Chapter 13 - Escryvian Charms
The students were back, and breakfast seemed even louder than usual to Muriel as she made her way toward the head table. Severus was enjoying his "captivity," in their quarters, since it meant a vacation from the screaming children that normally made up his days. Her attention was drawn to one particularly loud girl, who appeared to be throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the hall.
A glance at Dumbledore told her that it wasn't serious, but she headed toward the 6th year Slytherin anyway. "Miss Parkinson! A girl of your breeding should NEVER be found shrieking across the Great Hall in such a manner." Muriel did her best to sound just like her old friend Raquel, who she knew was Pansy's aunt.
Pansy fell silent. "Now what is this all about?" Muriel demanded quietly. It was Draco, looking sheepishly at the ground, who mumbled a response.
"I don't want to date her anymore. I want my ring back." Several Slytherins sniggered wickedly at this, but Muriel had her wand trained on them almost instantly.
"I will TELL you when something is funny, you great bunch of prats!" she exclaimed. They fell silent immediately. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Dumbledore and McGonagal laughing quietly together. She was suddenly aware of how many times she had, as a student, made an awful scene in the great hall. She felt her face go red. "Give me the ring, Miss Parkinson," she said quietly, pocketing her wand and holding out her right hand.
Pansy dropped the ring into her palm without another word. Muriel would have handed it back to Draco except that her hand suddenly blazed with a vibrant red light. She gasped. Across the room, Dumbledore stood abruptly.
The ring had made contact with her old engagement ring, which she'd worn on her right hand since she'd learned of Sirius' death. She took off the Alexandrite ring immediately and felt her eyes well with unwelcome tears. "I'm sorry Draco. It looks like we've both lost our rings today. It isn't likely we'll get them back, either," she said grimly. He nodded as she made her way to the head table and set both rings in front of Dumbledore.
"An Escryvian charm, I'm sure. And I bet Lucius has the mate." Dumbledore was looking at her solemnly. "I guess you'd better keep them locked up somewhere," she added quietly. Though she'd told herself she wouldn't look at him, her eyes drifted to Remus, and it was all she could do to hold back the tears. She wasn't ready to give up Sirius' ring. He got up immediately to walk her to her classroom while Dumbledore took the rings up to his office for safe keeping.
Muriel cursed herself for a fool. When she'd been with Sirius, she'd cried her eyes out over Severus' rather public love life, and now that she was with Severus she was crying uncontrollably about giving up Sirius' ring. "Merlin, what's the matter with me?" she whispered to Remus. The great thing about Remus was that he knew better than to answer that, and she smiled as he remained silent.
Mur's second class of the day was her N.E.W.T. level class, 6th and 7th years. They all seemed very antsy, having just come from Moody's Potions lesson. Muriel had managed not to have any run-ins with the ex-Auror during the first term, but now that he would be staying, she knew it was inevitable. She had intended to begin class with shield charms today, but was side-tracked when Draco raised his hand a moment after the bell rang.
"Mr. Malfoy?" she said quietly.
"We'd like to hear about Escryvian Charms, Professor," he said quickly. Pansy narrowed her eyes angrily and Crabbe yawned, but the Gryffindors, and several of the more intelligent Slytherins looked very interested.
Mur thought fast. "I don't have anything with me today to show you how they work, however, I think you know the basics. A charm is cast on one ring to make it the eye, and on the other to make it the sight. Whoever holds the eye, looks through the eyes of the one wearing the sight. It's a complicated charm, which can only be removed if all the rings involved are present, which makes it ideal for use as a spying tool."
"You can tell when a ring, necklace or even earrings have such a charm by the deep red color of the stones set in them. Pansy, I'm sure you noticed that Draco's ring was far redder than any ruby."
"I thought it was bloodstone," she whispered, interested in spite of herself.
"Bloodstone is much darker, nearly black. An Escryvian charm makes the stone appear almost incandescent, and the red is much more brilliant. I'll make a trip out to Deesia Manor tonight. I'm sure my father had a set I can bring in to show you."
This tangent completed, she quickly divided them into dueling pairs and watched as they taught one another how to block spells. She sat unhappily at her desk until the bell rang and everyone gathered their things to go. "Draco, would you stay behind a moment?" she asked quickly.
He cast a look at Goyle, who nodded. He would wait. Harry, Ron, and Hermione waited outside the door as well.
"Why don't you accompany me out to the Manor? We may find a few other things out there that would be useful, and I'll need help carrying it all back."
"Alright," he agreed quickly. He hadn't gotten to see inside the Manor when they'd gone for the wedding.
As Muriel and Draco walked to Hogsmeade the snow came down softly. There was no wind to change its course. He walked slightly behind her, which she found unnerving. When she fell back and matched her steps to his, she noticed his thoughtful expression.
"That's excellent, Draco," she said quietly. He smiled, glad she had noticed how much his Occlumency practice with Harry had paid off. She would never have known he was thinking.
"We've been working on it. I think we scared the younger Gryffindors over break casting the Legilimens hex at each other in the common room." He looked over at her sheepishly.
