"A Slytherin Black Sheep"
Chapter Sixteen: A Time of Testing
"In between the sand and stone
could you make it on your own?"
- "Wherever You Will Go" by The Calling
It only occurred to Edana after she left Snape's office that the date of her first tutoring session with Snape was also her fifteenth birthday. She had made plans to meet Charlie in the castle rose garden that evening to celebrate, but the time of their rendezvous would have to be moved forward. Edana doubted Snape would appreciate being asked to reschedule their study session just because she wanted quality time with her boyfriend when he was doing her a favor by helping her at all.
She found Charlie in the library, doing research for his Herbology essay, and slipped him both her special smile and note as she passed by his table. Edana paused in the library doorway and turned around as if she had forgotten something. Charlie was still reading her brief note. He looked over a her a moment later and nodded.
Edana's step was springy as she returned to her dorm to start on her reading. The old saying that one cannot have cake and eat it too kept coming to mind. Edana wondered who had come up with that saying in the first place. After a small amount of consideration, she concluded that individual could not have been a Slytherin, and turned her attention to the listing of curse types on page three.
* * *
At eight o'clock on the evening of her fifteenth birthday, Edana found Charlie waiting for her in the center of the castle rose garden. He had been seated on a bench with one arm hidden behind his back and a sheepish grin on his face. Charlie stood up and stepped forward as she approached and kissed her briefly on the lips, but in a way that left her flushed and dizzy.
"Happy Birthday Edana," he whispered into her ear as he presented her with a flawless white rose.
Edana accepted the rose, the thorns were still attached so she had to be careful in handling it, but Edana never thought of removing them. She brought it close to her face so she could inhale its fragrance. "It's beautiful." She whispered.
"It's not as pretty as you are," Charlie said with great sincerity. Edana thought Charlie possessed a gift for taking a simple statement and making it sound like poetry to her ears. After speaking, he blushed and changed the subject. "I soaked it in a caldron full of plant preserving potion I made. That way it will never wilt."
Edana was ever more deeply touched by that revelation. Charlie had grown to despise potions and struggled with both the theoretical and practical areas of the subject. The potion he used on the rose was one only touched briefly on in class and if her memory was correct, hardly a simple concoction.
She stood up onto her tip toes and kissed Charlie thoroughly. Without words she was able to communicate how very much she appreciated his gift - especially the thought and time that had gone into it.
* * *
It was difficult for Edana and Charlie to say good night to each other, but Edana had an appointment to keep with Professor Snape. After leaving the rose garden, Edana stopped at a girl's toilet along the way to splash water on her face, fix her hair, and smooth out her rumpled robes with a few spells. As she checked over her appearance for a final time, she reflected upon how wonderful it was to be able to use magic again. Every summer since she went off to Hogwarts she felt as though she were wrapped in cotton wool and shoved into a drawer for two months. When she was with the Malfoys, she felt as though the drawer were in imminent danger of being thrown into a working fireplace. Being back and safe from them for a time shrank her list of troubles to a far more manageable size.
Edana knocked on Snape's office door. It opened slowly to allow her inside where she found Snape seated behind his desk with a copy of the book he had given Edana to read open in front of him. He closed the book and set it down as Edana took her seat. For a moment he studied her in silence with his piercing black eyes. Edana tried not to squirm, but it was a battle she started to lose after thirty seconds. Snape was renowned for his skill at cursing, which required unbroken eye contact, and had learned not to blink often. It was a habit unnerving in other contexts.
"What did you think of the way Barnstorm used to deal with the vampire?" Snape was not one to bother with preliminaries.
She swallowed hard, trying to cobble an answer together in her mind. Her words were soft and with much space between them. "I thought his timing was strange."
"Why?" Snape demanded.
Edana elaborated. "He waited until after the vampire fed upon the villagers, when the vampire was gorged with their blood. If he had attacked before, instead of waiting, the vampire would have been easier to defeat because he was distracted by his blood-lust."
"An interesting argument, Miss Rosier," Snape said after a long moment of silence. "But by waiting until after the vampire fed, the creature's defenses were lowered. Once a goal is attained, most do not maintain their guard. Additionally, though it is not mentioned explicitly in the book, after a vampire drinks blood his or her powers are lessoned for a time. It is a brief window."
"Oh," Edana said, feeling foolish for not knowing that fact. "I've never read that."
