Just wanted to say that I'm going on holidays this week so the next update is going to be a little bit delayed. Thanks. Enjoy!
Chapter 09
...
{Enochian Prophecies}
...
Christmas day had come and gone.
It was full of families and presents and a cheery mood all around. Sasha had never had a proper, normal Christmas and he doubted every action he made and everything he said, not knowing the appropriate ways to act. He feared that he had appeared awkward and unsure.
It wasn't exactly suspicious but people had been surprised. Who wasn't familiar with Christmas? It was easy enough to stumble his way through a sentence explaining his situation though. His parents hadn't followed Christmas, apparently; and had done away with the occasion. The Order of the Phoenix could accept that.
In the end, the day had gone fairly alright and it had passed without incident.
That was good. That meant that Sasha had not alerted anyone to anything.
He began to feel more comfortable in his role around the Order members. He felt like he had a grasp on what they were like and what motivated them. The more time Sasha spent with them the more he realised that he didn't exactly hate them.
Really, there was very little for him there to hate.
Sasha had always been loyal to Voldemort—unwaveringly loyal, in fact, but that didn't mean he believed in everything his master did. Frankly, Sasha thought Voldemort's beliefs on muggles were a bit melodramatic. Sasha, having grown up in an orphanage and then as a street child, had seen a great many abuses. But he had also witnessed some good. He had seen people dedicate their lives to others. Or some who would give up their time to help those gone even beyond help.
To say that all muggles were vermin was ridiculous; it was like saying all dogs were vicious or all purebloods were powerful. Yet Voldemort did not see things in grey. Only in black and white. Dark and Light. He had hinted, some time ago to Sasha that he had seen badness in muggles and little else growing up. Sasha could believe that. He also believed that Voldemort would refuse to have his views challenged once he made up his mind.
It was a topic that Sasha could bring up for debate if his master was in a good enough mood. Ultimately, Voldemort would win but Sasha often wondered if he said it enough, would the man eventually take stock and see his close-mindedness.
He doubted it somehow. Voldemort was good at a great many things; admitting he might be anything but absolutely correct was not one of those things.
Another was his belief that personal connections were weaknesses. The Dark Lord did not believe in emotional attachments. People were pawns. They had a use and, like any tool, they could be thrown away at a moment's notice. That was all.
Sasha was under no delusions; he was allowed in the Dark Lord's presence only as long as he was useful to him. He wouldn't deny that he was expendable because Sasha knew he was; he could feel it every day. In regards to himself, Sasha would not criticise Voldemort for his beliefs; Sasha knew his role, he was aware of what it entailed and what would happen if he couldn't fulfil it. But that didn't mean Sasha believed in it as a whole.
It was true that Sasha was not quick to trust and he almost never actively sought out people. But he understood that if it hadn't been for others, he would never have survived, either on the streets or in Voldemort's care. People had their uses and as more than just pawns. The Dark Lord couldn't see it, but people were necessary. One couldn't always rely on themselves to watch their back. People needed people who were there because they wanted to be and not out of fear or duty.
So it was with that understanding that Sasha looked on at the Order of the Phoenix without hatred or even scorn. They understood the value of having a network, of working together to produce something. They took it a little too far in Sasha's view but the main idea was there. He could respect that.
"Sasha!"
It was Sirius Black who called him.
Sasha shifted in his chair and looked towards Sirius questioningly, "Yes?" He said.
He was in the kitchen with Hermione and Ron. Neville had run upstairs to retrieve something from his room. They had been talking until Sirius interrupted them.
"Mind giving me a hand with the marquee?" He asked.
Sasha looked at Sirius and resisted the urge to frown. "Sure." He said, getting up and leaving the other two with a puzzled look and shrug back to them. They looked equally confused but not in any way bothered by it so Sasha didn't worry.
He followed Sirius Black out to the garden.
"Thanks for the help." Sirius said.
"It's not a problem." Sasha replied, "But I don't know how much help I'm going to be, to be honest."
It was New Year's Eve and they were getting ready to have another fun filled event. It seemed to be pretty much one after another. Sasha had never seen such a succession of useless events in his life. He didn't even know if this was supposed to be normal or not.
Lily and Mrs. Weasley had been baking and cooking all morning and had taken a break from the work while the ovens did their work. Fred and George were putting the final touches to their fireworks display in a corner of the garden that no one was quite brave enough to venture near. Remus Lupin was there too, untangling a mass of fairy lights with some spell that was entirely too esoteric for Sasha to know.
"You'll be fine." Sirius said, inspecting the heap of white cloth on the grass before them. "It's not very hard anyway; I'm sure your father's shown you how to do it before?"
Sasha shook his head, "No." He said, "Not putting up tents. Isn't really the hands on type, my father."
"Really? Could have sworn it was like a rite of passage or something. You never know when you'll need to pitch a tent."
Sasha nodded but didn't speak. He had lived seventeen years and had not once found himself in a situation where tent pitching was necessary. But then, with the amount of pointless events these people had, it probably was an important lesson for them to learn.
