All disclaimers apply. Harry Potter belongs to all his distributors etcetera etcetera. Geez, I'm getting sick of writing the disclaimers… Am I allowed to stop writing it?
Note: This chapter is for elle. Jeez, I'm shocked that someone would actually take the time to write a review for each chapter consecutively in one read. For that, you have my thanks!
Awakening of a Royal
SilverDawn
Chapter 21: Three Angels"What the…" Lucifer scowled as he hastily placed a sound-shield in his mind. The scream still rang in his head, and even though it had dimmed somewhat, the fear was still eminent, causing the silvan-haired man to frown. In his mind, he spoke sternly, ::Silverdawn Serafina Langford Kadamon, where are you and Hermione?"
Silverdawn fell silent for a while, contemplating whether to show him to the underground suite, where the main problem lies. Within seconds, she thought better of it and mindspoke instead, ::You might wish to try for our Suite.:: Subsequently, the girl linked out as she shielded her mind once again, not wishing to explain further lest the Dueling Master explode.
Frowning at her tone, Lucifer's mood blackened further, his eyes turning a dark amethyst – a signal that left the UWIM students fearing what the prince might do next. However, before anyone else can look further into his expression, Lucifer shot the students a death glare that left all of them silent. Then, in a mindvoice that was literally flame-filled, he commanded, ::Leviathan, get your butt in here now.::
At the other end, the man rubbed his ringing ears as he apparated outside the door to the Dueling classroom, curious as to what had gotten his liege into such a state of fury. Inwardly, he wondered why it had to be him to be called forth. After all, he could not refuse the order – all fallen angels and devils were to appear in front of the heir at his beck and call, a rule that he (along with his six other companions) cursed much about. Rapping the door sharply, the man/angel composed himself as he entered, face schooled into a friendly smile that contradicted with his apprehension of what was to come.
Once he reached the front of the room, the white-haired man bowed respectfully, ankle-length hair falling over his shoulders as he stood up, murmuring respectfully, "Your highness."
"Take over from here." The Dueling Master ordered curtly. Subsequently, he turned back to the students, announcing, "Class, this is your temporary professor who will teach you on counter-defense magic." At the prince's statement, Leviathan turned towards the class, his demeanor friendly as ever, but his gaze did show some puzzlement. He arched an elegant white brow, ice-blue eyes silently inquiring his liege about the sudden arrangement – a question Lucifer chose not to answer. Instead, the prince walked over to the door, continuing, "Mr. Weasley, Miss Zambini, Court. With me."
The students called stood up and went to Lucifer's side, all of them too worried about that sudden scream and Lucifer's mood to remember properly greeting their friend. Ashteroth, however, saw the question in Leviathan's eyes, and supplied, ::Something happened to princess, pater.::
Hearing this, Leviathan nodded in understanding, ::Ah, that explains his temper. Good luck in dealing with his mood, child..::
::Thanks. I think we need it…::
With that, the two angels chose not to continue talking, and instead, went forth in their separate ways.
Turning over to the fidgety students, the fallen angel – the serpent of the sea – smiled gently.
"Now, let's review that simple disarming spell before going into the more complex counters…" Leviathan started kindly as he urged the students to move into pairs, practicing the simple charms like Expelliarmus and Petrificus Totallus. He was patient with them, and only when they were all capable (that included Neville) of remembering the simpler spells did he move onto the more difficult hexes.
Needless to say, it was probably the most relaxing Dueling class since term started.
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Kadamon Suite
The lot of them found themselves in the Portal room after being apparated by Lucifer, whose face seemed set into a permanent frown. With the elder prince leading the way, all of them made for the living room, but Nikolai, having felt a weird sensation in her head, halted them midway and headed towards the private chambers instead. Twisting through the labyrinth of corridors, she – along with the others who were following her – went into Draco's room, whereas Mikael, Tracy, Shadownight and Salazar entered just seconds after they crossed the threshold.
Glancing at the sleeping figure, the black-haired mage healer went over to the bed with Azrael and the others in tow, taking in Draco's prone form with shock, "Angelic slumber!"
Her words resulted in much puzzlement amongst the students, but the elders and angels knew better. Those who knew had a variety of reactions…
Azrael looked at the comatose boy in chagrin, Ashteroth stared at his friend in shock, the elders in stunned acceptance, Mikael in amusement, Tracy with a sense of foreboding, and Lucifer…
In fury.
Er… amendment, the second prince was close to wrecking hell by the time he roared, "Bloody hell, I'm going to kill him when he wakes up. Oh, forget it. I'm gonna kill him now."
The silvan-haired professor started to move towards the unconscious boy, a shard of black energy crystal in his hand poised to kill, but Tracy pulled him back, pleading, "Lucifer, cool down!"
"I agree brother. Both of them must have been willing." Azrael hurriedly intervened, thankful that Tracy was present. Not many can stop the heir to hell when he's pissed, and lady Tracy was one of the select few who can stop his brother when he was in full-rage mode.
"So what? Silverdawn's still young!" Lucifer snarled angrily though he did not pull from Tracy's grasp.
"She's seventeen already, past the age where father can restrict her. Furthermore, this is Draco whom we're talking about. He even has father's blessings." Mikael reminded his twin, hands crossed in front of his chest as he stared down at the unconscious boy, a smile gracing his face. He felt that the boy would make him most welcome to their family… his very presence seemed to calm Silverdawn's illness and that, along with his maturity level, would make him a good addition to the Kadamon family – facts that he knew Lucifer could not refute.
As expected, Lucifer lay defeated at his words and Tracy breathed a sigh of relief, removing some of the pressure she had previously held on his waist as she felt the energy shard dissolve into nothingness. Still loosely circling his waist, the strawberry-blond haired lady murmured, "Luce, you know that they'll be fine."
"I understand, but do all of you know how dangerous it might be? He'll die if he's not her life-bonded!" the Dueling Master argued, facing the solemn-faced dragonkin, DADA professor and his amused brothers in anger.
"Lucifer, believe in them for once. You know that your sister isn't that bad a chooser." Shadownight reasoned to the man who still looked rather pissed whilst Mikael rolled his eyes at his twin's stubbornness. Oblivious to the puzzlement of the students, the adults continued their debate on what to do next. Nikolai and Azrael however, chose not to care, and instead, tended over the comatose boy, checking for his vital stats for any sudden change.
Tristan, finally unable to contain his impatience, echoed the students' thoughts, "Excuse me, but what are all of you talking about?"
The others continued to ignore him until Ashteroth paled, realizing the severity of the matter, "I think I'm starting to understand…" Feeling very much perturbed, he glanced at his seemingly asleep friend, gulped, and continued, "He might die if he isn't the one."
Hearing this, blood drained from all of the students' faces, shocked that one of their friends might die. They still could not understand why this might happen, but before anyone could ask Ashteroth further, Salazar inquired in trepidation, "Where are Harry and Hermione?"
"Silver, Pearlsong and Lightbringer went to find them, at the U.S." Shadownight spoke quietly, causing several people to wonder where is the U.S.?
Knowing where he was referring to, it became Azrael and Nikolai's turns to go pale. The couple looked at one another, and gasped in unison, "Chronos have mercy! Don't tell me that the two of them…!?!"
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Meanwhile…
At the underground suite, Silverdawn, Pearlsong and Lightbringer landed immediately at the living room where the entire place sounded eerily quite. As one, they were about to head for the bedrooms when the Potions Master appeared, looking very worried, "I heard her scream. What happened?"
"You might not like the idea." Pearlsong replied grimly as all four of them headed towards Hermione's room, each contemplating the worst.
Once they were outside the room, all of them knew that something was wrong… the sense of someone's aura entering into hibernation was seldom felt, and when in occurrence, can possibly cause the person to die in just seconds. Entering the room, the quartet saw Hermione trembling badly, a coverlet barely covering her chest as she tried to wake the boy beside her. Tears were pooling in her eyes when she glanced up to meet Silverdawn's eyes, crying softly, "Silver, I couldn't wake him up!"
Lamenting about how 'great minds think alike', Silverdawn inwardly groaned, but gave Hermione a look of reassurance, hushing the crying girl, as she pulled Hermione into a comforting embrace. Meanwhile, Lightbringer and Pearlsong brought Severus over to the unconscious Harry Potter.
