Oh! Beat the drums for this land needs a rhythm
Oh! Strum the harp for this country needs peace
Oh! Play the pipes for this place needs laughter
Oh! Play the trumpets and herald the dawn
Chapter 3: Crime
Although Professor Snape intended to apparate once off the main road, he did not intend for the chest to suddenly gain weight. It was only a pound, or nearly, but it was enough to make him pause and examine the trunk. He saw that a silver box of sorts had come to occupy the shallow cylindrical indentation that had been in the lid. He set the chest down: dark magic was a distinct possibility.
"If you can hear, please respond." A decidedly feminine voice came from the chest, young but utterly calm.
"Identify." Snape responded crisply, his wand at the ready.
"Craftmistress Rhanna Ablator. There are defects in your order you must be aware of."
"What?" Snape did forget to hex the talking box, perhaps in surprise.
"Thirty of the swords are of inferior quality to the rest. I had a decided lack of time and my father cut off my supplies. I dislike working under pressure and I dislike it more when crucial ingredients are depleted. You should know them by the yellow stones in the hilts, as I made sure to set the ones I deemed scrapworthy with topaz. They of course are still functional, moreso than normal swords, but if you are going to be using them as anything more than decoration, you really should get my father to replace them."
Snape laid a hand on the lid, not touching the silver rose. "You are implying you crafted these swords, and many of them are of inferior quality? Master Alblator is a master, I specifically requested that he forge the swords."
"My father could not make a pencil, Master Snape, let alone a sword. I inherited the talents of natural forging from my mother, before she passed, and I make all the armament here. My father sells it, as who would buy from a child?"
"Who indeed."
"No need to agree." There came a hint of crossness in Rhanna's voice, which prompted Snape to touch the rose. Immediately a sort of shimmer in the air formed, and he could see wide eyes staring as if through a mirror. "I did not forge the box to link to my mirror." She said quietly. "Although not all powers of an object are known at the first forging."
"You are the daughter of Master Ablator?" Snape pinched his nose, as if growing bored. He looked at her through slitted eyes, a young women kneeling on her bed in clothes too small.
"Yes, Craftmistress Rhanna, as I said. When we moved here, my father took my title. 'Better business', he claimed, and business has been good since. But I do not condone the selling of inferior work. Look at one of the topaz blades."
"I have little time to hunt through the chest."
"A simple finding spell will do." An eyebrow of hers went up, and he glared at her. She did not flinch.
Snape nodded curtly and drew two blades from the chest, one a topaz.
"Blast them, Operto Magna should convince you."
"I know how to test a sword." He replied testily, and deftly blasted both swords with his wand after casting the proper silencing charms. It was fortunate the town was all but deserted. The first sword easily neutralized the blast. The second took a few seconds longer, and a small scar was left on the hilt. "That's it?" He let the comment slip out; both blades were impressive.
"I told you it was inferior, not useless. Now you can use the return policy I wrote in your trunk manual, although you may not wish to inform my father. Approaching him directly would be - unwise."
Snape replaced the swords and fished through the trunk, oddly compelled to trust the girl. He saw no deception in her eyes, even though their shade was as black as his, with only a few streaks of silver to distinguish hers from his own.
"This is not the standard return policy."
"Of course not." Rhanna grinned then, a slightly mischievous smile that lit her face up. He noted then, how exhausted and worn every feature proclaimed her to be. "I rather, took liberties when binding the magic to that particular contract, as with the trunk. You see, I have over thirty swords, identical in appearance, back in stock, of higher quality and higher power than the ones you just purchased. My father knows not of the extra powers, and being identical the switch will not be noticed. It is why I chose the topaz stones. I would much rather hand those swords over to you and give your faulty ones to the next shadowy sort who pressures my father into selling to him."
"And how do you no my purposes are not dark?" Snape raised an eyebrow and tried out his sneer again. She still did not back down.
"For one, you ordered primarily defensive blades. The unseemly kind always order swords with all sorts of nasty curses thrown in. Curses, I might add, your blades are warded against. Second, I just know." She stared at him in earnest. "You fight against evil, no matter the mask you wear. Third – these swords are slated to go to Hogwarts, aren't they?"
"What these are for is none of your concern. Perhaps I intend to slaughter a village of helpless children."
"If you did, you would not tell me." Rhanna laughed. "Please, say the spells. If not now, then when you are back at Hogwarts and have taken time to examine and consider. The swords I have in back took many days to forge, and have the powers of nature itself at their disposal. While far from the caliber of the swords I will be forging for your special order - by the way, one week is really not enough time to forge three master swords- the swords are high in offense as well as defense."
"I will consider what you have told me." Snape responded stiffly. "If you are lying = "
"If I am lying, feel free to stalk in and cut my heart out." The girl looked slightly bored and not a bit frightened of Snape's posturing. "Say hi to Headmaster Dumbledore -"
Rhanna paused, staring at the mirror. It now showed its usual picture of the front room. Snape had found a way to shut the link. That almost made her sad. She lay down and turned on her side, closing her eyes. She would have precious little time to rest before beginning work on the three special order swords.
