Chapter Ten

The Ring and the Curse

Severus stepped off the Portkey platform and gazed around thoughtfully, walking through an odd curtain of plastic beads to discover that he was in the back of a book shop. The air was filled with lavender incense and the front window filled with dangling crystals and curiously molded crystal skulls. Muggles both dressed in typical Muggle fashion and some dressed all in black with baubles pierced in nearly every imaginable place on the face mingled through the shop, not even giving him a second glance. That was when he noticed Auror Audacious Belle leaning on the counter in full witch regalia cackling at something the clerk had just told her. The clerk was wearing a strange robe out of shiny fake satin, and yet despite his odd appearance, Severus' keen eye picked up subtle signs as he spoke to Audi that he was also of wizard kind.

"Severus, there you are! Thank goodness, I was afraid you weren't able to follow my instructions on how to get here," Audi said, gesturing him to come over. "Nice glasses, you look cute." Severus bit back his first response and glared at her. "Ken May, this is the friend I was waiting for, Professor Snape from England."

"Ah?" he said with a smile and a glance that Severus most decidedly didn't like.

"He's married," she added quickly. Snape squinted at her, then looked back at the other man suspiciously.

"Welcome to America," Ken said, smiling hospitably at him. "It's very nice to meet you anyhow. I hope everything works out well, Audi."

"Thanks, Ken, I'll see you in a few days for my next pickup. You be a sweetie and try to stay out of trouble, will you?" Audi said, shaking a finger at him.

"All right, but don't expect any promises, Audi dear," he said before wandering away to help a customer. Severus was still watching him when Audi tugged on his sleeve.

"Come on, the evening's not getting any younger," Audi said, heading towards the door. Blinking in surprise, Severus pulled her back.

"You're not going out there dressed like that, are you?" Severus asked in a low but surprised tone.

"This is your first trip to California, isn't it?" Audi replied knowingly, walking out the door calmly with Severus close behind. "Watch this," she said, then walked onto the busy sidewalk. "Hey, guess what, everyone! I'm a witch!" Most of the Muggles walking past her ignored her, except for a young group of teens with strangely colored hair that turned around and grinned at her.

"You go, Grandma! Let us know when you get some of that love potion," one of them said in such a way that the girl with the spiked gloves beside him belted him in the arm.

"Actually, I lied," Audi said to another man as he passed by, stepping up next to him. "I'm actually from outer space, trying to stop the earth from destroying itself from war," she told him confidentially.

"Oh yeah? Me too!" the man said, shaking her hand. "Keep up the good work!"

"You too, laddie, and tell yer leader I said hi."

"Peace and Prosperity, bag lady!" he said reverently before continuing on.

Severus promptly took off his glasses.

"Welcome to San Francisco," Audi said. "Come on, we need to get to Vallid's place. That's where Anna is at the moment, and I can explain everything."

Lunette Vallid's apartment was a split-winged penthouse, and it had an elevator opening into identical entryways into penthouse "A" and "B". Audi had pushed the "B" side, and Severus suddenly found himself back in a world he recognized as they stepped out of the entry and into a witch's study. It was tastefully decorated and was obviously set up with business clientele in mind. Audi passed through it and up a small stair into a sizable living area, full of comfortable places to sit, books to read, and a patio leading out to a private garden on the roof.

"This is one of Vallid's working apartments. Side A is for Muggle clients, side B for us, and she's got an identical setup in New York. Anyhow, it's got all sorts of special protections on it, so we thought Anna'd be safer here. We don't want her falling through the floor or anything," Audi explained, knocking on the door next to the patio.

"Falling through the floor?" Severus asked with a frown. Just then, Anna walked through the door, causing Severus to take an alarmed step back as he looked at her transparent figure.

"Um. Boo?" Anna said.

"How…" Severus began, trying to maintain a calm, stoic expression, "exactly… did you manage to get yourself in such a predicament?"

"I woke up like this. I sat up feeling strange and ended up sitting up through the covers. And I think it's getting worse," she said, walking through them as she went towards the sitting room.

