Well, i decided that it's not fair to make you wait for the next chapter (exams!damn!let's them go to the hell, and i'm with you again, my dear readers!)-here it is!
Juliss.
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Chapter 3: Self-spelling wand.
Instead of answer Severus cursed and dived under the decorative shield,placed
against the wall.
-Huh?-mumbled Tehhie, dropping the spear and looking at Snape's mysterious
manipulations with great amazement.The minute after his actions became,
however, more clear, because he crawled back, gripping Malfoy's wand
in his healthy left hand.
-Er...-said the girl-well, thank you for my...
-Give me this lance!-snarled Snape in response.
-What you are going to do?
-Finish him, of course!-nodded he at Malfoy's body.
-But...he is unconscious!
-Yeah, that's why i have to kill him now.Or you prefer to wake him
first?
-Oh no...I mean, aren't we going to get off here?We can use him as
hostage.
-Ok, if you will drag him-grinned Severus and snatched the spear, obviously
ready to strike.
But before he fulfilled his criminal plan, floor of the hall quivered
and large cracks appeared in the middle of the room.Voldie was coming back,
and not in excellent mood, as it seemed (who will after bath of boiling
pitch?).Snape gripped Tehhie's hand and hurried to the door (not forgetting
to kick Malfoy's head as last farewell, however).They ran through the hall,
jumping over the smoking gaps, and rushed to the door, which of course
was locked-solid antique door covered with iron bars.
"Alohomora!"-ordered Headmaster, pointing at the lock.Nothing happened."Aperitus!"-snarled
he-with the same result.
-Shit!-roared Snape, but of course door didn't open and after this
magical word.
-What's wrong?-asked Tehhie.
Snape looked at the wand in his hand, at the door and cursed bitterly.Then
he stuffed wand in girl's hands and ordered:"You do it!"
Tehhie shrugged,and repeated:"Alohomora"-and the ill-fated door swung
open.
Before Tehhie managed to ask anything, Snape pushed her ahead and barred
the door with heavy table.
-Severus, why...
-Let me think.Well, we are in the Northern Wing, we cannot get from
here on the roof or Mirror Garden...
Door trembled, and the horrible howl from the lower chambers approached.
-Joke Portal!-exclaimed Severus at last and dragged bewildered Tehhie
to the right corridor.
-What portal?-panted girl, who lost the habit of long races after 15
years of untroubled ghost life.
-You will see-promised Severus,hobbling as fast as possible at the
same direction.After of several glum corridors, which walls were covered
with moth-bitten tapestries and cobwebs-covered portraits of sinister looking
wizards, they dived into the low passage and ran down the winded staircase
to the round empty chamber with the gaping black hall in the wall.
-Well, here it is-puffed Snape, gasping for air.
-What?
-Joke Portal.We enjoyed it with Lucius when were kids-Snape scowled
when uttered the name, and his eyes blinked ominously.
-Just embrace me tighter and we'll go.
-Embrace? Well, i'm all gratitude, but do you think it's appropriate
time...
-Oh no.I'm not in the right mood now, may be later-grinned Snape-Anyway,
if you don't want to end up somewhere in Brazil, absolutely alone, then
do it.No one don't know exactly where it leads, every time it is different
place.And last time i used it with Lucius when we where fourteen, mind
this.
Trying to imagine Snape, tenderly embracing Malfoy, Tehhie snorted
and put her hands around Headmaster's neck, and they stepped together into
the freezing darkness of Portal.
***
However, it wasn't Brazil.They found themselves dangling into the thin
air several feet over the lively-colored umbrellas and little round tables
of street cafe, and before the shocked visitors of this place managed to
take a deep breath and cry in horror, they tumbled onto the one of tables,
sending glasses with drinks and ice-cream into the faces of two fat women
and old clergyman.Judging by the fountain of swearing, poured from the
clergyman's lips, they were in England.
Tehhie, who was lucky enough to fall on Severus, collected her wits
first and scrambled on her legs.
-Sorry-muttered she, making a great efforts to look as if dropping
from nowhere on the Muggle's heads was her common business, and pulling
Severus, who still has been fighting to gather his breath.At least he got
up, moaning and nursing his scorched hand, and limped away,swaying and
ignoring indignant exclamations of Muggles and calls for police.
-Uh, Severus-muttered Tehhie in apologizing voice, hurrying after him-i
didn't mean to fall on you.Honestly.
