TITLE: Blood and Potions - Section One: Of Snakes and Night Skies
ABBREVIATED TITLE: BaP:S1
Part: 4/? ("If it goes well...")
AUTHOR: Cardinal Syn/Jamie Carlson
RATING: PG-13 for Language and Adult Themes
SPOILERS: Misc. Harry Potter spoilers
DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter and all things HP belong to JK Rowling. Not me. The characters Lilium Beryl, Liam Crescent, and Nii Nah Maxwell belong to me.
NOTES: Dhampir is one of the many spellings for a creature that is half-vampire and half-human. Also, this is a "continuation" of my first Harry Potter Fanfiction, "Searching for Acceptance", (which wasn't very good in my eyes, but I'm trying harder here!) and contains the characters Liam and Nii Nah, introduced in S4A.
WARNINGS: Language and adult themes.
PAIRINGS: Hints at Ron/Hermione, Snape/OC (original character), and a one-sided Liam/Nii Nah later on
MAIN CHARACTERS (in order of most prominent in the story): OC (original character) and Severus Snape; Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco Malfoy, Liam and Nii Nah Maxwell; Albus Dumbledore and the other teachers at Hogwarts School of Witchraft and Wizardry
FANFICTION.NET SUMMARY: Albus Dumbledore has taken it upon himself to hire a Defense Against Vampires specialist, who accepts with great hesitation - as she is a dhampir herself.
EXTENDED SUMMARY: Albus Dumbledore has decided that it is time for Hogwarts to have a fulltime Defense Against Vampires teacher, and has chosen a renowned vampire specialist. But this vampire specialist is a bit hesitant to take the offer as she, herself, is a Dhampir; half-vampire, half human. When she decides to turn down the position, something interesting happens that changes her mind, and makes her decide to stay....

A/N: Apologies for any mistakes in relevance book-wise. I still need to finish reading what books are out, and it has been almost two years since I finished reading even the first book. Feel free to correct anything in a review, or email me at vampgirl0009@yahoo.com with notes about mistakes, whether it be name-spelling or whatever. (Kindly put "Your Harry Potter fanfiction" in the subject, and copy-paste the offending line, paragraph, or word and tell me what I did wrong. The same goes for reviews!) This story, I hope, is better than Searching for Acceptance was. I rushed S4A.

Story Last Updated: September 15, 2002

Story Notes (added September 15, 2002): I know that in the previous chapter, the explanation of Lupin's remaining at Hogwarts via Dumbeldore was kinda simple.. but to be honest.. I just liked him ^_^ Next to Severus, he's my favorite Hogwarts teacher and I couldn't bear to see him go!

r/r is appreciated. Flames will be used to burn Severus Snape hate-mail and roast tastey marshmallows (or as someone says, Marshanmellows.. hehehehe.. Klu Ya...)

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Blood and Potions - Section One: Of Snakes and Night Skies
PART FOUR -
"If it goes well..."
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Nii Nah Maxwell, fifteen-year-old nekohito (cat-person) and student of Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry, one of the most hyper people you will ever meet, raised her hand, nearly jumping out of her seat. It was the first day for Defense Against Vampires class, and she wanted to ask the instructor about one thing in specific.

"Yes, Miss Maxwell?" Madam Beryl said, pausing in the removal of her materials from her satchel. Nii Nah's ears perked up (along with the rest of her).

"Um, when do we get to learn about Lamiæ? Liam won't tell me anything about them since this class started up," Nii Nah chimed, sticking her tongue out at Liam, who was sitting three rows back and to Nii Nah's left, so it required a little twisting in her seat. Liam just ignored her, and Nii Nah wilted visibly.

"Not for a while yet, Miss Maxwell. Now, hush for a few moments until class starts."

"Yes, Ma'am," Nii Nah said dejectedly.

As Lilium finished setting up her large oak desk and moving to lean against the front of it so she was visible to the whole class, she observed her first set of students.

