"You left your butt imprint on the table," Cadmus laughed as he and Argent sat in his office.
"I've left my imprint on many things," she joined foreheads with him and clasped the three-snaked ring on his left hand. "It's been a week, and that Boot boy's gone home early. Thank God nothing serious happened to him."
"Thank Severus," Cadmus caressed her fingers.
"Always the Half-Blood Prince," Argent got off the table as she heard footsteps coming towards the door. A polite knock came from the other side and the door creaked open, revealing the majestic presence of…Filus Flitwick.
"Pendragon, I hope you can tell me just what happenned to Theodore Boot that he had to leave early? Come now, I am his Head of House after all!" the part-goblin crossed his tiny arms.
"He drank some draught that went off, I guess…gave him the worst stomach pains."
"He looked more exhausted than pained when I took him to the station."
"Expired drinks will do that to you, I guess," Argent shrugged and Cadmus nodded in agreement.
"I will have a word with the boy when he returns in January about hoarding food and drink. In the meantime Minerva wants both of you in the Great Hall at 11 am. Your class has been rescheduled and the students have been informed," Flitwick opened a pink temporary timetable parchment that showed the NVW, as the kids called it, shifted to post lunch time.
"There goes our lunch date," Argent held up the paper ruefully.
The Great Hall was filled with nervous sixth years, who wondered where the House tables had gone and why the Heads of House were standing in the front of the room with a nearly ghost-looking man. Having been informed late, Professors Pendragon and Argent stumbled in just as the man was talking.
"…Wilkie Twycross, from the Ministry of Magic," he sounded like some kind of sports coach who had yelled too much on the sidelines.
"Apparition lesson," Pomona Sprout whispered to -Pod, who nodded. was busy counting money in a bag; Slughorn was oddly missing with McGonagall jerking her head for Cadmus to step in.
"Where's Severus?" he whispered, "I thought he was Deputy Head of House!"
"He is with the Headmaster in his office," McGonagall handed him a hoop, "Albus has returned from his travels."
"Slughorn?"
"Called in sick, he said. A consequence, he said of trying to get willow sap from the Whoomping Willow. Silly fellow, Pomona has more than enough in her greenhouse." She turned to Vanessa, who recalled her own Apparition lesson with Twycross and the pained sounds of Splinching that ensued. Apparating was not easy, even for experienced people. It was mandatory for Aurors and US Marshalls like herself to know how to Apparate, but if magical transport was available she would gladly take it.
"Take your places, children!" Twycross directed the sixth years to take their places alongside various hoops the instructor had placed on the floor. The kids stepped forward and swallowed hard.
"Destination, Determination….bla bla bla," Argent recalled verbatim Twycross' lecture, which changed as often as Goblins gave away money.
"Come on kids, there's nothing to be scared of!" Madam Flatbush clapped her white-gloved hands. "Took me three tries to get it!"
"Took her three years to grow her hair back," Vanessa whispered.
"A demonstration please, Veronica Andrews," Twycross waved her to come forward.
"Vanessa Argent," she groaned before disappearing into thin air, only to pop into the hoop Cadmus was holding sideways. She looked left and right, breathing a sigh of relief that only the tip of her Salem robe had been left behind.
"See, it is not very difficult," Twycross carried on, "but do not leave anything behind or it will be a very bad habit," he picked up the inch of cloth and handed it back to Argent.
The students took their turn, some focusing so hard they broke wind, some not focusing at all and blankly staring at their rings while some Apparated into the walls of the Great Hall, unaware that Dumbledore's lifting of the non-Apparate Charm only appplied to the Great Hall. Healers and teachers were scurrying about catching misguided students from the sky like it was fruit season. was the only one in the room not running around breathing heavily; still counting her money as she suspected Gringotts had used an unfair exchange rate for US Silver Dollars.
"Bones!" the heads of House ran to the aid of the screaming girl, who had somehow left her left leg ten feet away before it followed her back and reattached itself. Splinching or the loss of flesh during transport was painful, as Apparation did not surround the user with protection like Portkeys or the Floo network. Susan Bones was taken to one side crying as McGonagall comforted her.
"Weasley! Look out for…" Sprout just managed to pull Zacharias Smith out of Ron's freefall, a subtle cushion of air saving Ron himself from becoming splatter on the floor.
"Why is it the same every year?" Twycross shook his head.
"Patil, quit hanging from the chandelier!" Flitwick looked rather funny trying to catch Parvati by standing on a chair.
"I got it," Cadmus launched himself into the air with a wind-assisted leap, catching the Gryffindor and slowly riding the wall back down, much to the relief of her sister, who made her hoop in one go.
"Focus, amma, focus!" Padma shook her head sideways, Indian style.
"Stop! Everyone, one hour is up, STOP in Merlin's name!" Twycross sat in his chair, sighing. "I can see that many of you will need to take the extra lesson in Hogsmeade later in the week before your Apparition license test! Boy, we'll need a bigger hoop for you," he released Vincent Crabbe from his hoop, which had completely encircled him.
The students shuffled out quickly, ducking out as the test took place right before lunch. Cadmus noticed Draco Malfoy seemingly limping away, arguing with Gregory Goyle about something, while Harry Potter was eyeing them both suspiciously. Twycross removed his hoops from the floor and turned to McGonagall to discuss the extra lesson in Hogsmeade, saying something about this year's batch being slightly better.
"What a workout," Argent leaned on the wall, her face brimming with sweat.
"Why they end up in the ceiling, no one knows," McGonagall shook her head.
"In America people don't Apparate so much," Flatbush adjusted her sunglasses, "too big, you see. Then you've got law after law you have to follow, health and safety…god, you have it good here!"
