Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed my story :)
AN-2021-11-13: This story will have 6 years in a few days... I don't think I would have begun writing it if someone had told me how much work it was going to be, and that I would still be at it 6 years later. I want to thank all of you who've reviewed and supported my work along the years, this story would not be what it is without you and it would never had gotten so many chapters without you spurring me on.
Big thank you to my betas Miette and dstone12, the story would definitely not be as good as it is without them.
Severus walked quickly through the corridors of the Room of Crossings, nodding to Goblins here and there. Dhaal was on his shoulder, bristling with curiosity. Finally, they were visiting Family Ressurs.
Severus wondered at the relationship between Family Ressurs and the Goblins for them to be able to use the Room to get on the Vampires' territory. While the Room of Crossings allowed Goblins to travel to various parts of the British Wizarding World, it was not true for all the other Wizarding countries, which meant the Goblin Nation had a specific Contract with the British Wizards. Was it the same with the Vampires? Severus could only guess.
He felt his eyebrows rise as he came upon an arch which was obviously warded, as demonstrated by the blue shimmer coming from it. Contrary to many other arches, it was guarded by a Goblin sitting behind a desk.
Severus checked the glowing runes on the walls to confirm that it was indeed where he was supposed to go. Yes, the runes spelled Harstard.
The Goblin behind the desk was watching him with interest. Severus wondered how many people went through the arch everyday, and if Wizards often were among them.
"Yíngjiē, Guard of Bonds and Beyond," greeted Severus.
"Yíngjiē, Master of Bonds and Beyond," answered the Goblin with a sparkle in his eyes.
"I am bound to Harstard," stated Severus.
The Goblin hummed lightly.
"Only those included into the wards may pass to walk through into Harstard."
The Vampires would not have asked him to come without taking care of this requirement. Recalling Vilde's quip about the fun of springing surprises on their allies, Severus suddenly felt unsure of his next move. Was this another test?
Sighing to himself, he extended his Sense toward the arch. It felt warm and steady, with the intent to protect and guard. It did not feel deadly. Worst case scenario, he could expect to be stunned or knocked out, as well as be taken for questioning. Nothing his pride would not recover from.
"I am expected in Harstard," finally answered Severus.
The Goblin nodded without losing his amused glint.
"I will need a name then, before you can go through."
"Lord Severus Preston Caspian."
The flush of pleasure at saying his complete name would never get old.
The Goblin smiled at him.
"You may go through the arch if it allows it."
Hiding his uncertainty, Severus walked to the arch. He felt the magic of the wards as soon as he came in contact with the blue shimmer. It did not stop him and in the blink of an eye, he was through.
Immediately, cold assaulted him and he quickly cast a wordless heating charm, taking care to include Dhaal in it. Then, he added a small Lumos and a Protego because it was not brighter than twilight and he could Sense two people close. Two Vampires, reassessed Severus as he spotted Vilde and Brage.
They were dressed with long white fur coats which only highlighted the feeling of otherness Severus could Sense from them. It was more diffuse than what he felt in the presence of Werewolves. He had not noticed this during their meeting at Gringotts, but now with his Sense in high alert, it was a clear warning that they were not mere Wizards. Of course, they were young. Older Vampires like the Matriarch may be able to conceal their magical Sense like Severus could with his Sensing shields. Though even Sthir had not managed to completely hide his Werewolf Sense. He almost wished he had gotten the Sense of Matriarch Ressurs and Master Sæther in Gringotts despite the risk of offending them.
"It's good to see you, Severus!" greeted Vilde warmly. "You as well, Dhaal," she added with a small bow of her head.
"Well met, Severus, Dhaal," echoed Brage much more quietly.
"It's a pleasure to see you both," replied Severus, Dhaal offering his own wicker.
Vilde shook her head.
"Why did you not dress more warmly? Norway is far different from Britain."
"I know," answered Severus, "but I can use Magic to keep me warm."
"True, but you never know whether some place might run out of available Magic. Especially here," countered Brage seriously.
"I have a feeling I'm missing something," said Severus.
How could a place suddenly run out of Magic?
Vilde offered him a smirk.
"You have much to learn. But let's get you to our home first."
She let out a piercing shrill that resonated eerily around them.
Severus felt his eyes widen as he first Sensed then heard another presence that brimmed with magic. Dhaal tensed on his shoulder, ready to strike.
He could not see further than 2 meters, but Vilde and Brage were unbothered. They might even be teasing him. He made himself relax though he remained on his guard. He had the feeling this visit might involve many tests.
Finally, a creature that Severus could only describe as a huge white arctic fox came bounding on Vilde who laughed in delight.
"Hush, Flink. We saw each other only minutes ago."
Flink went to Brage next, rubbing his head against him before turning towards Severus.
To his relief, he seemed merely curious.
"Flink, this is Severus and Dhaal. Severus, Dhaal, Flink. He's one of our guardians, they are the only ones who can permit non-Vampires to reach our home."
And certainly the ones to prevent unwelcome visitors from reaching their home.
"Pleased to meet you, Flink," said Severus with a light bow.
Dhaal let out a small neighing, causing the big fox to come closer and take a sniff at them. Severus could not decide if he felt more dangerous than Armiya.
After studying them for a few seconds, Flink huffed and turned to Vilde.
"Yes, they are the ones coming with us today. What do you think?"
The fox seemed to think about her question before kneeling down on his four — no six!— legs.
"Come here, Severus. Let's not make Bestemor wait."
Bestemor? Was it a title or a name? Severus felt like he was back learning Gobbledegook.
He watched with awe as a kind of staircase appeared to let Vilde climb on the fox's back.