"Anyway," Sirius continued, "It's like this."
Sirius told Sasha the incantation and explained to him that because the marquee was so big, they would need to work on both sides. It didn't have to be at the same time or anything, so he wasn't to worry if he couldn't get the spell right first time. Sasha wondered why Sirius needed him in the first place if the two sides didn't have to be put up at the same time but he kept quiet and just nodded.
"Alright? Got that?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah, I think so." Sasha said. He took out his wand from his pocket and Sirius did the same.
Sasha was already moving to the side when Sirius said, "Hey, cool wand."
Yes, it was a cool wand. It was an unusual wand. Sasha couldn't deny that, but it wasn't immediately noticeable unless it was looked upon with a critical eye. That raised a question; why was Sirius Black looking at his wand critically?
"Yeah," Sasha said, stopping, "It's Asian."
Sirius moved to close the distance, stepping in close. "Asian?" He asked, sounding impressed, "Mind if I take a look?" Sirius took the wand before Sasha could say that yes, he did mind.
The wand reacted badly to the foreign grasp. It sparked and hissed as the rapid build up of heat burned the air. Sasha quickly plucked the wand from Sirius' hand before it did any damage and burned him. He could still feel the remnants of heat on his own skin as he swapped the wand into his right hand, the one furthest away from Sirius.
"Sorry," Sasha said, "It's quite temperamental."
Sirius nodded. "I can see that." He replied, eyes downcast and studying the wand in Sasha's grasp. "Can't be an Ollivander wand." He remarked.
"It isn't." Sasha agreed, "It's a Botum Oung." He said.
Sirius raised a brow, nodded interestedly and then said, "Never heard of him."
Giving a patient smile, Sasha said, "She's the Ollivander of Cambodia."
Botum Oung may or may not have made his wand. In truth, Sasha didn't know. It had been in Ollivander's shop when he had gone in and though it was clear the old man had not made it, it was less obvious why he had it at all.
"I see," Sirius said, unfazed by his mistake, "And what kind of wood is that?"
Sasha was beginning to suspect the motive behind the questions. Why would Sirius take so much interest in his wand? Did he doubt him about something? Was he questioning him because he thought that maybe he hadn't been to Asia and he wouldn't know the answers to the questions? Taking another long look at Sirius, Sasha couldn't decide if he was just being paranoid or if that was actually it.
No matter, Sasha knew his story as well as if it were actually true. He wasn't going to be tripped up by a simple prying.
"It's Japanese Maple." Sasha replied. "It's a tonus wood so magic seeps from it real quick. Its good if you want to cast spells in a hurry."
Whistling, Sirius said. "Bet that's a monster in a duel." He seemed to be showing true interest in the wand now, rather than the slight prying he had done before.
"I suppose so, but I've never really duelled so I wouldn't know." It was lie, but Sirius Black didn't need to know that.
"Can't have that. We'll have to try it out some time." He said offhandedly before changing the subject, "Well, this tent won't pitch itself. Let's get on with it."
He wandered to the other side, taking out his own wand. They said the incantations and the marquee went up without a fault.
"Hey!" Sirius said as he came around the corner of the newly erected tent, "Told you it wasn't difficult; you're a natural!"
Sasha smiled and muttered some modest statement.
The chairs were next. Something that wasn't done by magic, funnily enough. Sasha suspected the whole job was an attempt from Sirius to try and get a feel of him. He suspected that the man had been trying to do it since Lily went crazy and proclaimed him to be her son in front of everyone.
It was the gift that kept giving. Thanks Lily. Thanks a whole bunch.
"So Sasha," Sirius said as they carried their fourth load of chairs from a dining room that seemed to have hundreds to the marquee, "Cambodia's a long way for a wand. What made you go there?"
Sasha could have scowled but he didn't. "Oh, I lived there at the time. It was just convenient that the shop was there too." He said airily.
"Yeah? What was Cambodia like?"
The questions were said lightly, but Sasha could hear the intent in them. He pretended not to notice and recited his story. "It was okay. To tell you the truth, we only spent a few months there. We did a lot of travelling, you know."
"So I heard," Sirius agreed, "I wouldn't want the Markova after me, that's for sure."
Sasha gave a watery smile and looked away.
They reached the marquee and arranged the chairs around tables.
The Potters were inviting a lot of people to the celebrations tonight. Loads of James' Auror friends were attending and a handful of Lily's colleagues would be there also. Even more of the Weasleys would appear for the night's festivities and some other people who were supporters of the Light.
"I'd say one or two more rounds and we should have enough." Sirius said, referring to the chairs. Sasha agreed with him, not knowing if they actually would.
On their way to get more chairs, Sirius started to speak again. "So how are you finding it here?" He asked lightly.
"Oh, it's great." Sasha said, making sure to sound enthusiastic. "It's so good of the Potters to let me stay here; especially because it's so packed with everybody as it is."
