Chapter Three: Torrent of Fire

What had just happened? Asryel ran her hand through her hair as she sat on her bed in the Gryffindor tower. She'd gone down to have a lesson in Potions and somehow Professor Snape had ended up pinning her against the wall a strange want, need in his eyes. He had been staring into her eyes, as if some hidden secret was held behind them, but what?

Shaking her head she lie down curling up upon the bedclothes, her thoughts racing into a thousand directions, she had felt a slight fear towards him with his hunger to get close to her. He didn't have a normal look on his face, but that look seemed to be on the face of everyone who met her, why?

Soon she slipped off into a restless sleep that was ripped by dreams, one pronouncing it self from the others-

A trawler dipped and turned in the angry sea of blackness; cries of wood and rope moaned in the thrashing water. Shouts from the captain could barely be heard over the massive sounds of waves that rose to goliathan heights, towering above the small ship. Anger surged in the blackness of the skies as rain fell onto the deck of the trawler. The Captain still yelling to his fullest content, from time to time he was muffled from the waves that tried to topple him. The cabin door opened and someone staggered out in an old gray jacket. A frightened voice called out to the Captain beckoning him to come inside the Cabin, but before his answer the ships bow dipped into the water and submerged the deck. The figure that had stepped from the cabin was picked up as it grasped out frantically for something to grab onto, but to no avail. It was swept out into the deep churning water and pulled under by whirlpools of tempestuous waves. The pressure pressed in on the frail body and tore at its limbs as it clawed at the space of nothing. The water at first brought an icy sting to the figures' skin and it felt like billions of needles piercing the thin skin. Then pushed to the surface for a moment it gasped a breath of air before being sucked under again, now it was pulled under further than before and ran out of breath as it slowly stopped struggling. Then the urge to push up to the surface engulfed the senses and once again it flailed and clawed at the nothing till its fingers gripped onto some slick wood. The figure relaxed as the waves surged around it, then into blackness it fell.

"Every Second every breath

Every Moment every Death…" the image focused onto a pair of eyes that were interwoven with the Churning sky and they widened stressing the last word, then Asryel could see a girl that looked strikingly like herself except she was younger and had bright silver hair, on a beach close to death…

"Cade…" came an airy voice hissing and cold…

"Haasss…" Asryel gasped awake staring at the ceiling, a pain swelling in her chest, she could feel tears well in her eyes and she could almost smell the Ocean water that was in the dream…it had only been a dream…right? Looking about she realized it was late, the sun spilled into the room and onto her bed giving her a little bit of a smile to show… but the chill of the dream would not fade. Who was Cade? Where was she? So many questions, just too few answers.

Pushing the two heavy oak doors open three girls walked in they looked like three celestial beings being ushered in from heaven, the rush for breakfast had just started so plenty people were in the corridor to see these three stunning creatures walk in. Draco happened to be in a group with Pansy and her Clones when he looked up to see a face he had dreamt about all night, Cleopatra.

Cleo walked in the front of the two girls who seemed younger than she was, one looked about fifteen and the other about twelve, but all three had the same golden rod hair and fair complexion. The one who seemed to be the youngest had pale blue eyes much like Draco's and the other girl had eyes the colour of the midnight sky, dark and churning. The three walked through the crowd of students and they parted all gazing at them in wonder.

As Cleo passed Draco she gave a smirk and looked into his eyes from over her shoulders then winked and turned continuing to sidle down the corridor. The cat like creatures parted the crowd without a word, a hush befell the hall as all eyes turned to them till they disappeared around a corner.

Running down the Corridor she decided to skip breakfast she wasn't all that hungry; still from the years with out food she hadn't acquired the taste for it yet.

She turned towards where the Headmasters Office was only to bump into someone. She looked up and gave a smile then threw her arms around the tall figure, it was Cleo.

"Hey there Asryel." Cleo spoke softly stepping back and gesturing to the two girls who bore the same kind grin as Cleo.

"This is Serenity and Livid." Asryel nodded her hellos then turned again speaking over her shoulder.

"I must go but I'm guessing you're going to the same place as I."

"Correct." Leading the way Asryel was listening to the conversation in whispers behind her.

"So this is her…" the smallest girl spoke softly, kindly

"Yes…The Boy who lived found her in the Lake."

"Oh…she doesn't seem very powerful to me." Exclaimed Livid. Some emotion flared in Asryel but she kept her mouth shut till she had to utter the password to open the Headmasters office. Climbing up the steps she opened the door and Dumbledor sat at his desk a bridge made form his hands. He looked at the four who came in over the half moon glasses and gave a warm smile.

"So out of Seven I have the wonderful luck of having four in the same room. Serenity, Lividanna, and Cleopatra Seraphic, if I'm not mistaken.

Asryel just glared, he knew all along and hadn't told her…he knows more too, but why won't anyone tell her more!