"Your turn."
Brage's smirk dared Severus to show any fear.
He walked calmly, checking with his Sense that the staircase was not going to disappear under him, and climbed gracefully, joining Vilde on Flink's back.
"You're even better now."
Vilde's tone was… almost impressed.
"I'll take that as a compliment," answered Severus, suddenly wondering if he should have asked Drunek or Hoardrock for advice on how to deal with Vampires. He was suddenly acutely aware that Yasha and the other Werewolves had often acted as a buffer between him and the others.
"You should," stated Brage.
Severus did not jump because his Sense had let him know that the Vampire was approaching. However, he made even less sound than Master Isäntä and that was deeply disturbing.
"For your information, bestemor means grandmother. For me and Vilde, as well as ten others, it means Matriarch Ressurs."
Of course.
"We'll need to observe formalities once we arrive. It will be necessary until you prove yourself," continued Brage, unusually chatty.
"So until I succeed in improving your family potion," stated Severus.
"I knew you were quick on your feet," said Vilde.
She clucked her tongue and the staircase moved up to transform around them into a small tent. At once, Severus felt warmed and had to dim the intensity of his warming spell.
Vilde let out another shrill and Flink moved.
It was disturbing. Severus did not know if it was because of the fox or the tent, but while he could feel that they were moving, he felt grounded. He also realised quickly that the way he was seated prevented him from seeing much of the world outside the tent.
"So, where are we going that there is such a need for secrecy?" asked Severus, curious.
Brage and Vilde smiled.
"Home. Bestemor will explain."
They did not say more. The rest of the way was spent in silence, Severus torn between curiosity, hope and wariness. Dhaal did not say much either, content to remain nestled against Severus' neck. Severus quickly got the feeling that they were travelling above water as he caught glimpses of what looked like waves, though he could not be certain as the luminosity remained low outside. The odour of salt and spray was even more indication that they were moving above the sea.
"His use of flow-travel is unusual," Sensed Dhaal, almost startling Severus.
"Flink?" asked Severus.
"Yes, don't you feel it? He doesn't hop from flow to flow or use them to go faster. He doesn't seem to fly either. He just… walks on them, and they move to go where he needs them to," explained Dhaal, feeling puzzled through their bond. "I don't think he used more than three different ones since we took off."
Intrigued, Severus stretched his Sense, trying to focus on Flink.
Contrary to Dhaal, he did not manage to feel if Flink was walking on the flows or something else. However, he Sensed how the flow they were following seemed to curve itself and move slightly out of its path. It curved and curved until it collided with another flow, then got back to its initial path. Severus blinked as he realised that they were now following the flow they had collided with. Flink was definitely using flow travel differently. Could Dhaal and Severus manage the same?
He could not help but smile at his Familiar's excitement at trying something new and improving his abilities. They spent the rest of the way studying the way the flows moved, Dhaal trying and failing to describe to Severus how Flink felt to his Sense.
Finally, Flink dived down, which was neither more nor less pleasant than when he was on Dhaal's back. The landing was smooth, and soon, Severus was back on solid ground, with great caution as it was entirely covered in snow and ice.
Seven Vampires were waiting for them, all dressed in white furs and leathers that, contrary to Vilde's and Brage's coats, seemed suited to combat. The smallest was a man who looked more dangerous than anyone Severus had ever met. He could not help but tighten his Occlumency shields while opening his Sense wider. The man felt completely unremarkable, which put Severus even more on edge as his Magic insisted that the man was powerful. His companions' barely registered as Vampires on his Sense. Severus had no idea if they were an elite guard or if most adult Vampires were like this.
Dhaal now was alert on his shoulder, reacting to Severus' unease.
Brage walked to the dangerous Vampire — and was he really a Vampire? Severus thought so but he could not be sure. They spoke quietly for a few minutes before walking over to Severus and Vilde.
"Velkommen til Svalbard, Lord Caspian," said the smaller man with a light bow. "I am Vakten Ressurs, leader of the Garde," he added, gesturing towards the six other Vampires who disturbingly all waved at him.
Severus did not let himself overthink and bowed lightly in their direction before addressing the Vampire in front of him.
"Pleased to meet you, Vakten Ressurs. I suppose I will see you and the Garde often in the future."
Severus had the feeling that Vakten, like Matriarch, was a rank. He was beginning to wonder if Master Sæther was a Master in the same sense as Severus or if it was another specific rank among Vampires too.
He spared a glance toward Vilde who looked smug, which he took as a positive sign.
"You certainly will," answered Vakten Ressurs without cracking a smile. "Especially if you try to make trouble, as any friend of Servant Sæther is wont to."
"Lord Caspian is an ally of Family Ressurs before being my friend, Vakten," intervened Vilde sharply.
"We'll see," answered Vakten Ressurs.
Severus had thought that beings as old as Vampires would possess more diplomatic skills. He wondered if this was a kind of political manoeuvre, but could not make head or tail of it.
"Isn't the Matriarch expecting us?" asked Brage idly.
The Vakten looked at him impassively then nodded.
"Lord Caspian, one of my voktere, the members of the Garde, will follow you at all times. Please do not try to explore without them, as it will be considered a reason to break the contract between your House and the Family. The Matriarch will explain everything else."
"I understand, Vakten Ressurs," answered Severus coolly.
This was a lot less warm than his meeting in Gringotts. Was it because he was in their territory? They seemed awfully protective of it.
"That's not worse than Bǎo so far," Sensed Dhaal. "At least, his actions match his words."
His Familiar was not wrong. And Severus' first meeting with Matriarch Ressurs had already gone better than with the Korkein.
