Catch! How the cat has cornered the mouse,
Catch! How the clouds all are bound to the wind;
Catch! How a fool falls prey to his folly,
Catch! We only fight wars that we cannot win.
Chapter 4: Topaz
Headmaster Dumbledore regarded his Potion's Master with an even and merry gaze, and made a show of examining the swords. He was pleased with the order and showed it by picking up every other blade and exclaiming over it, a display Snape found disconcerting at best.
"Excellent my boy, excellent. We shall have a fine armed army now."
"They seem adequate, save the topaz blades." Snape replied, absent mindedly stroking the chest nestling in the chair by his side. It was an elegant chest: he planned to keep it.
"Yes, the topaz ones do seem to be made more hastily, of an inferior material." Dumbledore squinted. "Any idea why?"
"Did I neglect to mention that?" Snape smirked. "Someone claiming to have crafted the swords, and by that I mean someone other than Master Ralph Ablator, insisted that they had had their supplies curtailed and been rushed to complete the order on time. We did, after all, only give them three days. It was doubtful they had two hundred swords ready made in stock. She did give me an excellent return policy, if you would care to peruse it." Snape deftly slipped the manual to Dumbledore, parted to the proper page. "I suggest we try returning one sword, and then make our decision from there."
"Rhanna Ablator?" Albus's white eyebrows twitched and he rubbed his nose as if he had alergies. "Craftmistress. Strange indeed. I do not doubt the possibility, as many craftsmen employ 'ghost' workers to do the dirty work."
"She is his daughter, merely a child. Perhaps seventeen, if I were to guess. I thought she was part veela on first glance, but the more I spoke with her it seemed she was of some other, equally mystical but far more rare, race. She was quite calm and I detected no deception, but I do not recommend we place our trust in her blindly." Snape picked up a sword and ran a finger along the blade, careful not to catch it along the edge.
"Yes, yes." Dumbledore nodded. "A very strange development. I agree with your recommendation to perform the return spell on one sword."
"This one." Snape handed Albus the one he had previously damaged.
The older man took it, then squinted down at the writing in the manual. "Revelios Compoundium, Imperfectus Repar," he intoned and immediately the sword vanished. A moment later, a sword equal in its appearance appeared and gently lowered to the desk, wrapped in a silvery scarf. "Shall we test it then?" Albus asked with a smile.
Snape touched the special metal of the blade. "We can, but no need. I can feel its strength. It is a far superior weapon." As Dumbledore tested the swords to make sure, Snape pressed his black clad shoulders into the chair. He could look forward to a wasted afternoon of mundane tests, even if the curiosity of Craftmistress Rhanna's existence would give him some intellectual diversion.
Catch! How the clouds all are bound to the wind;
Catch! How a fool falls prey to his folly,
Catch! We only fight wars that we cannot win.
Chapter 4: Topaz
Headmaster Dumbledore regarded his Potion's Master with an even and merry gaze, and made a show of examining the swords. He was pleased with the order and showed it by picking up every other blade and exclaiming over it, a display Snape found disconcerting at best.
"Excellent my boy, excellent. We shall have a fine armed army now."
"They seem adequate, save the topaz blades." Snape replied, absent mindedly stroking the chest nestling in the chair by his side. It was an elegant chest: he planned to keep it.
"Yes, the topaz ones do seem to be made more hastily, of an inferior material." Dumbledore squinted. "Any idea why?"
"Did I neglect to mention that?" Snape smirked. "Someone claiming to have crafted the swords, and by that I mean someone other than Master Ralph Ablator, insisted that they had had their supplies curtailed and been rushed to complete the order on time. We did, after all, only give them three days. It was doubtful they had two hundred swords ready made in stock. She did give me an excellent return policy, if you would care to peruse it." Snape deftly slipped the manual to Dumbledore, parted to the proper page. "I suggest we try returning one sword, and then make our decision from there."
"Rhanna Ablator?" Albus's white eyebrows twitched and he rubbed his nose as if he had alergies. "Craftmistress. Strange indeed. I do not doubt the possibility, as many craftsmen employ 'ghost' workers to do the dirty work."
"She is his daughter, merely a child. Perhaps seventeen, if I were to guess. I thought she was part veela on first glance, but the more I spoke with her it seemed she was of some other, equally mystical but far more rare, race. She was quite calm and I detected no deception, but I do not recommend we place our trust in her blindly." Snape picked up a sword and ran a finger along the blade, careful not to catch it along the edge.
"Yes, yes." Dumbledore nodded. "A very strange development. I agree with your recommendation to perform the return spell on one sword."
"This one." Snape handed Albus the one he had previously damaged.
The older man took it, then squinted down at the writing in the manual. "Revelios Compoundium, Imperfectus Repar," he intoned and immediately the sword vanished. A moment later, a sword equal in its appearance appeared and gently lowered to the desk, wrapped in a silvery scarf. "Shall we test it then?" Albus asked with a smile.
Snape touched the special metal of the blade. "We can, but no need. I can feel its strength. It is a far superior weapon." As Dumbledore tested the swords to make sure, Snape pressed his black clad shoulders into the chair. He could look forward to a wasted afternoon of mundane tests, even if the curiosity of Craftmistress Rhanna's existence would give him some intellectual diversion.