Hurray, fun times. Post day has been shifted to Wednesdays, to accommodate my altering schedule, but I figure no one will be complaining about a day earlier for posting... Anyway, R, R&R and, as always, Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty Eight

Tension

Sparks flew as Master Coven danced between the larger blades of her opponents. Battle had never been one of the things she had relished, choosing a more scholarly way of life. The illusions of Zhar and Septin were unrelenting, yet Fae felt that she wouldn't be able to simple dismiss the Dark Side energies that composed them. Her memories associated around the two fallen Jedi went too deeply for the Genet Jedi Master to simply toss aside at seeing even a horrific shade of them.

"What's wrong Master," Sneered the false Septin as he brandished his weapon, "afraid to strike down those dearest to you? Too weak to even defend yourself? What the others at the Temple must think of their Grand Master…"

"Of course," Zhar added, advancing a step as Fae dodged again, "they already know that you're losing your mind, so what would your disappearance mean to them? It would just allow them to unknowingly embrace their doom when the Sith rise again!"

"No!" Fae said, countering both blade and argument in one stroke, "If the Sith cannot be destroyed by the Jedi, then neither can the Jedi be extinguished entirely by the Sith. If it is the will of the Force for our Orders to fight for all eternity, then Balance shall always be maintained!"

The hooded Sith roared with laughter from the back of the room, "Fool…" he said, "the darkness shall eclipse the Light once again, and the Galaxy will suffer untold horrors in the long night of the Sith. Your pathetic Order may rise again to challenge us, but it will be struck down time and again. What use is it to fight against the inevitable? Better to surrender and die here, no one will miss you little Jedi…"

Fae fought on heedless to the taunts of the planet's aura, finally delving into the stores of resolve that she had long left untapped. Fighting no longer for her own survival, but for the entire Galaxy, she struck back against the shadowy illusions, releasing a righteous fury that knew no bounds.

Zhar and Septin fell back, unable to defend against the unleashed torrents of her violet blade and telekinetic prowess. An opening in their defenses finally revealed itself, and with one cleaving strike she cut through both illusions at the neck, causing them to vanish into shadow and vapor.

Rushing the final illusion, Fae scrambled madly to reveal the face beneath the hood; to see who the Sith Lord was once and for all. Grappling back, the figure laughed madly at Coven's attempts, before vanishing like the others in a cloud of darkness.

Suddenly Fae found herself back in the tomb chamber outside the carved sarcophagus of the ancient Sith she had confronted early on. She felt an empty sort of defeat in her stomach as she departed. She did have part of the answer she had sought for, she concluded as she emerged into the blazing sun of Korriban. The Sith were still active in the Galaxy, and they were growing in power. Where they were or what their plans were however, she had as little a clue as the next.

As she was boarding the ramp to her ship, Fae saw a reflective glint from one of the massive buildings nearby, but glancing up at what looked like the ruin of a massive academy she saw nothing. The Dark Side permeated the land, rendering her ability to sense anything nearby useless, and she was far too weary to investigate.

Setting her ship to autopilot back to Coruscant, she settled down for a long healing trance from the emotional turmoil she experienced. Her last thoughts were on the hooded Sith and his threats of the destruction of the Jedi. While Fae was confident in her words that that goal would never be realized, she decided that plans may well be set in motion to guarantee it, with or without the Council's full approval if necessary.

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"Welcome to the Chamber of Secrets, acolyte," Veneficus said, smirking, "and the new center for our operations here in Hogwarts." Anguis could only gape at the grand room full of magical history as it was so beautifully entwined with the technology of the perfect future that he had been awakened to. It was poetic almost, the weaving of old tradition and new innovation.

A handful of worker droids were busy cleaning the ages of dust and decay away from the Chamber, while several more were installing and configuring sensor and communication arrays, as well as other equipment that Anguis remembered seeing on Dromund Kaas.

"Need I remind you that we have only two hours before we need to return to that exact corridor for lunch," Veneficus said coolly from an adjoining room. Snapping out of his awe, Anguis quickly crossed the room and entered after his Master. The room had been changed into a basic Force training room; several massive piles of rubble stacked against the far wall to be levitated and moved about to strength one's telekinetic ability.