"They'll get used to you being around more quickly than you think. It took me until half way through our first year to make any friends at all, besides Severus and Remus."
"Yeah, but you hadn't spent 5 years insulting them before you tried being friendly." Draco's voice was bitter, and Muriel smiled wanly.
"No, but I did my share of damage with the time I had. I called a 2nd year boy a mudblood in the first three weeks. Then you can imagine how humbling it was when he took over as Quidditch captain and I wanted to play."
Draco snorted. Yes, he could imagine. "What did you play?" he asked. They passed the rest of their walk chatting about Quidditch. This was a much more comfortable subject for Draco.
It was nearly dark when they apparated into the kitchen at Deesia Manor. Muriel noticed at once that the house elves didn't come to greet her as they normally would. Something was wrong.
Draco felt uneasy as well. The house was silent and cold. "Draco, apparate back to Hogsmeade and get back to the castle," Mur whispered. He closed his eyes briefly, but didn't disappear. When his eyes opened again, Muriel swore under her breath and drew her wand.
"Anti-apparation charms," Draco confirmed quietly. Mur thought hard and soon realized her mistake. She should never have announced her destination in a room full of Slytherins. She picked up a nick knack from the nearest table and muttered a complicated charm before handing it to Draco. As soon as it was out of her fingers, she told him the password that would activate it. He nodded.
They made their way back out of the house, determining that it would be best to come back for the enchanted jewelry later. They had nearly reached the door when a wand tip flared nearby.
"Hello, Mur. Didn't think I'd ever see you again." The man stepped between Muriel and Draco. At the opposite end of the hall a mirror cracked and fell heavily to the floor, shattering. The man laughed.
"Avery," she said guardedly. He removed his mask to reveal a leering grin. "Where's Lucius?" she asked quickly, more to herself than to him. The two always seemed to work together. Avery only grinned the wider.
Draco's father smirked from the hallway before lighting his wand as well. "Hello, Deesia. Having a regular old reunion, aren't we?" His oily voice grated on Mur's nerves just as it always had in school.
"What do you want, Lucius?"
The man's eyes narrowed dangerously and he raised his wand. "Draco," he spat angrily.
But Muriel's wand was already up as well. "You can't have him." Draco, who'd been about to comply, looked worriedly at his professor. With her short stature and childish features she didn't exactly inspire confidence. He would have just used the port key, but he didn't want to leave her there. Still, Avery's attention seemed to be entirely on her as she watched Lucius. So Draco ran.
He threw open the door and sprinted into the darkness. Maybe if Avery chased him, Muriel would have a better chance with his father. And if nothing else, he could get back to the castle and get Professor Snape.
The students were back, and breakfast seemed even louder than usual to Muriel as she made her way toward the head table. Severus was enjoying his "captivity," in their quarters, since it meant a vacation from the screaming children that normally made up his days. Her attention was drawn to one particularly loud girl, who appeared to be throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the hall.
A glance at Dumbledore told her that it wasn't serious, but she headed toward the 6th year Slytherin anyway. "Miss Parkinson! A girl of your breeding should NEVER be found shrieking across the Great Hall in such a manner." Muriel did her best to sound just like her old friend Raquel, who she knew was Pansy's aunt.
Pansy fell silent. "Now what is this all about?" Muriel demanded quietly. It was Draco, looking sheepishly at the ground, who mumbled a response.
"I don't want to date her anymore. I want my ring back." Several Slytherins sniggered wickedly at this, but Muriel had her wand trained on them almost instantly.
"I will TELL you when something is funny, you great bunch of prats!" she exclaimed. They fell silent immediately. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Dumbledore and McGonagal laughing quietly together. She was suddenly aware of how many times she had, as a student, made an awful scene in the great hall. She felt her face go red. "Give me the ring, Miss Parkinson," she said quietly, pocketing her wand and holding out her right hand.
Pansy dropped the ring into her palm without another word. Muriel would have handed it back to Draco except that her hand suddenly blazed with a vibrant red light. She gasped. Across the room, Dumbledore stood abruptly.
The ring had made contact with her old engagement ring, which she'd worn on her right hand since she'd learned of Sirius' death. She took off the Alexandrite ring immediately and felt her eyes well with unwelcome tears. "I'm sorry Draco. It looks like we've both lost our rings today. It isn't likely we'll get them back, either," she said grimly. He nodded as she made her way to the head table and set both rings in front of Dumbledore.
"An Escryvian charm, I'm sure. And I bet Lucius has the mate." Dumbledore was looking at her solemnly. "I guess you'd better keep them locked up somewhere," she added quietly. Though she'd told herself she wouldn't look at him, her eyes drifted to Remus, and it was all she could do to hold back the tears. She wasn't ready to give up Sirius' ring. He got up immediately to walk her to her classroom while Dumbledore took the rings up to his office for safe keeping.
Muriel cursed herself for a fool. When she'd been with Sirius, she'd cried her eyes out over Severus' rather public love life, and now that she was with Severus she was crying uncontrollably about giving up Sirius' ring. "Merlin, what's the matter with me?" she whispered to Remus. The great thing about Remus was that he knew better than to answer that, and she smiled as he remained silent.
