Chronicles of The Black Unicorn:
Book I: Restoration By Li Cruz
Chapter One: The Convent
Lazarus peered through a mental fog at the vincinity of the Headmaster office door. Two voices, the headmaster's calm intones and someone's brassy clip, made it clear that they were agruing over something. Lazarus wondered as he stared blanky at the floor if he had overstayed his welcome. Looking at his hand, he knew he was becoming a bit more transparent even if others didn't notice it.
The Potion Master who was watching him, cleared his throat, disturbing the dark thoughts. His silky voice gave Lazarus an anchor to focus in the gray haze.
"So, boy. What were you doing in the forest last night?"
Lazarus, blinking slight at the slight lilt in the Potion Master's voice, shrugged. Severus Snape sighed exseperated as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. Lazarus swore he saw something flickered.
"It would go easier on you if you told us, Lazarus."
"I don't 'member." Came the soft reply. Lazarus pulled the warm blanket closer. He still felt cold and tired and what kind of answer is that you went searching for your memories out in the forest?
The headmaster returned with a short man in tow and what seemed to be some sort of bodyguards. A noble of some sort?
The headmaster bent down to Lazarus's level. Lazarus focused on him, his instincts crying out something was wrong. "Lazarus, this is Minister Cornealis Fudge. He wishes to speak with you."
"It's cold." Lazarus muttered into the blanket, causing the headmaster's brow to crease in worry.
"Severus, fetch Poppy."
As Severus left, the Minister asked the headmaster to move aside. He did so reluctantly. Lazarus's instincts went into overdrive. The Minister gave a signal and two of his bodyguards surrounded the boy as one of the others stunned the Headmaster from the back. The minister pulled out a vial.
"Veritaserum." Lazarus muttered as he shrank away from the man's hand.
The minister seemed amused. Lazarus struggled as two man suddenly pinned him to the seat. The man to the minister's left forced Lazarus's mouth open. Lazarus's exshaution allowed them to pour some of it down his throat. Lazarus felt the effect of it, lulling him to a place colder instead of warmer. Something was wrong with this batch. He fought against the cold.
"What is your name?"
"Lazarus." Lazarus managed to hold back the rest of his answer as sevearl different names floated through his mind.
"Where do you live?" He could see the startled eyes of the headmaster.
"In the Forbidden Forest."
There was a pause in the question. He heard an indistinct murmur before the questions began again.
"What are you?"
"Human."
"Are you a wizard?"
"No."
"Yet you knew what the potion was, explain."
"My father I think was a druid. My mother was a healer who was in contact with wizards." He replied dully. His head was aching not from his resisting but for running through nearly nonexistent memories."
"Where are they now?"
"Dead."
"How?"
A scene that hadn't been there flared into existence. Lazarus resisted crying. "I was little when the wizards attack my home. They were killed."
"Was it Deatheaters?"
"I don't understand the question."
"Was it Dark Wizards?"
"No." Lazarus allowed himself to slide a little more to darkness. If he went unconscious, the veritaserum would stop working. He thought it would.
"It was light Wizards?"
"They didn't like how my father preached about equal rights for all magical beings and non-magical."
Almost there.
"Where was your home?"
"I don't member..." Lazarus finally blacked out, not caring if he lived or not. Anything had to be better than being under veritaserum or control of a clearly power-hungry wizard.
"Those idiots! The boy is ill and they did what?!" The nurse's voice penetrated the cloudiness of his mind.
"I won't do anything about it. Hogwarts told me to do nothing about Fudge's behavior."
"Hogwarts?" The Head of Gryffindor's voice reminded Lazarus of what happened. "Told you to do nothing?"
"She seems to be more active lately. I think Fudge is in for a nasty surprise when he returns. How is Lazarus?"
"He's fine now. But he may be dazed for a while. The veritaserum may have some inverse perhaps permanent effects but I'm not sure which ones until he's over the flu. The poor child isn't used to being around other people either. I managed to trace the illness to be from a person. His immune system is quite weak, almost like a newborn's..." Pomfrey trailed off.
"So what do you need brewed?" Mr. Snape's voice held a note of concern.
"A few potions for strengthen the immune system. And perhaps one or two normal healing and nutritional potions." Pomfrey said.