Nodding at him, Veneficus moved to the side of the room, and Anguis obediently started levitating as many rocks as he could into the air. Veneficus whipped out his secret wand and started blasting each out of the air with curses of such power that it sent tingles down Anguis' spine just to watch.

"Don't just let them hang there, give me a challenge," Veneficus ordered, and Anguis cause more rocks to fly upward, trying his best to dodge them out of the way of the jets of light sent from the blackthorn wand.

About a half hour into it, after Anguis had raised up towards ten medium sized boulders at once and managed to keep one dodging spells for five full minutes, Veneficus called for a halt of that type of practice. Anguis felt the strain, but it was a type he was rather unfamiliar with still, more of a mental and emotional ache than a physical pain.

Returning to the central room with the massive statue of Salazar Slytherin, Veneficus steered them towards an older looking side corridor. Dust and grime was still present, but none of the droids seemed to have been given orders to clean it. Understanding came as Veneficus opened the first door along the corridor, revealing an ancient record vault brimming in precariously placed charms and enchantments. The bumbling droids would have triggered the protections and probably destroyed the priceless tomes hidden down here.

"As you can guess," Veneficus said as they entered, "these all are preserved and sealed by magic, and not only do we need to find out what they contain, but remove the protective curses and hexes so that the droids can safely clean the rooms." The Sith Lord turned to him with a small smile, "I task this to you, in what spare time you can manage."

For a moment Anguis wondered if the time generated by Lord Veneficus' time-turner was also to be devoted to this task as well, but the Sith seemed content to allow him free rein for the remaining hour and a half. Seeing nothing better to do however, Anguis figured he might as well get started on the tomes by casting several diagnostic spells to determine if there were any of the book's charms that he knew the countercurses to.

It took roughly a half hour of his time to filter out the few books and a scroll that required a handful of the basic spells Anguis knew to render harmless and therefore, readable. He also in the process discovered a few with curses so deadly that he didn't feel comfortable even touching them. These he marked with a small red 'X' of magic to designate them from the mass of records.

Finding that the process had left him with only a final half hour of time before the two Darksiders had to return to the real time stream, Anguis decided to peruse a few of the tomes he unlocked. The first pair of books were filled with basic information; historic reviews of events that had already been covered by Binns in History of Magic. Anguis set these aside for later, they might prove more engaging then the ghost's classes.

The single scroll contained a very complicated diagram of a runic pattern with many Arithmancy equations that was way beyond anything Anguis understood. This he also set aside, but more for Veneficus to look at, as the Sith Lord had taken extra private tutoring lessons the previous year that had also covered Arithmancy and Ancient Runes.

The final book was even harder for Anguis to understand, seeming to have been written in strange language that looked more like squiggles than actual letters or words. Sighing in futility, Anguis left the chamber. Veneficus was working with the communications array and making fine tuned adjustments to the instruments.

As Anguis approached, Veneficus glanced up, then at his watch, before nodding to himself. "Right, it's time to rejoin the rest of the world."

The journey back to where they had at first traveled back in time from was very uneventful, as the students, and their previous selves, were still in class. Just as they arrived the bell rang for classes to end, and Veneficus secluded them in a side alcove behind a suit of armor, waiting for the group of Slytherin's to pass.

Soon they saw the group approach, including an exact copy of himself and Veneficus. The Sith Lord from the past glanced directly at them, before grabbing the past Anguis and dragging the blond into a room on the opposite side of the hallway. Together, the present Anguis and Veneficus stepped out from behind the armor and resumed their precession to the Great Hall with their classmates.

Anguis was unsurprisingly famished from the extra two hours without food, he would have to prepare better in the future with some sort of snack to bring with him. For a second he wondered at what effects time travel would have on food, but tossed the idea aside as childish and unnecessary.

Veneficus must have come to the same conclusion about the need of sustenance, as they both ate silently, choosing the most filling of the options that appeared before them. Soon enough, with their bellies finally full, it was time for them to cross the lawns to the edge of the forest for Care of Magical Creatures with the half-giant oaf called Hagrid. What was worse was that this class was also held with the Gryffindors, which only led to more annoyance on the part of the Slytherins.

The man was waiting for them at the front of his hovel as they approached. "C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called at them and the group of Third Year Gryffindors behind them. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up!"

Could the man be any more excited, Anguis wondered. He waited with Veneficus as the rest of the class formed up around the hut's door. "Everyone here?" he asked, glancing at the red and green clad students, "Right, follow me!"