Sirius grinned, "Yeah, they're pretty good that way. We all go way back, you know. We were in Hogwarts together. James and I were always pulling pranks, along with Remus and Lily—well Lily didn't really join us until later, but we were all friends by the end... I'll tell you; those were the days. Don't take your school life for granted; you'll be out soon enough and being a grown-up is much, much harder."
They entered the dining room. "I'll make sure to do that." Sasha said as he grabbed another stack of chairs. "I'm really enjoying Hogwarts though." He added.
"That's good." Sirius grunted as he lifted a larger stack of chairs into his arms. "That's the way to do it. What are you hoping to do after you graduate?"
"Not sure, really." Sasha lied, "Hagrid said I should look into something with magical creatures. I think I'd like that..."
Sasha would have liked to work with magical creatures. Hagrid had been constantly badgering him to research it. He had said it would be a 'mighty waste' if he didn't at least try. Sasha never knew that Hagrid was a salesman but he had been caught, hook, line and sinker by the half-giant's pitch.
Sasha had bought into the fantasy so thoroughly that it was a disappointment every time he remembered he would not be graduating and getting a job like the rest of them. Despite the notions he made for himself, Sasha knew his cause was not with magical creatures; he was Voldemort's servant. That was his calling and it kept him busy.
"Well, if that's what you're into, then go for it. Can't spend your life being miserable doing something you hate." Sirius said as they arrived in the garden.
It was sound advice, but it didn't help Sasha one bit. Besides, he didn't hate being Voldemort's servant; he was happy to have the opportunity. Even if he couldn't have his passing fancy of caring for creatures, he was more than fulfilled as a servant to the Dark Lord.
"You're right." Sasha said instead of voicing his thoughts. "I guess I never looked at it like that."
Sirius nodded and was visibly pleased with himself.
They returned to the dining room before Sirius spoke again. "Hey kid?" He said from behind Sasha.
Sasha stopped what he was doing and turned to face the other man. He gave a questioning look. By the tone of voice and the fact that he had waited until they were alone, Sasha figured whatever Sirius was going to say, it would be important. He didn't know if it was good or bad yet though, so he prepared for the worst; an outright proclamation of disbelief.
"I just wanted to say that I understand you aren't like them. The Markova, I mean. I know what it's like to have a family who are different to you."
"Okay." Sasha said slowly.
"What I'm trying to say is; you don't have to worry about anyone judging you because your family are Dark. We know you're not like them. I understand what you're going through; my family always supported You-Know-Who and my cousin is Bellatrix Lestrange, his favourite lieutenant. So, I was in a similar situation to you once too. But these are good people and the fact that your family are Markova isn't even thought about."
Sasha knew this wasn't true. He might have been more inclined to believe it had he not heard Sirius' discussion with James Potter about how he could be 'pushed over the edge' due to his lineage. It was nice of him to pretend though, Sasha supposed.
"Thanks Sirius, that really means a lot to me." He replied.
Sasha knew that wasn't true either.
Sirius gave an easy grin and they gathered the next load of chairs, bringing them out to the garden once more. Sasha put the remaining chairs in the vacant areas and went to get some more.
Sasha walked in ahead of Sirius and worked on stacking the few remaining chairs. Sirius stayed at the doorframe, watching for a few moments before slowly doing the same. Noticing this, but saying nothing, Sasha continued the work.
After barely stacking three chairs on top of each other, Sirius straightened up and looked over at Sasha.
"There's something else I've been meaning to say to you." Sirius said quietly.
Sasha stopped, turned and raised a questioning eyebrow. "Yeah?" He said.
"It's about Lily." He explained, clearly uncomfortable.
Relaxing once he realised it wasn't about him, Sasha said, "Oh, okay."
Sirius nodded and swallowed. "Look, I know she kinda freaked out the first day, but she's not a bad person or anything."
"I didn't say that she was." Sasha replied, offended and annoyed that people thought that of him.
"Oh, no, no, I know you didn't. I was just saying..." Sirius said quickly, "It's just I'm sure she didn't give you the best first impression, that's all. She's really not like that at all."
Sasha nodded. "I'm sure she isn't. It wasn't a big deal. I'm sure she had her reasons for what she did. I don't mind."
Sirius nodded a few times, distractedly. "Yeah, it's just, I thought I owed you an explanation, so you could understand where she's coming from."
"That's really not necessary." Sasha replied, neither wanting nor caring to know.
"No." Sirius said, "It is."
Seeing that Sirius was adamant, Sasha crossed his arms and nodded, accepting that he was going to be told whether he wanted to or not.
"Lily and James had a son." He said.
Sasha knew this. He had also known that the boy had died. He didn't know how it happened purely because his informant had not known. Hermione had relayed everything she knew to him and had made him swear not to tell anyone that she told him or that he knew.
He would keep his word to her and play dumb. "Oh..." Sasha said, "But they don't anymore?"