The Four girls sat down and started talking about how they could help with this year. Serenity would be going into her second year, Livid into her Fifth and Cleo, would be with Asryel in the sixth.

They were sorted; all different now…Cleo would be in Slytherin, Livid in Ravenclaw and Serenity in Hufflepuff.

"So Cleo, do you have the book?"

"Yes I do…" Cleo glanced at Asryel and then at Dumbledor.

"What book?" Asryel's grip tightened on her chair.

"Just a book I borrowed." Cleo Grinned sheepishly obviously not letting on about something…that was the last nerve pulled on Asryelynn.

"Why won't anyone tell me ANYTHING!"

Asryel was on her feet fists clenched and the three girls around her got really wide eyes. Something changed about her that second, her eyes dancing with the fire of the sun.

"Calm down Miss Seraphic, we would but we fear for your safety." Dumbledor said calmly even though he was on his feet.

"Damn it! I can take care of myself! I did for a thousand years!" she spat, her blood felt like it was boiling and pain shot through her head, but she didn't care… she was angry, angry at the world.

"I know but you're not ready for what you don't know. You're not ready for the truth." Dumbledor spoke once more soothingly. Asryel could feel the itch to take anger out on something, she didn't want to hurt anyone, but she had to vent somewhere.

She spun around running from the room and out into the corridors, taking turns and doors till she came to a dead end and placed her forehead against the stone angered even still after her romp through the halls. Suddenly she threw her hand out causing a wall to singe and lick with flames till it died down and then a hand touched her shoulder, she whirled around startled.

"Professor Snape…" she uttered a flare of anger still edging within her voice, but he was staring at her steadily with his normal scowl.

"Did you just do that?" He motioned to the burn mark on the wall and she looked down at her feet biting her lip then looked up again.

"Yes I did." She drawled matching his glare, she moved past him not about to be trapped between him and a wall again. This seemed to stump him, her turning her back to him.

"Miss Seraphic, I'd like to purpose you helping me with some of my personal Potion Projects, yesterday you finished a Potion I've been working on for my whole life…" he said to her back and she stopped and turned to face him curls falling into her face.

"You want to know my life's work in other words?" He paused then nodded in comply

"Fine then so be it, I'll meet you in the Potions room after breakfast." Leaving him staring after her he was dumbfounded; had she just told him what to do?

"Asryel over here." Harry called to her waving for her to join in his little group. She made her way over to the table and sat down next to Harry who flushed furiously.

"Azzy, did you hear about the three new girls?"

"Yea they are my sisters…and what's with the nick name?" she laughed looking at Ron who turned three shades of red himself.

"Sorry." He said his ears pink.

"Wait, Wait? You're sisters?" Hermione seemed to be the only who had taken notice she had said sisters.

"But weren't you found in the lake."

"By the lake," Asryel Corrected then continued before eating a bit of toast.

"…It's a long story, and I'd tell, but the book I found it in, was taken from me. I'm not sure what they don't want me to find out."

"What was it about?"

"It was called Seven Blades: A Mythical Tale of the Soulless" Harry's eyes got wide

"You're a Soulless Child?" he had dropped his fork and Hermione gave a laugh.

"Harry you actually read a book and remember something about it?" he glared at her then shook his head.

"Well, that book is in the restricted section sadly I can't get to it, unless a teacher signs a note." Hermione stated rather matter of factly.

Breakfast was over rather soon, because of her late arrival, but yet it satisfied the pang of hunger she had in the pit of her stomach after her little burst of anger, she just may like this eating thing.

She hadn't seen Cleo, Livid, or Serenity yet so she guessed they had gone to Diagon Alley with Draco most likely. As of now she wasn't going to speak to them, she hated them, hated their games, their plays at keeping all information form her, but Why?

Shaking her head as if the attempt would help clear her raving thoughts she walked through the dark dungeons and oddly enough the cold walls radiating its glacial feel calmed Asryel, soothed her seemingly boiling blood.

Cutting into the Potions classroom without so much as a knock she caught Snape off guard and surprisingly enough he jumped slightly. A smile curled on her lips at this and she came up leaning over his shoulder looking at his paper. He was going about it all-wrong.

Shaking her head for the second time she picked up a stack of his notes and sat down in a chair looking through them a scowl on her face. Then she came to a page about a potion he found impossible to make, "The Age stall Potion." she gave a snort.

"Impossible…" she drawled in near laughter. Severus looked up at her and furrowed his brow.

"Come on." Asryel got up and took his hand pulling him to his feet and out of the Potions room.

When she had grasped her long fingers around his hand he shivered, it was sheer delight to be near her and look upon her, but for her to touch him was something entirely new, in fact very few people wanted to be around him. She led him outside and started walking the path around the lake. Severus had stopped; a walk around the lake didn't sound all too good for people to see. Asryel seemed to sense this and turned around.

