Disclaimer (that I really hate to write every chapter so I think I'll just
write something along the lines of "You know the legal stuff," and be done
with it, but I don't think that'll cut it for all of the legal spawn of
Satan: I don't own the characters. J.K. Rowling is a Goddess. Yes, she is.
I own Molly D., Lester, and a few others. I also own St. David's. Not
legally, though---costs too much, anyway. I don't make any money from this.
Pity, but I try to find other ways..oh, the joys of upside-down, underwater
basket weaving.
A/N: Yes, I know, the plot isn't here yet. My mind works in mysterious ways. I have a plan, I promise. My betas---SarahV and TheGirlWithTheHair---- are going to help me a bit with the plot development so that it makes sense. I do seem to illustrate my ADD in every chapter, going off into unnecessary details and stuff, so please bear with me on that. But, hey, whoever said that it was bad to be like an ADD kid on speed with the attention span of a 3 year old?? No one, that's who. Damn shrinks. Please RR. Remember, I hate to starve. Please feed me. I've gotten only good reviews, which I love. Thanks to all of my readers. But if you can provide me with food, I can continue to entertain you. Peace.
Hermione was immersed in the book Blood Magic is Dark Stuff.. eeewwww, Blood! by Sangre Mal, which had droplets of what she feared was blood on some of the pages. This is really complicated, she thought.
All wizards are connected by blood. It can also bind anyone to anyone else in a different way. It is transferred through direct blood contact, and this is one of the reasons why wizards and witches have knives and other Muggle weapons, which draw and shed blood. The bind can be good and bad for both parties. It gives the recipient some of the characteristics and attributes of the giver. Take, for example, the bind that connects Harry Potter and the Dark Lord. However unintentionally, the Dark Lord transferred some of his powers to the unknowing child. Potter can speak Parseltongue, as can the Dark Lord. Potter has more of the Dark Lord's attributes, we are sure, however they are yet to be discovered. These may prove crucial in future years when the two meet again. The bind also serves as a homing device of sorts, which can lead the blood sharers to one another. Blood binds are often between enemies, which can be a factor in their battles. The bind can be one that equalizes the two persons, which is also a factor. The blood can also give one certain privileges that are carried in a family's blood. Many pureblooded manors, mansions, and establishments have wards that only allow one who has the family's blood traces in them. It's a very archaic form of protection, but, as the pureblooded community is becoming smaller and smaller, those that marry only purebloods are becoming more likely to be marrying a distant relative, which mixes the blood of almost every family together. The International Ministry of Magic now restricts all blood magic, however, it is often practiced illegally, and most blood magic is used for the worst.
Wow, she thought. She glanced at Lester to make sure that he was still there, but she did a double take when she saw that he was grimacing and gripping his forearm. He can't be, she thought, he's a Ministry-employed research supervisor. But he did seem to have the traits of one of that side. She also noticed that Lucius Malfoy's portrait was talking to him in a hushed voice. He was also employed by the Ministry, so that was obviously not a factor. She got up and went to a row that was within earshot of the conversation, pretending to look for another text.
"I told you that you should've left before," said Lucius in a tone that was one that four year olds would use to say, "I told you so."
"Yeah, well, I'm working and making sure that no one gets to anything that could be harmful to Him. This girl's a bit sketchy, but." he just realized the Hermione wasn't at the table anymore. He looked and saw her in a nearby row. Right when he mentioned her, Hermione had quickly pulled a random book of the shelf so that it looked like she was, indeed, looking for another book. But Lester knew that neither Blood Magic nor anything of the sort was on that row. That was the row that contained the hidden texts, which were kept in unsuspected books, like How Cheese Can be Made Evil, and Lester hoped that she hadn't picked up any by mistake, for that would mean punishment for sure from the Dark Lord.
"Girl, why the hell are you over there? That is not the Blood Magic section! You were only permitted to research that topic alone. Nothing else!" he tried not to sound panicked, but he failed. Lucius was looking disproving and he shared one last evil glare at Lester before leaving the portrait. Oh, no, thought Lester, he's off to tell my Master!
