Chapter twenty one

The mysterious phial

/

It got colder at night and it was already snowing nicely in the morning. Soft snowflakes slowly covered the sodden ground. Hogwarts students peered out the windows excited, as they ate their breakfast. Finally, some change came after the eternal rains.

"I guess it's not worth asking where you were yesterday," Draco noted quietly.

Angela did not even look at him.

"That´s what I thought."

Still no answer.

Draco frowned and turned his gaze to the incoming owls that were sprinkling melted snow at students. Angela only looked up from her plate when a majestic black eagle owl landed between them.

They looked at each other and Draco slowly untied the letter from the bird's leg. Angela watched him intently. He scanned the letter with his eyes, quickly folding it and tucking it into his pocket.

"So?" she asked impatiently.

"Mother wants us to leave Hogwarts for Christmas," Draco muttered reluctantly. "We should go home."

Even though she had thought it impossible, Angela's mood dropped even more: "It´s not my home," she blurted out in disgust.

"You don't have any other at the moment," Draco shot back.

Angela glared at him: "I won't go, I want to stay here."

"You're out of luck," he informed her meaningfully. "You'll have to leave with me."

She stiffened. "Is it because of what I think?"

"Yeah, Mother made it quite clear..."

Angela closed her eyes for a moment. Draco stared at the table and tapped his fork thoughtfully. Then Angela sensed someone behind her and turned sharply. It was Snape, and he did not look particularly friendly. She was not surprised.

"Explain to me, Rosier, how is it possible that you did not come for your detention yesterday?" he snapped icily.

"I wasn't feeling well, Professor, didn't Draco tell you?" Angela replied without a trace of emotion on her face.

"Yes, he did," Snape said. "It depends if it was true."

"Yes, sir. It was true."

Snape was silent, staring into her eyes. Angele sensed that he was trying to get into her mind and smirked. The professor pulled back, dangerous flash appearing in his eyes.

"So, you will have yesterday's punishment today. At eight o´clock, in my office," he hissed disdainfully and drifted off to the professors´ desk.

Angela turned back to Draco quite annoyed. The hunger, if she had any at all before, had already passed.

"When I went to detention yesterday, Potter was just leaving his office," Draco muttered, watching her reaction carefully.

She raised her eyebrows: "So what?"

"Nothing. It's just a little weird."

"Maybe he had detention as well. Why do you care?"

"I don´t. What about you?"

"What are you getting at?"

"Me? Nothing specific..."

"Oh, yeah. Either spill what you want from me or shut up, Draco."

He shrugged: "As you wish…"

Angela pursed her lips, obviously upset, jumped up from the table and left. And Draco noticed certain green eyes from the Gryffindor table turning behind her very well.

/

In the Room of Requirement, the fire crackled in the fireplace, while outside the window, large snowflakes fell from the night sky, and a couple in love cuddled on a comfortable sofa. It was, of course, none other than famous Harry Potter of Gryffindor and the daughter of Mary Rosier – a woman who was dead to the world.

They kissed passionately and pressed each other eagerly. Angela did not feel as safe with anyone else and Harry wanted to be with her all the time.

Angela pulled him even closer and ran her hand through his hair. Harry kissed her neck and nape, gradually unbuttoning her light blue blouse. He loved touching her soft skin. Angela felt warm and aroused. Yet, she could not help but think of Christmas approaching and that kept spoiling her happy moment with Harry. Harry could tell she was a little off. Realizing, it would not pass so easily, he self-deniably left the last three buttons of her blouse alone and looked into her eyes.

"Is something wrong?"

"I… I have something to tell you," Angela sighed and sat up straight.

Harry pulled her into his arms and kissed her ear encouragingly. "Okay, get it out."

She snuggled up to him but looked away. "You know, I was thinking about Christmas and…"

"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to them too," Harry interrupted excitedly. "We'll have more time to spend together; almost no one will be here and…"

"Harry, wait. That probably won't work," she cooled him down.

"Why?" he frowned.

"I'm leaving Hogwarts for Christmas."

"What? You'd rather spend holidays with the Malfoys than with me?" he snarled.

"No! Please Harry, how can you think that? Draco´s mother wants me to come. I'm staying with them now, so it wouldn't be right from me to refuse."

"Well, sure," Harry snorted grumpily. "Whatever one of the Malfoys says."

Angela turned and took his face in both hands: "I was also looking forward to us being together. Do you think I want to go there?"

"No… Sorry. I'm just upset that you're going to be with that jerk instead of me."