"Don't worry Professor…" She continued to walk and he followed till they came to an over hanging self from the cliff looming over the lake… He watched as Asryel climbed up a few feet then disappeared into the shadows.

"I found this entrance while on one of my many walks around lake in my week of getting better." Hesitantly he followed up and was greeted by a room with five walls all adorn with books and on the far side of the room was a table that had vials of all sorts. He was shocked.

"Hey what else was I suppose to do for a thousand years?" Asryel said wryly.

The next half-hour was spent with Asryel showing him all the impossible Potions she had made, The Age Stall Potion being one of them. She had explained that she assumed she'd been given it when she was sixteen to stall her age. She let him at it while she sat down on her bed and shut her eyes thinking of what she didn't know yet. She had guessed a long time ago that the Age Stall Potion had been used on her, she had tried to find the reversal of it, she wanted to die finally.

Hours it seemed had passed since they had been here and Severus was so engrossed with the potions he didn't notice Asryel slip off to sleep and once he did he found himself watching her with interest. He wanted to be holding her right then, he didn't know why, but she had that effect on him. The awful thought of loving a student caused a churning pain in the pit of his stomach though finally he realized that she was over a millennium, this made him smile. He toyed with the idea as he came over and stood over her curled up figure that lie upon the bedclothes; she looked so angelic and not the least harmful as the Headmaster had told him. He bent down about to wake her when his hand reached her shoulders her eyes opened and he jerked slightly at the sight of those burning embers staring at him.

"We should go Miss. Se…" she reached up pulling him down and he tensed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently. Her body was shaking under his and he placed his arms on either side of her propping himself up on his elbows to lift some of his weight off of her as he returned the kisses. She then pulled her lips from his and looked up at him and opened her mouth to speak.

"Severus I lo…"

"Professor Snape?" Snape shook his head and looked over his shoulder at the girl before him; that had only been a dream? He sighed disappointed and turned to face her.

"Don't you think we should go soon?"

"Of course Miss Ser…"

"Asryel." She corrected and turned to go towards the bookcase when he reached out and grabbed her wrist firmly she was jerked back and forced to look at him.

"Don't Correct me!" he hissed and she just smiled and leaned up kissing his cheek then winking she left his grasp to read a few books over again.

Damn her and her Games he thought as he wrote down a few more notes stealing glances at her figure climbing the ladder to the higher shelves. His cheek still burned with the feeling of her lips, he'd relished in the short moment, but it only made him want to be closer to her.

Coming down from the ladder Asryel turned around and ran into something, looking up into the face of the Professor. For a moment she was lost in the void of his eyes, she couldn't move from the spot they anchored her feet, then her hands lost all feeling. The books fell from her palms as she reached behind her to gain balance bracing against the ladder. He took a step forward and they kept their gazes locked not daring to remove the connection, understanding of both their pain. Slowly Severus drew down and Asryel shut her eyes her breath all but stopped.

This time she made no attempt to push him away, this time she wanted it just as bad as he did. He moved first and brought his thin lips to her's and grasped her upper arms pulling her towards him his lips covering her. Her blood pulsed through her body like a drum and it rang in her ears steady as the pulse of his heart, which as her's, was beginning to race.

He released her shoulders and she pushed the ladder aside so it ran down the wall and she stumbled back till the books behind her bit into her shoulder blades. She gave a gasp of pain at first then her pain was soothed away by his touch on her face. He slowly pushed away her robes and let them slip off her shoulders. Her hand was held on his cheek and her other hand laced in his hair.

As he pulled away from the kiss she bit at his lips playfully, he was amused by this and bent down again kissing her with all the wanton he had shaking in his body. But then he felt it, what he dreaded, guilt. Pushing away suddenly he looked at her then looked away walking to the hole in the floor and slipped out without a word leaving Asryel falling to her knees staring after.

"So Mr. Malfoy you had to baby sit yet again." Cooed Cleo as she looked through a few books, Draco was a good many feet behind her leaning against a table, arms crossed enjoying the view till he was jarred from his thoughts.

"Drop it Cleo, would you?"

"Sorry Malfoy." She drawled with a slight tone of amusement. Draco returned his thoughts back to enjoying the view from behind her, then spoke yet again.

"It's Draco by the way. We're in the same house, why call me by Malfoy like the low life Gryffindors do?"

"My sister is one of those low life Gryffindors." Draco paused at this and then beat himself mentally for the comment.

"Sor…"

"Accepted." She said flatly clearly wanting to edge on his nerves.

" I didn't say sorry…"

"Then what were you going to say?" she laughed pulling a book down and reading through the pages.

"Uh…. Err…Serenity…" he stammered.

"Then why did it sound like an 'o' was in there somewhere."

"Cleo…?"

"Yes?"

"Do you ever have anything better to do?"

"No."

"Thought so."

End Chapter