Lazarus didn't hear the rest when again he fell asleep. When he awoke, the Spirit of Hogwarts was leaning over him. He gave a stifled gasp. She giggled.
"Morning, Laz. Feeling better?" Her hand brushed against his forehead.
"Not so fuzzy anymore." He said.
"I know this is sudden, but I have an idea to help you out. Do you think you have enough strength to restore the Convent of Hogwarts?"
"I think so." He whispered, slowly sitting up. "But?"
"Don't worry. Fawkes tells me they're at the Order of Phoenix meeting. No one should be able to bother us and then you can rest under the willow tree near my pool until you feel up to coming back up here."
Lazarus nodded. Within minutes, the Spirit led Laz slowly to the well-kept secret of Hogwarts. The Convent Garden. Neither were aware of the silent alarms placed on Laz's clothing.
The Convent Garden was nearly dead. The only sign of life was the old willow tree and even that was dying. The statue of the Black Unicorn, the very spirit of Hogwarts, was cracked and wrapped in vines long dead. The pool was tainted gray water. The smell of death and old fading magic was thick in Laz's nose. Like a glimpse of light, in the center of the pool where a spring laid, there was a small circle of water a bit clearer than the rest.
Lazarus understood why the Spirit was doing this. If the water became completely gray, she would lose hold on the mana that supported the original wards. Those original wards kept the Dark Lords out and provide a haven to those during times of pain and suffering. Losing the pool meant the Unicorn would eventually fade away herself, leaving this plane for the next. Though Lazarus didn't understand why that would happen, she had long ago pledged herself to this realm.
Yet there was a plus side for himself. It would allow him access to his own magical abilities and spiritual abilities, for right now he was nothing more than a wraith of a human. Even normal humans had spiritual energy and magic to some degree. Currently all that was holding his body was what little energy his soul had and that was quickly running out. Within a month his body would die and his soul would return to sleep. The only drawback to such a bond was he would also be bonded to whoever was the headmaster until his death or until the Black Unicorn decides to nullify their bond with said headmaster.
The Spirit had disappeared to attend to something while he prepared to do the ritual for what seemed to be the second time in his life or at least someone else's life. The adults appeared, startling Lazarus out of his meditative trance in preparation of the ritual. This required spiritual concentration more than magical. He heard the Minister's voice yell at him to take down the barrier. It didn't matter now, just the ritual.
He stepped into the water, feeling the malevolent energy. Whoever tainted the water tainted it well. Laz shuttered for a second before continuing forward.
The dark water clung to his body as he stood in the very center of the shallow pool. He folded his hands in position of prayer. Fawkes came in singing, landing on the neck of the statue.
"Convent broken become convent restored. To Black Unicorn I beg thou. Bestow again your Holy Light to us. To Guard the light of future against encroaching darkness. To protect their hearts from the eternal nothingness. Convent broken become convent restored. I beg thee. I commenst myself to thou." Lazarus repeated the words three times.
Fawkes bursts into song as the water roils and becomes as white as snow. The energy dies away and the water is pristine. A black unicorn stands before him, gaining the gasps of their 'guests'. Her blue eyes seemed to bare into his soul. With a shake of her mane, she speaks.
"Our Convent has been restored. I shall restore mine light upon all who will harken to mine door in dark times. You and thee are bond. Thou are mine. And I am yours."
As she said those last words, she lowered her horn to where his heart would lay. His arms went to his side and he stared unflinchingly into her eyes. A quick thrust and she pulls away. There is a general scream until Lazarus turns away from the fading specter and stumbles over to the ancient willow tree. He slumps there and lays there unmoving.
A half month later, Lazarus listened, hanging onto one Potion Master's every word. Said Potion Master was enjoying teaching the boy. Despite the fact the boy was placed in Gryffindor, Severus Snape was fond of Lazarus.
Severus during a lull in the lecture, thought back to that day when Lazarus did that bizarre ritual.
"What do you mean Lazarus is bonded to Hogwarts?" And why?" Severus asked skeptically.
"Apparently the boy was slowly dying of what she won't say except it would benefit them both is they were bonded. Hogwarts needs someone capable of purifying her powers and help her maintain the wards. In return, Lazarus now has access to his own magical abilities."
