AHAHAHAHAHAH :) I FINISHED IT !!!!! :) Which actually was more than a little bit of a miracle, this many chapters out of a projected nine! :P I owe it to the fact that Just Silver has, by reviewing all the way thorugh made me feel too guilty to stop writing i love you babe, your the best! Sandy, if i could package Snape up and send him to you i would :) And Incitatus your constant supply of short and cryptic reviews has been a delight, as has writing with you, your up to beta the next one so get those brain cells ready!!! Yes you all heard correctly, theres a third one, which should be the final one, of course if you hate this.............
Ama had come in to wake him up as the others were afraid of what they would find, he had to hide a light smile. But Ama's face was worried, there was serenity all around her like an aura, but she was worried.
"Uncle Serverus is on edge, I wonder what's going on"
She didn't know, that was a bad thing, he relied on Ama's normal attitude of 'I know everything' to help him get through times like this, since it was guaranteed that Hermoine wouldn't, she hadn't been woken so it seemed like she wasn't invited.
They were walking down a staircase, Draco, according to Ama's best information was waiting for them by the main entrance. Yes, there he was, they cleared the high back staircase that he could have sworn wasn't there last night and Draco was standing in a patch of sunlight. He wasn't in black today, he was in robes of a seep silver grey and he looked like a silver statue in the early morning glow.
It was amazing after the way they had both looked yesterday, he could almost see the vitality and the health, Draco turned and he almost backed a step away. The smile gracing the other boys face was as if he'd been waiting for them for hours and was exceedingly glad they were back.
"About time Amaris, what were you doing, dressing him?"
He heard Ama laugh, a real laugh like raindrops over rose petals, he'd never heard it before so it deserved the rare and beautiful image he gave to it.
"No, waking him up, I don't know what he was up to, but it certainly tired him out"
For a moment he met Draco's eyes, still and deep as the mercury they had used in potions before the holidays, and then a slight smile warmed them.
"Well that's two of us then, out we go?"
He watched Ama nod and take Draco's arm, he followed them out into the winter sunlight.
***
The walled garden was a tiny haven of tranquillity, she hadn't known how it was that she knew it was there only that it was. The winter snows hadn't touched it, it was a perfect English summer inside, roses climbing the walls, a mass of conflicting colours made harmonised by nature, jasmine starry white mixed in with the deep green of holly bushes, waiting for the night air to release their perfume. Lavender running riot through the borders, it was a haven for the senses.
The others would be here soon, she looked at the robe she had found laid out across her bed this morning, whatever force it was that animated Hogwarts was definitely being helpful. It wasn't so much a robe in the style that the others around her seemed to wear, it was a shift, and it shimmered in a light green colour woven through with a silvery grey. It also exposed the head of the tattoo.
The knife that had been with the robes was a work of art, the handle was slender, a dragon worked in gold, the scales edged with onyx, the eye diamond and sapphire. Runes marched down the blade, she had absolutely no idea what the things meant but the thing was hers, for today, she had felt the warmth as she had picked it up, the welcome.
She knelt down and held the dagger, the word knife just didn't cut it, point up so that it caught the sunlight, and almost started the ceremony earlier than she had planned when Serverus spoke from behind her.
"Where did you get. That."
His voice as he said that was full of a sort of soft self loathing and guilt, she looked over her shoulder and saw his eyes riveted to the dagger.
"You know what it is then?"
Watching his face she saw the indecision in his eyes before he answered.
"Yes, its an heirloom, and not a well fated one"
The question, who's was bubbling on her lips when the others arrived.
"Miriam?"
That was Harry, but Ama cut straight across it all to the point.
"Why are we here?"
She could only shrug, that was one thing she didn't know, she knew why Serverus had to be there, but the others were, well, just necessary.
"It's to keep the spell stable, something the last person who attempted it forgot"
Dumbledore entered through a tiny gap between two hedges, she knew that Sirius was with him, and had headed to Harry's side as soon as he had managed to enter, but her eyes were riveted on the sombre blue of Dumbledore's. The visions were quiescent, but there was so much life around him, so very much time.
He looked down at the dagger in her hand, the platinum blade caught the sunlight the runes patches of darkness, she watched his chest rise and fall in a sigh.
"That blade is a true gift, I haven't seen it for years"
Her curiosity was screaming for her to ask about it, what it was, but her prescience kicked in at that moment with an almost hideously loud scream of NOW. DO IT. NOW. She blinked and then spoke.
"Serverus, could you come here please"
She sounded absent minded even to herself but he knelt at her side, she looked up and found those concerned eyes on her, those eyes that had started all of this a few days ago, years ago, a lifetime before. She lowered her voice to a whisper, barely heard over the warm breeze that was now stirring the grass.
"Think hard about the blood stopping when its flowing, otherwise I haven't got a chance in hell, the spell will work but I wont be around to see it. Positive thinking and all that jazz"
He simply nodded and she smiled at him, even the smile was absent, she felt absent all over, but that didn't matter. Reaching out with her right hand she took the dagger from the ground and placed it against her knees facing upwards, then she met Dumbledore's eyes.
