Okay, so this is a
pretty long chapter with a lot of stuff going on. Many questions
will be answered as we approach the end of our little journey. Yep,
only a few more chapters to go, I think. I've actually had a few
ideas that will make this story a bit longer than originally
intended…we'll see how much longer it ends up.
The female apophis was
my super-quick reviewer on the last chapter. Thanks for the review,
my dear. I hope you continue enjoying this story.
LauraNotLora: People
really have this silly idea that playing second is not as important
as playing first. I think it's super cool that you play the
violin. I wanted to learn, but my teacher kindly told me that I'd
suck terribly at it and that unlike the harp the violin is not a
forgiving instrument to beginners. And that I'd be frustrated all
the time because it's been so long since I was a beginner at the
harp that I've forgotten what it's like.
SlytherinsDarkAngel:
Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked that bit…I tried not
to make it too horribly sappy but what the hell, eh?
Mione n Sevvie: Nope,
as far as I know Snape has exhibited no musical inclination other
than an appreciation for fine music. He may prove me wrong. But
believe me when I say it's bloody hard to make things work with
another musician. I tried it once.
Draccy: I'll just
take a paint pen to a white tank top and make my own 'krunk' tee,
I suppose. After reading your review, I had another idea on how they
get it together which will pull this story out a bit. We shall see…
AveryGoodun: I think
you'll see the influence of your last review in here. I actually
explained something that I'd thought through in my head but not put
down on paper…till you raised the question of how many challenges
there would be. Hope you like this chapter!
Lil: Glad you're
loving it. A pleasure to hear from you, as always.
As always, reviews are appreciated! Still trying to beat 119, so keep the love coming. Thank you so very much to all of you who have taken the time to leave me a note!
--aimes
Hermione reached out and tentatively gripped the violin, glancing at Snape warily. He stopped her before she could grasp the bow.
"It won't work if you doubt yourself," he chided.
"Then you do it," she hissed back, unnerved.
"I can't take the risk of draining you like that," he responded gently. His brow creased for a moment as he considered. "However I may still be able to help. Take the violin," he instructed.
Hermione did so and lifted it to her chin almost instinctively. Snape stepped behind her and pulled out the necklace she'd given him. He unclasped it from around his neck and gripped it in his left hand, sliding his arm around her and pressing the pendant against her chest, next to the silver one she wore. His right hand covered her pendant and he began to focus himself. Hermione gasped as she felt magic flow through her. It was gentle and encompassing, like water, and it held her buoyant. In a flash she sensed the music as well, alive and existing within her. The water-magic tugged at the music gently, pushing it and shaping it before stopping and forcing her to drift toward the music. Without thought, Hermione began to play the violin, shaping the music as Snape had shown her, bending it to her will. It flowed through her and suddenly she was playing the Haydn piece. In a moment the blue light had dissolved and Hermione and Severus were suddenly on the other side of the doorway. It had closed itself behind them and they stood at the entrance of a large chamber. Snape released his hold on her and Hermione felt the water recede. All at once she had a vision of the water rising in an unstoppable tide, destroying everything it encountered, washing through and dominating, only to recede when it had finished, leaving nothing of itself behind. She let out a soft sigh as the image flashed through her mind before dissipating.
"Just because we can't use it in ways we're accustomed to does not mean our magic has ceased to exist," a voice murmured in her ear. "Is that what we came for?" he asked, gesturing.
Hermione focused on the platform in the middle of the room, trying to ignore the shivers that his voice sent shooting down her spine. The chamber was large and black, with the same undulating pattern on the walls that had been in the Keeper's chambers.
"This seems a bit too…easy," Snape noted uncomfortably. "I should think that there would be more layers between us and the Chord."
His statement stopped Hermione in her tracks and she didn't move forward, trying to calculate whether the Chord itself was rigged.
"Well we have to remember that the vast majority of humanity has no idea that the Chord exists. Not even the magical world is aware of it. Add in the fact that you need an Amulet of Eternity to get in and that the Gate Keeper can make your visit pretty hellish if he thinks you're here with evil intentions. The only reason he let Regina in without question is because he knew that we'd stop her…" she said thoughtfully.
"But you said yourself that the Amulet exists for every instrument. There are a lot of instruments in the world, Hermione. And the Gate Keeper admitted that his powers are severely limited. Anyone with an Amulet and enough willpower could take the map," Snape countered.
"Right, but I don't even think that rumours about the Chord circulate in musical communities where the Amulet is weak. Remember, I told you that the harp and the piccolo are the most powerful? Well supposedly there are only a handful of instruments for which the Amulet can be used to access the Temple. I don't know specifically which instruments, other than the harp and piccolo, but there aren't many, from what I know. Also, the Temple itself is damned confusing. And I get the feeling that the Keeper gave us the easy map. In any case, even if you're right…what choice do we have?"
