Chapter Fifteen: Rites and Wrongs
While Voldemort was thrashing away at the creatures of the forest, Reign was frantically searching for some key ingredients down in Snape's office. She wasn't exactly sure if she would find them, but she knew she must try. She was sure the noise from the woods would wake him, but when she went in to check he was still sound asleep. She eventually found what she was looking for--it seemed to take forever, but he did have the right ingredients. She threw everything into the pockets of her robes and ran back outside to the very edge of the school grounds. She pulled the various items from her clothing--a few leaves, some special oils, a flower--and placed them on the ground in a star-like position. Then she took the emerald that was strapped to her upper left arm and positioned it over her heart. She stood in the middle of the star and immediately the stone held in place. A brilliant green light emanated from her chest and shot toward the other elements lying on the ground. Those items, along with Reign herself, lifted high up off the ground. The items circled faster and faster around the elf until they were just a blur. Reign started chanting in her native tongue.
"Ashatä elnia ungío, sûndamu kuh ria, sòta nor tio piaçato." (Ancient Elf spirits, protect this land from the evil that threatens it.) She repeated it over and over again. Finally, the whirl of items and the emerald threw out such a wondrous ball of light that it lit up the entire night sky. The ball rose high above the castle, and then it spread downward, covering everything within the grounds with tiny green sparkles. Reign was then lowered to the ground. The ingredients were gone, but her jewel fell to her side as she gently hit the snow-laden ground in front of the entrance to the Forbidden Forest. The fighting could no longer be heard. She was not sure if the spell was blocking it out or it had just stopped. She was completely drained--her face was pale and her eyes drooped. Right before she lost consciousness, she saw Severus and Albus running down the hill toward her.
Reign woke up eight hours later in a hospital bed. Madam Pomfrey was soaking her head with a damp cloth with one hand and rubbing a foul-smelling oil over her upper chest with the other. Reign sat up so fast she nearly knocked the poor nurse onto her backside.
"Oh, Madam Pomfrey, I'm so sorry. Here, let me help you," Reign tried to get up, but the blood rush to her head held her back.
"That's quite all right, dear. How are you feeling?" The elf looked down to her bare skin that was soaked with Poppy's oil and sighed.
"I suppose I've been better. What is this substance?" she asked, dipping her finger in it--and very soon after regretting that she had.
"It's just for your wounds. It will also help with your breathing. Lie back down now, child." Reign pushed her hair behind her ears before she put her head back down, but instantly shot back up again--she was still an elf. Her eyes grew wide and she started shaking, but Poppy just smiled. "Relax, dear. The Headmaster told me all about you." Reign sighed. She had no desire to keep her secret any longer. A small cough was heard from behind the curtain. The man belonging to the cough stepped out and into Reign's view. A smile graced his face as he came to her and took her hand.
"Welcome back, child." The old man's eyes sparkled in the dark room. And yet there was a tinge of worry settled in the depths of them. The nurse helped her back onto her pillow. When she was safely tucked in, Madam Pomfrey headed toward the door. "You try and get some sleep now. I'll send some food up a little later."
When Poppy closed the door behind her, Reign's eyes began to wander. They settled upon a man sitting at the window. She nearly jumped out of her skin--it was not the first time she had done so that morning. Severus looked at her sympathetically; he wore his emotions in his eyes. He went to Reign and sat on the side of her bed. She propped herself up and kissed him; it had seemed like forever since they last kissed. Albus did not seem to mind; in fact, he seemed he had known the truth the whole time. It was only natural of him. Severus leaned back against the wall and Reign leaned against his chest. They didn't speak for a long time. Silence was greatly appreciated as Reign's head was still pounding. Albus fondled his robes a bit, examining a stray string on the hem. When he decided to pull it off, it took him a God-awful length of time—the string kept growing longer and longer, and the end of his robes were starting to unravel. You know how that goes. He was now grunting slightly as he wrapped the yarn around his nimble fingers, and when he finally ripped it from its mother, the look on his face was one of triumph. Reign smiled. Severus wasn't even paying attention. Albus straightened up and looked at Reign, sending her a message of a need for an explanation.
"How does the forest look?" she asked as she broke the silence. Snape's eyes narrowed, and he frowned slightly.
"Not good. There is quite a lot of damage out there. Several creatures are dead." Reign frowned.
"What happened?" Albus asked.
"Last night Voldemort took control of me. It was so strange. I knew what was happening, but I didn't have control over my body. He made me go up to my room and take out a vial from inside my closet. Then he dragged me down to where he was in the forest. I gave him the potion, but when he was deciding 'what to do with' me, a squirmy little guy ran into the clearing, waving his arms like a madman." Severus gave a low grumble. "He said that some of the animals of the forest knew they were there and were going to come and stop them. They did come—masses of them. He drank the potion and then told me to go drown myself. I got out of there as fast as I could as soon as his concentration was diverted from me," she said excitedly, trying to recount the events, "I came back down to your office, and took a few things. Then I went back outside to perform an ancient ritual for protection--it was truly amazing, Severus. It covered the entire school and the immediate grounds. Voldemort will never be allowed to penetrate it--no matter how strong he gets." She was sort of smiling to herself, but it faded when Severus asked,
"So you were conscious of your actions the whole time, yet you still gave him that potion that led to the death of those poor creatures?" Dumbledore lowered his head.
"It wasn't the original, remember? There were just a few drops of it that we blended into a placebo in case something like this ever happened. It should have worn off by now. I swear Severus, Albus, I had no control over what he did to me. There was no way I could stop him. I was thinking of everyone in this castle. The children for Kor's sake!" There was an awkward moment of silence after that outburst--there had not been one of those between them in a long time. Both sat with tight jaws and tense muscles. Reign watched as Severus thought long and hard about the events of the previous night. She could tell by the look in the Headmaster's eyes that he believed her. Once Severus glanced in his direction he came to the same conclusion. He looked at her and sighed. He pulled her into his arms and kissed the skin above her eyes.
"You did what you could then, I suppose." Reign scowled a bit. Albus laughed and thanked her for her protection spell. Then he kissed her forehead.
"I will leave you to rest. Severus, I do hope that you will give her that opportunity." He winked. His eyes looked just like her father's—as did his laugh lines, and his hands, and his quaint little nose. And he was the epitome of her father's personality. They so resembled each other that it could have been frightening if it wasn't so warming. Albus straightened up and glided serenely out the door.
Reign looked at the man she loved and smiled. They kissed again. The air was light but the bonds were strong. They pulled apart only when they heard the door to the room open again.
"Räénh?"
"Oh no," she whispered.