"I.. uh.. er.um.I thought that I would see if food can be used in, er, allowing one to take another's blood. Maybe cheese.ooops!" Out fell some parchment from the book. "Oh, I'm sorry, I."
"Oh, shit!" exclaimed Lester when he realized what they were.
Hermione caught a glimpse of what was on them, though, for a few seconds before Lester had snatched the book away and collected the stray papers. They had a map on one page, which showed, unmistakably, the Route of the Dark, a map that Hermione had read about and had seen sketches of, but nothing that she had read was actually known for sure. The authors had heard about what it was and how it worked, but they had only guessed at what it looked like. The map was labaled as the Marked Trail, another name for the Route. Hermione saw that there were many dots near one location in particular, one with the abbreviation "G.H.". She also saw an outline of a process, something about the Proof of Loyalty. This stuff didn't look like it had anything to do with malicious cheese.
Hermione thought that she was more unwelcome than ever now, and quickly gathered her notes, quill, and bag. She felt the need to leave this section as quickly as she could, so that Lester wouldn't begin to fume. Lester looked thoroughly pissed at himself and was hastily pocketing the parchment. With a quick "Thank you," Hermione went trough the portrait and walked straight to where the others were as quickly as she could, not forgetting the look on Lester's face, a scared, guilty face that a burglar will have when they are seen in the act. She had to the others as soon as possible.
**********************************
Snape passed the rocky remains of what he knew used to be a house, which had been repeatedly searched and investigated. He felt somewhat guilty and thought that it was wrong to be in this place. The sky was a murky gray, with clouds hinting at rain. The place looked ominous and sad, if a place could feel sadness. Hooded people were walking and appearing here from every direction, looking as though they floated instead of walked. They were beginning to form a circle around the ruins of the house. There were only a few other houses, but they had all been abandoned. This was the place that the Dark Lord favored for his Evil Plotting Sessions and Death Eater meetings. It was unknown to many of his followers why, of all places, He chose this place to convene.
Snape assumed his position near the head of the circle, right next to Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy, the Dark Lord's most loyal and evil followers. Snape had no idea why he was placed right up there with them-all of Voldemort's followers were sorted in some way, based on loyalty, how long the person had been a Death Eater, what sacrifices he/she had made and how many, and what he/she had done in His service.
Snape had been faithful for many years before his reform, and had been "loyal" for about as long as he had really been loyal. So that was about 20 years, because he'd joined when his fiancé had died, which was two years after he left Hogwarts.19. He had changed a lot in the 39-year span of his life. His father had forsaken him and anytime he actually felt that he loved someone and they had loved him, too, he would lose them. This was what had turned him to Voldemort in the first place, but what had made him change was unbeknownst to him at the time.
He knew that several sacrifices had been made on his part for Voldemort, yet many of those weren't really sacrificial. While pretending to be a spy for the Dark side, he would let things slip "accidentally," and many of these things were untrue, but Voldemort had never blamed him for His failed attempts at Evil-doing. Snape was a valuable spy for Dumbledore because of his rank in the Death Squad, a lot of insider information wasn't shared with the lower ranks, so Dumbledore and the Order got a lot of confidential information.
As Snape was receiving a mental certificate of achievement from himself, the lower ranks began to fall to their knees and make an opening in the circle. Two figures, a tall one and a short one, were proceeding to the center of the congregation. The taller one was accepting bows from the inferiors, some of them crawling to Him so that they could kiss the hem of His robes. As He moved into the center of the circle, He nodded His head at the higher ranks, and Snape and the others bowed respectfully in return. He walked towards the top of the circle and settled in between Lucius and Bellatrix, while Wormtail took his place to Bellatrix's left. "D'ai stiho," he said. "Welcome, Death Eaters."
A/N: Okay, there were a whole bunch of little hints dropped in here and if you think you've found them, take a guess in your review-I consider guesses my dessert. Hahaha. Anyway, the Route of the Dark works like the Marauders' Map-it shows where people are and stuff. A bunch of my little details and things are actually important in future chapters, such as my, er, dabbles in Snape's post-Hogwarts life. Oooh, I know I should let y'all find these things out on your own, but. I just can't. Hope y'all like it. RR-I'm sooo hungry. Food is still good, and I still do not know why.
