Chapter 18

Blink. Blink. Blink. Adrienne watched her sister's rhythmic flicking eyelids in fascination. Her soul was elsewhere, captured in a glass vial, stoppered with a hand-carved cork: yet her body lived on in the anticipation of reuniting with it. Adrienne smiled at her sister's placid body before walking from the room. Mama had already begun work, and Poppy would see to Lianna today. Adrienne passed through the wall unflinchingly, before padding down the comfortingly cold and familiar hallways. She found her way effortlessly to the room that was now their laboratory. She pushed open the handle-less door, amazed again at the sheer cleanliness of the room, its stainless steel bench tops, racks of transparent glass apparatus, scrupulously clean Bunsen burners ("Not for long!" Hermione had exclaimed at their metamorphosis), clean windows viewing out onto the luxurious green grounds and a floor of polished stone. The perfect laboratory.

"Oh, there you are Ri. Quick, I think I'm getting somewhere here. What do you think?"

"Mama, what are all these little peaks?"

"Oh, they're the DNA maps. See how they align here, and here, and here? That's what we're looking for. That's where my DNA matches with Lianna's. The bits that don't fit- we assume they come from the father."

"Oh. Ok. Where do we go from here?"

"I was thinking maybe use the parchment with the DNA present?"

"No, wouldn't work. How about we work out how to isolate the partial DNA, then use the normal locator spell on that?"

"Nope- can't work with segmented DNA. Too complex, and once you chop it up, it never really works like it's supposed to. It's shaped as a double helix, with phosphate groups here, here and here. The nitrogen groups are here, here and here- they're labelled G, T, C, or A. Chop it up, it's useless, see?" Hermione drew diagrams on the back of the paper printout.

"Oh, right. Ok, so maybe just use Lianna's DNA? With an exception-curse keyed in to your DNA?"

"That might work- though that sounds like potion work."

"That's alright. I'll work with him if you don't want to."

"We'd better all work together. Let's get it all mapped out first, then we can be organised and incorporate him for specific tasks only, and minimise wastage of time."

"Sure, mama. Sounds good. Let's see…" Adrienne and Hermione put their heads together, and soon had a quite formidable list put together.

"Start work, shall we?"

"Sure, mama. You want to research, or shall I?"

"Both. Let's get out of this lab, take Lianna for a walk down near the lake, eat lunch. My head's beginning to fog up."

"Ok. Take the Potions book you're so fond of, I'll fossick for that Muggle science book that you were showing me a few months ago."

"Ok. And I'll collect lunch; you collect Lianna."

"Ok."

And so they set out on their different courses, colleting what they had decided upon, and meeting again near the tall-roofed entryway. They walked in silence out to the sunlit garden landscapes of the Hogwarts grounds. Soon they were both immersed in their books, the food and studying the landscape. It was perhaps the calm in the storm.

~*~

"One more. Just one more."

"Look, I told you already. They know where I live- they've been there. They've taken two of my souls. I will not be ignored!" She pounded her hand on the table, making the man jump; his eyes skittered to see where the closest exit was.

"Don't even think of avoiding me. I will not be bargained up. I will offer you two souls for one quater of your bloodpot. No more."

"But Morana…"

"That's Asa'Morana to you! And not one, single but. I know exactly what I want, and I will get it, with or without this trade."

"I'm the only one who performs this ritual in this country!"

"Then I'll go to a different country," she hissed, looking down into his wrinkled, brown face. "And your pretty eyes will fade right back."

The man began to shake violently, his eyes quavering, yet captive to Asa'Morana's volatile gaze. "You'll destroy us all," he hissed vehemently.

"If I get my way, yes, I damn well will." And with this, she spun around and stalked towards the door.

"Wait!" The little withered man bade her, "I will take your price… I will take your price."

Asa'Morana stopped, slowly turning back to the man, taking in his shaking hands, his pitifully desperate eyes. "Ok. Here." She fished out two vials from her coat, placed them carefully on the counter. The man grabbed them up with greedy hands.

"And this one is for your willingness to trade with me, and your closed mouth," Asa'Morana placed one more on the table, winked slyly at the man before stalking out, slamming the door behind her.

She could still see the widening of his eyes in gratitude as she gave him the extra soul. She snickered at the irony of the scene. She strode back out onto the dark alley, moving confidently to the bustling street beyond.

"Enjoy it," Asa'Morana whispered to herself, "while you can."

~*~

A/N: Thanks to my lovely reviewers- hope I haven't kept you in too much suspense- I'm drowning in homework and life in general.

Sweet dreams,

*kitten