"No interference, I know what I'm doing"
The headmasters eyes nodded, But he didn't, he merely turned to the others.
"You heard her my children, let her get on with it"
There were questions in all of their faces but she had to ignore them, her hair, free of the braid cascaded towards the ground as she looked up into the clear blue gas flame sky. She could feel the blade nestled there as if it was warm and alive, how she was going to do this, she pushed those thoughts away, this was like an exam, self confidence was everything.
"Patroncinor"
Her voice was no more than a whisper but the garden seemed to repeat it back, building it until she could almost see the sound golden against the air. From the quiet murmuring in the background she wasn't the only one, there now, she placed the insides of her wrists against the knife, she didn't want to die so she was going to cut across her wrists instead of down the veins.
Ah, the pain hit like liquid nitrogen, the edges were sharp. She could feel the blood running down her wrists in a burning tide, backwards from ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
"Cruento"
Dark bloody overtones added to the aura that permeates that garden and Serverus's hands clasped around her wrists, the ragged edges catching against his skin are beyond painful but there is still something else to come before she could look up and reassure him. She knows it will happen, it has so many times in dreams.
"I don't think this exercise will be going any further"
She didn't know the voice but it was obvious that someone, Draco, and possible Serverus did, the men were masked and robed which at any other time would have had an entire stack of 'hooded hoard's' jokes running through her mind, but now she was fuzzy, blood loss can do that to a person.
The man at the front was raising a wand, she could see where the point vector would be, straight at her chest but she couldn't move, she felt as if the spell had frozen her solid, she heard his murmured spell and her lips unlocked to say the final word of command.
"Umbra"
The spell the man had cast was loosed and travelling towards her, the world almost seemed to be in slow motion when she heard a voice, clear as a bell ring across the garden.
"No!"
Then a figure from out of nowhere caught the bolt meant for her, sending her flying. Time speeded up again, she felt the completed protection spell backlash and throw three of the four robed figures off of the Hogwarts grounds, and into that blank space that she had felt them step out of, the one who had shot at her remained. Her wrists healed, what should have taken weeks and months happening in a span of seconds, but all attention was fixed on the girl who lay at the robed man's feet.
Red hair like the blood that had decorated the grass splashed outwards, pale fingers still stretched in denial tangled in it, her robes the same flawed shadow colour of the space under the archway were spread around her.
The hooded and masked man made something that sounded like a broken sound of denial, almost at the same moment that Serverus spoke under his breath.
"It can't be her she's dead"
Dumbledore was staring, but a twinkle seemed to have reappeared miraculously in his eyes, she heard his final words even as she fainted.
"Things are not always as they seem, especially not here."
Ama had come in to wake him up as the others were afraid of what they would find, he had to hide a light smile. But Ama's face was worried, there was serenity all around her like an aura, but she was worried.
"Uncle Serverus is on edge, I wonder what's going on"
She didn't know, that was a bad thing, he relied on Ama's normal attitude of 'I know everything' to help him get through times like this, since it was guaranteed that Hermoine wouldn't, she hadn't been woken so it seemed like she wasn't invited.
They were walking down a staircase, Draco, according to Ama's best information was waiting for them by the main entrance. Yes, there he was, they cleared the high back staircase that he could have sworn wasn't there last night and Draco was standing in a patch of sunlight. He wasn't in black today, he was in robes of a seep silver grey and he looked like a silver statue in the early morning glow.
It was amazing after the way they had both looked yesterday, he could almost see the vitality and the health, Draco turned and he almost backed a step away. The smile gracing the other boys face was as if he'd been waiting for them for hours and was exceedingly glad they were back.
"About time Amaris, what were you doing, dressing him?"
He heard Ama laugh, a real laugh like raindrops over rose petals, he'd never heard it before so it deserved the rare and beautiful image he gave to it.
"No, waking him up, I don't know what he was up to, but it certainly tired him out"
For a moment he met Draco's eyes, still and deep as the mercury they had used in potions before the holidays, and then a slight smile warmed them.
"Well that's two of us then, out we go?"
He watched Ama nod and take Draco's arm, he followed them out into the winter sunlight.
***
The walled garden was a tiny haven of tranquillity, she hadn't known how it was that she knew it was there only that it was. The winter snows hadn't touched it, it was a perfect English summer inside, roses climbing the walls, a mass of conflicting colours made harmonised by nature, jasmine starry white mixed in with the deep green of holly bushes, waiting for the night air to release their perfume. Lavender running riot through the borders, it was a haven for the senses.
The others would be here soon, she looked at the robe she had found laid out across her bed this morning, whatever force it was that animated Hogwarts was definitely being helpful. It wasn't so much a robe in the style that the others around her seemed to wear, it was a shift, and it shimmered in a light green colour woven through with a silvery grey. It also exposed the head of the tattoo.