Vakten Ressurs gestured at his voktere. In the blink of an eye, they surrounded Severus, Brage and Vilde, ready to escort them.
He saw Vilde shake her head in the corner of his eye, Brage putting his hand on her arm as if to calm her down.
"Let's move," said Vakten Ressurs sharply as he turned on his heel, clearly expecting them to follow.
Vilde and Brage each took one of his sides as they walked. Severus had not had much time to examine his surroundings since arriving, and had only gotten an impression of snow and ice. Snow and ice indeed were what he got for the first minutes of their walk. He was suddenly very grateful for Master Isäntä's gruesome training on all kinds of ground.
Then, his Sense picked up on a soft hum coming ahead from them. A protective ward, an illusion and many other things he did not have the time to distinguish as they crossed it.
He barely managed not to stop and stare as a city of ice and snow was revealed. It was not brighter here, yet Severus found himself seeing as if the sun was shining down on them.
Vakten Ressurs did not slow his pace so Severus had to resign himself to explore later. The Matriarch seemed to be waiting for him after all.
It was impossible to see where one building ended and another began, yet the city possessed streets large enough that two Hogwarts' carriages could readily pass each other side-by-side. It looked like a city out of a fairytale. According to Severus' Sense, only Vampires walked the streets and all were giving his group the wide berth.
"Morten!"
The Vakten's voice was sharp as glass and made a Vampire a few feet ahead of them stumble.
The Vampire turned and Severus could see that he was holding up in his arms a small Vampire who looked like a five year old.
The Vampire's eyes widened as he spotted Severus.
"Mine undskyldninger, Vakten!"
In less than five seconds, the Vampire and his child had disappeared, leaving Severus to ponder what he had seen. Were they protecting kids from him or the other way around?
They walked deeper into the city in silence. Severus wished he had Lucius' way with words. His brother would have known how to break the ice, or at least how to make the walk less awkward.
Finally, they entered a building which looked like any other except that the runes engraved into its front door were unique.
They walked through three rooms and four corridors, Vampires bowing lightly when they passed. Finally, they stopped in front of a closed door. The Vakten knocked on the door five times before entering.
Matriarch Ressurs was seated on an armchair that was too big to be a simple chair but too small to be a throne. Master Sæther was standing beside her. Severus realised that Master Sæther and Vakten Ressurs looked quite alike.
The Matriarch's chair was flanked by two armchairs on either side, each of the four chairs holding a Vampire.
Two were males, two were females. One of the females also looked like Vakten Ressurs. All of them were now looking at the group with attention.
"Matriarch, the Garde presents Lord Caspian to see you," stated Vakten Ressurs.
"Thank you, Vakten," answered the Matriarch gravely though her eyes seemed amused. "Are seven truly necessary?"
"For a Master of Shields and Crossings who created the Lupacem and House Caspian and possesses a Thestral Familiar, they are," answered Vakten Ressurs impassively.
The Matriarch got up, walking towards Severus with Master Sæther one step behind.
"Please, Lord Caspian, do not take offence at my son's cautiousness, but rather be proud in deserving more voktere than the Head of Line Romanova. Vakten Ressurs has certainly taken to heart the tales that his child brought back from Kyirong."
Line Romanova? Were they Vampires or House Elves? Why would Vampires consider House Elves a threat?
Was the Vakten Vilde's or Brage's father? Severus wished Vilde and Brage had given him more forewarning for this visit.
"Then I will accept Vakten Ressurs' caution as the compliment you say it is, Matriarch," answered Severus graciously. "I would be even more cautious if he were to come to Caspian Manor," he added truthfully.
Master Sæther laughed.
"And this is why my brother was right in assigning seven voktere to Lord Caspian."
Severus realised that Master Sæther's Sense was as faint as those of the voktere while the Matriarch's was as neutral as the Vakten's. If both the Matriarch and the Vakten ever came to his home, he would have to be very careful, even if they were allies.
"Velkommen til hjertet av familien vår, Lord Caspian," said Matriarch Ressurs, ignoring Master Sæther's — her other son?— input.
Severus had no idea what it meant, except that she seemed to have welcomed him. Nobody had told him that having allies meant learning their language. Gobbledegook had been enough for him.
He did not think a goblin greeting would be appropriate here.
"Thank you for accepting to receive me on such short notice," answered Severus.
The Matriarch surprised him by embracing him cheek to cheek.
From the sudden intakes of breath around him, he was not the only one.
"This is the klem," explained the Matriarch as she released him, "the traditional greeting from ally to ally."
"This is one thing I did not expect to learn today," said Severus, trying to cover his awkwardness.
"Most youngsters of your age don't even know what they need to learn. We will teach you and in exchange you will help us master ourselves. I only ask that you do not share what we teach with anyone else before asking first," replied the Matriarch seriously.
"Such confidentiality is part of our Contract," answered Severus, puzzled.
"Only where it concerns the information required to create our Lupacem equivalent and to build us a wall" said Matriarch Ressurs. "What I'm going to share today will be in goodwill for an ally that I hope will become a close friend."
Severus was beginning to feel overwhelmed. Dhaal took it as his clue to make an appearance.
He jumped to Severus' side and grew himself to his true size, then made himself visible to all. Severus put a Protego around his Familiar on the off chance that one of the voktere did not like surprises.
No one attacked Dhaal, but from the Vakten's tightened lips, it was a near thing. The Thestral did garner admiring glances as he bowed to the Matriarch.
"Please meet Dhaal, my Familiar," said Severus proudly.
