moment, a tap on the door resounded through the room, and it creaked open. Tamara shook her head in exasperation when she saw Juliet saunter in. The look on her face was pure revenge. One hand on her hip, she tossed her long blonde hair back over her shoulders, and walked toward Snape's desk. Tamara couldn't watch. She knew it was the only way Juliet had to get at her, but she couldn't help but feel jealous. Juliet sat on the edge of Snape's desk and leaned over his work.

"Miss Malone, I am rather busy. Is there a reason that I have been graced with your presence?" He asked her, his tone neutral.

"I wanted to ask you about the use of aphrodisiacs in antidotes." She simpered, emphasising the subliminal message in her words.

"Aphrodisiacs are used as stimulants. Unless your intention is to have your patient running around relentlessly like a two year old, then good luck to you." He told her, without looking up. Not one to be defeated so easily, she persisted.

"But wouldn't it be useful in, say, waking a coma patient?" She went on.

"Really Miss Malone, if you wish to know about herbs, I suggest you talk to Madam Sprout. Now, if you please, I have work to do." He said, dismissing her. Juliet stood up, and headed around the back of his desk to leave. She paused momentarily, and let her hand rest on his shoulder.

"You should come with us to Hogsmeade, on the weekend. Join us for drinks" She told him. He looked up at her for the first time since she had entered the room.

"You are dismissed." He told her, pointedly, not bothering to respond to her invitation. Tamara smirked and turned her attention back to the cauldrons as Juliet left the room.

"For goodness sake, just use magic, or you'll be here for a week." He suddenly shot at her. One wave of her wand, and the cauldrons were sparkling, and placing themselves neatly in a row on one of the shelves at the back of the room. She stowed her wand back in her robes, and headed toward the door.

"Miss Edgecombe, a moment, please." She heard him ask. She stopped, and turned around. Waiting to hear what he had to say, her heart pounded in her chest.

"I have considered your request. Ordinarily I would have no compunction in saying no but I do recognise the uniqueness of your situation. I am willing to help you only as long as you take this seriously, and you put the effort in. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you very much…" She said, breathlessly. He raised his hand to silence her.

"My office. Saturday morning, 9:30. Do not be late. You may go." Without a further word, he turned his attention back to his work, and she quietly left. As soon as she had closed the door behind her, a grin spread across her face, ear to ear, her heart in a flutter. Not only would she receive training from a master, but she would be able to spend extra time with the man she loved, not to mention being able to show him exactly what she was capable of. These devious thoughts were registered along with his warnings about seriousness, and she headed back to the Ravenclaw common room to share the good news with Jez and Thalia.