Sasha tried to convey the polite sadness that was expected of him in that situation. It sounded a little strange to his ears but Sirius didn't notice, too intent on whatever was going on within his own head.
"No, he died. It was about sixteen years ago."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Yeah," Sirius agreed, "It's pretty tragic. Lily hasn't been the same since and James tries to put a face on it but you can see he's hurting just as much. It was hard on them as a couple too. They're like a shadow of themselves now."
"What happened?" Sasha asked.
Sirius shook his head but did not reply. Sasha was surprised to find true sadness in Sirius. He was not the child's parent, so why would he be so hung up about it. It was sixteen years ago, after all. That was almost Sasha's entire life. Whatever understanding Sasha gave Lily for her loss, Sirius Black certainly wasn't privy to it. And to think, this was Bellatrix's cousin; they were polar opposites. Sasha preferred Bellatrix, frankly.
"It was stupidity on our part—all of our parts." Was all Sirius said.
Sasha nodded.
"But Lily," Sirius continued, "She never gave up hope that maybe he was still alive."
"Harry?" Sasha asked, though knowing it was the boy.
"Yeah, that was his name... I was his godfather—did you know that?"
Sasha shook his head. "No."
"Well, it's not important anyway. I just wanted to tell you about this so you could understand that Lily isn't exactly herself. I don't know why she suddenly fixated on you, but she really sees Harry in you. She understands that you're not him, she knows that he's dead."
Sasha couldn't have scoffed. That wasn't what Sirius and James had said on Christmas Eve in the study.
"But even still," Sirius continued, "I just wanted you to know that if she acts strange around you, it's not because of anything you did. She's just not quite herself at the moment."
He smiled and being unsure what to say, Sasha said, "Okay, thanks Sirius."
Sirius was quiet for another moment or two before he returned the smile and said, "Well, come on, these chairs won't move themselves."
Sasha resisted the urge to point out that they would if they used magic. Instead he just nodded and picked up the load, moving them outside and arranging them once more.
When that was done, Sasha made to go back in and get more seats.
"I think that's enough chairs, actually." Sirius said with his hands on his hips as he turned around and surveyed the area, "Yes, I'd say that's enough."
"Great. Anything else I can do to help you?" Sasha asked, silently hoping that the answer would be a 'no'.
"Nope, you're free to go. Thanks for the help, Sasha."
"It's not a problem. Anytime." Sasha said with a smile and returned to his friends in the kitchen.
...
{Enochian Prophecies}
...
Night fell quickly in England during the winter months and by five o'clock the sky had already turned black. It was cold out and cloudless and the stars were there in their thousands, enjoying the festivities of the New Year's parties across the globe.
Sasha had watched the night fall and settle while he was preparing himself for his appearance at the soiree. He had bought fine robes a few months before leaving for Hogwarts and had had no chance to use them since. He had grabbed them before leaving Voldemort and was planning on using them tonight.
They were simple, cut and tailored expertly but without any fancy details. Just clear lines and structured. They suited him well. They were black and simple and had a stiff collar and long sleeves. It was everything a man needed in dress robes and he wouldn't look out of place with them.
He had stood by the window of his room as he buttoned up his clothes, looking out at the night sky and the bountiful stars. He mused casually about the people that would be coming to the party. Albus Dumbledore was supposed to arrive at some point as well as James and Lily's colleagues. Sasha wondered if there would be anyone famous. He was intrigued to see if there was anyone else of influence that would arrive.
But that was hours ago.
Now, Sasha was standing in the marquee that he himself had helped set up. There had been heating charms put all around the garden so even though there were patches of cold where Sasha could see his breath fog up, he need only move a few paces to be comfortable again.
In all, the affair was a dignified one. Tables and chairs were placed consciously around the marquee and outside. There were enough seats for everyone to have a chair but at the same time there was plenty of space to move around and talk in the small groupings that were common at such events.
The people were dressed appropriately and not too over the top or too casually. They were respectable. The respectable middle-class of the wizarding world. Or at least most of them were. There were a few who were below and some more that were above that but for the most part these people were the everyday middle-of-the-range people who lived in Britain.
Sasha walked into the marquee, eyes searching for one of his friends. Occasionally he caught the eye of someone and gave a smile or a nod and continued on with his lookout. Moving further into the marquee, Sasha moved passed groups of people, onlookers who wondered about the boy in the dark robes. He was unaware of this.
Similarly, Sasha was unaware that Remus Lupin's eyes followed his form as he moved through the marquee.
"Whatcha doing, Moony?" Sirius asked, wandering over to his friend with two glasses in his hands. He offered one to Remus who took it with a nod.
"Just thinking." Remus replied.
Sirius followed the other man's gaze and caught him looking at Sasha. "Doesn't clean up half bad, does he?" Sirius asked.
Remus nodded and gave a distracted grunt.
Sirius frowned. "What's up?"
Looking up at Sirius as if he had just noticed him, Remus blinked. "Oh, nothing, it's nothing..." He trailed off and his eyes returned to Sasha Kamenev.
