Chapter 11 - Dark arts and chocolate frogs?
The vaults lay down a dark passageway off from the main hall. It took the two down deep into the underground part of Malfoy Manor. Vault number seven was one of nice doors lines along a dead end corridor. As they pushed their way heavy oak entrance Hermione and wandered inside Hermione was lost for words. It was a fully equipped magical laboratory. Glass tubes and other scientific oddities bubbled away on a large wooden table near the back of the room. A Pentagram was etched into the stone floor in sliver. Creepy items like dried monkey hands, bags of gris-gris and dead bats hung from beams that criss-crossed overhead. The whole place reeked of dark arts and illegal magic. The only light came from magical orbs that stood glowing in the corners of the room.
"Um. Draco. What exactly do you do in here?" Hermione asked, pulling at a bunch of lamb tails hung by the door.
"Father makes me study here." He said. He knew Hermione couldn't understand the true beauty and skill that is Dark Arts. But he couldn't help notice she was alive with inquisitive interest. All this magical science must appeal to her academic nature. With a nod of approval from Draco she hurried over to the table covered in potions and spell books and she started to fiddle about.
"Ohh Draco, Look at this. Did you mix this goblet of soft-elixir?" She asked excitedly, grabbing a silver goblet filled with a gloopy potion. Draco was impressed she could identify it by sight alone, the goblet wasn't labelled.
"Yes, it was one of the first potions I learned to make." He said, taking it from her. "Watch!" He dipped his fingers into the mixture and touched Hermione's eye. Her remaining bruise melted away. And as she reached up she felt it was fully cured.
"That's amazing! Our wands won't work around this string, but it looks like your potions do!"
"Yeah. People don't think of potions as proper magic. But it is!" He said, applying the potion to the remainder of the bruises he had as well. Hermione watched as the yellowing purple on his face faded and then vanished. "Potions have been my hobby since I was old enough to hold a cauldron."
"Like me and reading." Hermione piped up. Draco looked at her over the top of the goblet. Hermione blushed a little and laboured on "I mean, people don't think it's important to know the history of magic and spells. But it's so important, it helps you understand magic better." She muttered, feeling she had to explain. Draco put the goblet down and grinned at Hermione.
"Wanna see something cool?" He asked.
"Okay."
"Hang on." Draco turned to the many pots and phials and bottles and started mixing the contents. To the untrained eye (or a muggle) it would look slapdash and messy the way he sloshed and spilled and mixed the liquids. But Hermione saw it was a routine he knew so well he could do it blindfolded if he wished. "Here we go." He said, as he used a piquet to drop a tiny amount of reduced bat brains into the goblet he held. Hermione watched it closely, as it spluttered and spat and belched clouds. Then Bang! The goblet shook violently and suddenly a thousand leaping chocolate frogs bounded and jumped from the goblet. Hermione was amazed, these chocolate frogs had more than one good bounce in them, they where ricocheting off the walls, bounding over the worktop and scurrying about their feet in droves. Then one by one, like a train of dominos falling, they snuffed out in a little puffs of smoke, until in a moment they where all gone.
Hermione clapped her hands and looked excitedly at Draco "That was fantastic! I've never seen a spell like that before!"
Draco shrugged modestly and put his goblet down. "I made that one up. It often helps cheer me up." He laughed "If father ever found out I ever invented a potion like that he would go mental! Truth is, I have made up hundreds of stupid potions like that"
"I know one, if you want to see!" Hermione said. It was nowhere near as good as the chocolate frogs, but she was itching to have a go with Draco's potions set.
"Alright. Just don't blow us up." He said. Hermione gave him a look that said 'as if I would' and she busied herself with the potions. "Its nothing special" She said as she shook a glass tube with a stopper in it. Then she pulled the stopper out and said "Hold out your hand."
"Umm." Draco wasn't sure, he had no idea how good she was with this sort of thing. Reluctantly he held out his palm and Hermione dropped a tiny amount into it. Slowly a small purple flower grew from his hand and levitated an inch above. As it blossomed the petals swam with rainbow colours, like the sheen on an oil slick. Then the flower wilted and died. It all happened in a few moments, but Draco was impressed.
"I've seen that before." He said, holding the now dried flower. Hermione was even more surprised when he handed it over to her. "Keep it." He said.
"Thank you."
Draco felt very silly, and was surprised that he was blushing. "We should get on." He muttered. Hermione pocketed her flower and looked serious now.
Draco grabbed a stack of books and sat down to start reading. Hermione declined the offer to peruse the pages of a dark arts manual and instead sat on a wooden stool next to him and watched. Before long Draco's owl Mephistophiles swooped through an owl hole and alighted next to her master. Draco stroked her head and put his book down. "Hiya Mephy. I need your help."
"Your owl helps with your magic?" Hermione asked.
"Mephistophiles is my best friend, my familiar. Of course she helps out." He looked affectionately at Mephistophiles. She hooted at him and hopped over the tabletop.