"You are magnificent," said the Matriarch with a smile. "You must meet with our horde. I'm sure they will be delighted to speak with you."
She obviously knew how to pique Dhaal's interest.
"How is your flow-travel here?" Sensed Severus.
"About the same as in Hogwarts," Sensed back Dhaal reluctantly.
"I doubt they will try to torture or maim their super ally," stated Severus wryly. "Why don't you go and meet the horde?"
He could feel Dhaal waver, torn between his desire to protect Severus and his curiosity at meeting a new horde.
"You should be able to find them without trouble," added the Matriarch, unaware of their silent conversation.
"Go," Sensed Severus firmly. "You know you will get bored otherwise. And you can always explore on the way."
"Alright. Be careful, Broer."
And he was gone.
Master Sæther laughed again.
"Your Familiar has style, Lord Caspian."
He looked at his brother, suddenly serious.
"I believe the Matriarch and Lord Caspian need to talk in private now."
The Vakten nodded and gestured to the rest of the Vampires. Severus barely had the time to blink before he was alone with the Matriarch, the Vakten and Master Sæther.
Vakten Ressurs settled against a wall though his eyes were alert. Severus would love to duel him if he had the assurance that the Vampire would not use the opportunity to crush him.
Master Sæther led Severus to a round table on the side of the room where Severus, the Matriarch and the Master could comfortably discuss business.
"Lord Caspian," began Master Sæther. "While I am glad that you felt comfortable calling on us for help in understanding the Dark Arts, showing that you truly wish to build upon our relationship as allies rather than mere business partners, I'm afraid we need some reassurance about the timeline that will let you improve our own Lupacem."
Severus nodded.
"Of course Master Sæther. I must admit that a pressing matter is preventing me from beginning to work on your potion right now. It is the reason why I need your help, and takes precedence over all of my current projects. However, I expect that it will come to an end sometime in the next two months at most, one way or another. I will then be able to concentrate on creating the equivalent of the Lupacem potion for your Family, though you must be aware that I am working two days a week at Hogwarts until the end of June."
The master exchanged a glance with the matriarch then nodded.
She was the one who spoke up next.
"I believe you need to understand vampire hierarchy better to apprehend the reason why we are so eager for you to succeed in our agreement. Family Ressurs is a young Family, only eight hundred years old, and the latest to have joined the Conclave. Families are not created in the same ways as Houses are. A Family is the gathering of several lines of Vampires who agree to follow another one, a bit like Vassal Houses agree to serve another House. Family Ressurs is the smallest Family with only four different lines: Line Sæther, Line Andersen, Line Jung and Line Lindén. Line Sæther currently is the ruling line, though someone from another line can be called to serve as a Ressurs, providing they receive my bite."
She paused, letting Severus absorb her words.
"What does "serve as a Ressurs" entail?" asked Severus.
"Ressurs is the name that any Vampire who occupies an official position in the Family takes on," explained Master Sæther. "You already know the matriarch, who is the ruler of the Family. Then you have the vakten, who is responsible for the safety of the Family. Our ambassadors to the other Families and various magical races also serve as Ressurs. Finally, you have the three Gammel, who are the equivalent of goblin Wises, and the Librarian, keeper of our History and Knowledge."
Severus nodded in understanding.
"What about the "receiving your bite" part?"
The Matriarch smiled, briefly showing pointy teeth.
"It's linked to our Magic. Every Family is built the same way. The Conclave is composed of four other families: Family Volkonsky, Family de Villeneuve, Family Selk'nam, and Family Inuuk. They are respectively from Russia, France, Argentina and Canada."
She had not truly answered his question but Severus did not press her on this point. It was not relevant to his research of the day.
For now, something else intrigued him.
"Are there different kinds of Vampire? Norway, Russia and Canada seem quite different from France and Argentina."
"You would need to be familiar with those countries' lesser territories to see their common points,'' answered Master Sæther, not unkindly, "as well as to know that Svalbard is not our Family's entire territory. It's only its heart, the same as Dikson island is Family Volkonsky's, Terre Adelie is Family de Villeneuve's, South Orkney island is Family Sek'nam's and Ellesmere island is Family Inuuk's."
All these territories were islands. Severus did not understand why. Islands were no doubt easier to defend, yet Goblins and Wizards easily managed inland territories with the help of Magic.
"The heart of the Family is what we call our shelter. You won't meet minor vampires anywhere other than in shelters," explained the Matriarch, taking pity on Severus' puzzlement. "Shelters are necessary to protect us from the world, and to protect the world from us until we learn control. Once control is learnt, we can leave the shelter to learn Magic. No Vampires may travel to another race's territory until they are in control of themselves and their magic. It means that at the minimum, they must bear the grade of Servant."
"The grades are as follows," continued Master Sæther. "Infants are child Vampires who possess no control whatsoever. Squires are child Vampires who have sufficient control over themselves with the help of the Potion to leave the shelter. Servants are Vampires who have reached control of their Magic with the help of the Potion and their wall. Knights no longer need to renew their wall, they have reached a magical balance which stops the erosion of their wall. Paladins require neither Potion nor wall to control themselves and their Magic. Finally, Masters are in complete control of themselves and can use their main feeling to increase their power."
"Wait, Master Sæther," said Severus, trying to make sense of the overload of information.
He currently was on Svalbard, in Norway, where the day possessed almost no sun. Hadn't Master Drunek alluded to the fact that Vampires' control depended on the sun? Which meant...
"The shelters are all on islands which are close to either the North or South pole. It makes it easier on the infants because for six months in the year, the sun is weak. But how do they cope with the rest of the year?"