Covered in only a blanket, the boy was breathing evenly, his face one of peace. Nonetheless, no matter how hard Pearlsong shook him, Harry showed no signs of stirring.
"Angelic slumber…" Lightbringer murmured absently whilst Pearlsong nodded her head, changing her actions to check for the boy's pulse instead. Frowning, Severus glanced at Hermione, at the unconscious boy, then back to his daughter again – an action that caused the girl to shudder and cry even harder in Silverdawn's arms. He wasn't particularly fond of such types of problem, and there was only one act that could cause Angelic Slumber. Worse is that this particular deed wasn't something that he wished to dwell upon now, particularly with regard to his daughter. The very implication made him grimace, but thankfully, the three female's looks of admonishment, especially Pearlsong's disapproving stare brought him out of it quickly.
With a sigh, he motioned for Silverdawn to move away to allow him to take over her position.
At first, Hermione flinched when Severus gathered her into his arms, but the raven-haired man continued to stroke her hair, pulling his magic from him to her to calm her down, all the while crooning words of reassurance in an effort to console the distraught girl. When she finally calmed down, the man murmured absently, "Don't worry honey, he'll be fine."
The moment he said that, a choked sob sounded from Hermione, and the potions master wondered if he had said anything wrong. In a small tone, the raven-haired girl whispered, "I'm sorry, papa."
Unexpectedly, Severus felt a heavy weight lift from his heart at the murmured 'papa', and despite the current situation that they're stuck in, he felt much happier than he had ever been for quite some time. Hugging the young girl, he rumpled her hair affectionately, murmuring softly, "It'll be fine." He then frowned slightly at Hermione's bare back and magicked a robe over her body, thoughtfully applying a warming spell over her to keep her warm.
Some distance away, Silverdawn smiled back at her two guardians, all of whom were glad that father and daughter finally managed to attain a rough semblance of peace. Pointing to the naked Harry, the princess silently asked Pearlsong to help clothe the boy while Lightbringer indicated that she had to go back to the forests before apparating out of sight. The dragonkin, in turn, magicked a pair of pajamas over the boy's body whereas Silverdawn started aloud, "I think it best for us to go back to the Kadamon Suite."
And with an apologetic nod to everyone, she snapped her fingers once as all of them dissolved into nothingness.
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Once Harry was safely tucked next to the comatose Draco, everyone made their way towards the main living room, inclusive of Lawrence, Hideaki and Ginny, all three of them having rushed back after their previous class, only to be shocked by the unconscious Draco. As they settled comfortably amongst the pillows and couches, Silverdawn found her seat beside her twin and Hermione, silently reassuring the still-upset girl who was sitting beside her father. Surprisingly, Severus had adapted to the situation quite without much trouble, and was now trying to calm his daughter down as best as he could.
Perhaps, it has to do with his being through the entire thing before… Silverdawn thought wryly as she snuggled beside her twin, inwardly cringing at Lucifer's irate glare. The students too had been surprised by the closeness of father and child, but chose not to be bothered by it. Instead, they looked at Mikael expectantly, awaiting the explanation he promised, causing the crown prince to curse his brother Azrael's all-so-innocent suggestion of getting him to explain.
"Well," Mikael finally cleared his throat, "Angelic slumber, as the name suggests, refers to the sleep of angels." Someone, presumably Azrael, snickered at the spastic literal meaning. Mikael just shot him an exasperated glare, but continued, "However, it is the first sleep of to-be angels, a hibernation period where they change from humans to angels. It only happens to males and also, they only enter into this state after they ah …" the man paused, trying to find a more diplomatic way of saying it without embarrassing Hermione further whilst Silverdawn blushed a faint pink, "…bed a female angel who's never been touched."
"Never been touched?" Ginny asked in confusion, much to the amusement of the elders. Hideaki, who was sitting beside her, whispered into her ear, "It means a virgin."
"Oh!" The Gryffindor blushed at the implied meaning as the others laughed, an action that made Hermione wish that there was a hole for her to hide in, something that amused Azrael even more. At his snicker, Silverdawn nudged his twin at his ribs, causing the boy to wince while the laughter quickly subsided.
Then, Mikael continued, "The slumber period may vary from person to person, but only the female angel's lifebonded can make it through the hibernation period. Meaning, if Draco and Harry aren't Silver's and Hermione's lifebonded, they will die within a week."
This piece of news made them go all somber, but the prince added, "The dying part aside, I still believe that they'll survive. So, lighten up!"
Nonetheless, the prince's reassurances did not comfort the students, especially Hermione, who gripped Silverdawn's hand even tighter in fear for what might happen. Silverdawn however, looked pretty much at ease as she murmured in mindspeech, ::Don't worry Mya. I'm sure that they'll be fine. Trust my instincts on this one.::
::But I'm still scared.:: Hermione replied softly, her now-blue eyes filled with worry. Silverdawn wanted to show her some snatches of what she had previously seen, but Amber's sudden question interrupted all of their thoughts, "What do you mean by the 'from humans to angels' part?"
"If it was another angel who had taken the maidenhood of a female angel, all these wouldn't have happened. The intricacies of this case still aren't fully explored, but we know that it has something to do with the blood genetic. Angelic blood heals far more effectively than phoenix tears, but for one within the first division* and above, the blood, once it leaves the body of the angel, turns silver and can revive even the worst mortal wounds." Lucifer explained, turning to Tracy for help on the research part.
Tracy, noticing her fiancé's look, took over, "Anael and I deduced that Angelic slumber could be attributed to the sudden unlocking of the more complex blood forms within the body (there are several blood forms within an angel's body), and since humans or other races – even the elves – cannot withstand the purity of angelic blood, the blood mutates the original form of the man's blood instead, spreading into his systems to alter its former blood type until it matches the angel's blood forms, thus making him immortal, or in this case, angelic.
"This can take quite long – depending on the compatibility of man and angel. Throughout the process, we cannot do anything but to keep a constant check on his stats, lest anything bad happens."
"Why is it that only lifebonded people are able to survive?" Ron asked curiously, vaguely understanding the 'genetics' thingy.
"That's one of the parts that we still haven't figured out. All we know is that the link between the couple keeps the person alive during the hibernation period. Growing of wings isn't something easy." Shadownight spoke up quietly, head resting against his wife's shoulder. The mention of 'growing of wings' made Silverdawn wince as she remembered the last time her wings broke and re-healed. Noticing her sudden pallor, Azrael silently comforted her twin, hoping that she would not get upset at such a crucial moment.
After a moment of silence while everyone tried to digest the far too technical explanation, Blaise asked carefully, "What is the slumber like?"
Once again, everyone looked at Mikael keenly, hoping that he had an answer. However, the prince shrugged and gestured to Severus, replying offhandedly, "No one knows. The only person, or angel, who had ever survived this process of turning into an angel was uncle Severus."
This time, everyone's gaze turned to the potions master, who stayed impassive at the amount of incredulous stares gifted to him. However, when even Hermione turned to look at him, he started impatiently, "Is it so difficult to believe?"
"Of course! To think that the greasy git of the dungeons is an angel. Man, if I said this to anyone, they'd think that I'm mad!" Ron muttered to himself, but his voice was loud enough for everyone else to hear. Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother's statement whilst the others laughed helplessly at how the thought came about, and Lawrence mumbled in realization, "No wonder he's the only angel in the Snape line."
"Not the only one." Amber playfully reminded her boyfriend before whispering into his ear, "Our dear Mya is another."
"Still, no one has answered my question yet. What is the slumber like?" Blaise persisted, causing everyone to stop laughing and listen to what the potions master has to say about it.
Not liking the sudden attention, the black-haired man thought back to the experience and winced, replying shortly, "All I saw was darkness. There were tests, inhumane ones to test your endurance levels – those that are much worse than the Arys Quedantio training…" At this, the angels – Silverdawn, Azrael, Mikael, Lucifer, Nikolai and Ashteroth – cringed. Arys Quedantio's training styles were considered mercilessly inhumane, and only angels plus several other people had the stamina to withstand it. Nonetheless, those asleep were still humans, not angels, and such ordeals can kill…
"Only my link with Ath…" The potions master swallowed the lump of regret forming in his throat, then tried once more, "Only my link with Athena kept me from failing. She did not know about it, of course, but that unbreakable link kept me sane."