"Harry… I know you hate each other but don't berate him in front of me."

"And he doesn't grumble about me in front of you?"

"Not much," Angela said calmly. "But let's leave it at that, hmm? There are far more pleasant things we can do."

"Really?" Harry asked smugly. "Like what?"

"Well…" Angela straddled his lap and encircled her arms around his neck. "You could kiss me for a start."

"Or you could kiss me."

"You want to argue about—"

Harry stopped her next words with a kiss.

They were together and happy and that was all that mattered.

/

The temperature outside had dropped below zero and it looked like it would stay that way for a long time. Ten centimetres of fresh snow covered everything around, and the weak sun that had risen after a long time had no chance to melt it. The eighth of December, it was setting in a red flood that gave the Defence Against the Dark Arts cabinet a strange, mysterious atmosphere.

Shiernov was sitting behind her desk, which had a pile of various folders of information and student papers, around the walls were many shelves filled with various books, manuals, and helpful stuff against curses, as well as a number of different vials, mostly full.

Margaret turned a small glass phial filled with a thick red liquid, most likely blood, in her hands and frowned thoughtfully. It was the glass that she had brought to the castle not long ago, when she ran into our unusual group in the Entrance Hall.

On the table in front of her stood five larger glasses, which were filled almost to the brim with a beige liquid of unclear origin. Shiernov sighed and looked out into the bloody sunset.

She vigorously opened the bottle and poured exact portion of it into each one in front of her. She got up and went to wash it. Then she closed all the others and hid them in the locked drawer of the table except for one. She took it in her palm and shook it well. The liquid took on a dark pink hue. Margaret took a deep breath and kicked the entire contents into her in one go. Her eyes glowed red for a moment, but maybe it was just the light of the sunset.

Her office door suddenly flew open without knocking. Shiernov flinched, quickly pocketed the empty bottle, and glared at her quest.

"I knew it," Snape stated triumphantly as he saw Margaret's hand going down into his pocket.

"You should learn to knock, Severus," Margaret informed him icily.

"Your appetites are starting to come, aren't they?" Snape passed over her remark without noticing.

Shiernov paused for a moment, taming the other within her, who was beside herself with rage.

"Get out," she snapped in a tone that would make anyone's hair stand on end.

Snape did not even budge. "Forget it. Now you immediately explain to me why you lied! Do you realize that you are endangering everyone here?"

"I'm not threatening anyone," snapped Margaret angrily.

"You´re not?" drawled Snape. "If you ever forget to take that crap, you could end up sucking someone dry at night!"

"I don't understand what you're talking about. After all, I already said it's gone."

"So you don't know," Snape leapt up to her and with surprising strength yanked her hand out of her pocket where she was still clutching the empty vial. "And what is this?"

"Let me go," Shiernov hissed.

But Snape was still holding her.

"Do you think that if Dumbledore found out, he'd just leave you here for an hour? Do you realize how risky it would be!?"

"I think he's taking more chances with you than with me!" snapped Margaret.

Snape backed away from her.

"You think so?" he drawled vaguely. "All right, listen. I won't tell him, but I'll keep an eye on you."

"I don't need any supervision!"

"But yes, you do. What kind of blood are you putting into it?"

No answer.

"Fine, but when you´ll need more, you'll come to me and not sneak out of the castle! I have some supplies."

"I don´t have to follow your orders!"

"But you will! I'm covering for you, so if anything happens to any of the students, it'll be on me too.''

Shiernov finally managed to calm down a bit.

"Look, Severus. I'm careful. I haven't forgotten to take it even once. It works great. I am in perfect control."

"Okay, but still..."

"Yes, I'll go straight to you next time," Margaret gave up.

"And don't forget that you have to control yourself all the time. If you ever slacked off and one of the students saw what you really look like…"

"You think I don't know?"

"Of course you know that, but you didn't seem like an ordinary person a moment ago and you didn't even realize it."

Shiernov paled and ran her fingers over her face: "Really?"

Snape just nodded. She sat down again and Snape turned to leave. He turned around while still in the doorway.

"By the way, I hope you don't hang out with other vampires?"

Shiernov smiled sweetly: "Not if I don't count you."

"You're talking out of the way. You know I'm not…"

"Part of you is!" retorted Margaret. "And it's eating you up, huh?" she did not forget to add the sarcastic remark.

Snape looked like he wanted to at least suffocate her on the spot, but he controlled himself, turned sharply, and slammed the door behind him so loudly that the glass in the windows rattled.