For one interesting moment, Anguis thought the man was going to lead them into the forest. He wondered how many of the children would balk and cry at the supposed dangers hidden inside. Granted, none of the others were gifted with such powers as he and Veneficus to protect them from the forest denizens. Alas, the giant man took them around the edge of the forest to a small empty paddock.

"Everyone gather 'round the fense here!" he called. "That's it, make sure yeh can see. Now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books…"

Anguis didn't reply, he had sensed that the book had been impressed with a semblance of life, and like any animal had to be coaxed into obedience. Many others just stood around confused at Hagrid's command however, and withdrew from their bags books that had been bound with tape, ropes or belts.

Hagrid was oblivious however, and Anguis didn't feel like telling the secret of how to open the books, it was for him to know and the others to discover.

Hagrid strode away from them into the forest moments later, mentioning that he was going to get their magical creature for the lesson. Feeling a slight prickling on his neck, Anguis partially turned to find Ronald Weasley glaring at the back of Veneficus' head. "Ignore him," the Sith whispered, refusing to turn himself, "if he wishes to make a fool of himself for a second year then I will indulge him…"

Just then Hagrid returned, and a Gryffindor girl squealed at the sight of the creatures the giant led on leashes behind him.

Anguis didn't need the man to tell him that these were Hippogriffs. The half horse, half bird bodies were very distinctive. "Beau'iful, aren' they?" Hagrid said happily, as though the answer was obvious.

Thinking about it, Anguis supposed that they could be considered beautiful, albeit his reasoning was far different than what the giant probably had in mind. Anguis more was considering the deadly beak and talons, and the powerhouse of muscle lying underneath the hair and feathers that would make these momentarily docile animals able to change into forces of destruction in mere moments at the slightest offense.

"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' hippogriffs," Hagrid lectured as the class observed the animals from a safe distance, "is they're proud. Easily offended, they are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."

Some whispering behind him drew Anguis attention, despite the fact that he wanted to actually attempt to learn about these creatures through the giant's terrible grammar and accent. Throwing his senses backwards while keeping his eyes on the Hippogriffs, Anguis could sense that Blaise Zabini was whispering with Theodore Nott again, not paying the least amount of attention to the lecture.

"Yeh always wait fer the hippogriff ter make the firs' move," Hagrid continued. "It's polite, see?" Anguis rolled his eyes at the unnecessary commentary the man was adding to the coarse material, as if he honestly knew what he was talking about.

"Yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed ter touch him. If he dosen' bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt." Hagrid said, demonstrating the depth the bow had to be.

"Right," he said as he straightened, "who wants ter go first."

The majority of the class backed away father in answer. Anguis rolled his eyes, but remained where he was alongside his Master. The hippogriffs seemed to smell the fear in the air, and became slightly agitated, tossing their heads and flexing their wings, probably wishing that they weren't tethered.

"No one?" Hagrid said with a pleading look.

Sighing, Veneficus stepped forward, "Fine, it's up to a Slytherin to show the Gryffindors true courage it seems," he said snidely, and Anguis sniggered. Most of the red and gold clad students bristled, but Veneficus was clearly only enjoying their negative emotions as they blossomed into the Force.

Veneficus climbed the paddock fence and approached a gray Hippogriff that Hagrid brought before him. The collective energy in the Force turned steadily more nervous as the other students watched fearfully, and Anguis chuckled to himself. He couldn't remember how he had managed to enjoy life without sensing this added depth of reality. Emotions were such a wondrous power, and the boy Draco had lived in a sheltered, preverbal prison in regards to them.

For several moments it actually appeared that the Hippogriff would refuse to bow to the Sith Lord, but as the stupid animal it was, it eventually relented, bending its scaly knees and dipping its head. "Well done, Harry!" Hagrid said ecstatic, "Right, yeh can touch him now! Pat his beak, go on!" the man encouraged, and Veneficus reached out, meeting the creature halfway as it stretched its feather neck out to meet him.

The class applauded, the Gryffindors less enthusiastically than the Slytherins, but they too were overall impressed with the success over the somewhat frightening beast. "Righ' then, Harry," Hagrid said, stomping over to him and the Hippogriff. "I reckon he migh' let yeh ride him!"