"People don't just fade away for no reason! Audi?" Severus snapped impatiently.

"Well, it all started a couple days ago when we got a ring in the Owl Post with no notes or anything. Anna had been staying here…Vallid had to go out of town and thought it'd be safer," Audi explained quickly… too quickly, Severus thought. "Anyhow, this ring shows up, my own owl Fluke brought it, but he didn't seem to know where it came from either, which was the odd thing. We didn't touch it, of course; I put it in an envelope for Vallid to look at when she got back. That's the last mail that we've gotten from the post, although Vallid says she's been trying to send owls our way. I had sent a few posts to you, Dumbledore, and Sirius about this, but it wasn't getting through. Who knows what's gotten into the post in this town. As for Anna, I think it's the Dwindling Curse that's on her, and that's why we were looking for you."

"Impossible, that spell has to be cast and dark spells don't work the same on her, we all know that," Severus snapped testily.

"Well, then, how exactly to you explain that?" Audi asked, pointing at Anna who was trying to amuse herself by looking in locked cabinets by sticking her head through the door.

"Titiana, would you stop that? We have no idea what's causing that spell. If it ends suddenly, you might end up with severed body parts, and I'd rather not have to clean that up," Severus scolded. Anna turned around and gave him a dirty look but didn't say anything, walking away from the cabinets, frustrated and bored. She wondered if this was what it was like to be a real ghost… if so, she began to suspect why so many of them were so gloomy. Of course, they all knew what got them in their position for the most part, but she was alive, or should be. Every now and then, she noticed herself getting a little more translucent, frowning at her image in the mirror as Audi recounted everything that she had done to try and correct it so far.

With gloves and a pair of tweezers, Severus inspected the ring with intense care. It was fairly small; a woman's ring, Severus mused, a deep blue ban of unknown material, engraved with nothing but a glamorized symbol of elemental water. Harmless looking, but looks were always deceiving, and Severus began muttering a series of spells to identify the curses surrounding it. Strangely enough, although it was glowing a black aura left from the Question Intent cantrip, he wasn't able to identify any other distinguishing properties. It was almost as if the ring hadn't been cursed at all. Had that been true, however, then why was the cantrip working? He put it back down on the table and brooded a moment.

"You don't know either, eh?" Audi said, watching him carefully. "You know, I don't think anyone's going to figure it out until someone puts it on. Maybe I ought to try it, and you can cover…"

"When we have no idea what it is going to do? I wouldn't know exactly what to cover for, and there'd be no guarantee that it wouldn't kill you or teleport you instantly," Severus said, putting it back in the envelope.

"So what? I'm up for taking a chance. Don't you think it'd be worth the risk to save your sister?"

"Audi, there's a difference between calculated risk and foolhardy risk, and I'd think an Auror would know that. There's no point in putting even more people in danger if we can help it."

"Danger is why I'm in this racket, son, I'm in it for the thrill of the hunt," the old witch grinned at him. "Very well, have it your way! But if we can't mess with the ring, what's the plan, Sherlock?"

"I assume Vallid asked me to come for a reason, and I believe I know why. There's a potion cure for the Diminishing Curse that needs human blood, and it's more likely to work if the donor is a relative of the victim. She could have told me the problem in the post, however. I certainly didn't bring along the supplies I need for that," Severus scowled.

"Just as well she didn't considering how many owl letters we seem to be losing. Fluke is coming back empty taloned, and I know they're not going where they're supposed to," Audi said, gazing at the window where her owl was roosting with obvious concern. "What do you need, Severus? I'll go try to track it down."

Severus glanced over at where Anna was, pacing slowly around the room and gazing at her fading feet, having nothing better to do. The potion he had to brew was going to take several days to make, and Severus knew that trying to have Audi track down the rare tome with the formula in it, not to mention the ingredients, would probably add another few days to that. At the rate Anna was fading, the potion would not be ready in time. Sighing softly, he paced as well, sticking his hands in his cloak. He turned around suddenly.

"I don't suppose you could find me a rose apple?"