The knife that had been with the robes was a work of art, the handle was slender, a dragon worked in gold, the scales edged with onyx, the eye diamond and sapphire. Runes marched down the blade, she had absolutely no idea what the things meant but the thing was hers, for today, she had felt the warmth as she had picked it up, the welcome.
She knelt down and held the dagger, the word knife just didn't cut it, point up so that it caught the sunlight, and almost started the ceremony earlier than she had planned when Serverus spoke from behind her.
"Where did you get. That."
His voice as he said that was full of a sort of soft self loathing and guilt, she looked over her shoulder and saw his eyes riveted to the dagger.
"You know what it is then?"
Watching his face she saw the indecision in his eyes before he answered.
"Yes, its an heirloom, and not a well fated one"
The question, who's was bubbling on her lips when the others arrived.
"Miriam?"
That was Harry, but Ama cut straight across it all to the point.
"Why are we here?"
She could only shrug, that was one thing she didn't know, she knew why Serverus had to be there, but the others were, well, just necessary.
"It's to keep the spell stable, something the last person who attempted it forgot"
Dumbledore entered through a tiny gap between two hedges, she knew that Sirius was with him, and had headed to Harry's side as soon as he had managed to enter, but her eyes were riveted on the sombre blue of Dumbledore's. The visions were quiescent, but there was so much life around him, so very much time.
He looked down at the dagger in her hand, the platinum blade caught the sunlight the runes patches of darkness, she watched his chest rise and fall in a sigh.
"That blade is a true gift, I haven't seen it for years"
Her curiosity was screaming for her to ask about it, what it was, but her prescience kicked in at that moment with an almost hideously loud scream of NOW. DO IT. NOW. She blinked and then spoke.
"Serverus, could you come here please"
She sounded absent minded even to herself but he knelt at her side, she looked up and found those concerned eyes on her, those eyes that had started all of this a few days ago, years ago, a lifetime before. She lowered her voice to a whisper, barely heard over the warm breeze that was now stirring the grass.
"Think hard about the blood stopping when its flowing, otherwise I haven't got a chance in hell, the spell will work but I wont be around to see it. Positive thinking and all that jazz"
He simply nodded and she smiled at him, even the smile was absent, she felt absent all over, but that didn't matter. Reaching out with her right hand she took the dagger from the ground and placed it against her knees facing upwards, then she met Dumbledore's eyes.
"No interference, I know what I'm doing"
The headmasters eyes nodded, But he didn't, he merely turned to the others.
"You heard her my children, let her get on with it"
There were questions in all of their faces but she had to ignore them, her hair, free of the braid cascaded towards the ground as she looked up into the clear blue gas flame sky. She could feel the blade nestled there as if it was warm and alive, how she was going to do this, she pushed those thoughts away, this was like an exam, self confidence was everything.
"Patroncinor"
Her voice was no more than a whisper but the garden seemed to repeat it back, building it until she could almost see the sound golden against the air. From the quiet murmuring in the background she wasn't the only one, there now, she placed the insides of her wrists against the knife, she didn't want to die so she was going to cut across her wrists instead of down the veins.
Ah, the pain hit like liquid nitrogen, the edges were sharp. She could feel the blood running down her wrists in a burning tide, backwards from ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
"Cruento"
Dark bloody overtones added to the aura that permeates that garden and Serverus's hands clasped around her wrists, the ragged edges catching against his skin are beyond painful but there is still something else to come before she could look up and reassure him. She knows it will happen, it has so many times in dreams.
"I don't think this exercise will be going any further"
She didn't know the voice but it was obvious that someone, Draco, and possible Serverus did, the men were masked and robed which at any other time would have had an entire stack of 'hooded hoard's' jokes running through her mind, but now she was fuzzy, blood loss can do that to a person.
The man at the front was raising a wand, she could see where the point vector would be, straight at her chest but she couldn't move, she felt as if the spell had frozen her solid, she heard his murmured spell and her lips unlocked to say the final word of command.
"Umbra"
The spell the man had cast was loosed and travelling towards her, the world almost seemed to be in slow motion when she heard a voice, clear as a bell ring across the garden.
"No!"
Then a figure from out of nowhere caught the bolt meant for her, sending her flying. Time speeded up again, she felt the completed protection spell backlash and throw three of the four robed figures off of the Hogwarts grounds, and into that blank space that she had felt them step out of, the one who had shot at her remained. Her wrists healed, what should have taken weeks and months happening in a span of seconds, but all attention was fixed on the girl who lay at the robed man's feet.
Red hair like the blood that had decorated the grass splashed outwards, pale fingers still stretched in denial tangled in it, her robes the same flawed shadow colour of the space under the archway were spread around her.
The hooded and masked man made something that sounded like a broken sound of denial, almost at the same moment that Serverus spoke under his breath.
"It can't be her she's dead"
Dumbledore was staring, but a twinkle seemed to have reappeared miraculously in his eyes, she heard his final words even as she fainted.
"Things are not always as they seem, especially not here."