"Yeah, he might, however…" Veneficus replied quickly, but Hagrid wasn't listening, instead taking the boy by the shoulders and lifting him over the creature's body. Without waiting to see if Veneficus was even settled in, Hagrid slapped the Hippogriff's hindquarters, and roared, "Go on, then!" to get it motivated.

Immediately, the twelve-foot wings flapped open and the animal launching itself, along with Veneficus clinging to its neck, into the air. Anguis sensed the instant spike of fear in his Master, which almost as quickly melted into anger and irritation, then was soon replaced with ecstatic joy. He figured that flying was indeed one of Lord Veneficus' favored hobbies, and guessed that even Sith Lords had to have things that they loved.

The Hippogriff circled the paddock once, before it steeply dove back to the ground. The gathered children cheered as the creature landed with a heavy thud and cantered to a stop next to Hagrid once again.

"Good work, Harry!" the man roared as he helped the Sith back to the ground. "Okay, who else wants a go?"

The attitude of the students abruptly changed from apprehension about the creatures to excitement, and they started slowly entering the paddock to make their own attempts. Anguis joined Veneficus toward the front of the paddock with a chestnut colored Hippogriff, bowing to it and almost immediately being accepted to touch the massive, curved beak.

A little ways away from them, Nott and Zabini had taken over with the grey creature that Veneficus had rode. Zabini had also been accepted and was patting the beak while watching the two Darksiders cautiously. Nott whispered something, and Zabini laughed, "Yes," he replied loudly, "This is very easy. I bet these things aren't dangerous at all, are you," he turned to look into the Hippogriff's eye, "Are you, you great ugly brute?"

In a flash of feathers and talons, Zabini was on the ground, a high pitched scream tearing the relative silence of the forest. Anguis and Veneficus looked on wordlessly as Hagrid leapt onto the Hippogriff and strained to get it away from Zabini, who lay curled in the grass with blood blossoming over his robes.

Finally managing to get the leather collar back around the Hippogriff, Hagrid hefted Zabini into his arms, looking very pale from fright, "Someone help me, gotta get him outta here!"

Nott scrambled to obey, rushing to open the gate. As the boy passed, Anguis watched him catch Veneficus' eye, and the Sith Lord subtly nodded in what looked like approval. Immediately interested far more than before, Anguis studied what had just occurred. According to what pieces he had just gathered, it seemed that Veneficus had planned for Nott to goad Zabini into getting himself injured, but as to why he did not know.

A thought from the previous year flashed into his mind, regarding the Italian boy. 'When his curiosity becomes great enough, he will come back to you, and you will bring him before me… then… we shall see what befalls the young Zabini,' Veneficus had said. Perhaps this was the method that Veneficus sought to ensure that Zabini would come to him for answers, but there were still many uncertainties that Anguis knew he lack information on.

Shrugging to himself, he set this mystery aside. It was a plan of Veneficus' that would include him eventually, according to his Lord's own words, so Anguis contented himself to wait until his part was placed before him. Returning from his musings, just in time for the class to begin dispersing with their abrupt dismissal, Anguis heard Parkinson from somewhere ahead of him. she was complaining loudly about the lesson and Zabini.

Since when did Parkinson care about Blaise Zabini, he wondered. True he had not been the most social in Slytherin House these days, but he had not expected too much to have changed. It was almost as if she had chosen to forget about him completely. Then she looked back, and their eyes locked. Pain and anger flashed across Parkinson's face and she turned away just as quickly. 'Ah,' Anguis thought, 'so it's still her being sore from that incident I see.'

They had no more classes set for that day, and Anguis was looking forward to dinner and some rest. As they entered the castle, Anguis momentarily felt the presence of his Master shimmer as the boy behind him disappeared back an hour for his final lesson, while an exact copy sneak in from a side corridor.

'Yes,' he thought as the Slytherins entered Great Hall, 'this will be a most interesting year…'

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The second day of term was always one of Severus' least favorite, as not only did it include a Gryffindor and Slytherin combined class, but it was the class that contained one Harry Potter, a cold, calculating Slytherin to the core that in some strange manner was able to unnerve even the stoic Potions Master in his domain.

The combined effects of what he had seen in the Dursley residence over the summer, along with Albus' dire fear over the boy led Severus to believe that no mere child sat before him, but something else that was wearing the boy's skin, speaking in his voice, and staring hungrily through Lily's green eyes. Monstrous perhaps, but Severus refused to think too deeply on the matter, lest he slip and lower his guard in front of the students, or the boy in particular.