"He didn't before?" Poppy asked, clearly confused.
"That is what Hogwarts told me. I don't quite understand any of it. The only ones who truly know are Lazarus and Hogwarts. I doubt either can explain it properly to us."
"So why are we sorting the boy again?" Minerva asked.
"Ministry demands if we wish to keep the boy, we enrolled the boy in Hogwarts. Fudge is being insufferable." Albus sighed. "We'll be going with the Ministry for now."
Everyone caught the 'for now' part. Seemed Albus was getting sick of the Ministry's interference. Lazarus, currently sleeping in one of the chairs, opens an eye lazily. Albus smiled before summoning the Sorting Hat.
The hat took fifteen minutes to sort Lazarus. However, it was laughing manically when it announced his new house. The boy looked perturbed at the hat but said nothing the entire time.
There was a knock on his lab door. He sighed and demanded the person to enter. Potter and his faithful duo entered. Luckily the potion he was showing Lazarus was one which permitted the brewer to make many mistakes without creating a poison of any sort. Lazarus watched as Severus dropped the entire container of king's foot in.
"Well, well. Potter, what do I own this Visit to?" Snape recovered what wits he had left. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lazarus deftly fish the container out of the potion and drop it in the wash basin.
The sound of running water seemed to startle the staring Golden Trio into awareness.
"Er, Headmaster Dumbledore wanted me to come to you for Occumency Lessons and any other thing you thought I need to learn. He also said for you to teach Hermione and Ron."
"Boy, get the ground gray basil. Hopefully it will counter this potion's extra king's foot. Four leaves should do." Snape snapped an order at Lazarus.
Lazarus quickly obeyed. Snape smiled fondly at Lazarus before sliding back on his mask. He turned back to the staring Trio.
"Indeed. So Albus wants all three of you taught? Mm." He turned slight to be able to see Lazarus make the proper correction to the potion. "Preformed beautiful, Lazarus. Now, the dove feathers. Two of them. Potter, Granger, and Weasley, I will be expecting you at five after dinner. Stir five times to the right. Don't be late."
He nodded to Lazarus that the potion was done. Lazarus without a command began cleaning up.
"When you are finished, you have the rest of the day to yourself, but remember you are not allowed to be outside." Snape ignored the Trio. "Tomorrow, we will test to see if we got the healing potion for Birds correct."
"Yes, sir." Lazarus was already finished with putting away the ingredients. Snape lugged the potion cauldron to a room set aside for such things.
When Harry and his friends arrived at the potion lab, Lazarus let them in. The purple eyes peered almost uncertainly at them. Harry stared back, watching as emotions played over those large eyes. Fear, sorrow, and worry played over the kid's eyes. Harry even swore that when the young Gryffindor looked at Ron, a glitter of cold anger appeared for a second.
"Ron, I think you should avoid being with the new kid alone for now." Harry whispered to Ron when they sat down. "I think the kid hates your guts."
"Uh?" Ron merely articulated.
Hermione leaned forward. "You caught that too, Harry? I wonder why though. I haven't seen Mr. Lazarus around before."
Lazarus gave a deep sigh. He didn't like that Weasley kid. Something was too familiar to ignore.
Love, you shouldn't allow your emotions or what memories left to play out for too long. His friends saw your anger.
'Do you know why?'
I have a clue, but if I'm right. You'll have more to fear from him than anyone else. He's older than you and is just as powerful as before. So I think he'll learn how to be manipulative, far worse than our dear headmaster and his intents will not be good.
'Lovely.'
Snape-sensai walked in, obliviously noting his mood for the man gave him a fond pat on the head before addressing the trio.
Lazarus ignored the lesson for Snape-sensai told him to just go about his business. Lazarus ambled over to a giant framed sketch of a strange dragon. Snape-sensai had told him that he had found a set of sketches when he had been cleaning the long abandoned rooms for his own uses. The sketch had been done by what it seemed to be the first groundskeeper and would be worth tens of thousands of American Dollars on the muggle market. Lazarus knew who had created them. He smirked at the irony.
Lazarus muttered the password and slipped through the tunnel. The tunnel opened into a rather bland cold living area. The professor was often too busy with potions or missions to give much thought to his living quarters. Lazarus was currently living with the professor because he was safer with the Potion Master than not.