Snape nodded reluctantly and they proceeded to the middle of the room, where a plain wooden box sat on a block of red granite within a column of light. Hermione took his hand before stepping into the light and reaching toward the box. A split second before she touched it, Snape tensed and turned, an angry and bewildered expression on his face.
"What the bloody he--?" he had no opportunity to finish the statement.
"Crucio!" The spell came out of nowhere and Hermione hit the ground, writhing. Snape had his wand out in seconds, crouching low and relaxing his mind to sense the other presence in the room. It took him a fraction of a second to realize that the spell had to have come from behind them—Regina must have followed them through the maze somehow.
He muttered a spell to make himself invisible and cursed when it didn't work. Suddenly the outline of a woman emerged, leaning against the door with a wand pointed at him.
"Only works for me, love," she said with a smirk. "How'd you know I was here?"
"Whatever spell you were using to mask your scent wore off. I always hated that perfume," he replied coldly.
"Took me years to figure out a way to use magic in this place without the Keeper sensing it," Regina said casually, ignoring his comment. "I would have come for it as soon as I had worked around that detail, but by that time Vasili was dead and there was no holder of the Amulet. Bloody irritating—the Amulet is useless unless it has been held at least once by its current keeper and the keeper is alive. Hence, I had to wait for it to be awarded to someone. I'd hoped it would be me, but…" She flicked her wrist, releasing the spell on Hermione. "Beggars can't be choosers."
Without taking his eyes from Regina, Snape dropped to one knee and checked Hermione's pulse.
"I'm okay," she grunted. "In a very relative sense of the word."
"How sweet," Regina drawled. "Concerned for her well-being, then, Severus? You always were far too nice beneath that dark exterior. I prefer my evil unfiltered." She pushed away from the wall and stood before them, eyebrow raised and smirk well in place. She was tall; at least five-feet, ten inches. Her thick, almost translucent blonde hair fell to her waist and her green eyes were the color of emeralds. Hermione decided that the woman was unquestionably beautiful. In a bitchy sort of way.
"I noticed your penchant for madmen," Snape responded tersely. "Round about the time you started sleeping with Voldemort."
"Don't take it personally," Regina replied sweetly. "It was a pure lust thing. Besides, it's not like I kicked you out of my bed as soon as I started sleeping in his part-time."
"I rather wish you had." He stalled, allowing Hermione to catch her breath and recover somewhat from the curse.
Regina's face darkened. "Is the little Mudblood bitch a good shag?" she asked acidly. "It was a pretty steamy kiss you had back there, after all." Severus and Hermione winced almost simultaneously.
"Funny how much it upsets you that he might be sleeping with me considering you dropped him," Hermione pointed out. She was shifting on her side, trying to get to her wand without Regina noticing and blowing her halfway to hell.
Regina turned her deadly glare on Hermione. "Whether or not I'm fucking him at any given time, he's mine," she growled. "And so was the Harpist. So you've already got two points against you. Care to try for more?"
Hermione rolled quickly and came up with her wand pointed at Regina. "Sure. Let's start with me sending you back to hell."
Regina snorted as she pushed off the wall and stalked toward them. "Please. I'm the only one who can do magic here. And I must say, it was very fortuitous that the Gate Keeper dropped you back at the entrance. When I walked in and saw you two on the ground, I realized that all I had to do was put on a few cloaking spells so that the Keeper couldn't sense me and Severus couldn't smell me and follow you two to the prize." She sneered as she directed the jibe at Snape but he merely met her gaze calmly. Anyone who was at all familiar with him, however, could see the rage simmering in his black eyes.
Regina absorbed the hatred emanating from his eyes and gave him a sultry smile. "Much better, love. You're far sexier when you're angry. I always liked fucking you after you'd hexed Lucius Malfoy. It just gave you that extra...spark." Snape moved almost imperceptibly but Regina's wand was leveled at him instantly. "No, darling. I'm afraid consorting with a Mudblood puts you firmly out of my sphere of desire. Stay where you are."
There was no 'or else' but Snape didn't seem to need the added threat. He knew perfectly well what Regina de la Gris was capable of.
Hermione murmured a petrificus spell and was not very surprised when it didn't work. "Worth a try," she mumbled. Severus glanced at her as he slowly rose to his feet, trying not to set Regina off.
Regina strode past them toward the Chord, hips swaying casually. "I'll finish with you just as soon as I've gotten what I came for. It might take some time and meditation before I'm free of emotion and can read it, but I can wait." Hermione was struck by the power that seemed to flow around the woman. She definitely took after her father. Hermione knew who would come out on top in a fight and she was not eager to have her remains splattered against the walls of the temple.