"No offense, but I've never heard of an academy called Arys Quedantio." Ginny tried changing the subject after Severus stopped talking, who apparently, still could not bring himself to continue. At her question, the potions master gave the girl a grateful look, explaining, "Arys Quedantio is the exclusive angelic academy situated in Briah, one of the planes in the Angelic System."
"Exclusively for angels?" Hideaki frowned at that term, but Azrael shook his head, "Nope, people of all races – mostly high elves – with ultra-high stamina and a streak of lunacy who can pass the entrance examinations are allowed to enter the academy."
"Lunacy?" Tristan echoed along with the other students, causing Ashteroth to laugh, "Uh huh, one would be mad to try for Arys Quedantio. Oh yes, it is the top academy in the entire universe, but the training there is mad, even for those taking the normal courses. Gods, we almost had no sleep for… eh, how many years?"
"Five, but in reality, we only took a Terran year to complete it." Silverdawn replied, "Come on, it wasn't that bad."
"Yeah right." Nikolai retorted dryly, "The time change after our graduation – courtesy of Azrael and Uriel – had me unfocused for weeks. And Empress, only you would think that two to nil hours of sleeping time wasn't bad enough."
"Two hours?" Lawrence gaped, totally dumbstruck, "That's even worse than UWIM's standards! How old were you guys then?"
"Silver and I were erm… eight? Nikolai and Ash were seven. Joshua and Sheena were about 1800-1900 years old." Azrael supplied off-handedly, recalling those good old days with nostalgia. Those were the time when they had nothing else but brutal training, hours of theoretical studies, fighting against their teachers and attempts at killing one another. No weird happenings in alternate time frames for him to deal with (Uriel had seen to it that his training was undisturbed), no burden of being a royal, no worries other that purely academical ones.
"You're right. Joshua did have a streak of madness in him…" Tristan commented wryly while Azrael's thoughts drifted from the original conversation. The other Court members agreed with Tristan's statement about Josh too, though Hideaki asked, "Sheena went too?"
"She's the heir to the high-elven race. Hers was a prerequiem that needed to be fulfilled." Silverdawn answered mildly, mindspeaking to the girl next to her, ::You'll have to enroll into Arys Quedantio too.::
::I know,:: Hermione replied unhappily, ::That's what I'm afraid of.::
::Aww… You'll like it there, trust me.::
::Somehow, I doubt that possibility…::
Silverdawn chuckled at this, but chose not to answer. Instead, she heard Azrael speak up, "Arys Quedantio and angelic slumber aside, I finally know why your mind got blocked since last night. Try to inform me ahead of time when you do that, Sherry. You nearly had me in a heart attack!"
Said princess, along with her elder brothers, rolled their eyes at this, "Riley, I've had many occasions of hearing you make out with a certain someone to remember shielding my mind when doing that." Her words made Nikolai blushed as the others realized whom she was referring to. Everyone, including the elders laughed, breaking the strained tension that had previously been present. Nonetheless, Severus' eyes remained unreadable even as he laughed, for all the time, his stare had been trained at the still-upset Hermione who had only managed a weak chuckle or two.
Not used to caring for a young child, he awkwardly placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder and mindspoke softly to the girl, ::You had better get some sleep.::
The currently black-haired girl did not look at her father's face, but shook her head 'no'. Without warning, two fingers tilted Hermione's face to meet his eyes, and the Gryffindor was slightly shocked by the concern evident in those onyx orbs.
::I insist.::
Not ready to challenge his words, the girl nodded her head, and was gently pulled up by Severus while he said quietly, "I'm sending her to bed."
Before anyone could actually react, he swept the girl away from the crowd, and disapparated out of sight, leaving a rather surprised group of people behind. Then, before they could react to it, Mikael reminded, "All of you still have classes. Better go now." Obedient as always, Blaise made way for the portal room first, the others following her lead in a resigned but reluctant manner. Out of the students, only Silverdawn and Azrael stayed back with the two elder dragonkin and the professors.
With the majority gone, Silverdawn knew that it was time for her interrogation. However, she never expected Mikael to open the discussion with, "You know ma cherie, it is not your style to jump into one's bed so suddenly." His blunt words made Azrael choke on his drink, and Salazar slapped a hand to his forehead at the prince's direct pronouncement. Lucifer, in turn, smirked at his twin, whilst Silverdawn's eyes darkened into an odd, silver-purple.
"I got drugged." The black-haired girl stated quietly to the shock of everyone present. Her tone had been calm, but all of them could feel the sharp anger present behind the mild expression.
"You got drugged?" Azrael echoed her words, more surprised than anything else. His twin shot him a withering look, muttering softly, "I was too careless. Someone must have spiked something I ate…"
"Weak aphrodisiac?" Salazar asked suddenly.
"I think so." Silverdawn replied, rubbing her temples tiredly. The weaker types of aphrodisiacs most commonly used – Siren's Snare and Love Lethe - were the only possible potions that students are able to make given that fact that other sorts of similar potions require far too much work and ingredients. Furthermore, only someone with a certain standard of potions-making skill can do it.
Most of the others present had the same notion, but Tracy frowned slightly at the idea.
"Silver getting drugged, food…" The strawberry-blond haired lady murmured to herself, brows contorting into a pretty 'vee' as she looked at the young princess, "Sera, there is a possibility that it wasn't aphrodisiac." This got everyone's attention, and Lucifer squeezed the lady's hand lightly, prodding her to continue.
"Well," Tracy started reluctantly, "It might be another type of potion, mixed into the food. Some of the ingredients of the potion might not have reacted well with the food, thereby changing it into a potent aphrodisiac." She trailed off at this, and, taking a deep breath, continued seriously, "There might be a possibility that someone wanted you to suffer some nasty side-effects. Or make you tell the truth. You do know that Veritaserum and several other potions are both tasteless and colorless. "
"Or poison Silver for that matter of fact." Lucifer realized in alarm. Shadownight looked visibly bristled, and it was Pearlsong's restraining hand that prevented him to snarl and yell for the angels to track down who it was that had drugged his beloved ward. Despite their apprehension, Silverdawn just waved it off, replying idly, "The fact still stands that I'm out of it alive. So the case's settled. There is no need to think of what could have happened when the deed is done."
"You know, child? Sometimes, this indolent attitude of yours will get you killed." Salazar remarked sarcastically, but said girl shrugged, "I'll die sooner or later. It's only a matter a time."
"There. I rest my case." The DADA professor concluded sardonically, "Now, the lot of you may carry on the discussion or start yelling at Silverdawn while I go back to teaching. In the meantime, ciao."
When the professor was about to disappear out of sight, Silverdawn hurriedly stood up, smoothing out the wrinkles of her robes as she spoke, "I'll be bringing Harry and Draco over to the hospital ward."
"For what?" Azrael asked, confused.
"Madame Pomfrey is a qualified medi-witch. I trust her enough to let her keep tabs on their health while I watch vigil. The facilities there are better than what we have here, remember?" Silverdawn reminded, "Plus, I'll be staying with him until he wakes up. Help me obtain some leave and inform father for me Mike?"
Mikael nodded resignedly, inwardly groaning at being the one to inform their father. Adam might be able to accept it, but that doesn't mean that it would be an easy thing to explain, given the further complexities that hadn't been resolved. Furthermore, it would mean more time taken away from his already-tight schedule.
So much for inviting Blaise to Assiah…Pearlsong smiled slightly at Mikael's thought. Disentangling her hands from Shadownight's, the dragonkin stood up, "In that case, I'll accompany Silver and the boys to Poppy. Oh, and Mike? I'll take care of Adam. You'll just come up with excuses for Hermione, Silverdawn and the boys' absence. I doubt that Hermione would want to go for classes too."
::Meanwhile, you think of some way to get Blaise to accept you.:: She added in private mindspeech, humor tingeing her words a pale green. As expected, her words did miracles to his mood. In an exuberant manner, the crown prince hugged Pearlsong tightly, thanking her profusely, "I could kiss you Pearlsong. Thank you!"
"Be careful of what you say. Shadownight might kill you for that." Lucifer remarked lightly as Shadownight shook his head in amusement at the prince's childish act of thanks. With that, the dragonkin and princess went out of the room, leaving the men and Tracy alone.