If he was right, the other six months would be hell on the young Vampires. Would they even respect their parents' authority? Could they be restrained without hurting them?
The Matriarch and Master Sæther exchanged another look.
"How would you help them cope?"
He supposed it was their way to confirm that he was right.
How would he lessen the sun's impact on young Vampires when he had no idea how it worked except for making their Magic and desires' out of control?
"I would need a better understanding of the process, but I see four possibilities," he answered slowly. 'First, you can do nothing with the risk of fights and injuries, even madness. To avoid this, you could put the children into stasis to let their body get used to the sun without burdening their minds with the call of the sun. Finally, you could remove the influence from the sun, either with a magical room warded against the sun or by sending them to the opposite pole, though I'm not sure Families can agree to share shelters."
"You speak of putting the children into stasis or in a room warded against the sun's influence as if those were easy feats," remarked Master Sæther.
His experience with the Lupacem and the constraining boxes certainly made him confident that it could be done.
"I would not say easy, we are not talking about casting Lumos," answered Severus. "It would require a detailed understanding of how the sun influences the infants, their Khorlos and impulses as well as their body's magical patterns, and to check whether there are differences between infants. Then, for the warded room option, you would need to use various runes and stones to dampen the sun's influence while not cutting the infants from Magic completely as I doubt magical beings like Vampires take kindly to losing their connection to Magic. If you chose the stasis option, you would need a potion, potentially coupled with runes or stones. Once you have a prototype that works on a few infants, you need to test those on a larger scale to properly attune it to all of them. You may have to use different kinds of potions or rooms depending on the age or magical development of the infants."
When Severus stopped talking, he had no idea how to read the two Vampires' expressions. He risked a glance at the Vakten who looked even less expressive than before.
"Well, we certainly were right to follow Servant Sæther's advice," Master Sæther finally said. "For now, I can tell you that those four proposals were implemented at one time or another. You will have to wait until the beginning of your work on our potion to know more."
That was fair, though Severus had no idea why they had reacted in such a way when they had already thought of the solutions he had proposed.
"I must say that we were lucky that Vilde and Brage met you in Kyirong, Lord Caspian," added the Matriarch seriously. "Kyirong was not the Sanctuary they were supposed to attend."
Why had they chosen Kyirong then? Was it linked to Severus' clan? To the Korkein's distaste for Severus?
He did not dare ask, and neither the Matriarch nor Master Sæther seemed willing to give him details.
"If I may ask," said Severus, trying to get past this bout of awkwardness yet wanting to understand his new allies," what is the meaning of the feeling attached to the grades?"
Vilde was Servant of Shadows and Persistence while Master Sæther was Master of Words and Rage. Severus had been curious about what it meant since their Gringotts meeting.
To Severus' surprise, the vakten was the one who answered.
"As you must know after your time with Clan Röykkiö, one of our weak points are feelings because they are linked to our basest desires and our Magic. By the time we reach the grade of Servant, we know which feeling is both our greatest weakness and strength. The only way to claim the grade of Master is to gain control of that feeling so that we will not be controlled by it but use it to surpass our best self."
"How do you identify this feeling if it's turned inwards?" asked Severus.
Shame or hate were not always directed at others.
The vakten tilted his head.
"It would be even more obvious."
"I don't understand," admitted Severus after no other detail was forthcoming.
The Vakten nodded, a furtive glint in his eyes that almost felt like Severus had passed a test.
"Have you heard of Obscurials?"
Severus shook his head.
"It doesn't ring any bells."
"What do they teach at Hogwarts these days?" said Master Sæther with a pout. "Obscurials are magical beings who repress their magic and prevent it from expressing itself outward. Feelings and Magic are closely linked, which means that turning your feelings against yourself will turn your magic against yourself too. It's even more true for creatures like Vampires, Faes, or House Elves whose main Chakra is wide. Repressing their magic leads Obscurials to unconsciously create an entity called an Obscurus. Instead of casting their magic outside, they feed it to their Obscurus. The Obscurus will grow until one day, a particular situation will set it off. It will lash out at targets that the Obscurial identifies as bad. Then it will calm down, spent, until it has fed enough to lash out again. In the end, if nothing is done, the Obscurial will die from magical core exhaustion."
That was frightening. And another reason to implement the Mentorship. It was all too easy to imagine Muggleborns repressing their Magic. Why had he never heard of Obscurials?
Severus put it on his to-do-list then focused back on the Vampires.
"I suppose you can Sense Obscurials and help them?"
Vampires were long-lived and supposedly Masters of the Dark.
"Exactly," said Master Sæther approvingly. "We can Sense the Magic accumulating in the Obscurio and help the Obscurial accordingly."
"I believe we have strayed from our initial point," intervened the Matriarch, though she offered a smile to Severus. "Now that you understand our hierarchy better, let me tell you why creating our equivalent to the Lupacem is important. As I told you, Family Ressurs is a young Family, and I would say the most progressive. We don't believe in Vampires' supremacy over the world. We don't believe in living hidden from all except other Vampires. We believe in living among other magical creatures and flourishing under Magic's guidance."
Having a potion like the Lupacem, without the drawback of their current potion that harmed them, or maybe even worse, would give them an advantage over the other Families.
They seem to have the same goal as his clan. And Hoardrock had alluded to the fact that changes were coming in the next few years on the goblin side.
"I understand why you need the potion, and as I told you before, I will focus on it in two months at the most," stated Severus.
The Matriarch held his gaze for a few seconds then nodded with a smile.
"Very well. Thank you, Lord Caspian. Now, I must attend to my other duties. Sven will take care of you."