The classroom was full of fifty Fourth-Years. The class was sectioned by House to prevent squabbling between students - Hufflepuff to the left, closest to the door, had twelve students sitting in three rows of four. Ravenclaw, seated next to them, had twelve students as well, seated in similar fashion. Gryffindor was next with three rows of four, and one extra straggler sitting wherever he or she liked in the space bwteen the Gryffindor's three rows and the Slytherin students. Slytherin had three rows of four, plus one extra student as well, who sat anywhere they wished on the far-right end of the desks.

Currently, Nii Nah was sitting in the middle of the three bare rows next to Gryffindor House's seats, to Hermione Granger's left, and just behind and to the left of Ron Weasley. Lilium shook her head, not in the least surprised they had all managed to get the class together - even Liam Crescent and Draco Malfoy were in this class. She hoped Draco wouldn't start anything.

At that thought, her violet eyes flicked over to Malfoy, and lightened a shade in amusement. He was still trying to talk to Liam. This time, the Lamia was actually answering his questions, but in short sentences using as few words as possible. Lilium smiled to herself. She then glanced at the clock on the far wall and nodded.

"All right, class. Welcome to your first Defense Against Vampires lesson. I'm your instructor, Lilium Beryl, which you know." She ran a her hands over her ponytail and checked to make sure her bangs were still being held back by the pins she had used to keep them out of her eyes. "I'm going to lay out your lesson plan now.

"The first, foremost thing I'm going to go over is, naturally, vampires, as well as their half-breed offspring, Dhampir. I know the most about those two species of vampiric creatures, as I myself am a Dhampir, raised by vampiric parents," Lilium said. "I'm going to try to cram as much about the truth as well as myths about vampires into this year as possible. This includes all useful plants, all protective charms, and yes, ways to kill them." This got a few snickers from the Slytherin section, which she ignored.

"I hope to get into the herbs in two day's time, in time for your next class with me." Lilium shifted her position, bracing herself up with both hands on the desk and crossing her ankles. "I'll try to get a few of the herbs and things I need from Professor Snape, but I'm not promising anything - we may have to wait to get into that until after one of my 'trips' away from Hogwarts, as I will pick some up then."

Harry Potter raised his hand.

"Yes, Mister Potter?"

"What exactly will we be discussing today?" he asked. His face looked expectant, and Lilium smiled.

"That is a good question. Today I will be discussing the general trues and falses of vampiric lore, and we'll have a Q and A. If it goes well, we might end every class with a brief questions and answers section," Lilium replied. The students seemed to like that idea, and she sighed inwardly, relieved. ~So far so good,~ she thought.

Draco Malfoy raised his hand. ~Spoke too soon,~ Lilium thought. "Yes, Mister Malfoy."

"Isn't the best way to kill a vampire a stake through his - or her - heart?" he asked. He had that eerie Slytherin gleam in his eye, and Lilium really didn't like the way he emphasized "her". But at least she would have the great pleasure of correcting him.

"No, actually, Mister Malfoy. Depending on the species (we'll get into the species of vampires in a little while), Impaling a vampire only paralyzes it to the spot. They cannot move, as they are held to the ground - or even wall - with the stake," Lilium said. "And this, I think, it actually a good way to start today's lesson - thank you, Draco," she said. She actually meant it, as she hadn't had the slightest idea as to how to break into the subjects she needed to speak about. The blonde boy looked positively shocked that he had actually helped Lilium with his question.

"One of the many known myths about vampires is the staking through the heart. Which goes right along with the myth that vampires don't have souls - they do, but in most cases, they are corrupt. Vampirism is a case of being cursed so that your soul cannot leave the body after its death, thus causing the reanimation of the corpse." Lilium shoved herself away from her desk, and began to pace down the spacious walkway in front of the rows of students, gesturing as she spoke. "Due to the special circumstances of vampirism - the causes of which is as yet unknown, even to me - the vampire's body can be kept fresh by replenishing it with oxygen, attainable only from the blood of the living.