Oh! Strum the harp for this country needs peace
Oh! Play the pipes for this place needs laughter
Oh! Play the trumpets and herald the dawn
Chapter 3: Crime
Although Professor Snape intended to apparate once off the main road, he did not intend for the chest to suddenly gain weight. It was only a pound, or nearly, but it was enough to make him pause and examine the trunk. He saw that a silver box of sorts had come to occupy the shallow cylindrical indentation that had been in the lid. He set the chest down: dark magic was a distinct possibility.
"If you can hear, please respond." A decidedly feminine voice came from the chest, young but utterly calm.
"Identify." Snape responded crisply, his wand at the ready.
"Craftmistress Rhanna Ablator. There are defects in your order you must be aware of."
"What?" Snape did forget to hex the talking box, perhaps in surprise.
"Thirty of the swords are of inferior quality to the rest. I had a decided lack of time and my father cut off my supplies. I dislike working under pressure and I dislike it more when crucial ingredients are depleted. You should know them by the yellow stones in the hilts, as I made sure to set the ones I deemed scrapworthy with topaz. They of course are still functional, moreso than normal swords, but if you are going to be using them as anything more than decoration, you really should get my father to replace them."
Snape laid a hand on the lid, not touching the silver rose. "You are implying you crafted these swords, and many of them are of inferior quality? Master Alblator is a master, I specifically requested that he forge the swords."
"My father could not make a pencil, Master Snape, let alone a sword. I inherited the talents of natural forging from my mother, before she passed, and I make all the armament here. My father sells it, as who would buy from a child?"
"Who indeed."
"No need to agree." There came a hint of crossness in Rhanna's voice, which prompted Snape to touch the rose. Immediately a sort of shimmer in the air formed, and he could see wide eyes staring as if through a mirror. "I did not forge the box to link to my mirror." She said quietly. "Although not all powers of an object are known at the first forging."
"You are the daughter of Master Ablator?" Snape pinched his nose, as if growing bored. He looked at her through slitted eyes, a young women kneeling on her bed in clothes too small.
"Yes, Craftmistress Rhanna, as I said. When we moved here, my father took my title. 'Better business', he claimed, and business has been good since. But I do not condone the selling of inferior work. Look at one of the topaz blades."
"I have little time to hunt through the chest."
"A simple finding spell will do." An eyebrow of hers went up, and he glared at her. She did not flinch.
Snape nodded curtly and drew two blades from the chest, one a topaz.
"Blast them, Operto Magna should convince you."
"I know how to test a sword." He replied testily, and deftly blasted both swords with his wand after casting the proper silencing charms. It was fortunate the town was all but deserted. The first sword easily neutralized the blast. The second took a few seconds longer, and a small scar was left on the hilt. "That's it?" He let the comment slip out; both blades were impressive.
"I told you it was inferior, not useless. Now you can use the return policy I wrote in your trunk manual, although you may not wish to inform my father. Approaching him directly would be - unwise."
Snape replaced the swords and fished through the trunk, oddly compelled to trust the girl. He saw no deception in her eyes, even though their shade was as black as his, with only a few streaks of silver to distinguish hers from his own.
"This is not the standard return policy."
"Of course not." Rhanna grinned then, a slightly mischievous smile that lit her face up. He noted then, how exhausted and worn every feature proclaimed her to be. "I rather, took liberties when binding the magic to that particular contract, as with the trunk. You see, I have over thirty swords, identical in appearance, back in stock, of higher quality and higher power than the ones you just purchased. My father knows not of the extra powers, and being identical the switch will not be noticed. It is why I chose the topaz stones. I would much rather hand those swords over to you and give your faulty ones to the next shadowy sort who pressures my father into selling to him."
"And how do you no my purposes are not dark?" Snape raised an eyebrow and tried out his sneer again. She still did not back down.
"For one, you ordered primarily defensive blades. The unseemly kind always order swords with all sorts of nasty curses thrown in. Curses, I might add, your blades are warded against. Second, I just know." She stared at him in earnest. "You fight against evil, no matter the mask you wear. Third – these swords are slated to go to Hogwarts, aren't they?"
"What these are for is none of your concern. Perhaps I intend to slaughter a village of helpless children."
"If you did, you would not tell me." Rhanna laughed. "Please, say the spells. If not now, then when you are back at Hogwarts and have taken time to examine and consider. The swords I have in back took many days to forge, and have the powers of nature itself at their disposal. While far from the caliber of the swords I will be forging for your special order - by the way, one week is really not enough time to forge three master swords- the swords are high in offense as well as defense."
"I will consider what you have told me." Snape responded stiffly. "If you are lying = "
"If I am lying, feel free to stalk in and cut my heart out." The girl looked slightly bored and not a bit frightened of Snape's posturing. "Say hi to Headmaster Dumbledore -"
Rhanna paused, staring at the mirror. It now showed its usual picture of the front room. Snape had found a way to shut the link. That almost made her sad. She lay down and turned on her side, closing her eyes. She would have precious little time to rest before beginning work on the three special order swords.