The group of them went silent for some time, taking to opportunity to grab some drinks or go through some stray thoughts.
"Going back through time?" Mikael finally asked his quiet brothers, both of whom were contemplating who it could be that had drugged their precious sister. Silverdawn had not been at any of the meals served that day, so all possibilities of getting drugged at meal times draws down to nil. Their friends couldn't have done anything funny, given their character. The Court might be notorious for pranking, but such sorts of pranks were below their standards. Given the odds, they would have tried drugging everyone instead of just a particular person.
Therefore, it only leaves the likelihood of…
"Slytherin." Tracy stated with a finality that brooded no questions. Shadownight and the Kadamon brothers nodded their heads. That was the only place that wasn't within their control. All five of them had the same notion of who it might be, and to put it lightly, the few students involved will have it bad.
Waving his seldom-used wand, Azrael concentrated on the piece of crystallized wood, eyes turning a dark Prussian blue. Slowly, the wand lengthened into an eight-foot staff made of ebony cored with angelic silver and the essence of time, a colorless crystal held on an intricately carved pair of claws. Gradually, the crystal pulsed a dark purple and the staff glowed with a brilliant mauve aura, bathing the room with a similar light until the surroundings dissolved.
Azrael held the staff close to him, the sigil of omega flaring on his forehead as all around them turned into an endless space. Shadownight, Tracy, Mikael and Lucifer stared at the never-ending space, mesmerized by the stars and galaxies that now unfolded in front of their eyes. All the while, Azrael closed his eyes, muttering under his breath as runes glowed on the staff.
"I never grow tired of seeing this." Shadownight murmured, fingering one of the milky globes – a ball of stardust that felt cold to his touch.
"I agree." Mikael mumbled, gazing at the bluish sphere that was Earth. However, before they could admire their environs further, their surroundings dissolved into a familiar setting – the Slytherin common room. There was only a small group of people in the room, standing by the bar counter, whispering amongst themselves.
"Hurry up. The others might come in any time soon." One of them whispered anxiously, pushing a pudgy boy to face her friend.
"Do you have it?" That girl asked in a snobbish manner, feet tapping the carpet impatiently.
"Here, Pansy." The boy offered up a black vial to Pansy who squealed in delight. Taking the vial cautiously, Pansy grinned at her friend viciously, "Now, I can have my revenge. What do you think about that, Mill?"
"A perfect torture, Pans." Millicent nodded as she went through their cache of alcohols. Frowning at the vast amounts of wines and strong spirits, she asked, "Which one is Draco's favorite, Goyle?"
Goyle, who was standing beside his friend, replied idiotically, "It's the iced wines. That's his private collection."
"His favorite is the white one, 1856." Crabbe helped in, much to Pansy's glee. With slightly trembling hands, Millicent took out the chosen wine, Iced Riesling 1856, whilst Pansy poured the powdered potion into the wine bottle, watching with satisfaction as the wine fizzed violently before settling down.
"Now, we'll just have to wait for him to let her drink it." Pansy smiled in a demented manner, causing Goyle to frown, "What if Draco drinks it too?"
"It's his problem." Millicent snorted, "He deserves it anyway. For betraying Pansy." Pansy nodded in agreement before addressing the boys, "Crabbe, help me thank your father for sending this potion over. And Goyle, thanks for the information." With that, both the girls went out of the room, followed by the two idiots, until no one was in sight.
All the while, not one of the room's occupants felt the presence of others…
Lucifer scowled as the image stopped. They have seen enough, and Azrael and stopped time altogether, gathering his mind as he brought them back to the present.
Comfortable settled in the couches, the silvan-haired guardian of time shrunk his staff back to its former wand size, allowing himself some rest as the light faded from the room. Once everything returned to normal, he spoke, "Silver must have drunk that wine. What was that potion?"
"Give me a minute." Mikael said, his eyes unfocusing slightly. In his outstretched palm, the same bottle of wine appeared, and he gave a pleased smile, "There." Magicking out a clear bowl, the man poured the content of the bottle into the bowl and everyone crowded over.
Cautiously, everyone dipped a finger into the bowl, sampling a little of the alcohol. The taste was still the same – the rich liquid with a heady fragrance that lingered in their mouths, but Tracy frowned.
Something was odd about the scent…
Drawing back from her previous knowledge, Tracy matched the lingering fragrance with the source, murmuring distractedly, "Lily petals. Used to nullify the odor of newt brain." Newt brain is used for many potions, the most rare being… The serene lady paled on realization of what it was for.
"Cruciatus!" Tracy gasped in horror, a pale hand clutching Lucifer's as she whispered, "That girl tried to use Cruciatus on Silverdawn!"
"Cruciatus? The bottled version?" Lucifer prodded gently, concerned with his fiancée's reaction. Tracy nodded weakly, and Shadownight growled.
"That stupid child tried to use Cruciatus on Silver?" The dragonkin snarled, evidently furious with what the four Slytherins had tried to do. Mikael was also visibly fuming, and Azrael tried to keep his emotions in check. It cannot do for all four of them to go livid – their temper might kill some innocent. Thinking back to how the Cruciatus potion was made, he spoke, partly to himself, "The potent ingredients of the Cruciatus potion are mandrake roots and dragon's gall. Mandrake roots lose their potency on contact with alcohol… so the dragon's gall acts on the lily petals instead to form a potent aphrodisiac." Snapping his fingers, Azrael whistled in an attempt to break the tension, "No wonder!"
"Thank Isis that the children did not know about it…" Tracy mumbled, "If not, the situation might go rather drastic."
"As if it wasn't extreme enough." Lucifer retorted, raking a hand over his unbound hair. Tracy sighed at his words, but understood the protectiveness he held for his siblings, with Silver in particular. In a soothing tone, she reminded, "Draco's a wonderful boy, Luce. Surely you know that?"
"I do," The silvan-haired man sulked, "I'm just not willing to give up Silver so soon."
Mikael snickered at this, all the while ignoring his twin's pointed glare as his snickers became a bout of all-out laughter. Thankfully, before Lucifer could start pounding his twin, Shadownight started in a serious tone, "Those four Slytherins will have to be dealt with."
"I have the strong urge to expel them, then kill them once they're out of the castle." Lucifer snapped nastily, causing his fiancée to shake her head. Looking at Mikael in a pleading manner, Tracy silently urged the elder Kadamon to say something. Mikael noticed this, of course, and reasoned, "They'll get punished for sure, uncle Severus will hear of this. Meanwhile, why don't you send letters over to those four Slytherins' parents? Even if no one is allowed to know that Silverdawn is our sister, you can still say that she's related to muggle royalty. Not even Death Eaters don't dare to touch muggle royalty for their close relation with the magical world."
"I agree with brother. Howlers might be enough, given the fact that all UWIM students are your wards while in Hogwarts. Meanwhile, the pressing problem is whether the two boys will wake up." Azrael added, much to the relief of Tracy who knew that Lucifer would listen to his brothers' words. As expected, Lucifer did listen and calmed down quite a bit.
"Harry and Draco will wake up. It has already been preordained." Shadownight said quietly, remembering the time when he had read it in that book.
"Preordained? Where?" Mikael asked, shocked.
"The book of revelations held in Raziel's care." Came the answer, and though short, it brought vast amounts of relief to everyone present. The book of revelations had been present since time began, and everything that was to happen had already been written down there. Therefore, if what Shadownight had said were true, then the two boys would definitely wake up.
"Now, that's a relief." Azrael mumbled.
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For the next three days, Hermione and Silverdawn remained absent from school, the excuses varying from one another. Hermione had so-called 'given the reason' that she wanted to be with her parents – no one knew that they've already died, only that they were administered with the kiss, and Silverdawn was supposedly due in UWIM for some matters. As for Harry and Draco, both of them were announced to be down with a heavy bout of flu, reasons that seemed partially reasonable, given the number of students admitted into the hospital wing for flu and colds.
Madame Pomfrey had been briefed of the two boys' conditions on the first day of their admittance, and amidst the shock and surprise, had helped Silverdawn and Pearlsong settle Harry and Draco in the beds within one of the private wards. These wards were unknown to the general population of students, being heavily guarded by spells and charms to ward both disease and people, effectively isolating them while they recuperate. Not surprising, these quarters had previously been used to treat the most ill of the ill before the founding of Hogwarts, a place where the most advanced medical equipment resided – sponsored by the Kadamons ever-so-frequently. Now, it was used for treatment of Dumbledore's spies within Voldemort's ranks and Aurors badly wounded in combat.