"How odd. I knew owls where trained to deliver mail and stuff. But not to assist in magic. She must be so smart!"
"Well. There is something 'different' about Mephy." Draco said, shifting uncomfortably. "Well, I intended to try this out if we hadn't managed to remove the string by now. And you would find out anyway." He said. He then looked at Mephy, who hooted and hopped off the table and into the centre of the pentagram. Hermione looked doubtful, in fact, she felt she didn't even want to watch dark arts being performed, even though all forms of magic fascinated her. Draco looked at her scathingly "Relax, I don't need you. I've done this a thousand times."
Draco stepped over to a cabinet (of course with Hermione in tow) and using a key he took from his pocket he unlocked it. Inside where sealed pots and jars, all black, all with little labels with very neat handwriting on them. Draco took about five and locked the cabinet again before crossing back over to the pentagram.
"I'm not sure this is a good idea." Hermione wavered.
"I need help before I can try to get rid of the string, and what help would you be? Now be quite!" Draco stood just inside the magic symbol and it glowed slightly. "Whatever happens, don't come inside the magic circle. It's active now."
"You don't need to worry about that!" Hermione mumbled "You wouldn't get me in there even if you paid me!" She stood just on the outline, the string barley long enough to allow her to remain outside.
Draco looked at her darkly. Then he stood at the tip of the star, Mephistophiles stood in the middle, still making silly hooting sounds. Hermione watched as he chanted strange canto's from a dusty book, as he anointed Mephistophiles with various potions from his jars, often mixing them. Every now and again a rune would glow on the floor, as if from nowhere, then vanish. All the while Mephistophiles writhed and contorted in the centre, screeching to high hell. Hermione covered her mouth with her hand, appalled at this apparent cruelty. Often Draco would look over to check on Hermione. He wanted to make sure she didn't blunder into the circle, or get too frightened. Then suddenly the pentagram exploded in light, and Hermione was momentarily blinded. As she rubbed a her eyes her vision swam back into focus. And she gaped at the centre on the magical circle. Draco looked quite exhausted, but what was really odd was what Mephistophiles looked like...
**~** Ha ha! A cliff hanger! I've been busy today and written two chapters. I felt guilty because not much happened in chapter 10, but I had so many ideas as to how to describe the Malfoy's Manor that pretty soon I already had a chapter. Chapter 12 is one of those groovy all action ones. Uh oh, too much info! You're just gonna have to wait ^__^ **~**
The vaults lay down a dark passageway off from the main hall. It took the two down deep into the underground part of Malfoy Manor. Vault number seven was one of nice doors lines along a dead end corridor. As they pushed their way heavy oak entrance Hermione and wandered inside Hermione was lost for words. It was a fully equipped magical laboratory. Glass tubes and other scientific oddities bubbled away on a large wooden table near the back of the room. A Pentagram was etched into the stone floor in sliver. Creepy items like dried monkey hands, bags of gris-gris and dead bats hung from beams that criss-crossed overhead. The whole place reeked of dark arts and illegal magic. The only light came from magical orbs that stood glowing in the corners of the room.
"Um. Draco. What exactly do you do in here?" Hermione asked, pulling at a bunch of lamb tails hung by the door.
"Father makes me study here." He said. He knew Hermione couldn't understand the true beauty and skill that is Dark Arts. But he couldn't help notice she was alive with inquisitive interest. All this magical science must appeal to her academic nature. With a nod of approval from Draco she hurried over to the table covered in potions and spell books and she started to fiddle about.
"Ohh Draco, Look at this. Did you mix this goblet of soft-elixir?" She asked excitedly, grabbing a silver goblet filled with a gloopy potion. Draco was impressed she could identify it by sight alone, the goblet wasn't labelled.
"Yes, it was one of the first potions I learned to make." He said, taking it from her. "Watch!" He dipped his fingers into the mixture and touched Hermione's eye. Her remaining bruise melted away. And as she reached up she felt it was fully cured.
"That's amazing! Our wands won't work around this string, but it looks like your potions do!"
"Yeah. People don't think of potions as proper magic. But it is!" He said, applying the potion to the remainder of the bruises he had as well. Hermione watched as the yellowing purple on his face faded and then vanished. "Potions have been my hobby since I was old enough to hold a cauldron."
"Like me and reading." Hermione piped up. Draco looked at her over the top of the goblet. Hermione blushed a little and laboured on "I mean, people don't think it's important to know the history of magic and spells. But it's so important, it helps you understand magic better." She muttered, feeling she had to explain. Draco put the goblet down and grinned at Hermione.
"Wanna see something cool?" He asked.
"Okay."