"Incidentally," Regina turned to them with a slight smile, "the platform isn't booby-trapped and neither is the Chord. It's useless to a non-musician, remember? And only someone holding an active Amulet of Eternity can leave the Temple with that box without being disintegrated the second they stepped outside. The violin thing wasn't even a challenge so much as a reminder of your humble roots."
"Well the disintegration bit might've turned out to be a problem," Hermione mumbled, noticing her Amulet glinting against Regina's skin.
"I'd planned to follow you out and take the box after you were a pile of dust, but like I said, beggars, etcetera." Regina returned her attention to the task at hand.
The solution hit Hermione in a flash. As Regina stepped up onto the platform and reached out for the Chord, Hermione moved next to Snape and slid her hand into his shirt to cover the gold pendant.
"You may have my Amulet, Gina, but I have the Gift."
As Regina looked over her shoulder with a confused and irritated expression, Hermione raised her free hand and channeled the music. It surged out of Snape, joining the rest of the music within Hermione for a brief moment before being released as pure energy, crackling as it coalesced into a vaguely winged shape.
Hermione tried vainly to control it, to focus it, but it began to overpower her and she doubled over.
"Pathetic," Regina spat. "Impressive looking but worthless." She turned back to the object of her obsession, reaching out a hand to trace a finger lovingly along the edge of the box. Snape could both sense her magic growing just from touching the box.
Hermione slumped against Snape, desperately trying to exert her control but it was no use. She had the raw power, but not the training. Water washed over her psyche, soothing her, lifting her and rocking her. It swept through her and followed the music, swelling into the tide Hermione had envisioned earlier. The music surrendered to the new force and Hermione watched detachedly as it hit Regina, lifting her up and tossing her across the room. She felt the spell that allowed Regina to use magic dissolve into dust and registered the shocked look in Regina's eyes as she hit the wall and slid down. None of it really concerned her, though. She was so comfortable floating on the inky water in the gentle darkness. Soothing darkness. She wanted to wrap herself in it.
All at once, the water was gone and the music returned to her, fire in her veins as it reintegrated itself into her. Then that too was gone and she felt empty but for the familiar sensation of the music running in her head.
Next to her, Severus Snape stood tall and calm, supporting her. His eyes flickered open as his magic eased back into him.
"Hermione? Are you okay?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah," she responded, voice rough. "Thanks. I…well, thanks." She looked up at him, brown eyes tired but with a slight smile.
Snape nodded silently as he helped her straighten. Hermione looked over at Regina where she slumped against the wall.
"Think she's down for the count, then?"
"I suppose we should check," he sighed. They moved cautiously toward the blonde figure. When they were within a few feet. Hermione stopped. Snape stopped as well and looked at her.
"Something's not right," she began, but was silenced when Regina sprang to her feet. Hermione saw the knife a split second before Regina slid it between Snape's ribs.
"No!" Hermione shoved Regina back, slamming her against the wall. Regina struggled and without warning the music lashed up and out of Hermione, enveloping the blonde woman. A thousand tiny cuts appeared on Regina as she started screaming in pain.
Hermione gasped as Regina's own protective magic swelled and emerged from her, a dark green force of nature the color of Regina's eyes. It grew exponentially, filling the room and protecting itself and its mistress. The temperature dropped several degrees as Regina's magic gathered itself, prepared to destroy anything and everything.
Hermione forced her own magic to control the music as she'd felt Snape do and she suddenly felt the two fuse. The music became part of her magic in an instant and she felt power surge through her. A burst of energy spiked out and the winged shape appeared, striking directly for Regina's heart. With a piercing scream, Regina slumped to the floor, dead. The green magic expanded and then collapsed, imploding and dissipating around the lifeless body of its mistress.
Hermione was distracted by Snape's unmoving form and noticed Regina's demise only as a peripheral event. She felt her magic return and made a mental note to have Snape explain the concept of magic as a raw force instead of something she had to conjure up with a wand. If he survived.
She dropped to her knees beside him and rolled him onto his back, grunting as she lifted his limp upper body into her arms. He groaned and his eyes opened but remained unfocused. They were dull and fading and Hermione began to panic.
"Severus? Severus, stay with me, please. Come on; don't give up on me now! We're going to get out of here and get you some help." She pressed her hand against his torso to staunch the blood flow and almost missed his low murmur.
"What are you trying to say, Severus?" she leaned her head close to his.
"Keeper," he whispered.
Hermione's brow furrowed before it registered. "Oh bloody hell I'm an idiot," she cursed. "Keeper? Gatekeeper! I know you can hear me! Help me, please!" She felt Snape's pulse slow and she turned panicked eyes back to him. "Keeper!" she screamed. "Damn you, help us!"
She felt the yank as she disappeared and nearly cried with relief.