All in all, Harry and Draco could very likely be the youngest patients within the wards.
In these three days, Hermione and Silverdawn continued to keep vigil for their beloved, never leaving the ward for long for fear that anything might happen while they were not there. Apparently, despite frequent reassurances by the elders, both of them still worry about the boys' slumber, especially after Severus' revelation of the trials held during the sleep.
On this day, Silverdawn and Hermione were sitting side-by-side in the space between the two beds, watching the seemingly peaceful sleep that Draco and Harry were in. Putting down the book she had been reading, the silvan-haired princess urged her cousin exasperatedly, "Hermione, you have to eat something, or at least get some sleep. You haven't slept for the last two days or so!"
Hermione looked up from her own tome, her sapphire eyes tired while she retorted, "You haven't been sleeping since they were sent here. At least I've got more sleep than you do." She was tired, but she stubbornly shoved the urge to sleep into the back of her mind. Pale rings were starting to show under her eyes, indicating how the vigil was starting to show its toll, and despite her resolutions, she had started to doze early this morning.
Noticing her fatigue, Silverdawn silently weaved an energy-boosting charm on Hermione, commenting lightly, "I'm used to having virtually no sleep at all. It's considered a luxury I can do without."
"I'm starting to understand." Hermione responded absently, raking a hand over her long, wavy, black hair.
"Pardon?" Silverdawn asked sharply, suddenly hanging onto her cousin's words.
"The dreams," the raven-haired girl replied hesitantly, "they are coming to me more often than before."
At this, Silverdawn looked worried. It took some time to get used to the sudden onslaught of dreams that plagued her sleep, and of all the time in the world for it to start, it just had to commence t this imperative period of time. Weighing the odds, the princess started, "Mya, there are times when you can try taking a sleeping potion to curb these dreams. It is one modified for our use, and isn't addictive."
Retrieving something from her pockets, Silverdawn then took out a palm-sized vial of liquid, "Here, one drop is enough for one dose. Just add it to the plain water and drink. It'll help."
With grateful thanks, Hermione pocketed the vial, and Silverdawn continued nonchalantly, "You know, I've heard that uncle Severus had been rather withdrawn for the last three days…" She eyed the black-haired girl steadily, pleased to observe that Hermione became attentive immediately. A normal student would have seen Hermione being rather aloof about the sudden change of conversation topic, but Silverdawn could still feel a sudden pulsation of her aura, an indication that the topic held her interest very much.
Silverdawn knew, oh yes, she did… Severus Snape had not come by to visit the boys since they had been admitted, and it had something to do with a certain black-haired girl present. Casually, she continued, "Godfather is almost never seen in meals since three days ago… And whenever anyone of the Court saw him, he seemed preoccupied. He has been rather lenient to your friends this past three days too. I heard that the Slytherins had gotten points deducted, and the Gryffindors only fifteen points had been lost in his classes since then."
The Gryffindors sixth-years getting only fifteen points deducted for two classes is considered a miracle by Snape terms, but… Slytherins getting points deducted? Something must be really wrong with Professor Snape… no… Hermione silently amended, father.
She had been rather insecure since that afternoon when her father had sent her back to sleep. Severus Snape had watched on while she tried to doze off, but when she eventually whispered timidly that she could not sleep, her father, had went over to her bedside and… out of all possibilities, sang her to sleep. Unbelievable as it was, the potions master indeed had a wonderful voice, a soulful one that had crooned a familiar lullaby, which sent her into a peaceful slumber.
She hadn't seen the professor since, and more often than not, Hermione wondered if he had indeed forgotten her existence. Therefore, to hear that he too had been pensive for the past three days brought about some comfort. He might not have forgotten about her after all. While lost in thought, Silverdawn smiled, content that she had managed to make Hermione think about something else other than Harry. Then, sensing the approaching arrival of a certain someone, her smile widened as she counted silently, three… two… one.
At the count of one, the door slowly opened, revealing a slightly uneasy potions master.
To keep himself from being recognized by the students, Severus had taken down the Glamourie he placed on himself and donned on muggle clothes – a black, muscle hugging t-shirt and black leather pants – making himself look more like Salazar than he would have liked… Salazar was known for his penchant of leather. If anyone had noticed him, they would have thought that it was a stranger coming by to visit one of the professors.
Entering into the room, Severus Snape placed two trays on the bedside counters, speaking quietly to the two girls, "I heard that both of you are virtually not eating anything since yesterday." He passed a bowl of broth towards each girl, continuing, "Eat this. It shouldn't make you that queasy." Silverdawn accepted the porridge without hesitation, but Hermione accepted quietly, uncertain as to whether or not she should eat it.
Noticing her hesitance, Severus frowned, taking in her frail form with concern. Although she had grown several inches during her birthday, she still looked far too slender for his comfort. Even Selenay wasn't this thin at sixteen. Mentally reminding himself to make her eat regularly after everything is over, the black-haired man took the untouched bowl from Hermione's hand, spooning some broth. Blowing it carefully, he ordered at once, "Open your mouth."
Before Hermione could try to ask him why he was doing this, she immediately felt the warm food slide into her mouth – Severus had taken the chance while she tried to talk to spoon the broth into her mouth, much to the shock of the young girl. By the side, Silverdawn smiled slightly and made way for the door, silently creeping out to allow father and daughter some quality time together.
The potions master, oblivious to Silverdawn's disappearance, continued his administrations until Hermione managed to finish the entire bowl, much to the embarrassment of the black-haired girl. Not surprising, it wasn't everyday that your father hand feeds you, especially when you're already sixteen. Taking the proffered pumpkin juice, Hermione took several sips, knowing full well that her father was still looking at her.
When she had finished her drink, Severus finally started awkwardly, "I've… ah, come to apologize about my behavior three days ago." His statement startled Hermione very much, but she recovered quick enough to apologize too, "I'm sorry that I slapped you."
Unexpectedly, her apology incited a bark of a laugh from the man.
"I think I deserved that." Severus said ruefully, shaking his head. Then, taking on a serious tone, he started, "Hermione, I'm not used to having a child around myself, much less fathering one." Making certain that Hermione was looking at him, he continued, "I'm worried that I will make a rotten parent. Nevertheless, I still hope that you'll be willing to accept me. As your father, I mean."
Sapphire met onyx black as Hermione looked at the potions master's eyes in disbelief. Not being able to look continuously into those eyes that were so similar to Athena's, Severus Snape broke eye contact first, adding hurriedly, "Of course, you do not have to answer me so soon. I just wished to invite you over to my home for the Christmas holidays. If not, you could go over to the Kadamons for the holidays. I'm sure Adam would be more than happy to be there."
It was almost unheard of… to witness the almighty potions master in such a state of discomfort. However, instead of delighting in his unease, Hermione found his actions endearing. To think that her proud, aristocratic father was willing to humble himself in front of her made what hurt she'd felt in the past three days disappear.
"Could I bring some friends along to your home, father?" The black-haired girl asked timidly, not looking at the man before her. Her softly spoken 'father' made Severus' heart soar, and with a smile, he replied, "Of course child. Even Harry."
The mention of Harry's name brought about a wave of melancholy over Hermione, causing Severus to inwardly berate himself for his thoughtlessness. In a soothing tone, he continued, "He'll wake up soon. Don't worry."
"But I'm still scared. What isn't he awake yet?" Hermione persisted, eyes starting to tear. Pained, the potions master pulled Hermione into a hug, ruffling her hair as he spoke once more, "He'll be fine. Trust me." With that, he placed a fatherly kiss on her forehead, hearing someone gag behind them…
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Closing the door behind her, Silverdawn went out of the private wards and into the corridors leading towards the main hospital ward. She was relieved that her godfather had finally decided to settle everything once and for all, and see Hermione. The girl hadn't been looking very well ever since Harry entered the comatose state, and even her pleading for her to go sleep or get some food had been placed upon deaf ears.
Hopefully, uncle Severus will be able to get her to finish some food.