"Zombies are animated corpses that lack souls, feeding off of the impulses of the yet-undead brain which tell it to do the most primal of things, the basest of things it can still function well enough to do, which is eat." One reason why Lilium was a good teacher and a good speaker was in that she inadvertently threw out small amounts of Charisma and Charm as she spoke, in order to keep her audience's attention on her. It worked here. "Ghouls - and there is a difference, children, between ghouls and zombies, but we'll get into that in more detail either later this year or sometime next. Ghouls are much like vampires, but their bodies are still rotting - no amount of feeding on fresh blood will turn that around.

"They are still conscious, they still have souls trapped within them, but the power that vampires have to keep their bodies from rotting away is lacking. Even vampires are still trying to figure out why." Hermione Granger now raised a hand. "Yes, Hermione?"

"I believe what you meant by zombies and ghouls being different is how they are made. Does that have anything to do with the fact that zombies are revived corpses, and, if my sources are correct, ghouls are usually created by vampires?" Hermione asked, her brown eyes focused on Lilium's face. She looked happy when Lilium nodded.

"In most cases, that's correct - ghouls are produced when vampires fail at the more complex vampiric reproduction of blood-exchange," Lilium said, stopping in her pacing and folding her arms. "A ghoul is either someone who died prematurely in their change only to wake half-formed, or are sometimes deliberately made to be temporary lackeys for the vampire in question, as they are blood-bonded to their creators just as a complete fledgling would be."

"Fascinating!"

Class continued on this way. Finally, after teaching them which of the old lore were reliable in learning about real vampires, the Q&A began. Draco's question was up now.

"Is it true, what I heard, about your coming from a very violent home life?" Draco asked casually. Lilium smiled tightly.

"Yes. My step-father was very abusive. Most vampires don't like the half-breeds, and he was one of them." ~He hated me,~ she remembered. ~I still have many of the scars he left me - they'll never heal, not unless I embrace my vampiric side, which is what he wanted.~

Liam now raised her hand. Lilium nodded to her.

"I know you can walk in sunlight, Madam Beryl, but I was wondering - does it hurt?" Liam's head was tilted to the side, her green eyes puzzled. There was no malicious undertone - just open curiosity. "I understand that it wouldn't kill you, but I would think that it would at least hurt."

There was silence. The class watched Lilium expectantly. She blinked a few times, slowly, concentrating on her answer.

"Well.... I never really think about it anymore, I guess. But I suppose I feel it more than humans - or Lamiæ or nekohito," she added with a shadow of a smile, "And well.. yes. There is pain. I never really think about it - I suppose I have gotten used to it over the years. But there is a continuous dull ache, even when indoors - and in the summer, I have to try to stay to shadows and wear strong sun block or something of the sort, or my skin will burn rather quickly."

"Is there anything else that bothers you that doesn't bother others due to the vampiric half of your blood?"

"Plenty," Lilium said, with a short, bitter laugh. "Very powerful swings in my emotions and moods, stronger senses... It's great most of the time, but sometimes it can be difficult, being able to hear something that wasn't meant for you to hear. It's distracting, seeing colors and movement normal eyes can't see. If I listen hard enough, if everything else remains silent, I can even hear the heartbeats of those around me, which is disturbing to say the least."

She looked out of the window, and noticed now that she had avoided going near it. The rectangular-cut patch of sunlight was only inches from her feet, and she realized she could feel the sunlight's heat - uncomfortably warm - on her skin.

There was an uncomfortable silence, then the bell rang to signify ending of this class period. The students all began to load up their scrolls and quills, and shuffle out the door. Lilium watched them go, her expression withdrawn and thoughtful. Liam stopped on her way out.

"I'm sorry if I brought up anything uncomfortable for you to speak about," she said. Her green eyes glittered at Lilium with open concern. The instructor just smiled and shook her head.

"I'm fine. It seems rather odd, doesn't it, that asking me about sunlight would bother me more than Mister Malfoy's question about my family."

"You're probably used to thoughts of your family."

"True. Now run along, before Snape walks by or something. Don't make me deduct points from Slytherin," Lilium said, with a wink and a soft shove to get the girl going. Liam waved and walked out the door, where Draco was waiting to "walk her to her next class". Lilium arched an eyebrow.

~Gee, ain't that cute,~ she thought sarcastically. ~Gotta say I'm sorry for Liam.~