Sirius sat down. "Why do you keep looking at him?" He asked, sounding suspicious and worried and uncertain of both.
He had to make an effort to shake himself, but when he did, Remus gave a brief smile. "Don't mind me," He said, "I'm being silly. It's just... His scent; it's so familiar."
"His scent?" Sirius asked, incredulous.
Remus looked embarrassed. "Well, yes. You know, what with my... uh, furry problem, I can smell everyone's unique scent clearly."
"And his is bothering you?"
Shaking a head Remus replied, "Not in itself, no. But it's a strange scent. And familiar, so familier... but I can't quite put my finger on it."
Sirius raised a brow. "And what does that mean?"
"Nothing much." Remus admitted, "Everyone's different. It's just been bothering me that I can't place it. I've been catching whiffs of it around the place since we came here; frankly I didn't even realise it was him until today. I wasn't expecting him to be the source. Not with a scent like that anyway..."
Sirius looked at Remus for a moment before scoffing. "You've been working too hard, Moony." He snickered into his hand. "Poor kid'd be mortified if he heard you talking about his smell."
Remus looked embarrassed and he lowered his eyes in response. "I suppose you're right." He said with a humiliated smile.
Patting him on the back, Sirius told Remus not to worry and to just chug back a few glasses. They changed the subject then and started to talk about something else.
As Sasha ventured even further through the crowds, he was spotted by yet another person who was watching him even more intently than Remus.
Lily Potter's eyes shone bright as they trailed after him. She was holding her simple pearl necklace in her hand; picking it up off of her chest with a delicate pinched grasp and putting it back down again. It was unconscious on her part, but it comforted her.
She was wondering how to reach out to her son while he was staying with her and James. She would have to do it privately and she would somehow have to sneak passed James' and Sirius' watchful eyes. They were keeping her from her son. She wouldn't allow that to happen.
It was beyond Lily how James could not see that Sasha Kamenev was none other than her missing son. Couldn't they see his eyes? They had not changed in sixteen years—not much. They had, perhaps, gotten a little world weary but these were times of war and so many people had suffered that effect. Other than that though, she could be looking at the eyes of a one year old infant again.
And he had grown so well. Lily hadn't the privilege to watch him grow, but there he stood before her, grown nonetheless. She was proud. He was handsome and smart and good-tempered and perfect. She had been right when she had studied her child at birth; his eyes were so similar to her's, but the rest of him was all his father.
The dark hair that looked effortlessly stylish, the strong features on a face that was not yet mature enough to fully promote them, the way his lips quirked when he spoke to someone. These were all things from his father. Lily found herself half proud and half hateful at the fact.
She hated the man who had so long ago made her fall in love with him. Even now, after seventeen years his image still haunted her. In times of doubt she sometimes imagined herself with him and not James. Then she remembered what that man had done to her and how much she had suffered.
But it was alright, because her son was here now. He had sought her out—without even knowing it. Despite his father's attempts, her Harry was home.
Lily didn't understand why he believed himself to be called Kamenev or even Markova. She didn't know how that had happened. Perhaps they had adopted him as a child? It seemed to be the only logical reason that she could think of—and it wasn't for lack of thinking of it. All she did was think of him and what she wanted to say to her son.
But they kept her away from Harry.
She couldn't even offer the boy so much as a cup of tea without everyone acting antsy and ready to run over to put a hand on her mouth. They thought she was crazy. But she wasn't. She had never been more sure of anything in her life; Sasha Kamenev was not who he believed he was. He was Harry Potter. He was her son. And even if it was only the barest forms of communication, Lily would contact her son beyond the bounds of what the Order deemed appropriate.
She had originally thought that a heritage potion would be the perfect way to prove her sanity but every time she had tried to make one, she had been scuppered by someone. She wouldn't bother trying to prove herself anymore. What did she care about them anyway? All she wanted was her son. Once she could contact him, who cared what anyone else thought about her?
"The place looks brilliant, don't you think?"
For a brief moment Lily was half-hopeful that she would turn and see the dark hair and dark eyes of the man who had she had not seen for seventeen years. But she did not. Instead, she saw her husband; a man she had known for considerably longer. Despite herself, she couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Lily looked at James briefly before half-turning away from him, eyes falling on some random people in the crowds. Even though she wanted to watch her son, she did not wish for James to be alerted to that fact. She pursed her lips.
"Don't tell me you're still angry at me, Lily." James said, exasperated. "I'm only doing what's best for us."
Lily lifted her head defiantly. "What's best for us seems to be better for you than me."
"You know that's not true." James whispered harshly, angrily, as he took a step closer to his wife.
Crossing her arms, Lily still refused to even look in the direction of her husband. She didn't speak.
James sighed, losing the fire behind his words, "Lily..." He implored, "Please try and look at this rationally."
Bristling, Lily muttered, "I am looking at this rationally."
She turned on her heel and made to leave James' side. Before she could vanish, James caught her arm and held her in a firm, but gentle grip.