Turning around a corner, Silverdawn, still immersed in her thoughts, felt a solid thing hit her. Slightly confused, she looked at the 'thing' she hit…
And squealed in delight.
"Moony! Padfoot!" She gasped, hugging the sandy-haired man she had hit momentarily before turning to envelope a very confused Sirius in an equally enthusiastic hug. Remus returned her enthusiastic greeting with a friendly smile. It had been a long time since he'd seen the girl, but Sirius remained somewhat flummoxed. Then, closely regarding the familiar silvan-haired girl, the convict-on-the-run gaped, "Israfil? How did you become so young?"
At his words, Silverdawn burst into peals of laughter while Remus chuckled slightly, leaving a vexed Sirius Black behind. Impatient, he asked, "What?"
"Sirius, she's Silverdawn." Lupin explained in an amusement-tinged voice, "Israfil and Adam's daughter."
"Oh." The black-haired man's eyes widened at the answer. It had been a while since he'd seen the child. The last time had been at her first birthday, and that was really a long time back. Hugging the young girl, Sirius asked curiously, "How're your parents?"
Silverdawn's eyes dimmed a little when asked of this question, and Remus rolled his eyes, nudging his friend in the ribs while the girl replied politely, "Father's fine. Mom died when I was four."
"Oh." Sirius echoed softly, unable to digest such a fact. Privately, he was shocked that his senior had died so early… Many had considered Israfil immortal, even the elves revered her during her years in both Hogwarts and UWIM, both for her character and her status. Truth be told, no one would have known that the queen of angels would die at so young an age. Therefore, the reality of Israfil's death still had not sunk in yet. Sirius, like everyone else, never knew that an angel could die too, and this, along with thirteen years in Azkaban, did such kinds of things to people.
Noticing her sudden pallor, Remus hurriedly addressed Silverdawn, "Silver, why are you here?"
"There had been a student exchange this year." The girl replied softly, hiding her sadness quickly behind her usual mischievous manner, "I came as a Langford."
"Just like our previous years in school." Sirius mused, "Adam came as a Kadamon, but Athena came as a Zenvista."
"We usually do this. To divert attention." Silverdawn replied matter-of-factly, though her twinkling eyes betrayed the amusement she held on this subject. Sirius, playful as ever, detected her mischief and asked, "You're in Slytherin then?"
"How do you know?" The silvan-haired girl asked immediately, surprised that someone could discern her house immediately. Sirius just grinned, reminding her, "Athena was also in Slytherin. Furthermore, there's this trait of Kadamon ladies entering that house…" His face turned darkened a little as he continued, "and falling in love with the worst of Slytherins."
"Padfoot. You know that Severus isn't that bad." Remus rebuked his friend, turning to Silverdawn apologetically, "Sorry about that. He's a little prejudiced towards the Slytherins."
"I do not!" Sirius protested loudly.
"Of course he does not." Silverdawn helped in, causing Sirius to give her a smile, but what she added left him in chagrin, "He's just jealous of uncle Severus."
"It's obvious, isn't it? He had such a big crush on Athena those days." Remus helped in, adding fuel into the fire. The princess laughed at this, gaining a conspiratorial wink from the grinning werewolf. Knowing that he'd lost to the duo, Sirius admitted ruefully, "Oh I'm jealous of Sev all right. He had all of Tina's love… It's just so unfair!" His last statement bordered on a whine, and the two present dissolved into bouts of helpless laughter.
"Okay. The joke's on me, but it's over. May I now ask – what happened on the 17th and 19th?" The ex-convict asked seriously. Remus too, went somber at the question his friend posed.
They had previously been in Diagon Alley on the 19th, and even there, the earthquake had hit, with a force that had broken many of the shields placed in that region. Knockturn Alley, too, had suffered from the tremor, and given the amount of shields Dark Wizards put around that particular Alley, this occurrence had came as quite a surprise to many. To put it lightly, the results of the quake had been pretty drastic. Diagon Alley closed for two days while ministry officials came by to clear up the debris.
Thankfully, it was scheduled to be back to normal activity by today.
Remembering the earthquake that had occurred, Silverdawn's eyes darkened inexplicably, "A person's energy had gone amok…" Her words were vague, and Remus, sharp as ever, asked, "He must be very powerful then… to have interrupted nature's works."
"It's not surprising, given her black-robed status…" The silvan-haired girl muttered under her breath. Inwardly, she had already been relieved that it had not disrupted the nodes scattered about the entire European continent, which would in turn incite a series of natural disasters all over the place.
"A seer?" Sirius frowned. A black-robed seer is almost considered a living legend given their numbers, they were very powerful magi, their status outranks all other statuses within the magical world, even the circle of elemental seers, and elemental seers are the most often referred to as the most powerful magi in the world.
A black-robed seer's magick going amok can have very disastrous effects, thus, both men were worried. Noticing their apprehension, Silverdawn offered, "How about I bring you to see her?"
Remus and Sirius both stiffened at the invitation, fearing what might happen should the seer's powers go haywire once more. The princess smiled at their trepidation, reassuring them whilst walking back towards the private ward, "Don't worry. She had been training ever since then."
Noticeably at ease after her words, the men trailed after Silverdawn, feeling a slight tingle as they entered the charmed door. Not knowing what to expect, they saw two beds, and heard a melodious baritone sounding, "he'll be fine. Trust me."
Turning towards the black-haired man who was kissing the forehead of a slender girl, Sirius realized who it was…
And gagged.
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Turning back, Severus scowled at the people standing by the door, or, in particular, at a certain similarly black-haired man who was still gagging. Disentangling himself from his daughter, the potions master glared at his schooldays archenemy, and then at the somewhat amused Remus before reverting his gaze back at his smiling goddaughter, "I'd understand if Lupin came Silver, but why did you even bother to bring that mutt along?"
Severus was still eyeing Sirius in disgust, and Silverdawn had to grin at his strong dislike for Harry's godfather. Apparently, his famed 'hatred' for Sirius Black never ceased even after they graduated from school. Opening her mouth, she tried to answer, but the convict-on-the-run interrupted mildly, "I was just concerned over someone. Who'd know that you'd be here, administering your 'tender loving care' to some student?"
Here, Sirius eyed the girl who still had her head down intently; curious as to how such a young girl could melt the cold man's heart enough for him to show a little affection. By Merlin's staff, they – Lily, James, Remus and himself – had never been able to make him smile, or even resume his original character, not to mention, face ever since Athena's disappearance. Severus had just broke away from their group, sinking deeper into a façade where no one could breach. That period of time had scared everyone who had known him well. He neither talked nor smiled… showed no emotion at all, no laughter, no anger, just continually searched for Athena's whereabouts like a crazed man.
Previously, Sirius and he had acted as loggerheads for fun, then, to cover up for one another's identity – Severus, as one of the most trusted Death Eaters of Voldemort, and Sirius, as the most popular Auror alive, alongside James Potter. But when Severus Snape started acting like a person given the Kiss, Sirius finally snapped and started insulting Severus with all he had. As expected, the potions master snapped back, and the duo started becoming real enemies instead of fake ones, insulting one another when they meet. All the while, Remus and James had constantly berated Sirius for not giving the poor man a break, but still, he never relented, for in his heart, the Auror knew that his way of treatment had proven well…
Severus no longer acted like a demented phantom.
To have anger would mean that he was still sane, and the negative remarks he brought up made Severus counter back. Such verbal (and occasionally arms) spar made him temporarily forget about Athena and his pain to resume his normal life, and that, by itself, was enough… even if it meant the breaking of a long friendship.
He did not want a soulless friend; he would rather have an astute enemy who managed to retain his sanity.
Secretly smiling at his former friend's words, Sirius leant against the doorway, continuing sarcastically, "Had I known that you're here. I can guarantee you Snape, I would have never came in." With that, the Azkaban escapee pulled Silverdawn into his arms, planting a huge kiss on the girl's forehead in an exaggerated action of what Severus had done, "He'll be fine honey. Trust me."
Then, he shuddered, rubbing his arms for effect as the potions master fixed him with an evil glare. The witness – Lupin – just rolled his eyes, inwardly lamenting why Sirius positively lived on taunting the potions master. Silverdawn just snickered slightly, though she stopped rather quickly on remembering that Hermione was getting embarrassed with Sirius' acts.