-Why-moaned Snape-why you couldn't remain ghost? At least you was a
feather-weight, and now you weights like the full-sized troll!
-Oh, you are polite, as usual-grinned Tehhie-It means you are ok, so
what you plans to do now? And where is the half of your hair?
-What?-jumped Severus.
-Well, don't want to distress you, but you looks like..er..Filch after
fight with Mrs.Norris.
-Lucius!-hissed Snape with the inexpressible look on his face.
-What? He pulled your hair out? Interesting sport!-laughed girl.
-Polyjuice potion!-continued Severus with the same expression-You may
use hair to kill or to damage, but he meant to kill me without it.He's
going to return to Hogwarts under my appearance, and you stopped me when
i wanted to kill him!
He spat bitterly onto the ground and walked along the street of small
village to the yellow building with little crowd of Muggles, flocking around
it.
-Hey, i didn't know!-cried Tehhie in his back and ran after him.
-Where are you going?
-Isn't it clear?I'm going to stop him!And for this i need to come back
at Hogwarts, and the Hogwarts Express departing today on 11.00 AM from
King's Cross-snarled Headmaster-Here is the local station, we need tickets
to London.
-One small problem-interrupted Tehhie.
-What?
-Did you have Muggle's money? Because i don't.
-Then just put spell on the booking-clerk, what's the problem?
-Well-sighed Tehhie, pulling something from her pocket-when we fell...the
wand snapped-finished she and showed the two splits that were the Malfoy's
wand.
-..........the hell!-answered Snape.
***
It was evening already when they arrived to London, hungry, angry and
exhausted. It became clear that Tehhie completely forgot how to use Apparating
after all this years without practice, and Snape received a additional
evidence that Malfoy's words about his magical gift were true-he couldn't
even fix his hand or ease the pain.
At last they went to the highway and tried hitch-hiking. Tehhie was
pretty enough even in her tore robes, because she of course didn't change
during her ghost years-lovely-looking girl of about twenty.Severus used
to hide in ditch while she lured careless drivers, and when they had been
stopping to pick the nice girl, he crawled on the road and crept into the
car, ignoring weak protests of unlucky Muggles.
At 7.45 PM they burst into the Leaky Cauldron and Tom, completely bewildered,
let them pass to Diagon Alley.
-Food-exclaimed Tehhie, eyeing greedily numerous pubs, bars and cafes.
-Money-replied Severus and dragged her to the Gringotts-the bank was
about to be closed.
Ten minutes later they exited Gringotts, escorted by bowing and grinning
goblin and loaded by impressively swollen purse.
-Lucky that you are used to keep the key in your pocket, and not in
safe, as the normal people do-noted Tehhie, wolfing terrible mixture of
bacon, fried eggs, ice-cream and pumpkin juice in the nearest cafe-oh,
i'm so hungry, as if i didn't eat nothing for centuries.
-Don't exaggerate, it was only 15 years-answered Severus, who bandaged
at last his hand in apothecary's shop and was in more-less good mood.
When last bacon and pumpkin juice vanished, Tehhie sighed, checked
her dish to be sure that nothing remains and smiled:
-Now i really started to feel gratitude, Severus.I am ready even to
kiss you...
-No thanks-answered Snape hurriedly-There is another way to show gratitude,
and be sure i will make you recompense.
At these words girl's smile faded a little, and the glum expression
returned to Headmaster's face.He rose and headed to Ollivander's shop,
Tehhie at his heels.
-You need a new wand-continued Snape-If i really...if i lost my magical
talent, you will be our only weapon.Because no doubts Malfoy managed to
get at Hogwarts already, and i can imagine what he are doing now. Next
train will be on 11.00 PM, so hurry.
The bell rang in the dark depths of shop when they entered, and old
man emerged from there to welcome them.
-Tehhie Pondohva-said Mr Ollivander softly, looking at girl.And she
felt worried, almost the same as when she had been seen this pale huge
eyes at the first time, when she was eleven and came in here to buy her
first wand.
-Willow, 12 inches, Unicorn hair.It was very good one, very good for
charms and illusions.Lost in your battle with Death Eaters, yes.But not
vanished, not vanished-muttered Ollivander with strange smile.
-Well, check this one-he reached for narrow box on the upper shelf
and handed it to Tehhie.-Check it, and i need to talk with Headmaster.