They bowed to each other, then Master Sæther and Severus went out of the room while the Matriarch remained seated with a pensive look on her face.
Vakten Ressurs joined them, closing the door behind him.
Two voktere were outside the door. Severus was surprised to recognise one of the voktere. He was the Vampire against whom he had played chess in Kyirong.
The Vakten gestured to said Vampire.
"Voktere Jung will be your escort for the day. He volunteered with the hope of evaluating your progress at chess."
How did they distinguish voktere of the same line from one another?
Voktere Jung offered Severus a light bow and a smirk.
"I would not say no to a duel either."
"Which has been refused," stated Master Sæther pointedly.
The Vakten looked like he disagreed with this decision. Had he hoped to gauge Severus' fighting abilities?
"To my eternal regret," replied Voktere Jung though his tone was playful.
Severus did not remember him being so light in Kyirong.
"Remember the rules," warned Master Sæther, looking at the voktere.
He then turned to Severus.
"I will now leave you in the capable hands of Voktere Jung. He will escort you to Brage who is ready to give you a tour. Servant Sæther should be able to join you for lunch."
"Thank you for your welcome, Master Sæther," answered Severus, bowing lightly. "I look forward to beginning working on our project."
"So do I," replied the Vampire with an answering bow.
The Vakten gave Voktere Jung a pointed look before bowing to Severus. Then the two Sæther brothers left side by side.
"If you would follow me, Lord Caspian," said Voktere Jung, as he took a step to the left.
Severus nodded and fell into his steps.
He quickly lost any sense of where he was as they walked through various corridors that linked one building to another.
"I must say I did not expect you to create your House so soon," stated the voktere conversationally. "Even Richtigk was pleasantly stunned."
Did Voktere Jung know Master Richtigk because they were two Masters of the same branch of Magic, or because Family Ressurs and Clan Röykkiö were allies? Severus realised that he had no idea if his clan was allied with another Family who could be in disagreement with Family Ressurs. Surely, Hoardrock would have warned him if that was the case.
"Well, it felt like the natural choice at the time," answered Severus, taking care not to show any awkwardness.
The voktere laughed, letting Severus glimpse pointy teeth.
"Of course, every twenty year old decides that creating his House is the natural choice, instead of finding an existing House for the required time to find his footings and plan for the future."
"I have plenty of plans for the future," retorted Severus, vexed.
"Really?" said the Vampire, mockery colouring his tone.
"Yes, and I… have no need to share those plans with you," replied Severus, suddenly realising that he was being goaded into spilling his secrets.
"Indeed," agreed Voktere Jung with an amused smile, though Severus caught a brief approving look on his face.
"Why were you in Kyirong?" asked Severus, changing the subject.
"As you imagine, infants require supervision to ensure that they don't lose control, even on Sanctuary's grounds."
Especially on Sanctuary's grounds.
"So you were Brage and Vilde's babysitter?" asked Severus innocently.
The Vampire smirked.
"Among other things. It is possible to harm someone on Sanctuary's grounds if you know how to play the rules."
That was a warning if Severus had ever heard one.
"Here we are," said Voktere Jung, opening a door on the left and gesturing at Severus to enter the room before him.
Severus couldn't Sense any threat in the room, but he couldn't Sense any Vampire's presence either. Wondering what the voktere's goal was, Severus Sensed a warning to Dhaal before entering the room slowly.
Voktere Jung joined him, the door closing behind him with a click.
Severus raised an eyebrow at him in silent questioning.
The Voktere smiled, suddenly showing the same dangerous presence that Severus recalled from Kyirong. A presence that was close to the Vakten's.
"Let's not play games, Lord Caspian. I believe in assessing my Family's allies' abilities, and I am not the only one. I think you would not be against evaluating my own abilities either, you have a walking gait that doesn't lie," stated the Vampire calmly. "We have fifteen minutes before Brage worries about our absence. Let's duel."
Severus immediately felt his excitement rise at the thought. He had not had much practice duelling since his apprenticeship, especially not against someone better than himself. If the Horcrux plan went to hell, he might need to fight the likes of Bellatrix. Duelling against a three hundred years old Vampire seemed like a fantastic idea, especially with Dhaal Sensing that he was at the front door, ready to come for him if necessary.
"What are your terms?" asked Severus.
"No killing or seriously debilitating blow," answered the voktere. "Anything else is fair game."
Severus nodded, smiling in anticipation.
"Let's begin."
The Vampire was fast. Severus only managed to protect himself from a series of teeth and nails growing spells by jumping out of the way. He retaliated by throwing a salvo of tickling hexes that slammed against the voktere's shield. At the same time, Severus felt the Vampire probing his Sensing shield, looking for a weakness.
He pushed down hard on Voktere Jung's Sensing probe and was rewarded with a light tumble from the Vampire that he transformed into a roll down toward Severus, the voktere aiming to kick out at Severus' legs.
He danced out of the way, his Taichi training kicking in unconsciously.
They traded spells and physical blows, dancing around each other for an unknown time. They had a Sensing contest as the voktere tried to take control of one of Severus' magic flow supporting a stunning spell, the both of them willing the thread to obey them until it finally made a small explosion between them.
Then the voktere forced Severus into a close hand to hand fight as he did not give him the time to cast a spell if he wanted to avoid getting knocked out.
Severus was beginning to breathe heavily when the Vampire once more attacked with Magic.
Severus had not been able to gain the upper hand once, even less to be the one to lead the fight. But at least, he had been giving back as good as he got. Now, the Vampire was putting more and more power behind his spells, more than Severus had thought possible, and he was feeling his shields shake under his assaults. Several times, he had to physically avoid the spells as his Protego shield exploded under the force of his opponent's spells.