Fortunately for them, Severus calmed down fast enough to make a swift retort, "At least I'm still capable of such emotions, no doubt a certain idiot would have difficulty in coping with." The insinuation had been clear, and Sirius fumed, "What did you say I have difficulty in coping with? Love?"
The black-haired man smirked, turning over to face a vastly entertained Lupin as he asked, putting on an innocent act, "Remus, had I been talking about him? Nuh-uh." Severus wagged a finger at the fuming man's direction, causing Hermione to hide a smile. She had never known that her father was so taken to ridiculing Sirius, and the way he acted seemed as if he actually enjoyed the sparring.
"Of course I'm not talking about you." Severus reasoned mockingly, "I mean, given your past experience, I'm sure the women will scream when you grace them with your presence." His insult, implying that him – a convict on the run – would cause women to scream out of fear cause Sirius to walking. Walking to the smug man, Sirius growled, "Damn you, ugly git!"
"Excuse me?" Severus countered, raising an eyebrow, "I am most certain that I am not in my 'ugly git' form." Sirius, not having properly looked at the man, now spent several seconds staring at Severus as if he had grown another head.
"What?" The potions master snarled after Sirius stood rooted at his place, unable to take his eyes off him, "I'm not some piece of furniture that you can ogle at, mutt!" This brought Sirius out of his trance-like state, and the man grabbed at Snape's collar, yelling, "Don't call me that!"
The two seemed close to fighting, but Severus, still at ease with the situation, replied in an unperturbed manner, "Seriously Black, it does seem that you're all brawn and no brain. Can't you see that there are patients in this ward?" Gesturing to the boy at his side, Severus froze, immediately regretted this action, knowing the explosion that might continue. However, before he could do anything to salvage the situation, Sirius took a glance at the sleeping boy, and loosened his hold at Severus' collar…
Only to grip the potions master's neck instead.
"What did you do to my godson?" Sirius growled, eyes narrowing into slits as he fought the urge not to bang the potions master's head straight into the wall.
"Nothing." Severus replied, seemingly relaxed, his eyes not even bothering to meet Sirius' whilst he waved this off. Now, this brought Sirius into another bout of fury, but a cold hand tried prying away Sirius unyielding grip of Severus' neck. The man stared at the familiar black-haired girl, hearing her speak softly, "Please, Padfoot. He'll wake up soon."
Ignoring her father's worried glance, Hermione stood against the furious Sirius Black, flinching a little as she saw the anger that was now directed at her. Never had she seen Harry's godfather turn this angry, and what she saw made her tremble slightly.
At the end of the room, Silverdawn sighed. This was definitely not the way she'd expected the scene to unfold. Remus was about to go stop his friends, yet before he could go over to knock some sense out of Sirius, the silvan-haired girl stopped him with a hand, "No uncle. Godfather and Padfoot will have to settle this themselves…"
Remus, helpless with the situation, just stood beside the girl, watching as Sirius loosened his grip on Severus, who, in turn, went over to shield the young girl with his cloak, apparently not willing to let Sirius catch another glimpse of the child. Even when the girl was thoroughly shielded by the potions master's cloak, Sirius was still snarling at the black-haired girl, and Severus growled protectively, "Leave my daughter out of this."
This time, it was Remus who went shocked by the revelation, and Sirius, seemingly unfazed, carefully pulled the blanket over Harry's body to tuck underneath the boy's chin, sneering, "Oh? Your bastard?"
The word, still so fresh in her mind, made Hermione flinch involuntarily.
Severus, knowing that Sirius had, once again, succeeded in opening Hermione's wound, blew up.
No longer restraining his abilities, he placed Hermione on Harry's bed, and pounced on the unsuspecting Sirius, a fist snaking out to punch the man in the abdomen, shouting angrily, "Do not insult her!"
Not being able to wholly defend himself, Sirius suffered the full impact of the blow, falling to the ground. However, he recovered quickly, throwing back a punch that hit the potions master's jaw. Kicks and punches were delivered to one another at an incredible speed, showing their utmost expertise at hand-to-hand combat. Each started spotting bruises and serious wounds, but no one was willing to stop. Instead, the fight seemed to intensify further, much to the horror of Hermione.
"Now do we intervene?" Remus asked, exasperated, "They'll get themselves killed!" However, Silverdawn just grinned, unfolding her arms as she straightened up, "Aww… but it's fun to see how those two meet it out like boys."
This statement started to fray the nerves of the usually calm ex-DADA professor. Remus looked at the girl as if the angel had just grown a pair of horns, unable to believe what she had just said. Must have gotten it from her father. Aloud, he yelled, frustrated, "Silver!"
"All right! I take back my words." Silverdawn answered, knowing better than to infuriate a werewolf. Pulling Remus over to her side, the duo started walking towards the fighting men and helpless Hermione, but before anything else could continue, glows that surrounded the two boys stopped all of them. Severus and Sirius stopped fighting immediately, with the potions master disentangling from the ex-convict's hands as he looked from Draco, who was glowing in a pearly-white light, to Harry, bathed in a fiery-red aura.
"It has started." The black-haired man murmured, eyes unfocusing whilst the sigil of an eight-pointed star glowed on his forehead. Hermione and Silverdawn's sigils glowed too, both of which pulsed in accordance with the pulse of the auras. The two boys were starting to levitate off the bed, their auras pulsing even more brightly, virtually blinding the people present. Everyone had to shield their eyes, not being able to see anymore…
… But an even more drastic change occurred.
Feathers.
Pure white feathery wings started forming behind both boys' backs, spreading out to its longest wingspan as they slowly floated to stand up vertically. Then, two beams of sheer bright light shot from the girls' sigils, connecting to their respective bonded at the foreheads. There, identical sigils formed… An eight pointed star on Harry's forehead, a cross with a small 'x' in its center on Draco's one.
When the light finally began to fade, seven figures appeared by the doorway where Silverdawn and Remus once stood… Seven angels, all of whom looked resplendent even in their simple clothing. Led by Jibrille, the group of angels bowed deeply to Silverdawn, leaving a dumbstruck Sirius, Remus and Hermione whilst Severus remained unfazed, having witnessed their way of addressing their heir. Not surprising, the princess just acknowledged the angels' presence with a slight nod, gesturing to the boys – the reason why they came.
Nodding at one another, Jibrille, the angel of the waters, stood by Silverdawn, leaving the others to split into pairs. The three groups of angels then went forward to Harry, Draco and Hermione, smiling at the children in an indulgent manner.
At Hermione's side, the girl was secret relieved that it had been two angels whom she know. Noticing her unease, Anael smiled, mindspeaking in a gentle manner, ::Don't worry princess, they are just here for the confirmation.::
::Excuse me?::
::You'll understand later, Hermione.:: Metatron replied, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Hermione, not knowing what was going on, turned back to the still-unconscious boys, both of whom had two angels each standing beside them.
Once everything was set, the three pairs of angels turned towards Silverdawn, bowing once more as Anael started, leading the group in a series of pledges.
"Your highness, I, Anael, am honored to watch over her highness in her years at Arys Quedantio and after, as her mentor, to teach her, and guide her through her formative years."
"And I, Metatron, am honored to serve as guardian to her highness in every plane within existence." Metatron continued, ending his part of the seal.
"Your highness, I, Tzephkiel, shall oversee to the studies of Lord Harold within the Angelic realms, teaching him within the best of my abilities, as due of my being his mentor." A dark-haired angel standing beside Harry started, with a younger angel continuing, "And I, Raziel, shall serve Lord Harry as guardian angel, standing guard for the bright one, protecting him when in danger."
At Draco's side, the only dark-haired female angel present started in a powerful voice, "My lady, I, Alexial, will serve your bonded as mentor, monitoring his progress within every realm, till he gain all the wisdom I can impart."
"And I, Sandalphon, will be honored to serve his highness as guardian in all realms, protecting him with my life, my heart, my soul." The last angel, the tallest among the six, finally spoke up, his voice deep and melodious. With that, all six angels bowed once again, speaking in unison, "By your leave, your highness."
"So mote it be." Silverdawn responded, mentally weaving a spell that bonded the mentor and guardian to their separate charges. A silvery light, a signature of the princess's power, wove themselves through all six angels, and they smiled, embracing the magick freely until the spell was done.