He grabbed Snape's sleeve and dragged him in the back part of shop
and down the dusty stairs.Confused, Severus followed him.They descended
to the kind of cellar,boxes and books were piled in the corners and cobweb
covered ceiling.Mr.Ollivander,still muttering under his breath, pulled
from his pocket a thin silver chain.Little key, made of softly glinting
metal,dangled from the chain.Wand-maker proceeded to the little barely
visible door in the wall and unlocked it.
The room behind the door was even smaller, dimly illuminated by the
single source of light-little glass cage, filled with swirling shining
mist.And on the bottom of cage, washed by misty substance, laid...wand.
-My proud, the gem of my collection-beamed Ollivander, eyeing the wand.
-Nice indeed-smiled Severus bitterly.-But i don't need it.
-Yes, you lost your power, i know-said wand-maker flatly.
-What?-gasped Snape.
-I know all about my wands.Your was one of most powerful-yew, thirteen
inches, dragon heartstring.Very, very strong wand-and you killed it!-cried
Mr.Ollivander suddenly, glaring at Snape.Then he took several deep breaths
and continued:
-Well, at last it was really magnificent death.Your last spell...
It seemed that Severus was ready to interrupt him, but Ollivander simply
waved at him and went on:
-Of course, Voldemort didn't invent it.It was known long, long ago,
but it was banned and wiped from all the magical handbooks..I feel sorry
for you, Severus, because it kills inevitably.The strongest ones lasted
after it no more than one week.
Snape blanched and gasped, feeling dizzy.
-Yes, i forgives you, i forgives the death of wand.I am ready even
help you, because this one-Ollivander pointed at shining cage-it's not
the usual wand.It's the exclusive, unique model of self-spelling wand.
***
-It cannot be true.Don't try to hoodwink me, you old swindler!There
is no self-spelling wands!-blurted Snape, trying to fight down the hysterical
laugh, rising from the depths of his soul.
-Oh, don't try to show your ignorance again, i'm sure already that
ignorant you are.Five centuries ago greatest mage of that age, Infernato,
made this wand.He wanted to make the Muggles familiar with magic, to unite
wizard and Muggles communities-but of course he failed, because this wand
drained all the magical power of him and he died in oblivion.But the wand
survived-and it works!It transform the human will to magic.I'm not going
to tell you how i paid for it,-and the strange, scaring smile crept through
Ollivander's lips.
-But your price will be not so hard.Anyway, you are going to die, and
the wand will return to me again.But i can give you it for your last week.
Severus gripped the cold stones of wall and placed his forehead against
it.He is going to die.To perish.Strange, but he knew somehow that the old
wand-maker didn't lie to him.At least, about his death.
-Well-he forced himself to return to the current situation, to the
freezing air of cellar, wet stones, to Ollivander's words.
-Could i try it?
-Of course.As usual.
Wand-maker approached the cage, muttered something and tapped it with
his own wand.The glass disappeared, mist floated to the ceiling, dropping
a twinkling little stars at Ollivander's head and the black glinting wand
in his hands.He stroked the wand slowly and handed it to Snape.It was cold.More
cold that any timber could be.
-Think hardly about something.Wish it.Make it real.No spells and no
incantations needed-only your own will.
Severus narrowed his eyes, and the face of Lucius floated under his
eyelids.The hatred, pure hatred equal to which he never knew, seized his
soul.
"You will pay for this.Don't know how, but you will pay.You will rot
alive, you will burn, crying about mercy..." The scarlet jet of flames
burst from the end of self-spelling wand, consumed the cage's pedestal
and scorched opposite wall.Ollivander cried in horror and dived into the
corner.
-Sorry-said Snape, feeling strangely easy, as if all the bounds that
linked him with mortal world broke already-feeling as the spirit of fire
and wrath could feel.
Wand-maker scrambled out of his corner, looking even more pale than
usual and shaking.
-Yes-muttered he-Bless that you will die in six days, otherwise...
-What is your price?-asked Severus coolly.
-Ten thousands Galleons....i understand that it's a lot, but you will
not need money anymore.
-Indeed-answered Snape with freezing smile, looking at the door.Ollivander
stayed with his back to the door now.
-I am agree.But Tehhie, what YOU are doing here?
Ollivander jumped and turned around to face the empty door opening
with no sign of Tehhie-and Snape snatched the heavy plank from the pile
in the corner and hit the old wand-maker on the back of the head.Old man
dropped onto the floor.
-Rest in piece, old fellow-smiled Snape darkly-I will join you in no
time, but first i need to do something.
He stepped over the Ollivander's corpse and headed for stairs.