Chapter Six:
Unicorn Bone and Magic Both Dark and Light
Weary of Fury
The night reflected much of the tension that was surmounting in the over warm office. It was late, passions had been stoked, opinions had been argued, and tempers had been shortened.
The Order of the Phoenix, or at least a good majority of them, were seated around the same table and sat in the same chairs as they had for every other meeting since that first week before term.
Only tonight, there was much more at stake than any previous meetings combined.
Voldemort had made a move and it was none of them expected.
"It doesn't make any sense, why would, you-know-who, disband his inner circle and send them on fool errands into different parts of the world? What could he possibly be looking for?" Arthur Weasley paused to run a hand through his short, balding hair in a sign of frustration that was not lost on anyone in the room. He looked to Severus. "What is he after?"
But Severus did not answer. Instead, his eyes slid to the left, indicating that the question would better be directed towards Aleasia. Only, Aleasia was not forthcoming with her answers, instead her eyes had taken on a far away look and her head was shaking from side to side in adamant disbelief.
"If he had wanted that…No, the thought is too absurd to even contemplate. He would only do something so rash if he was desperate, Severus, he wouldn't do anything so rash!" Her eyes had sought the one person that was most natural for her to turn to in all her distress.
The irony was not lost on Severus. He found it revolting and somewhat comforting at the same time.
"He is desperate. He lost power after all those years living as a parasite. Coming into his body has reenacted the majority of his powers, but some were lost to the void. Some he cannot seem to regain control over."
"Still, Severus. Even with all that in consideration, open war is months away, at least. He has time. Risking so much for such a little concession?"
"You are by no means a little concession."
"That was an exceedingly difficult thing for you to say, was it not?" Aleasia grinned, but if Severus noticed he was hard pressed to show it.
"What the bloody hell are you two on about?" Growled Moody from the center of the table. He, along with the rest of the Order members, had been watching the dialogue between the two ex-lovers as though he were watching a quaffle being passed between two opposing teammates during a game of quidditch.
Aleasia sighed, having not the incentive to voice her thoughts. Severus recognized the signs, for he answered the question in her stead.
"There is told a legend of a magical artifact. An amulet made entirely out of the horn of a unicorn and cursed with magic both good and evil. It is said to possess the one who wears it, making their will easy to bend and their opinions easily swayed. The dark lord was interested in this artifact long before Potter's curse backfired. Only, he had not enough information to confirm its whereabouts."
He paused in his speech, intending to finish the tale; only by this time Aleasia had regained her composure. She continued where he had left off.
"Not only were the whereabouts a mystery, but also how to obtain the object once it was found. You see, legend tells that when the amulet was banished from use, a council consisting of the most esteemed witches and wizards of the time was brought together in turn to place protective charms on the home of the amulet. It would have been quite useless for Voldemort to find the amulet when at the time he had not a clue as how to deflect the curses securing its non-usage."
"You're telling me he's discovered the means to obtain it?" Arthur asked, his brow wrinkled in concentration.
Severus let out a frustrated groan. "I can't be sure. As I am stationed here at Hogwarts as a spy, there seemed no reason for the dark lord to confide in me about the amulet. But from what I have heard and not heard from others of his inner circle, I believe that he has stumbled upon the text that concedes all the spells ever cast over the amulet. If this is the case, it is only natural for him to seek out the elusive amulet."
"Only he still cannot be sure of where it is located." Aleasia sighed her agitation then went on. "The council made their plans on the intention that no one ever be able to find its location without grand purpose. Meaning that if anyone were to seriously attempt to find this damn thing it would take the better part of his or her lifetime."
The room fell silent for a brief moment before Arthur voiced his confusion once more. "This amulet, I can understand many scenarios in which it may prove to be useful, but for what exactly does the dark lord want with it?"
"He wants what he's always wanted." Came the hoarse voice of Moody as he stood to pour himself a glass of whiskey from the side cart laden with beverage choices. "He wants Aleasia, and he wants her powers. Hell, with Aleasia's powers combined with his own, Potter wouldn't stand a chance nor would anyone else for that matter. Not even Dumbledore."
"My dear, I'm quite sure you're an undeniably talented witch, everyone says so. But just what is so special about your powers that would make Voldemort crave them as he does?" Molly's worried eyes sought Aleasia's from across the table, her body leaning ever so slightly forward in earnest.
Aleasia released a hollow laugh. "For the average witch or wizard, their powers are tied to their emotions. Mine are too, only, they are also connected with…how should I put this? The elements surrounding me."
"You mean elemental magic?" Tonks demanded in an awe inspired voice.
"Not exactly, though I suppose if given the right circumstance…" Aleasia broke off with a thoughtful look on her face and shrugged. "I suppose the easiest way to explain would be to show you."
So they all watched, each member sitting around that long, ancient, oak table as Aleasia stood from her chair. She took a few steps away from the table, then, stood with her arms outstretched, her eyes closed. Within half a second, the inhabitants of the room began to feel a shift in magic, an ever so subtle change in the atmosphere around them.
