Chapter 13: Risings and Warnings

"I thought you weren't talking to me?"
Draco sighed and sat in a chair by Legacy's hospital bed. "That was my original plan. But everyone knows how well I keep on track with my plans. You scared me to death, you know that right? I couldn't stand knowing that you thought I hated you while you were like that."
The small girl lightly grabbed his hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. It was all she could really manage with her energy level. "I never thought you hated me, Dra. I'm sorry, though. I haven't been a very good friend. I'm obnoxious and frustrating and difficult and… Well, let's just leave it at I never blamed you or anything. It was fairly obvious that I was being the stupid one."
She lay back against her pillows again as Draco brushed some hair from her forehead. Her whole body relaxed with the gentle touch, and her eyes drifted shut again. Struggling to stay awake as she'd been sleeping for almost two full days, Legacy said, "I'm sorry, Dra. I really am. It's just like I've been a completely different person lately, and I have to figure out why. If you can't forgive me…"
"Don't think that, Legacy. You know I'll always forgive you. Now be quiet, and go to sleep. You need the rest. After all, Madam Pomfrey would have my head if she knew I'd been keeping you awake." Legacy smiled softly but couldn't fight the sleep that overwhelmed her.

^*+*^

Something was building, preparing for the end. It was working, finally, after so many years. The time had come, and it was more than ready. It felt the hatred rise within itself, the sheer malevolence that fueled its every action. This was all it knew and everything its very essence was made of. Nothing else mattered.
Draco knew the very moment that something changed. How he knew, he would never be sure. The fact still stood that he did know, and that's what mattered. And he knew with equal certainty that nothing good would come from it.
Legacy was finally getting out of the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey had been able to find nothing more wrong with her than pure exhaustion. Legacy had seen only one flaw in this explanation; she really hadn't been doing anything that would cause that level of fatigue.
And something else was bothering her. She couldn't say exactly what, but it was there all the same. You're being crazy, Le. Something about this whole Staff thing has thrown you for a loop; that's all it is. Despite that affirmation to herself, Legacy gripped her staff that much tighter in her fist and entered the Great Hall just in time for dinner. Draco wasn't there, but Hermione was waving her over to the Gryffindor table. Shrugging, she accepted the silent invitation.
Just as the Slytherin took a seat between Hermione and some seventh year, a plate of veggie pizza appeared in front of her. She shook her head in amazement. "They always know where to find me. How do they do that?" Without waiting for an answer, she lifted her slice of pizza and started eating.
"I heard you've been in the hospital wing." Legacy glanced at Hermione and nodded. "Now Draco is gone, and you appear with this mysterious staff thing. What's going on, Legacy?" The rest of the Gryffindors tuned in eagerly.
They were all sadly disappointed. "Well, I'm certainly not going to say anything about it with a full audience. It's something fairly private that I don't want around the entire school before I finish dinner." That answer implied that Draco was involved somewhere, but Legacy was actually very worried about him. He should be here, so why isn't he?
Hermione shot her a pointed look that got a blatant "we'll talk later, count on it" message across. Legacy expected nothing less from her. If anything, she was eager to talk to the intelligent witch. Hermione had research skills that could come in definite use as far as Legacy's Staff of Desrya was concerned. Because Legacy wanted to know as much as possible about it before putting it to any kind of purpose.
They both ate quickly and excused themselves, earning curious looks from the boys. Legacy smiled sweetly at them. "Girl talk, y'know. Those kinds of things. You can come with us, if you'd really like to…" She trailed off as their expressions turned somewhat uncomfortable and sickly.
Hermione laughed as they walked away. "Legacy, you are just too much sometimes." Legacy smirked but didn't reply. The two girls walked through the halls in a silent, mutual agreement to head toward the library.
When they'd found a comfortably secluded table, Legacy started talking. "Something's up. Draco's. . . I don't know. He hasn't really changed, but there's something different about him." She sighed. "And I know that makes no sense. This staff is. . . Oh, I don't know anymore!"
Sending Legacy a sympathetic smile, Hermione began browsing the stacks of books. "I think our best bet would be to start on magical artifacts. Figuring out that staff could very well lead to figuring out the problem with Draco." She randomly flipped through a few pages. "What was the proper name?"
"The Staff of Desrya. Colryn siad something about it being well-known for some time then seemingly passing out of existence until the proper blood-line could be traced again." She paused to page through one of the books. "I don't even know where to start looking."
"The beginning is always a good place…"
Legacy shot Hermione a look that plainly said that she had figured as much. "Yes, Hermione, but the beginning of what exactly?"
Hermione shot a look of her own right back at Legacy, along with another medium-sized book. "Magic. If that staff has been out of known existence for generations, was famous for generations before that, and was probably created generations before that even, it'd be put fairly close the very beginning of magic. So that's where we'll start and work our way forward."
Without an answer, Legacy immediately started searching. Hermione had a point; then again, Legacy had expected nothing less from her. She just wished there wasn't quite so much information to look through. At the small snap, Hermione and Legacy looked at the table only to find several of their books had disappeared. They shared a quick gaze before catching sight of the glowing staff. Not another word was uttered as they dug fervently back into the task before them.
Every few minutes, one of the girls would jump at a discovery that turned out to be simply a passing mention of the staff. An hour later, they were still no closer to any answers than when they'd begun. Then, another forty minutes after that, Hermione slammed her book down with a triumphant, "Ha!"
Checking to be sure she had Legacy's rapt attention, the Gryffindor continued. "The Staff of Desrya was created in early Egypt by Desrya, a witch and devoted priestess to Bast. It wields enormous power, containing all of Desrya's original power multiplied by a blessing from the goddess Bast herself. Following Desrya's death, the staff was passed to her niece and down through the blood-line, always being in the possession of a female descendent.
"Around 482 b.c., the Staff passed out of knowledge but was recovered by Colryn in 463 in the oft-considered mythological city of Nyordra. Throughout the years of its possession, many great feats had been accomplished by the Staff. After Colryn's death at the end of the very Staff supposed to obey only her, however, the Staff of Desrya was lost. Some say it will be recovered only when another worthy female descendent comes to her inheritance."
Hermione closes the book softly as the two girls stare at each other. Legacy collapses back into her chair, processing all of the new information. Somewhat uncomfortably, Hermione rests a hand on Legacy's arm sympathetically. "Who in the world decided I was a worthy female?" Legacy wondered in a shell-shocked, almost monotone voice.
Catching each other's eye, both girls stared for a second then dissolved into giggles. Still laughing, Legacy waved the staff and sent all the books back into their proper spots. "That's it! We're done for the night," Legacy managed to choke out. "Now, I'm gonna go back and check up on Dra. Maybe I can tell him what we found out."
As the girls stood to leave, Hermione stopped Legacy with a hand on the Slytherin's shoulder. "Just be careful, Legacy, okay? We still don't know what's up with him, and I don't want anything happening before we can figure it out."
Legacy grinned reassuringly. "I'll be careful, promise. Don't worry, 'Mione."