A/N: Yes, I know, the plot isn't here yet. My mind works in mysterious ways. I have a plan, I promise. My betas---SarahV and TheGirlWithTheHair---- are going to help me a bit with the plot development so that it makes sense. I do seem to illustrate my ADD in every chapter, going off into unnecessary details and stuff, so please bear with me on that. But, hey, whoever said that it was bad to be like an ADD kid on speed with the attention span of a 3 year old?? No one, that's who. Damn shrinks. Please RR. Remember, I hate to starve. Please feed me. I've gotten only good reviews, which I love. Thanks to all of my readers. But if you can provide me with food, I can continue to entertain you. Peace.
Hermione was immersed in the book Blood Magic is Dark Stuff.. eeewwww, Blood! by Sangre Mal, which had droplets of what she feared was blood on some of the pages. This is really complicated, she thought.
All wizards are connected by blood. It can also bind anyone to anyone else in a different way. It is transferred through direct blood contact, and this is one of the reasons why wizards and witches have knives and other Muggle weapons, which draw and shed blood. The bind can be good and bad for both parties. It gives the recipient some of the characteristics and attributes of the giver. Take, for example, the bind that connects Harry Potter and the Dark Lord. However unintentionally, the Dark Lord transferred some of his powers to the unknowing child. Potter can speak Parseltongue, as can the Dark Lord. Potter has more of the Dark Lord's attributes, we are sure, however they are yet to be discovered. These may prove crucial in future years when the two meet again. The bind also serves as a homing device of sorts, which can lead the blood sharers to one another. Blood binds are often between enemies, which can be a factor in their battles. The bind can be one that equalizes the two persons, which is also a factor. The blood can also give one certain privileges that are carried in a family's blood. Many pureblooded manors, mansions, and establishments have wards that only allow one who has the family's blood traces in them. It's a very archaic form of protection, but, as the pureblooded community is becoming smaller and smaller, those that marry only purebloods are becoming more likely to be marrying a distant relative, which mixes the blood of almost every family together. The International Ministry of Magic now restricts all blood magic, however, it is often practiced illegally, and most blood magic is used for the worst.
Wow, she thought. She glanced at Lester to make sure that he was still there, but she did a double take when she saw that he was grimacing and gripping his forearm. He can't be, she thought, he's a Ministry-employed research supervisor. But he did seem to have the traits of one of that side. She also noticed that Lucius Malfoy's portrait was talking to him in a hushed voice. He was also employed by the Ministry, so that was obviously not a factor. She got up and went to a row that was within earshot of the conversation, pretending to look for another text.
"I told you that you should've left before," said Lucius in a tone that was one that four year olds would use to say, "I told you so."
"Yeah, well, I'm working and making sure that no one gets to anything that could be harmful to Him. This girl's a bit sketchy, but." he just realized the Hermione wasn't at the table anymore. He looked and saw her in a nearby row. Right when he mentioned her, Hermione had quickly pulled a random book of the shelf so that it looked like she was, indeed, looking for another book. But Lester knew that neither Blood Magic nor anything of the sort was on that row. That was the row that contained the hidden texts, which were kept in unsuspected books, like How Cheese Can be Made Evil, and Lester hoped that she hadn't picked up any by mistake, for that would mean punishment for sure from the Dark Lord.
"Girl, why the hell are you over there? That is not the Blood Magic section! You were only permitted to research that topic alone. Nothing else!" he tried not to sound panicked, but he failed. Lucius was looking disproving and he shared one last evil glare at Lester before leaving the portrait. Oh, no, thought Lester, he's off to tell my Master!
"I.. uh.. er.um.I thought that I would see if food can be used in, er, allowing one to take another's blood. Maybe cheese.ooops!" Out fell some parchment from the book. "Oh, I'm sorry, I."