To his utter frustration, Voktere Jung did not appear even slightly winded.
Suddenly, the Vampire was a blur of movement. Severus Sensed him coming close to him but was powerless to stop him. The wards on the city prevented him from flow-travelling fast enough to dodge the voktere as he applied pressure on a juncture point that rendered Severus motionless.
He just had the time to cast a cushioning charm as he fell to the ground.
Dhaal immediately appeared in front of him, shielding him from the Vampire.
Voktere Jung chuckled at the sight of his Familiar and took several steps back.
"Well done. You must always have a last ace in your sleeve."
Severus closed his eyes, using his Sense to feel where the pressure had blocked Magic from flowing through the juncture point then gently coaxed his pattern back into order. He had learnt the weak points of the human body during his apprenticeship, but only his visit at Saint Mungo had made him realise how they worked and how to counter an attack on those points.
He got up slowly under the approving eyes of Voktere Jung.
Dhaal immediately shrunk and jumped on his shoulder, huddling against Severus as if to comfort him after his defeat.
"That was a good first fight, Lord Caspian," stated the Vampire warmly. "You're already used to mixing magical and physical attacks. I'm sure that with a few training sessions against the voktere, you'll be able to compensate for your lack of speed. I felt you trying to ride the flows."
He certainly needed to work on using flow travel while fighting, though it would not help that much here or in Hogwarts because of the wards' restrictions. But his chances of needing to fight on Hogwarts' grounds were slim.
"Thank you, Voktere Jung. However, I feel you are too lenient with me. You have far more power at your disposal than I ever will, and even if I improve my techniques, against someone as skilled as you, it won't make much difference," answered Severus, feeling a bit jealous.
The Vampire looked at him in surprise.
"That is certainly not true. My power comes from the Family, same as yours comes from your House. The more members your House gets and the more powerful they are, the more powerful you and your House members will be."
"That cannot be true," answered Severus sharply. "If you only needed numerous members to gain powers, the current Houses would be bigger."
The Vampire shrugged.
"Of course, it's only true if your members' strengths are in line with your House's motto. And if the node of the House's manor is strong. The stronger the node, the stronger the House if the House is as strong as the node."
Another reason to agree on adopting House members. But it could not be his only reason for accepting them.
He ignored Dhaal Sensing him a picture of Nymphéa changing her short pink hair to a jet black braid, as well as one of Andromeda and Ted laughing.
"We need to go before Brage sends the Vakten after us. Come," said the Vampire.
They walked in silence, Severus' thoughts whirling through his head, Dhaal content to watch their surroundings from his shoulder.
"You took your time!" exclaimed Brage as he spotted them.
He jogged towards them, his steps assured despite the snow and ice on the ground. Severus realised that same as Voktere Jung during their duel, Brage was not breaking a sweat at the physical effort.
"Do Vampires really not need to breathe?" asked Severus to Brage.
It would be another reason to explain the voktere's superiority during their duel.
Both Brage and Voktere Jung laughed loudly in answer.
"How cliché, Lord Caspian. I expected better from you," said Voktere Jung with humour in his voice.
"It's a common misconception, especially among Muggleborns," explained Brage. "Contrary to what legends say, we are not undead. Our body temperature is colder and our heartbeat slower than most other races'. Our anatomy is modified compared to Wizards' hence our need for blood consumption. But we are not walking dead."
"Are you saying that all muggle folklore about Vampires is false?" asked Severus, curious.
"Of course not," answered Brage. "Same as with the way they see Wizards, they sometimes get things right. For example, the legends about Vampires bursting if coming in contact with the sun come from Vampires who lost control of their fire magic because the sun was too strong. Vampires under the grade of Knights are very sensitive to the influence of the sun. You know how the pull of the moon activates the wolf form for Werewolves. It's similar for us with the sun, it activates what we call our frenzy. When you have it under control, it confers you strength and speed. When it controls you, you feel the need to assuage your every desire. You exhaust yourself to feed those needs until you burn."
Severus felt a shiver run down his spine. It felt a lot more gruesome than the Matriarch and Master Sæther's earlier explanation.
"It can't have been easy when we were in Kyirong," said Severus.
"That's why VokJung was here," replied Brage. "We had a few close calls, but everything worked out well. You actually were part of mine and Vilde's exams to become Servants."
"The part where you tried to scare me by showing your Vampire part without losing control?" guessed Severus.
"Exactly. You did not make it easy," admitted Brage. "Dhaal was… humbling."
"Brage is Servant of Words and Pride," explained Voktere Jung while Severus ignored his Familiar's smugness leaking through their bond.
Pride. Severus had no idea what would be worse between anger and pride. Although any feeling could hurt. Even happiness, when it was taken away.
"That I am," agreed Brage. "It's one of the reasons I was chosen as your guide for the tour instead of Vilde. If you will follow me, Lord Caspian."
"With great pleasure," answered Severus, amused at the Vampire's attempt at formality. Though it reminded him that he still needed to prove his worth to the Family.
He ignored Dhaal Sensing that the Vampires had not yet proven their worth either.
"We are currently in the part of the city administered by Line Jung," explained Brage as they walked. "The city is divided into five districts, one for each line, and the centre for the Family. The Ressurs district contains the main tribunal, the voktere headquarters, the main library as well as a few other institutions you currently don't need to know."
Like the shelter for young Vampires, surmised Severus.
"It's also where the Matriarch holds court and works, with the support of the Lines' Head and their councillors. Here we are passing into the Lindén district," continued Brage.