"Are you kidding? This is San Francisco. Some folks grow them for looks, so if we're lucky, I can still get one down the street," Audi said cheerfully, studying his face. "Is this a new version of Fly fishing?" she asked with a cackle and then turned towards the elevator.

Jennifer was contemplating murdering a bat.

It was the middle of the blasted night, and Ratfly was insistently scratching on something no matter how many pillows she threw at him. Finally losing her patience, she got up, the lanterns brightening on their own as she glanced around to see where her annoying familiar was. He was perched on the edge of Severus' black chest, chewing at the lock insistently. Flailing him away, she glanced at it.

"Oh, now you've done it, you've scratched up the finish. You don't think he's going to notice that when he gets home? What are you doing inside, anyhow? Go fly around or something!" Jennifer scolded him. But the moment she stepped away, Ratfly was back on the chest again, gnawing at it. Jennifer looked at with him bewilderment, now wide-awake, pushing him away again so she could work the complicated locking mechanism on the chest. When she managed to open it, she immediately spotted what her bat was after. Grinning, she picked up the fruit and the letter that lay on top of the neatly packed chest that housed all of the items Severus stashed in his cloak. She read the note as she distractedly put the rose apple in the tray attached to Ratfly's perch. Throwing on a robe, she went to the lab to get the components that Severus needed.

The next day, she arranged to meet Minerva and Dumbledore at lunch to give them an update of what had happened the night before, reading them the note that Severus had included in the chest.

"'Please excuse my method of communication. It appears that the infernal owls of this accursed place seem to have their own agendas as to where and when post is delivered, and none of it appears to be linked to where it is that they are actually supposed to be going. Judge Vallid's concern was warranted; Titiana is now approaching the latter stages of the Diminishing Curse; how exactly this was achieved I've not yet discerned. No oddities other than the owls (and discounting the local Muggles whom I cannot even begin to describe in normal conversation) exist except for a ring of unknown origin and property which neither I nor Audi have been able to safely discern its purpose. I am told that it arrived the day before Titiana woke up in this condition, and although it appears only to be coincidental at this point, I cannot rule out the possibility that the two are linked. However, I believe it is too dangerous of an item to transport via cloak. Please send the enclosed list of ingredients and tomes in your Puzzlebox so that I might access them. The potion, as you know, will require several days to brew. Failing that, I have not as yet formulated a plan but will keep you updated.'

"That's it, except for personal stuff," Jennifer sighed, sitting down in the red high-back chair by Dumbledore's desk. "I don't get it. I thought Anna was immune to Dark spells, and yet here she's been hit for the second time in just a few months." She looked over expectantly at Dumbledore, who looked rather grave and thoughtful.

"Well, it appears that someone has found a way to circumvent that. Which means, without a doubt, that someone must know exactly what Anna is. And it more troubling, it is someone outside of our circle who knows, or perhaps even several people know. I had hoped that she would have learned to control her magic better before something like this occurred."

"But Dumbledore, who would want to hurt Anna? I mean, she's never hurt anyone shy from a few Dementors, and really, she's quite agreeable with just about everyone, even if she is a tad odd sometimes," Jennifer said. Dumbledore studied her carefully.

"First of all, Jennifer, it's important to remember that there's more to Anna than what we know of her from living in our world. She also has her Muggle life, and an occupation that might cause her to be exposed to dangers we do not realize. Not an easy task, I'm sure, to try to balance both, and we only see one half of the equation. Her Muggle life in many ways is just as perilous as this one. I'm quite certain from what Vallid has told me that she has acquired several enemies over the years, even before we consider those in our society who may see her powers as a threat."

"Well, it's not like she isn't more than a match for any Muggle," Jennifer said, "I mean, really, one on one, what chance would a Muggle have of taking any magicborn?" Dumbledore gazed at her so solemnly that Jennifer felt as if her words had the room, throwing it into one of perpetual silence. Dumbledore's thoughts were lost in a memory for a moment before he decided to let Jennifer learn that answer for herself.