Quickly he set the students to their work of making a Shrinking Solution, and began to grade their summer assignments. Before too long he felt a prickling on the back of his neck, as though something was watching him. Glancing up, he was not surprised to find that Potter was watching him coolly over his simmering cauldron. The emerald eyes didn't flicker with the same sort of joy or happiness that had always filled Lily's, but were cold somehow, much like Severus' own after the First War.

Just then the dungeon door opened, and Blaise Zabini walked in, his arm in a sling and a note from Pomfrey in the other. Scanning it quickly before waving the boy to go find a seat and get started, Severus wondered why the mediwitch would have used such a mundane method of healing, especially when the boy's injury was an easily healed gouge. He suspected that the boy's mother had become involved somehow, and Lady Zabini was very well connected in the Ministry, which could lead to many a problematic disruption to their new Care of Magical Creature's Professor.

"Sir," Zabini said, mildly holding his uninjured hand up, "I need some help cutting roots and other preparations because of my arm…"

"Malfoy, assist Zabini with his potion," he said quickly, not bothering to look in their direction. The two obeyed without a fuss, as Severus knew that they would. Standing, he started making his rounds to check the progress of the student's potions, ignoring most of the unnecessary chatter among the Gryffindors for once, as he was too preoccupied to play babysitter for their lack of concentration.

That was, until he reached Longbottom's cauldron. "Orange, Longbottom?" he said exasperatedly as he ladled some into the air and let it pour back in with the rest "Orange?" he said again as he turned to the quivering boy. "Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours?

Longbottom trembled with fright and embarrassment, but Severus was frustrated beyond measure at this point. Idly he thought that he really ought not be so very hard on the boy, and that his irritation was stemming from the mistrust that he had with Potter sitting there in his classroom, mixed with the Headmaster's own fears about what was befalling the school, and slowly he relented his anger.

Docking several points from Gryffindor and vanishing the failed potion, turned poison by now, Severus left without another word to Longbottom. Apologies had never been his strong suit and he had a front to keep before his Slytherins, and by extension their parents.

Glancing at his godson as he passed, Severus could not help but catch Potter's eye from the seat just next to Draco. The black haired miniature of James Potter was frowning, but not in the same sort of contempt that the Gryffindor students were giving him from the opposite side of the room. It was closer to disappointment than anything, and that caused Severus' brow to furrow even further.

Not only had the boy been judging him on his actions toward Longbottom, but he had found Severus' reaction wanting, as if he was some sort of impartial judge determining a stricter sentence of punishment.

The rest of the class time passed in relative silence, mercifully for Severus. Longbottom had joined with his fellow Gryffindors and watched as they prepared their far better examples of the potion he had utterly failed. Severus sat behind his desk and prepared to write a small note to McGonagall about the boy's ineptitude regarding the simple art of following instructions, not that he expected much to be done. The woman was far too distanced from the goings on of her own house to maintain any sort of order.

Granted, Severus felt that he too was losing control over the thoughts and actions of at least a part of his own house, those who surrounded Potter being the core center of the odd happenings. One such example, despite what little proof he had to indicate the connection, was the curious case of Blaise Zabini being attacked by a Hippogriff. The normally cautious boy wouldn't have simply made such an oversight as to directly insult the proud creatures, unless he was distracted or goaded into it.

The trouble was that Zabini did not directly associate with anyone in Potter's circle, and truly his only friend was the reclusive and quite Theodore Nott, whom he was sitting with at that moment, next to Potter and Draco.

And yet, as Severus looked closer, he noticed a handful of discreet interactions with the weedy Theodore and Potter, almost a subtle kind of symphony of actions and reactions. Potter would glance at Nott occasionally, and the other boy would stiffen or flinch as if the black haired boy were shouting at him, then relax after moments only for the process to repeat itself.

Narrowing his eyes, Severus made a metal note to report this connection to the Headmaster, not that he felt it was much to go on, but Dumbledore seemed to be compiling a list of all the strange happenings around the boy, so one more would certainly be desired by the old man.