Mur's second class of the day was her N.E.W.T. level class, 6th and 7th years. They all seemed very antsy, having just come from Moody's Potions lesson. Muriel had managed not to have any run-ins with the ex-Auror during the first term, but now that he would be staying, she knew it was inevitable. She had intended to begin class with shield charms today, but was side-tracked when Draco raised his hand a moment after the bell rang.
"Mr. Malfoy?" she said quietly.
"We'd like to hear about Escryvian Charms, Professor," he said quickly. Pansy narrowed her eyes angrily and Crabbe yawned, but the Gryffindors, and several of the more intelligent Slytherins looked very interested.
Mur thought fast. "I don't have anything with me today to show you how they work, however, I think you know the basics. A charm is cast on one ring to make it the eye, and on the other to make it the sight. Whoever holds the eye, looks through the eyes of the one wearing the sight. It's a complicated charm, which can only be removed if all the rings involved are present, which makes it ideal for use as a spying tool."
"You can tell when a ring, necklace or even earrings have such a charm by the deep red color of the stones set in them. Pansy, I'm sure you noticed that Draco's ring was far redder than any ruby."
"I thought it was bloodstone," she whispered, interested in spite of herself.
"Bloodstone is much darker, nearly black. An Escryvian charm makes the stone appear almost incandescent, and the red is much more brilliant. I'll make a trip out to Deesia Manor tonight. I'm sure my father had a set I can bring in to show you."
This tangent completed, she quickly divided them into dueling pairs and watched as they taught one another how to block spells. She sat unhappily at her desk until the bell rang and everyone gathered their things to go. "Draco, would you stay behind a moment?" she asked quickly.
He cast a look at Goyle, who nodded. He would wait. Harry, Ron, and Hermione waited outside the door as well.
"Why don't you accompany me out to the Manor? We may find a few other things out there that would be useful, and I'll need help carrying it all back."
"Alright," he agreed quickly. He hadn't gotten to see inside the Manor when they'd gone for the wedding.
As Muriel and Draco walked to Hogsmeade the snow came down softly. There was no wind to change its course. He walked slightly behind her, which she found unnerving. When she fell back and matched her steps to his, she noticed his thoughtful expression.
"That's excellent, Draco," she said quietly. He smiled, glad she had noticed how much his Occlumency practice with Harry had paid off. She would never have known he was thinking.
"We've been working on it. I think we scared the younger Gryffindors over break casting the Legilimens hex at each other in the common room." He looked over at her sheepishly.
"They'll get used to you being around more quickly than you think. It took me until half way through our first year to make any friends at all, besides Severus and Remus."
"Yeah, but you hadn't spent 5 years insulting them before you tried being friendly." Draco's voice was bitter, and Muriel smiled wanly.
"No, but I did my share of damage with the time I had. I called a 2nd year boy a mudblood in the first three weeks. Then you can imagine how humbling it was when he took over as Quidditch captain and I wanted to play."
Draco snorted. Yes, he could imagine. "What did you play?" he asked. They passed the rest of their walk chatting about Quidditch. This was a much more comfortable subject for Draco.
It was nearly dark when they apparated into the kitchen at Deesia Manor. Muriel noticed at once that the house elves didn't come to greet her as they normally would. Something was wrong.
Draco felt uneasy as well. The house was silent and cold. "Draco, apparate back to Hogsmeade and get back to the castle," Mur whispered. He closed his eyes briefly, but didn't disappear. When his eyes opened again, Muriel swore under her breath and drew her wand.
"Anti-apparation charms," Draco confirmed quietly. Mur thought hard and soon realized her mistake. She should never have announced her destination in a room full of Slytherins. She picked up a nick knack from the nearest table and muttered a complicated charm before handing it to Draco. As soon as it was out of her fingers, she told him the password that would activate it. He nodded.
They made their way back out of the house, determining that it would be best to come back for the enchanted jewelry later. They had nearly reached the door when a wand tip flared nearby.
"Hello, Mur. Didn't think I'd ever see you again." The man stepped between Muriel and Draco. At the opposite end of the hall a mirror cracked and fell heavily to the floor, shattering. The man laughed.
"Avery," she said guardedly. He removed his mask to reveal a leering grin. "Where's Lucius?" she asked quickly, more to herself than to him. The two always seemed to work together. Avery only grinned the wider.
Draco's father smirked from the hallway before lighting his wand as well. "Hello, Deesia. Having a regular old reunion, aren't we?" His oily voice grated on Mur's nerves just as it always had in school.
"What do you want, Lucius?"
The man's eyes narrowed dangerously and he raised his wand. "Draco," he spat angrily.
But Muriel's wand was already up as well. "You can't have him." Draco, who'd been about to comply, looked worriedly at his professor. With her short stature and childish features she didn't exactly inspire confidence. He would have just used the port key, but he didn't want to leave her there. Still, Avery's attention seemed to be entirely on her as she watched Lucius. So Draco ran.
He threw open the door and sprinted into the darkness. Maybe if Avery chased him, Muriel would have a better chance with his father. And if nothing else, he could get back to the castle and get Professor Snape.