"Lily..." He tried once more.
Lily looked down at the hand on her arm and up at her husband's face. "Let go of me." She commanded, "Or I will scream."
For a few moments James' emotions battled on his face. Lily could see his inner struggle as easily as if he was narrating it himself. Had she been any less angry, she might have felt bad about the pain she was clearly putting her husband through, but she was not and she did not.
Reluctantly, James let go of her. With a flick of her long red hair, Lily turned on her heel and hastily fled the scene, leaving a lost and sorrowful James Potter in her wake.
That was yet another interaction that Sasha was unaware of.
His eyes fell on the people he was trying to find. Hermione was standing by the buffet table and speaking to none other than Albus Dumbledore. He wandered over to the two, a slight smile upturning his lips.
"...And as I far as I know, he was never seen again." Dumbledore finished saying to Hermione as Sasha stepped in beside her.
"Ah, I must wish you a Happy New Year, Sasha." Dumbledore said with a smile and sparkling eyes as he spotted him.
Sasha returned the smile. "Happy New Year to you too, sir." He replied.
Heart beating just a little quicker than before, Sasha met the headmaster's eyes and made sure he conveyed nothing but ease and friendliness despite the nerves he felt.
There was no one higher than Dumbledore. If he could fool the old man then nothing could stop him. This was Voldemort's equal. Sasha felt a wave of jitteriness to be that close and to know the man could probably obliterate him in an instant if he messed up.
"How are you enjoying the holidays, Sasha?" Dumbledore asked kindly.
"Oh, they've just been brilliant." Sasha replied brightly, "Everyone's so great here; I almost don't want to leave."
Dumbledore chuckled, "Yes, that can happen, I'm afraid. I myself always find it difficult to leave after I sample Lily's cooking."
Hermione grinned, "If we're not careful, Lily might feed us to the point where we wouldn't be able to fit into the floo."
"I'm half way there, I think." Sasha laughed.
Really he wasn't near it. It would take a lot more than Lily Potter's meals to make him that big. The logical part of him wanted to scoff at the joke and indeed the whole line of conversation. The rational part knew that he shouldn't give in to such urges. So he didn't. He watched Hermione accidently snort at his joke and cover her mouth in surprise and embarrassment. She giggled behind her hand as she tried to compose herself.
"Excuse me." Hermione said between convulsions, "I'll be back in a moment."
Sasha didn't think it was all that funny, but Hermione and Dumbledore were enjoying themselves and he wasn't going to be the odd one out.
"All joking aside," Dumbledore announced then, making Sasha turn back to him, "I am relieved you are fitting in so well into Hogwarts. I can appreciate that it would have been difficult for you to enter a new school so late into your education."
Sasha nodded with a smile. "It was scary at first," He admitted sheepishly," But to be honest, everyone was so great about including me that I didn't feel alone for a second."
Dumbledore beamed. It was clear he had pride in his school and Sasha was sure it was flattering to hear that the students in it were behaving in a way that was complimentary.
"And of course," Sasha continued, "I was kept busy with all the classes. Not to mention getting lost all the time. Honestly, with all those disappearing corridors and secret passageways around the place, I don't know how anyone manages to make it anywhere."
Dumbledore chuckled again. "Oh yes, Hogwarts is indeed full of a great many secrets. More than anyone knows, I imagine. Even I would not presume to know all that is hidden in Hogwarts. For instance, a few years ago while I was on the sixth floor, I, quite urgently, needed to use the loo. I was running around trying to locate a bathroom and I turned around to find one I had never seen before."
By this point in Dumbledore's story, Hermione had returned with Ron and Neville in tow.
"I tried to return to it later," The headmaster continued, "But for the life of me, I couldn't find it. To this day I still haven't rediscovered that place... Oh, hello, Ron, Neville; I didn't see you there for a moment."
"Hello, headmaster." They chimed.
"Well, must be off; unfortunately paper work does not stop to enjoy the festivities. Enjoy the rest of your break. Happy New Year to you all."
"Happy New Year, headmaster." They all said as Dumbledore waved happily and left them, disappearing among the crowds.
The party continued until the countdown for the New Year began and as the clock struck midnight, Fred and George Weasley set off the fireworks they had stockpiled in one great display. Every one watched the fireworks and enjoyed them.
Once the twins lit their last Catherine wheel, everyone returned to the marquee and continued their party. It was well into the early hours of the morning before people started to file out and leave.
A little while after that, Sasha made his way slowly to his room and collapsed on his bed, barely taking the time to undress before falling into a deep sleep.
...
{Enochian Prophecies}
...
Sasha hadn't achieved what he had hoped to from the New Year's party. He went in aspiring to pick up some information on the Light's defences or their manoeuvres or something—anything. Instead, he had heard a lot of stories about annual finance reports, funny incidents at the last year's get-together and so much more boring and useless facts.
That was two days ago.