Once settled, the angels kissed their wards' foreheads, leaving their blessings with the young ones, and Jibrille smiled at the three newly awakened angels. There will be work to do should they enter the angelic realm immediately… the statuses had already been set, but they would need to have a crash course in the rudimentary of angelic magic. My work is cut out for me then, the elemental angel mused.
Raising her hand, Jibrille raised the slumber that had been set upon the two boys, mindspeaking to her ward, ::Silver, they are up.::
::Thank you.:: Silverdawn smiled in relief, glad that Draco was finally awake. Jibrille returned her smile with a motherly kiss on the girl's forehead before dissolving into nothingness along with the others, leaving a very much-chagrined Severus and Silverdawn to explain everything.
Harry, who had just woken up, yawned. He then looked up at his surroundings, and asked, "What happened? Last I remembered, I was with Mione…" He trailed off, blushing slightly on realizing where his thoughts were leading him. Draco too, looked rather puzzled at his state. Silverdawn had rushed to hug him once he awoke, and the odd sensation of wind against his suddenly sensitized skin left him wondering what had happened. Feeling feathers tickling his back, the Slytherin turned back.
"What the hell?" Draco gasped, momentarily shocked by the wings that were now tentatively flapping at his reflexive command. Silverdawn, seeing Draco's reaction, managed some weak laughter before Severus cut all of them off.
"The two of you entered into angelic slumber for loving a female angel." Severus deadpanned, his hold on Hermione loosening slightly – a silent permission for his daughter to check that Harry was all right. Harry and Draco seemed to understand what their potions master had meant, but Sirius frowned, "If that's the case, won't many men enter into such a sleep?"
"He was her first." The man replied bluntly, much to the embarrassment of both girls, who shouted, "uncle!" "father!". Harry accepted the brief explanation without further questions, given his knowledge of how Hermione is an angel. Draco, however, still looked at a complete loss, "That only explains Harry's wings. Silver's muggle-born!"
This time, no matter how hard they tried, Harry, Remus and Sirius chuckled at the Slytherin's lack of information. Pissed, Draco asked, "What?" The expression that the boy had, coupled with the question marks that seemed to float above his head, made all three of them break into a bout of helpless chuckles. Mercifully, Silverdawn mumbled softly, "Draco, my muggle-born status had been a decoy. I'm of angelic pureblood."
Grey eyes widened at her answer, "You're an angel?"
"Honestly, Draco!" Harry finally choked out, "couldn't you see that even her hair and eye colors have changed?"
A shake of his head told all of them that he had not realized that.
To tell the truth, Draco had no idea that Silverdawn's guise had changed. No one, other than a select few, knew that he often see people by they auras, not via physical appearances. Therefore, he hurriedly placed a shield over that particular gift of his, and whispered, "Merlin's beard! He's right!"
"By Morgana. He's incorrigible." The-boy-who-lived muttered under his breath, and Sirius had to agree with his godson's statement. Silverdawn, on the other hand, hung her head, not daring to look at the boy. Draco noticed this of course, and sighing, lifted her face to meet his. Placing their foreheads together, he whispered, "Don't worry about keeping me out of the secret. I still love you."
"I'm sorry." The silvan-haired princess replied remorsefully, regretting her not telling him her identity sooner.
"No harm done, I gain a lifebonded, and a pair of wings. Agreed?" The last word was referred to Harry, who in turn smiled, hugging Hermione tightly, "Yup, it's definitely worth it…" Pondering for a second, the boy suddenly yelped, asking anxiously, "Hermione, did we make it for the first match?"
"She Hermione?" Sirius yelped in surprise. Besides him, Remus looked startled, and Severus scowled at his so-called 'archenemy', "Yes Black. She's Hermione Granger. Top student of her level, Gryffindor prefect blah blah blah."
"Stop being sarcastic godfather." Silverdawn retorted, not liking the attitude of Severus when he was with his former friends. However, Sirius interrupted her words, asking, "Hermione is Severus' daughter?"
"You have a problem with that?" The potions master snapped, annoyed by Sirius' constant questions.
"What's your name?" Remus asked gently, curious as to whom had borne Severus such a beautiful daughter – one that was brought up by muggles.
It could be her… can it?
"I'm Hermione Snape, Professor Lupin,"
"Your full name?" Moony persisted, wondering if what he'd deduce was true.
"She's Hermione Adariel Kadamon Snape." Severus replied for his daughter, knowing that she hadn't – as of yet – seen her real name. Name given, Remus squinted slightly, focusing on the girl's aura instead of her physical shell.
"She's Athena's daughter!" The werewolf gasped. Her aura was exactly the same as Athena's – both had ultimate control over air.
"Very smart Remus," the black-haired angel remarked dryly, "Yes. She's Athena and my child."
This time, Sirius, knowing how far he'd gone with the insult earlier on, apologized profusely, "I'm sorry Hermione. About my previous words, I mean."
"It's all right." Hermione mumbled softly, but her father snarled, "Like hell it is!" Severus was still sorely tempted to hit Sirius with all he had, but Hermione's hand restrained his as she shook her head fervently, "Really father, I'm fine!" Reluctantly, the potions master withdrew the idea of wanting to kill the man now and there. Still, Sirius, who had finally put the entire picture together, gasped, "Sweet Merlin! My godson shagged Snape's daughter!"
"Shut up, you mutt!" Severus yelled, throwing a platinum shuriken that cut off several strands of the man's hair before pinning into the hard stone of the wall. It was seldom that the potions master used his private cache of shuriken, and when used, it was usually when he was very miffed over something. Therefore, when Sirius saw the dangerous weapon slide through the air, he, like everyone else, did what was sensible – to shut up.
Slightly flushed, Harry asked again, "Did we make it for the match?"
"Yes you did." Hermione replied softly, face red hot from what Sirius had said.
"Thank Merlin!" Both Draco and Harry sighed in relief before Harry grinned evilly, "Be wary Draco. You're going to get thrashed oh-so-very-soundly this year."
"Really?" The Slytherin arched an eyebrow in question, "That might not be possible this year."
"Yeah right?" Harry countered, doubtful of the Slytherin team's abilities.
"Well, may the best man win." Draco replied enigmatically, winking at the smiling Silverdawn. He then moved to hug the girl tighter, burying his face in Silverdawn's hair as he silently commanded his wings to disappear out of sight. Harry, too, did the same thing, but he did not have time to cuddle up with Hermione, for the potions master had started strictly, "Young man. I'd like a word about your behavior under Hogwarts' rules."
Sirius and Remus snickered a little, knowing that Severus was going to have a talk on how irresponsible the boy had been etcetera etcetera. It had been the same lesson the marauders, Severus and Adam had gone through together after getting caught hanging out with a group of girls in the Astronomy tower during the later years, and it had been… to say the least, long and boring. No doubt, Severus would make it more interesting, but that will depend on his mood, which was, right now, definitely not good.
Harry, on hearing the order, went glum, and Draco grinned, "Good luck, Potter."
"You're one to say." Harry retorted, "At least I've only to face Professor Snape. You'll have to face Lucifer and uncle Adam."
Albeit perplexed by his words, Draco narrowed his eyes at the snickering adults, asking dangerously, "What do you mean by that?"
"Uh… Draco?" Silverdawn started timidly, "I'm a Kadamon…"
"WHAT!?!"
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End of chapter 22…
AAHHH!!! I'm so sorry about posting this up so late. But I just didn't know how to continue with it… Simply put, I'm having quite a case of writer's block. Well, this is finally out, and it might be a little weird, given how it's being written a little by a time.
The ending might be odd, so if you guys feel that there is anything I could probably do to improve on it. Do review or mail me a suggestion. I'm open to any =þ
Also, I'm mentally dry by now. So in this chapter, I'm very sorry, but I'd not be replying any reviews. Please try to understand… I'm really tired by now, and I just wish to post this up before more people scream, and if I were to reply the reviews, it will possibly take up another day…
Btw, I need to garner some info for the next chapter… Can anyone recommend me some fics that have wonderful description on the Quidditch matches? I still feel that my description isn't good enough, and I'd need some help on the upcoming chapter. It's about the Slyth vs. Gryff match.
Looking forward to it, ne?
Well, that's all for now!
Once again, I'm sorry for not replying any reviews. Hope you guys still like this chapter!
Toodles,
SilverDawn