"Many of the books available to the general public have such useful tidbits removed before publication. In this case, those vampires who abide by the law and feed only on livestock fear that if their post-feeding vulnerability were widely known then they would be attacked each time they exited their barns." Snape explained in a tone that told Edana how low his opinion of the intelligence of the general wizard population really was. "Still, there are ways to discover such thing."
"By reading between the lines?"
"That is one way."
Snape drilled her for another forty minutes before he pulled another thick book from his desk drawer and handed it to Edana. This one smelled of mildew and dust. Edana could not even read the title.
"Read up to chapter eleven before next week," Snape instructed.
"Thank you, sir."
"Miss Rosier?" Snape said.
"Yes?"
"Happy birthday."
Edana almost dropped the book in surprise. Snape was not known for keeping track of such personal details about his students. "Thank you, sir."
Snape's mouth curled into a small smile. "You are surprised I remembered."
Edana nodded. It was not smart to lie to Snape unless you were certain that your cover was unbreakable.
"I do remember the past, Miss Rosier." Snape said with a peculiar emphasis on her surname. "Which is one of the reasons why I am helping you. Now, go to bed, unless that is you plan to meet the Weasley boy."
Edana's jaw dropped open. "You know?" A second later she mentally kicked herself. If Snape was voicing a suspicion then she had just confirmed it for him.
"Take my advice Miss Rosier, continue keep your relationship a secret. Lucius Malfoy wants something from you and will be looking for whatever he can use to get it."
"I know." Edana told him.
Snape nodded his head. "I admit to feeling somewhat... protective of you. Not merely because you are a student and an orphan, but because her family was always kind to me. Kindness has been rare in my life. I trust this conversation will remain between us alone."
"It will," Edana assured him.
* * *
After completing the lengthy application scrolls and sending them off with a school owl in late October, Edana finally received an answer from the Wizarding Archeological Society just before Christmas. She sliced the thick envelope open with her butter knife even before untying it from the owl's leg.
"Edana?" Alex tried to nudge her in the side. She ignored him.
It was only after she had perused the contents that Alex was able to point out that she had yet to detach the message from the carrier.
"Sorry about that," Edana told the owl, her cheeks burning. She felt like an overeager kid just accepted into Hogwarts. She gave him some of her bacon as an apology before sending the indignant owl on his way.
The Wizarding Archeological Society had received her application and would consider her as a potential member pending the forwarding of her OWL and NEWT scores. It was not an acceptance, but it was a first step. For the rest of the day, Edana smiled constantly, feeling as though someone had attached springs onto the soles of her shoes.
The next day was a Hogsmeade weekend, the last before the end of term, and Edana met Charlie by the lake with a basket full of cakes and butterbeers she had purchased at the Three Broomsticks. For December the weather was unusually mild. They opened the bottles and sat out by the lake on a blanket, enjoying the simple pleasure of their company and surroundings.
Charlie sat up suddenly. "What was that?"
"What was what?" Edana asked, yawning. She did not notice anything unusual.
Charlie shook his head. "I thought I saw a light for a moment like a lumos spell near the tree line."
Edana glanced at the area her boyfriend was looking towards. It was near the Owlery. "Probably someone heading back to the school from owling their parents. It is getting rather dark."
"Probably," Charlie said. He did not sound as though he believed his own words.
* * *
In early June, Edana broke her wrist during practice the day before the final against Gryffindor. After healing her, Madam Pomfrey refused to allow Edana to participate in the upcoming match. No amount of pleading would sway the school nurse.
"You still have several healing potions in your bloodstream that could cause you black out during the match!" Pomfrey said firmly.
"But that match isn't until tomorrow!" Edana protested.
Pomfrey shot the Slytherin her most hawklike glare. "I am aware of that."
So it was that Edana was forced to concede defeat. She sat in the stands during a Slytherin match for the first time since she was made a Chaser in her second year. Though she would never tell her team, Edana was far more nervous about her upcoming OWLS than the outcome of the match. Quidditch came naturally to her, Defense Against the Dark Arts did not.
The new Slytherin seeker was good, at least against Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, but in Edana's estimation not skilled enough to beat Charlie without a mistake on Charlie's part or a strong dose of luck. Still, she held out hope for a Slytherin victory.
Madam Hootch released the balls. Edana had to strain to see what was occurring above her. In particular she focused on her replacement, Alicia Corri. The fourth year was good, but lacked practice. She was not certain as to when and to whom she should pass the Quaffle when it came into her possession.