"Oh, shit!" exclaimed Lester when he realized what they were.
Hermione caught a glimpse of what was on them, though, for a few seconds before Lester had snatched the book away and collected the stray papers. They had a map on one page, which showed, unmistakably, the Route of the Dark, a map that Hermione had read about and had seen sketches of, but nothing that she had read was actually known for sure. The authors had heard about what it was and how it worked, but they had only guessed at what it looked like. The map was labaled as the Marked Trail, another name for the Route. Hermione saw that there were many dots near one location in particular, one with the abbreviation "G.H.". She also saw an outline of a process, something about the Proof of Loyalty. This stuff didn't look like it had anything to do with malicious cheese.
Hermione thought that she was more unwelcome than ever now, and quickly gathered her notes, quill, and bag. She felt the need to leave this section as quickly as she could, so that Lester wouldn't begin to fume. Lester looked thoroughly pissed at himself and was hastily pocketing the parchment. With a quick "Thank you," Hermione went trough the portrait and walked straight to where the others were as quickly as she could, not forgetting the look on Lester's face, a scared, guilty face that a burglar will have when they are seen in the act. She had to the others as soon as possible.
**********************************
Snape passed the rocky remains of what he knew used to be a house, which had been repeatedly searched and investigated. He felt somewhat guilty and thought that it was wrong to be in this place. The sky was a murky gray, with clouds hinting at rain. The place looked ominous and sad, if a place could feel sadness. Hooded people were walking and appearing here from every direction, looking as though they floated instead of walked. They were beginning to form a circle around the ruins of the house. There were only a few other houses, but they had all been abandoned. This was the place that the Dark Lord favored for his Evil Plotting Sessions and Death Eater meetings. It was unknown to many of his followers why, of all places, He chose this place to convene.
Snape assumed his position near the head of the circle, right next to Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy, the Dark Lord's most loyal and evil followers. Snape had no idea why he was placed right up there with them-all of Voldemort's followers were sorted in some way, based on loyalty, how long the person had been a Death Eater, what sacrifices he/she had made and how many, and what he/she had done in His service.
Snape had been faithful for many years before his reform, and had been "loyal" for about as long as he had really been loyal. So that was about 20 years, because he'd joined when his fiancé had died, which was two years after he left Hogwarts.19. He had changed a lot in the 39-year span of his life. His father had forsaken him and anytime he actually felt that he loved someone and they had loved him, too, he would lose them. This was what had turned him to Voldemort in the first place, but what had made him change was unbeknownst to him at the time.
He knew that several sacrifices had been made on his part for Voldemort, yet many of those weren't really sacrificial. While pretending to be a spy for the Dark side, he would let things slip "accidentally," and many of these things were untrue, but Voldemort had never blamed him for His failed attempts at Evil-doing. Snape was a valuable spy for Dumbledore because of his rank in the Death Squad, a lot of insider information wasn't shared with the lower ranks, so Dumbledore and the Order got a lot of confidential information.
As Snape was receiving a mental certificate of achievement from himself, the lower ranks began to fall to their knees and make an opening in the circle. Two figures, a tall one and a short one, were proceeding to the center of the congregation. The taller one was accepting bows from the inferiors, some of them crawling to Him so that they could kiss the hem of His robes. As He moved into the center of the circle, He nodded His head at the higher ranks, and Snape and the others bowed respectfully in return. He walked towards the top of the circle and settled in between Lucius and Bellatrix, while Wormtail took his place to Bellatrix's left. "D'ai stiho," he said. "Welcome, Death Eaters."
A/N: Okay, there were a whole bunch of little hints dropped in here and if you think you've found them, take a guess in your review-I consider guesses my dessert. Hahaha. Anyway, the Route of the Dark works like the Marauders' Map-it shows where people are and stuff. A bunch of my little details and things are actually important in future chapters, such as my, er, dabbles in Snape's post-Hogwarts life. Oooh, I know I should let y'all find these things out on your own, but. I just can't. Hope y'all like it. RR-I'm sooo hungry. Food is still good, and I still do not know why.