His health was the primary reason. His bond with Hogwarts had strengthened his body somewhat but he still suffered from illness. It had to do with the general neglect of Hogwarts. Though Albus's instatement had helped keep the Spirit from fading out of the mortal plane, it could do nothing for the deterioration the school's body and magic had suffered. So because Poppy currently wasn't always around, Snape-sensai was the choice.
Otherwise, the second reason was the ward's foundations were stronger at dungeon and ground-floor levels. The Ministry they had found couldn't touch Lazarus without some sort of pain occurring. Also Portkeys now malfunctioned at any level below the second floor level unless it is a recognized faculty member. So another it was for sanctuary from both Deatheaters and Ministry even though certain days half the wards were down but no one knew as of yet.
Thirdly though Snape-sensai wasn't aware for it, the Headmaster was also trying to keep Snape alive throughout the war. Lazarus doubted that the Headmaster knew he knew this through Hogwarts and from the elder's own thoughts. Unfortunately Lazarus didn't know the depth of Snape-sensai's affections for him. Unlike the Headmaster, Snape-senai was only emotional states. No 'shouted' thoughts escaped the barriers around his mind.
Lazarus shook his head out of his musing and studied the 'den' with a critical eye. Hogwart's voice piped up from the back of his mind.
I hope you're not planning something rather rash.
'Redecorating a room is rash?' Lazarus's right eyebrow went up.
It's your funeral.
'Thanks.' He thought back dryly.
The house elves were a great help in locating furniture fit for a Master of any trade. All of the old chairs were in great condition and handmade. Luckily they also located an old sewing machine no doubt out of some back room which Lazarus put to use. Luckily the fabrics he had asked for had been what he ordered.
'Thank god for the invention of the catalog.'
It took Lazarus and the house elves only two hours to rearrange the living area. The third hour Lazarus kept an ear out for his mentor. From the sound of it, he was currently yelling at the Weasley boy. The house elves left just a few minutes ago. He was doing the final arrangement of paintings and those sketches as well as some knickknacks.
He was putting away the sewing machine in his room, when he heard the crash of the door that separated the tunnel from the living space. Snape-san was yelling a storm at the three when he stopped in mid-rant.
He peeked out of the room to see his Sensai being placed on the couch by the 'Golden Trio'. He looked like he was out cold.
"I wonder what made him faint." Ms. Granger asked.
"Maybe he talked for too long." Mr. Weasley said eagerly.
The Potter boy ignored them both as he looked about the room. "Wow, Professor Snape has some taste for a greasy bastard."
Lazarus rolled his eyes at that remark. He walked into the kitchen and located the smelling salts. The trio seemed to be watching him carefully. He motioned for them to stand away as he bent over his mentor.
Snape-san came to and glared at Lazarus. Lazarus completely impervious to glare number 153 (what-the-hell-did-you-do glare), said. "I redecorated."
"I see." He looked about as he sat up. "A bit much don't you think, Lazarus?"
"A Master of any magical trade should have some notion of impressions." Lazarus, ignoring the gaping trio, swept past to the kitchen.
"Impressions, child. Humor me."
"You do make quite an impression when you first enter a room, but your living space says otherwise."
"Explain."
"You pass yourself of as this cultured master who has a high intelligence and the tall, dark, and mysterious profile." Lazarus gave his gentle smile.
"And my rooms do not." Snape-san smirked at this. "I see your point. So you redecorated to make this seem so."
"Actually I couldn't see how you could have relaxed in here before."
"So how did you determine what to put in here?" Snape, now up and exploring the room, stopped at the mantle. Lazarus sighed in relief. The professor was clearly delighted by the change in decor.
"Looking at the books you keep, the art you have, and those colors swatches I asked you to choose from." Lazarus replied as he set the teapot.
Snape smirked at this, remembering the day when Lazarus came to him. Lazarus had said it was for a painting he had been doing. "Too bad you're not in Slytherin."
Lazarus eyed the Trio with fleeting worry which was only visible to the Potion Master. "I think you broke them, sir."
The Potion Master smirked at the sight of them. "Yes, but don't they make a lovely set, don't they?"