Now, Sasha was standing at a window, looking out at the back garden. It was raining hard, the kind that 'dinged' off of the roof of the house. It went straight down and ricocheted off the drenched ground, saturating the ground and creating great puddles of muddy water on the lawn. Everything from the party had been cleared out; the lights were down, the marquee was gone and the chairs had been returned to the dining room.
"Hey, Sasha." Neville said as he entered the room. He was putting on a jacket.
"Hi Neville." Sasha replied, turning from the window.
Neville struggled into his coat and buttoned it up, bringing up the hood over his head. "James asked me to prune some of his homunculi plantae. You can come if you like; I could use a hand."
"Sure." Sasha said, even though he didn't want to. "But I'm really not that good with plants."
He wasn't lying. Herbology was not his thing. He didn't get it. Plants were there, they existed, Sasha understood that, he accepted that, but he didn't have to be in contact with him. Especially not magical plants.
Frisky was the wrong word to describe what they were like around him, but it was probably the closest to being accurate; plants always spit things at him, whether it be venom, spikes or actually spit. They just went for him, or wrapped around him or made some other form of invasive action.
Sasha didn't know why they acted like that but they did it often enough for him to be prepared for when he was in contact with anything that held a hint of green. His skills with plants had not improved over the years, but his reflexes had.
Neville shrugged, "That's okay. It's more for the company than anything else."
"Well, that I can do." Sasha replied with a nod.
They made their way into to the garden and had a mad dash out to the glasshouse at the very end of it. Neville unlocked the door with a key that he produced from his pocket and let himself in. Sasha followed, brushing the moisture off of himself once he entered. He hadn't gone to get a coat so he was left wet when Neville was dry. He ran a hand through his soaking hair, scraping it back and out of his face.
Sasha watched as Neville took off his coat and put it on a workbench; he then went around collecting the equipment he would need for pruning. While he was doing that, Sasha took a look around the glasshouse. It was surprisingly big for people who did not garden. He was amazed at the amount of plants there—and most of them were just normal, non-magical plants.
They suited Sasha more than the magical ones.
As Sasha wandered around the rows of plants, Neville had finished preparing his work space—and Sasha's—and went to retrieve the homunculi plantae.
Sasha had never even heard of the plant before, but Neville seemed to be quite knowledgeable on the subject. He put the pots on the table and when Sasha returned, he pushed one over to Sasha.
"Don't forget to put your gloves on." Neville said as he picked up his clippers.
Sasha studied the plant in front of him. It was a tiny little bulb, no more than a bump in a large pot filled with soil. He looked down at it, unimpressed. "Is that it?" He asked Neville incredulously.
Neville grinned. "That's what they look like when they sleep. You have to wake them up to prune them."
Sasha wasn't all that excited but he watched Neville demonstrate.
Neville moved his gloved fingers under a crease at the middle of the bump and dragged it up out of the soil. The plant became bigger very quickly and it unfurled in Neville's hand into the shape of a humanoid creature. The trunk of it was separated into a body, a head and four arms to which five huge finger-like branches that were ripe with leaves and tiny red fruit.
It squirmed and wriggled and let out little gasps and moans of protest.
"It's like a mandrake." Sasha said.
Neville looked at Sasha with a smile, "A little," He said as he nimbly caught a flailing arm, "But they're not really the same plant at all. Besides, these don't scream like mandrakes—thankfully."
Sasha huffed an amused breath and watched Neville as he straightened out the plant's 'fingers' and swiftly clipped the over-abundant leaves.
"There," He said, "That's all there is to it."
Watching Neville go about his work, Sasha knew it wouldn't be as easy as he claimed it was going to be. Still, Sasha was willing to give it a go, even if he knew he would fail awfully.
He put on his dragon hide gloves and reached under the bulb in the pot.
"Just be careful of the spikes." Neville said, almost as an after thought as the little plant moaned and started lashing out at Sasha.
Sasha jumped back to avoid a sharp looking spike that had appeared between the foliage of the plant's branches. "Thanks, Neville." Sasha muttered as he grabbed the plant's legs, only to start getting attacked by the swinging arms. He gritted his teeth and struggled with the plant under him.
Neville laughed and shook his head as he finished up on his own plant and let it furl back into the soil and return to sleep. He moved onto the next one.
"It can be a little tricky to begin with, but once you get the hand of it, it's not that hard at all." He said.
Sasha 'hummed'. He was doubtful of the verity of Neville's claim.
By the time Sasha completed his first pot, Neville had finished two more. Pushing the exhausted plant away, Sasha said. "I'll leave the rest to you." He took off his gloves and watched Neville do his thing.
"What are these used for?" Sasha asked, "I've never even heard of them before."
Neville nodded, "They're really not something you'd stumble across in this country. They're more often found in the east African countries. But they're the base for a few of the more, uh... sophisticated mood-regulating draughts."
"Sophisticated?"
"They let the user function normally and there's practically no addiction rate. They're expensive, but for long-term use, they're worth it."