"I like to think so, Matron," McGonagall nodded, turning into her Animagus cat. Flatbush turned into her Animagus raccoon and the two kept on talking as they slid through the catflap on the western side of the hall.
"So, do you want to see the Headmaster?" Cadmus sprayed some of Madam Hooch's quick deodrant on himself. "It's only a couple of days before you have to leave."
"Of course I would," Vanessa nodded enthusiastically, taking the spray for herself, "oh, but I'm not leaving, Cadmus. Flatbush and the girls are."
"Walk and talk," Cadmus held her hand as they left the office, not seeming the least surprised.
"I told Mom and Dad I was spending Christmas with you and they told me to spend the whole winter if I wanted…so here I am, handsome! Yours till New Year's."
"I love you, you know that?" Cadmus gripped her hand as they went up the steps to Dumbledore's gargoyle. He let Vanessa have a few guesses with the password but the gargoyle did not budge.
"Honeydukes," Cadmus smirked as the doors slid open.
"Ah, Vanessa Argent! Come in, come in!" Dumbledore nodded, embracing his former Head Girl like a loving grandfather. "You know Severus, of course!"
Snape bowed, packing up his potion set.
"All too well, how are you?"
"I am fine, Vanessa. Work…" he turned to Dumbledore, "just takes its toll sometimes."
"So who are you taking to the Slug's party? Some young witch who can't get enough of your sexy voice?"
Cadmus flushed, smiling nervously at Dumbledore. Vanessa was so outgoing, so American it was a surprise she finished Hogwarts with any friends at all who could catch up to her boundless energy. He was lucky Phineas Niegllus Black was off in his old portrait in 12 Grimmauld Place, otherwise he would be raving about her as he did all Slytherins.
"I have been invited as Slughorn's deputy Head of House. I do not need a companion."
"He's there for the wine," Cadmus stepped between the two, "don't you have a DADA class to teach, Sev?" he looked at Dumbledore's blackened hand, which the headmaster quickly hid under his robe, sharing a knowing look with the Potions expert.
"Yes, thank you for reminding me," Snape bowed to Dumbledore and walked out, "come visit my class sometime, Professor Argent. I could use a guest lecturer for my classes on rogue vampire hunting."
"Love to, Sev," she waved as he left.
"Vampire hunting? Oh my, what an interesting career you must have," Dumbledore sat in his seat, eager to hide his black hand. "Cadmus, pour us some wine please."
"Yes sir," Cadmus nodded, reaching for the goblet on the table. He, along with Snape were among the few who knew why Dumbledore's hand was like that and for now Vanessa didn't have to know.
"In truth most U.S vampires are pretty normal, boring almost," Argent took her goblet with a smile, "since they came up with the Human Shot they just take'em once a year and boom, they're walking in the sunshine and arguing at W-Mart like the rest of us. So you've been travelling, sir? Where to?"
"Just around Britain, looking up old friends and places. Mostly," he sat back, "sitting here in Hogwarts all year long is damaging to one's awareness of the world at large. Would you believe I didn't find any?"
"At your age sir, it's pretty hard to imagine," Argent looked at Cadmus.
"Oh, they moved away! That's what I get for not writing for thirty years!" Drat, I said, double drat!" Dumbledore shook his head. "But you two, you aren't bothered by distance are you?" the Old Man grinned.
Both of them hid their blushes but nodded, hands linked once again.
"I'm surprised you're not married."
"Well…in a sense we are," Cadmus showed Dumbledore the triple snake ring.
"Oh, an Amori Fidelus gemstone! That's good news, and we haven't been getting much of that in a while! Severus was right though, I guess work does take its toll, and you two are separated by work and an ocean! Well, you must get married one day. I'm getting old, I would love to see you two live out of sin at last!" he pulled a green-red rope out of his drawer.
Cadmus wanted to hide under the table; so Dumbledore did know he had scaled the Head Girl's Tower at night with that very rope in October 1975!
"Just a saying, you understand," Dumbledore noticed Vanessa shivernig in her seat. "Who am I to stop love from working its wand on us? Love is what helps old coots like me stay here and smell the flowers."
"Love? BAH! Discipline is what they need!" the portrait of Armando Dippet threw his hand up.
"Congratulations, belated congratulations on your engagement," Dumbledore nodded, sensing the midday sun beginning to slip. "Vanessa, Snape's class is near the dungeons. Do mind the stairs, they can be quite slippery!"
Argent nodded, giving Cadmus a quick kiss and Dumbledore a giant hug before scooting off into the distance. The doors creaked shut and the gargoyle leapt back into place as students rushed into the Great Hall for their lunch.
"Let me see your hand," Cadmus immediately changed his tone. Dumbledore complied, showing him his shrivelled hand, darkened by the cursed ring of Marvolo Gaunt that lay in his right drawer.
"Severus has yet again managed to cointain the curse to my hand," Dumbledore hissed as Cadmus slowly pulled a cauterizing fire out of his fingernails. "And so have you. I fear it will not be like this for long, Cadmus."
"You fear? Boss, this is the darkest of dark magic if it can't be healed completely…"
"I'm an old man, I'm supposed to die sometime anyway," Dumbledore withdrew his hand. "Do me a favour and hand this to a student to hand to Harry," he put parchment in Cadmus' hand.
"Private lessons again? That memory of Slughorn's still bothering you?"
"Many things bother me, which this matter is but the chief. Go on, we must all eat our lunch! And Cadmus?"
"Yes, headmaster?"
"Severus is happy for you, for you both. You know that very well."
Cadmus nodded slowly before leaving the office. Dumbledore coughed slightly.
"He will need to be…"