Mercifully the class ended far more uneventfully, and the students filed out and Severus was left alone with his thoughts. Banishing his thoughts about Potter however, proved to be an insurmountable difficulty, and Severus only found relief when he drew the memory out with his wand to be given to Dumbledore.

'Oh Lily,' he mourned in his mind, 'what is this uncertain strangeness that has befallen your son?'

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Veneficus was starting to quite enjoy his ability to toy with the fabric of time to attend classes as well as create ample time to himself for directing the setup of his personal base within the Chamber of Secrets. Oft times he brought Anguis with him for the latter to train and work on sorting Slytherin's personal study.

September passed uneventfully, and the beginning of October brought with it the start of the Quidditch season, and practices began to sap more of the Sith Lord's valuable time. Classes with Snape and Lupin also were becoming more unusual. Snape wouldn't speak to him and seemed to be constantly watching him with a calculating sneer.

Lupin on the other hand kept inferring at some sort of familiarity to Veneficus' past, while still seeming to watch him from all angles. The Sith Lord had taken to avoiding the pair of Professors whenever possible, more so to keep himself from being distracted by the less important mysteries than any weakness or fear of them.

Trelawney's class was also one where he felt scrutinized, albeit by even less important eyes. The woman had taken to 'seeing' visions and signs of his death on a weekly basis, which the majority of the other foolish students seemed to cling to as absolute truths.

A final thing that had occurred, with no small amount of disappointment from Veneficus, was when he approached Professors McGonagall to see about continuing his tutoring sessions that he had enjoyed from the previous year.

"I'm sorry Potter," she said stated flatly from behind her desk, "but I believe that you already have enough on your plate as it is, I mean taking every extra curricular class available is no mean feat to say the least. Adding anything else would be pushing towards a nervous breakdown, wouldn't you agree?"

He hadn't even bothered trying to use the Force to change her mind, as Veneficus sensed that there were other motives, possible influence from Dumbledore that factored in on their denial of further instruction to him personally. A conversation with Flitwick ended much the same, and Veneficus had felt rather robbed of a useful resource in the two Professors' confidences.

With all these extra annoyances, Veneficus actually felt himself somewhat desirous to attend the school outing to Hogsmead village, well outside the Castle grounds. Millennial had signed the childish permission form without a second glance, which at the time Veneficus felt that he would never have the urge to actually attend, but perhaps a small distraction would better help his refocus on his priorities, and return to his agenda with increased fervor.

It was to Anguis' surprise then, that on Halloween morning, as the students were lining up in the Entrance Hall to pass by Filch the caretaker and exit the castle for the village, Veneficus steered them both to the rear of the line. The old man leered down at Veneficus as he glanced at his list of those permitted to attend, before shaking his head.

"No permission for you, Potter, you'll have to stay at the castle," he said smugly. Veneficus glared, but refused to rise to the bait that the crotchety caretaker had set for him, instead turning and walking directly to Snape's office. Knowing the man was present through the Force, Veneficus burst in, allowing a small amount of anger to show as the door crashed against the stone wall.

Snape looked up from his desk with a sneer, but upon seeing who it was the expression changed immediately to a reserved lack of sympathy. "I demand to know why I am not permitted to attend Hogsmead, despite having the required form signed by my guardian." Veneficus stated.

Snape took a long moment before he spoke, and Veneficus was forced to contain himself instead of allowing his anger to bubble any higher at the man's deliberate taunting, silent or otherwise.

"The Headmaster," he began slowly, "has determined to overrule your guardians permission to attend Hogsmead for this year, due to security risks involved with you being outside of the castle grounds."

Veneficus scoffed, "Security risks that none but my guardian felt remotely important to inform me about? I find that to be a very convenient excuse Professor Snape, and I fail to see any legitimate reasoning for me being denied a privilege granted to every other student in my year."

"Whether you see it or not, Mr. Potter, it is there," Snape replied snidely, "You are not the Headmaster of this school, neither are you Minister of Magic, therefore you have very little say in what is determined to be in your best interests regarding your safety in light of recent events."

"So, Sirius Black is still what everyone is so mortified over?" Veneficus challenged, "a man with no wand, no means of travel, and no associates to assist him to your knowledge has you all in a fit of terror far greater than anything else the last two years? What sort of beings are you to have so much power and be ruled by your own fear!"