"Hang on." Draco turned to the many pots and phials and bottles and started mixing the contents. To the untrained eye (or a muggle) it would look slapdash and messy the way he sloshed and spilled and mixed the liquids. But Hermione saw it was a routine he knew so well he could do it blindfolded if he wished. "Here we go." He said, as he used a piquet to drop a tiny amount of reduced bat brains into the goblet he held. Hermione watched it closely, as it spluttered and spat and belched clouds. Then Bang! The goblet shook violently and suddenly a thousand leaping chocolate frogs bounded and jumped from the goblet. Hermione was amazed, these chocolate frogs had more than one good bounce in them, they where ricocheting off the walls, bounding over the worktop and scurrying about their feet in droves. Then one by one, like a train of dominos falling, they snuffed out in a little puffs of smoke, until in a moment they where all gone.
Hermione clapped her hands and looked excitedly at Draco "That was fantastic! I've never seen a spell like that before!"
Draco shrugged modestly and put his goblet down. "I made that one up. It often helps cheer me up." He laughed "If father ever found out I ever invented a potion like that he would go mental! Truth is, I have made up hundreds of stupid potions like that"
"I know one, if you want to see!" Hermione said. It was nowhere near as good as the chocolate frogs, but she was itching to have a go with Draco's potions set.
"Alright. Just don't blow us up." He said. Hermione gave him a look that said 'as if I would' and she busied herself with the potions. "Its nothing special" She said as she shook a glass tube with a stopper in it. Then she pulled the stopper out and said "Hold out your hand."
"Umm." Draco wasn't sure, he had no idea how good she was with this sort of thing. Reluctantly he held out his palm and Hermione dropped a tiny amount into it. Slowly a small purple flower grew from his hand and levitated an inch above. As it blossomed the petals swam with rainbow colours, like the sheen on an oil slick. Then the flower wilted and died. It all happened in a few moments, but Draco was impressed.
"I've seen that before." He said, holding the now dried flower. Hermione was even more surprised when he handed it over to her. "Keep it." He said.
"Thank you."
Draco felt very silly, and was surprised that he was blushing. "We should get on." He muttered. Hermione pocketed her flower and looked serious now.
Draco grabbed a stack of books and sat down to start reading. Hermione declined the offer to peruse the pages of a dark arts manual and instead sat on a wooden stool next to him and watched. Before long Draco's owl Mephistophiles swooped through an owl hole and alighted next to her master. Draco stroked her head and put his book down. "Hiya Mephy. I need your help."
"Your owl helps with your magic?" Hermione asked.
"Mephistophiles is my best friend, my familiar. Of course she helps out." He looked affectionately at Mephistophiles. She hooted at him and hopped over the tabletop.
"How odd. I knew owls where trained to deliver mail and stuff. But not to assist in magic. She must be so smart!"
"Well. There is something 'different' about Mephy." Draco said, shifting uncomfortably. "Well, I intended to try this out if we hadn't managed to remove the string by now. And you would find out anyway." He said. He then looked at Mephy, who hooted and hopped off the table and into the centre of the pentagram. Hermione looked doubtful, in fact, she felt she didn't even want to watch dark arts being performed, even though all forms of magic fascinated her. Draco looked at her scathingly "Relax, I don't need you. I've done this a thousand times."
Draco stepped over to a cabinet (of course with Hermione in tow) and using a key he took from his pocket he unlocked it. Inside where sealed pots and jars, all black, all with little labels with very neat handwriting on them. Draco took about five and locked the cabinet again before crossing back over to the pentagram.
"I'm not sure this is a good idea." Hermione wavered.
"I need help before I can try to get rid of the string, and what help would you be? Now be quite!" Draco stood just inside the magic symbol and it glowed slightly. "Whatever happens, don't come inside the magic circle. It's active now."
"You don't need to worry about that!" Hermione mumbled "You wouldn't get me in there even if you paid me!" She stood just on the outline, the string barley long enough to allow her to remain outside.
Draco looked at her darkly. Then he stood at the tip of the star, Mephistophiles stood in the middle, still making silly hooting sounds. Hermione watched as he chanted strange canto's from a dusty book, as he anointed Mephistophiles with various potions from his jars, often mixing them. Every now and again a rune would glow on the floor, as if from nowhere, then vanish. All the while Mephistophiles writhed and contorted in the centre, screeching to high hell. Hermione covered her mouth with her hand, appalled at this apparent cruelty. Often Draco would look over to check on Hermione. He wanted to make sure she didn't blunder into the circle, or get too frightened. Then suddenly the pentagram exploded in light, and Hermione was momentarily blinded. As she rubbed a her eyes her vision swam back into focus. And she gaped at the centre on the magical circle. Draco looked quite exhausted, but what was really odd was what Mephistophiles looked like...
**~** Ha ha! A cliff hanger! I've been busy today and written two chapters. I felt guilty because not much happened in chapter 10, but I had so many ideas as to how to describe the Malfoy's Manor that pretty soon I already had a chapter. Chapter 12 is one of those groovy all action ones. Uh oh, too much info! You're just gonna have to wait ^__^ **~**