Aleasia opened her eyes and narrated her actions to her audience. "I can control everything in this castle now, most obviously everything in this room. The table, the chairs, I could rearrange the halls if I so desired. I can even command the walls." She waved her left hand, and the granite wall that had for so many centuries stood strong and erect, its layers entangled with any number of protective enchantments buried in its stone, fell to the ground. One by one, each stone disintegrated itself from its neighbor, until, with a sound that rather resembled a volcano erupting, there was naught but a pile of rebel.
Waves of shock and awe fled like a wave through those newest members who had not been around in the last war to observe Aleasia's unique powers.
Aleasia waved her hand again, and silently the stones pasted themselves together again to build back the wall. She shrugged her shoulders, hoping to pass her display off as nothing to be fawned over.
"I can work with anything that is within my close vicinity. If I were in a forest I could command the trees, the vines, the wind. If I were near a lake, I could command the water, the seaweeds, the sand.
Only don't be too impressed, for the powers are much more difficult to control when I am feeling surges of strong emotion. When I am faced in battle I rarely ever can command more then a root to come out of the ground and trip my victim, or a vine to bind the wrists of my enemy."
Aleasia returned to her seat, feeling slightly uncomfortable in the scrutiny she was now being treated to. "If I were in battle, I probably could not have disintegrated a wall such I just did, breaking through the many magical wards that reside within the ancient granite. Those profound commands are limited to my many states of calm I'm afraid."
Still the silence reigned as though Aleasia had now become a creature they had never once laid eyes on before. "How…can Dumbledore even do that?" Someone asked.
There were no words to meet this inquiry; the answer was plain enough. No, even Albus Dumbledore could not display such wild, raw magic.
Then, bless him, Moody spoke once more and the tension that had quickly amounted in the room, dissipated into nothing more than a soft weight over everyone's shoulders.
"Damn eye hasn't been the same since that bastard wore it." He mumbled in that gruff voice of his, dropping his magical eye into the glass of whiskey he had just poured himself, as though what had just taken place was nothing out of the ordinary.
"I suppose the only question now is how to resolve the situation." The occupants of the room gave a start at the sound of Albus Dumbledore's voice. They had not notice his entrance into the conference room, having been too busy observing Aleasia's incredible show of power.
A silence settled its pulse over the room, its contemplative force giving and taking all the while.
The Aleasia's eyes grew wide. "Lucius." She whispered.
All heads swiveled in her direction though none so fast as Severus and Albus.
"I could so easily manipulate him. All I need do is disguise myself, immerse myself in his surroundings, somewhere that reeks of dark magic that he would be sure to take me into his confidence."
Severus sneered, failing to decide which he despised of more, the thought that Aleasia would use her sexuality on a man other then him or that she would be placing herself so openly in the line of fire. He was furious with himself for even caring. "You would sleep with him?" He growled.
"Dammit Severus, I was never your whore and I shan't be anyone else's!" Aleasia's chest and face flushed a soft pink as her anger rose quite suddenly at Snape's remark.
He only deepened his sneer, standing to pour himself…he didn't care what, so long as it was strong.
Albus appeared to be thinking Aleasia's plan over, watching her carefully all the while. "It would be to take a very large risk, my dear. Lucius is as cautious as they come. You would have to play your part well, disguise your powers, and you could never be certain if he would reveal such a grand secret to you."
"Not unless he was slipped veritaserum in his drink, while he was too busy admiring the view to notice." Aleasia smirked.
"Ah," Albus nodded in approval, but this only seemed to entice Severus even more.
"You always were so full of yourself! Do not think that Lucius has not his pick from several other women far more attractive than you!"
"Severus!" Albus snapped in rebuke.
Aleasia stood from her chair so fast it crashed to the floor. "If ever I was full of myself, Severus Snape, it was only the result of your enamored testimony to my beauty voiced to me so often, that even have I lost track in my memories!" Her voice was so loud it carried through the room, echoing from the stonewalls.
Severus' eyes narrowed, the only physical sign giving way to the fury within him. "If I was so loose with my compliments, Mistress, it was undoubtedly to ensure that you would be warm and wiling when I took you to my bed at night."
Aleasia's rage was a palpable thing beneath her heart. Her fists were clenched tightly at her sides, her eyes shooting flares into the dimly lit room. Before she knew what had happened, she lost control of her temper and her powers right along with it. In a force of unrestrained fury, the cart laden with drinks went crashing into Severus, pounding him into the wall he had stood not three feet away from.
"Aleasia, you will calm yourself this instant!" Albus' voice rose above the clamor of the other voices and the sound of teetering glass bottles.
Severus quickly swiped a hand through the air, noticing the cut running the length of his palm, blood dripping from the opened wound. "Fuck." He swore.
And for the second time the meeting was prematurely ended for Aleasia as she left the confines of the room, hoping to find refuge in the privacy of her own chambers.