Snape opened his mouth to retort, but Veneficus overruled him, shouting in indignation, "Any other civilized society would have realized these basic facts by now, you have acess to your magic, Black does not for the lack of a wand! And even if he manages to acquires one, he is still only one man against a nation! This entire wizarding community must be filled with the more useless, brainless creatures in the entire Galaxy! Even their last war, they let a handful of people fight their battles, until they were rescued by a fluke surrounding an infant who had no right to survive the wizard that sought to kill him! How ignorant can you be to immediately hail said child as a savior when he did nothing in the first place! One may as well praise the wand that failed to perform its function for Voldemort, for all the good it does!"

"Do not say the name!" Snape hissed, but Veneficus refused to listen, ranting by now, "And THEN, after all this is said and done, they flip flop their position at the first sound of discord regarding said child, joyous at my 'return' to the wizarding world, then blatently ignoring my first two years, despite numerous attempts on my life and others at this school, only to then suddenly 'care' again when a madman escapes their precious, 'perfect prison'!"

"Mr. Potter!" Snape said, standing as Veneficus finished. The man lowered his voice dangerously, but the venom was far beneath anything that the Sith Lord could regard at threatening, "wizards far older and wiser than you have fought men like Sirius Black, and few returned, and now those same sort of wizards wish for your safety and have placed your protection at the highest priority, even over many others."

"Prove it," Veneficus countered, taking Snape aback, "prove that these wizards are truly wise, and not acting out their own twisted, fearful agendas. I refuse to let fear run my existence, because it is in opposition to any accomplishment. This goes way beyond simply forbidding a childish field trip, but is counter productive for teaching a child, any child, to learn to take action for themselves. I shouldn't have to rely on anyone to protect me, only myself. I am the first and last defense for my person, not some idea from some aged Headmaster that has lost connection with anything to do with reality."

"Get out of my office Potter, now…" Snape seethed, and Veneficus turned and departed. As his anger ebbed, Veneficus knew he had revealed far more than he had desired to, but somehow he felt that it had been necessary, like the Force's will.

Stalking away, Veneficus knew that the students had all departed for the village, and there was only one of his circle that was still in the castle. It did not take long to find little Colin Creevey, as the childred tended to be somewhat of a loner, finding dark corners of the castle to spend his free time in.

The boy turned as Veneficus approached, and he smiled appreciatively when he recognized who had come to visit him. "Hi Harry." He said, his voice lacking the cheerfulness that it normally had. Veneficus watched the boy for several moments.

"We're very much alike, you and I," he said finally as he made his choice and sat on the stone floor beside Colin. The boy looked up inquisitively, but behind his eyes there was a surge of hopeful excitement. "Both outcasts in a sense, me from my past and you because of your parents, both loners who are forced to adapt to their worlds."

Veneficus could see the boy hanging on his every word. 'This is almost too easy,' he thought as he continued, "But there's one major difference between us. I have acted, striking out on my own to carve a place for myself in the world, while you are yet contented to hide in the shadows."

Colin frowned, clearly unable to muster a denial. This was good, as it proved that the boy was willing to look at his weaknesses. "However," Veneficus continued, and the young Slytherin perked up again, "I would be more than willing to give you a 'leg up' as its called, on the world. A chance to get quite a few steps ahead your pureblood classmates."

"Yes!" the boy cried, jumping to his feet, "Yes, I'll do anything…"

Veneficus raised an eyebrow, "Anything." He commented, causing Colin to pause and think about what he had said.

Sobering slightly the boy shifted, suddenly looking more adult that his features betrayed, "Yes, anything."

Veneficus nodded, "Good, you have made a wise and mature decision Colin. All I require in return is your loyalty…" he paused, sensing Lupin coming from several corridors over, looking specifically for him. Quickly giving Colin the place and time to meet with him and the other people he was recruiting to his 'secret project,' he sent the boy running along.

Veneficus himself was almost to the corner of the corridor when Lupin came round it, almost colliding directly with the Sith. "Ah, Harry, what are you doing here?" he asked, feigning surprise, "Where is Mr. Malfoy?"

"Hogsmeade," he replied casually, wondering what the man had sought him out for.

"Ah," Lupin said thoughtfully. He watched Veneficus' face for a moment of consideration, before shrugging his shoulders, "Why don't you come down to my office for tea? I've just taken delivery of a grindylow for our next lesson and I think you' be interested in observing it before next week."