Fifteen minutes into the match, and three Slytherin goals later, it was over. Charlie swooped down to snatch the snitch seconds before the Slytherin seekers fingers closed around it. Despite her boyfriend having won the match, Edana was not pleased. As a Slytherin she wanted her house to win the cup.
* * *
The first day of the OWLS was also when the Defense Against Dark Arts and Potions portions were given. Edana thought it very unfair to have her worst subject first. She was so nervous she felt as though she had swallowed a jar full of Cornish pixies. Around her, the other fifth year Slytherins were uncharacteristically subdued. They failed to give the Gryffindors do much as a sneer.
From his seat across the room, Charlie caught Edana's eye and gave her a reassuring smile. Edana had never before envied Charlie's laid back attitude as much as she did at that moment. He looked so unruffled and cool despite the imminent arrival of the Potions portion.
Despite all the drilling from Snape and the volumes of addition material she had poured over, Edana doubted her ability to do well. She thought she would pass, but not by much. The test had become more than a simple exam: it would determine her future and be a victory over her past. The Dark Lord had damaged her ability to curse, and a high score on the test would be a symbolic victory over him for her.
Professor McGonagall passed out the anti-cheating quills, even though the OWLS were essay based examinations. After lecturing them sternly and admonishing them to do well for the sake of Hogwarts reputation, she turned over a large hourglass on her desk. Black sand began to trickle down to the bottom.
"You may begin."
Edana opened her test booklet. There were nine mandatory portions - Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Magical History, Astronomy, Herbology, Magical Theory, and Basic Wizarding Law to the OWLS though students could request to take examinations in their elective subjects or special interests for a maximum of score of 14. A high score in a portion was rated as one OWL, an average score a partial and a failing score was not tallied at all. Edana had chosen to take an additional history and charms test as well as both of her electives for a maximum possible score of 13.
Each portion was divided into two portions - short answer and essay. Edana traced the first question with her finger as she read it carefully.
1. Describe at least two possible applications for a Patronus Charm.
She thought for a moment before scribbling down her answer
A Patronus Charm is the only known defense against a lethifold. It is also the only spell effective against the Dementors of Azkaban.
* * *
A week after the OWLs, Snape darkened the entrance to the Slytherin Common room. The pictures on the wall all stared at him, the first years cowering behind furniture and the older students smirking and settling back for the show. It was the duty of the heads of houses hand out the results of their students examinations.
Snape's face was blank as he called the fifth years up one by one and handed them the sealed parchment containing their results. Not one so much as bent the envelope - it was tradition to wait until everyone had received their results so the house could celebrate or commiserate as one.
After Braedan Zeno sat down, the fifth years stared at the parchments in their laps with trepidation. Edana felt as though she were about to cry. Kali was biting her lip, Malina was shaking. Of the girls only Dru appeared unruffled.
"Come on, time to bite the bullet." Sixth years called. Another unwritten house tradition called for older students to heckle the fifth years awaiting their OWL scores, with the sixth years being the most enthusiastic. Last year they had been the ones staring at their laps and growing whiter by the minute.
"No amount of wishing will alter the scores on your parchment," Snape said with a soft sneer. Edana thought she detected just a hint of sympathy in his voice. He was very young as professors went and the memory of his own OWL results must still be clear.
The fifth years remained still until Dru let out a nervous laugh and ripped open her letter. She scanned the parchment, her head tilted forward and her blond hair forming a curtain that concealed her reaction. A long moment later, Dru's head shot up and she let out a delighted shout. "I got ten!"
"A respectable score," Snape acknowledged with pride. Edana felt his eyes on her. She submitted to her own curiosity and tugged the envelope open and unfolded the contents until she could read the results.
A trembling finger traced down the neatly printed columns of scores until she reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts mark. She read it.
Then she read it again and shrieked. "Thirteen owls! I even aced the Dark Arts portion!"
* * *
Next Chapter: Edana comes of age and deals with Lucius Malfoy.
* * *
Chapter Fifteen Reviewers: , Faith, Googoo4you
Arun: The story will soon jump ahead to continue from the where the first chapter left Edana.
Faith: I'm quite proud of the picture tradition.
Googoo4you: The Binding was tricky and born out of a desire to a: give Edana a magical handicap, b: make her hate Voldemort, and c: show how obsessed the DE's were. Remember: two other kids DIED before Edana's mother brought her to Voldemort for the Binding.