"Demanding little one aren't you?" came the rich voice. Hermione looked up at the Keeper with a glare.
"We stopped her," she growled. "Would you please help him?"
"Well since you asked so nicely," he laughed. He closed his silver eyes. Hermione's hand slid from Snape's wound to his hand and she clutched it tightly, eyes closed as she tried not to panic.
"C'mon," she mumbled. "Dumbledore'll kill me if you die."
"Glad to know you care," Snape replied wryly. Hermione looked up from where she clutched his hand. His eyes were open and he was regarding her with a bemused expression. Snape sat up and Hermione flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
"I need to breathe, Hermione," he gasped. Hermione released him with a sheepish smile. His mouth quirked into a small smile as well and it was enough to make Hermione grin.
The Gatekeeper cleared his throat.
"Are you quite finished?" he teased. Hermione glanced over at him, still smiling.
"We'll we've stopped Gina," she told him. "Now what?"
She and Snape stood, facing the keeper.
"Now I ask you to grant me the ability to prevent such a situation in the future," the Keeper told her. "But first," he held up a pendant, "I believe this is yours." He tossed it to her and Hermione caught it with a slight smile.
"Thanks. Now how exactly do I go about giving you power?"
The Keeper narrowed his eyes at her. "You really are new at this, aren't you?" he asked rhetorically. Hermione raised an eyebrow at him and Snape chuckled at the expression on her face.
"Can we get on with it?" she asked irritably.
"All you need do is focus, child, until you feel the energy inside you. Then you use it to make me stronger," he said simply.
Hermione looked confused, pondering how exactly one was to do this.
"I think it's like sharing the music with me," Snape said suddenly, as the process clicked in his mind. "His natural ability will amplify it."
"And unlike us, he can reign it in," Hermione finished. "Makes sense, I think. But wouldn't one of the residual effects be an increase in my own power? I mean if it's amplifying but I don't have to expend the energy to control it, theoretically it should leave me stronger too."
"No. Humans are not like me. You have an innate ability level. Magical humans can train themselves just as athletic humans can, however you cannot change your raw talent level. It simply…is. Once we break our connection, the power will recede back to its natural level in you." The Keeper shrugged. "I was created as a being in flux. Over the millennia I have changed and adapted, but I seem to have hit a plateau several millennia ago in terms of magical ability. Other aspects of me seem to keep evolving but that particular trait hit a wall. It was only two centuries ago that I learned that magical holders of the Amulet can advance my powers, and even then, it takes a very gifted witch or wizard."
"Am I gifted enough?" Hermione asked bluntly.
"I believe you are. If you are not, there is little harm done. You will faint and I shall revive you."
Hermione took a deep breath and exhaled. "Alright then. Let's try this." She took the Keeper's hand and the Amulet of Eternity, letting it rest between their clasped hands. She closed her eyes but before she could begin the spell, Snape touched her shoulder.
"It may be more successful if I help," he suggested quietly. Hermione looked over at him and nodded her agreement.
Snape took the gold pendant from around her neck and held it as he grasped her free hand. He let his magic seep into her slowly. At the same time, Hermione channeled her new hybrid magic, letting it mingle with Snape's. She began to chant the spell and the energy flowed into the Keeper.
Within seconds the room seemed to crackle with energy. The combined powers fed back into each other, growing almost impossibly large. The Keeper opened his eyes and began to absorb the excess energy until he could take in no more. With a grunt he broke the connection and Hermione felt her magic rush back into her. Snape waited for her to gain her bearings before pulling his own magic back into him.
Hermione released the Keeper's hand and looked at him, unsure. She could feel the power radiating from him and instinctively stepped back. Snape squeezed her hand reassuringly and the pendant dug into her palm, making her squeak. In a moment the newly powerful Keeper had turned his gaze upon them.
"Impressive," he complimented with a grin. Hermione found herself no more comfortable with his teeth than she had been before.
"Erm, thanks."
The Keeper laughed and this time it was Hermione who squeezed Snape's hand.
"Would you like to see the Chord, child? You've come all this way, after all."
"No, I think it's better left where it is. And you might want to consider increasing the security on it," Hermione added as an afterthought.
The Keeper grinned again and the sight of his sharp silver teeth was enough to convince Hermione that the Chord was protected well enough.
"I will return you to your vehicle. You can find your way from there, I trust. The temple has already absorbed the remains and energy of the other one."
"Remind me not to die here," Hermione muttered to Snape.
"Perhaps I shall see you again," the Keeper said.
"I'll be sure to write," Hermione assured him. He laughed.
"She's probably a handful in bed," he commented to Snape. Before Hermione could formulate an indignant response, he waved his hand and Snape and Hermione found themselves in front of their Jeep.
"Well that was interesting," Hermione said after a moment.
"Indeed," was Snape's only comment.