Sasha nodded. He wondered why the Potters would need mood-regulating draughts on such a regular basis. He thought to Lily and his question was immediately answered. Perhaps the woman was as high strung as people claimed she was not. He suspected that at the very least, Lily was susceptible to bouts of mania and then later of depression.
The Potters were valued members of the Order of the Phoenix. It wouldn't do for one of them to go off the wall whenever the fancy took her. Things were not as peachy in the Potter household as they would have him believe, it seemed.
Shaking his head slightly, Sasha went back to look at what Neville was doing.
As he watched, he realised how much he had underestimated Neville. The boy was a student who was just about getting by on all of his classes but was excelling at none of them. He wasn't quite failing anything but many subjects were border line. His grandmother constantly sent him letters, criticising him about this.
Having not taken Herbology, Sasha had no idea Neville was so good. Half the time the boy was tripping over things and people and the other half he was talking about Quidditch with Ron. None of these things exactly screamed genius to Sasha, but apparently, plants were Neville's thing.
"You've got a real skill there." Sasha said as Neville dispatched yet another plant.
Neville gave an embarrassed grin. "Yeah," He agreed, "I love herbology. It's the one thing I'm really good at."
"Do you have a garden at home?"
Nodding, Neville said, "Sort of. I only started it in the last few years. To be honest, I never really knew I was into Herbology until I started Hogwarts. After that I realised that it was a sort of calling and I went about starting my own garden."
"It must be hard to keep, what with you being away in school for so long each year."
"Oh it is, but I have house elves to help when I'm not around. I'd like to be more hands on, to be honest, but there's not much I can do about it right now. Once I graduate though, I'm going to be working full time with plants."
Sasha smiled and nodded and continued to watch Neville.
If there was one thing Sasha appreciated in people it was competence. There was nothing more appealing to him than to see a person competent at what they did. It didn't matter what it was, it could be anything from stealing to painting, Sasha didn't care—once they were good. Seeing Neville as he was now, competent and talented, it showed him in a different light.
It made Sasha like him more. Which made it harder for Sasha to do his job.
They'd know that he was working for Voldemort by the time he finished. They'd know he was playing them. He had hoped to find a way around it, but he knew they would figure it out.
Sasha valued loyalty too; it was one thing he demanded in the people that surrounded him. Even though they were technically enemies and at opposite sides of the war, Sasha was still unsettled by what he would have to do.
Despite that, however, his loyalty was and always would be to Voldemort. His sense of duty encompassed everything else. He would do his job.
"Are you okay?" Neville asked suddenly, snapping Sasha out of his thoughts.
Sasha blinked. "Yeah," He said, "I'm fine."
Neville relaxed and went back to clipping the plant. "That's good. You just looked at little sad there for a moment."
Sasha frowned. He hadn't wanted to convey sadness to Neville. He didn't like the fact that he had done so unintentionally.
"I was just thinking." Sasha said. "That's all."
...
{Enochian Prophecies}
...
The rest of the trip passed without much else happening.
They had exhausted the list of things to do in the Potter's household and were left lounging around most of the time wondering what to fill their time with. Most of the other Order members had left by then and so the house had become quiet again.
Sasha had thought he would be plagued by Lily Potter but it seemed she was either on a tight leash or she had a little more restraint than he gave her credit for.
The rest of the Christmas holidays passed without incident.
There was only one interesting thing to happen to him. On the night before he was due to leave for Hogwarts, Sasha went into his room to find a neatly wrapped present on his bed. There was no name to the gift and no message. After thoroughly checking it for any traps or undesired side-effects, Sasha carefully opened it.
There was nothing there. Nothing but a book. He lifted it up and studied the front, spine and the back. His eyes roamed over the title. 'A Brief Study of a Hundred Secret Species". He suspected this was the work of the interfering Lily Potter. Having said that, his curiosity was piqued by the book and he opened it quickly. After flicking through a few hundred pages, the book opened on one by itself. The pages fell to either side of where he was supposed to read.
Sasha stared at the heading. All it said was 'unspecified species'. The page had been marked, the heading underlined. He had read the small entry on this strange species only to find out that it was the same creature that was spoken about in the journal he had read.
Had he been expecting someone to approach him about this, Sasha would have been dearly disappointed. He heard no more about it. No one approached him, no one spoke of a missing book, no one seemed to suspect anything at all. Sasha would have wondered if it had actually even happened only he knew for sure that it did because he had the book in his possession.
His stay at the Potter's mansion had ended.
The Christmas holidays were over and they were on their way to school via the Hogwarts Express. Sasha was sitting quietly in the cabin in the train while his friends talked animatedly about something funny that had happened a few days ago.
Inside, Sasha's head was racing. His thoughts barely had time to form as he excitedly prepared himself for the second term of school and the first steps of his new plan.
Soon he would complete his mission. Soon he would finally take the Expiscor Intentus. Soon Voldemort would initiate his final push. Soon the world would feel the Dark Lord's wrath.
Soon.