"I don't see much difference between the two districts," remarked Severus.
The two were ice, snow and buildings where it was difficult to see where one ended and another began, same as in the Ressurs district earlier.
"Compared to other Families, our structure is a lot more fluid," intervened Voktere Jung. "In the beginning, there were strict separations between each district, but nowadays, Vampires from all lines live in whichever district they choose. The differences between the districts is mostly in the kind of goods you will find. Each district possesses its speciality, be it for food, clothes or arts."
Severus looked at the streets with more attention.
The shops had no window which made it difficult to gauge their contents. However, he noticed that some Vampires seemed to favour clothes made in a mix of fur and leather, while others tended to prefer silk with a touch of fur. While the first Vampires he had met in the city were mostly dressed in white, those in the streets wore various colours, with the exception of red.
"Vampire don't wear red?" asked Severus, curious.
"Only for special occasions," answered Brage. "I would wear red for my birthday or my graduation, for example."
"Judges wear red too when in their official functions," added Voktere Jung.
"Do they act as Ressurs?"
"No, the judicial system and the voktere are managed by the Family but they are not required to serve as Ressurs, except for their heads," answered Brage. "Serving as Ressurs is... I'm not sure how to explain it to a non-Vampire," added Brage sheepishly.
"At a loss for words, Servant of Words and Pride?" said Voktere Jung, a taunting edge colouring his tone.
Brage glared at the older Vampire, his teeth showing briefly.
"Of course not VokJung, I'm just taking the time to find how to best explain it to Sev– Lord Caspian."
The Voktere smirked and gestured to him to go ahead.
"Right. You have certainly heard that new Vampires can be made when a Vampire bites a Wizard, the same way a Wizard bitten by a Werewolf will become a new Werewolf if he doesn't die from the bite," began Brage.
Severus nodded.
"This is a very specific use of the bite, and for the Vampires in Family Ressurs, it is heavily restricted with strict legislation on when this kind of bite can be authorised. For Vampires, bites are akin to blood bonds, they create duties from both sides and require consent, except in a handful of cases," explained Brage. "As for the bite to serve as Ressurs, it's a specificity of the Matriarch, and offers power as well as bounds. The voktere and the justice system must be free to act without any bias from the Matriarch. At the same time, they must work for the good of the Family. A compromise was made to only have their Heads serve as Ressurs, to ensure the independence of these two bodies as well as their loyalty."
Severus was getting more and more curious about the Vampires' specific Magic. He was itching to begin working on their potion.
Dhaal was as excited, though he was more curious to know how dangerous they could be so that he could protect their House against Vampires as well as use their new allies against enemies if necessary. His Familiar sometimes was far too bloodthirsty.
"Does it mean that most Vampires in Family Ressurs are born Vampires?" asked Severus.
Brage nodded.
"Yes, Family Ressurs is mostly composed from Natural Vampires, as we call those born vampires. About one tenth of our members are New Vampires, meaning they are either Muggles or Wizards who were turned. However, there are no differences in power, capacities or weaknesses between Natural and New Vampires. We don't make a difference between them."
"Whereas other Families do?"
"Less and less," answered Voktere Jung. "A few centuries ago, the strength of a Family was determined by its number of New Vampires. It was before the Families' potions, when more than one child Vampire in three died before reaching his fifth birthday. At the time, turning Wizards and Muggles was the surest way of increasing your Family's size. However, many were turned against their will, which created dissent and infighting among the Family. Thus, they were considered with suspicion until they had proven themselves for at least two centuries."
"Family Ressurs is the only family founded by a New Vampire," added Brage proudly. "Oh, we're crossing into the Andersen district now."
Severus could not have said. The city truly looked the same to him, no matter the district. He would be hard pressed to find his way back to the room where he had met with the Matriarch.
Dhaal chided him, indicating that Severus should pay better attention to the magical flows running through the city. Severus could have hit himself for forgetting that the flows were useful for more than casting spells and flow-travelling.
His Familiar stopped his ruminations short as he suddenly signalled to Severus a group of three people walking on the side of the street toward them. Severus Sensed a faint Vampire feel from the man in the middle, however the man and woman who accompanied him felt like Wizards, except there was something about them…
"Hej Elin, Jorgen, Gaute," greeted Brage, though Severus heard a faint edge in his voice.
"Hej Brage, Voktere Jung," greeted the other three. "Relax, the Vakten lifted the curfew for all except the children."
"Lord Caspian, Dhaal, please meet Master Gaute Andersen, Ledsager Elin Andersen and Ledsager Jorgen Andersen," said Brage.
"A pleasure to meet you," said Severus, bowing lightly.
Ledsager? It was a title he had never heard before. Combined with the Sense he got from those two and the fact that the Vampire was a Master, could it mean that they were Familiars?
"They are," confirmed Dhaal. "Their bond is as well protected as ours."
It was high praise coming from the Thestral who had practised with Kea until their bond could not be breached by other Familiars like she had done when they had first met her.
"The pleasure is ours, Lord Caspian, Dhaal," answered Master Andersen as the three bowed back with a slightly deeper bow.
"Yes, Jorgen is so eager to interrogate you about the Lupacem that he made us come as soon as it was authorised," added Ledsager Elin Andersen with a smirk.
"You two don't understand the beauty of Lord Caspian's achievement. It requires a perfect understanding of the workings of werewolf Magic, and a difficult balance to take into account the influence of the moon on it. I have no doubt that he will finally offer us the key to improve our current Family potion," stated Ledsager Borgen Andersen with enthusiasm.
Severus felt both pleased and embarrassed at the glowing praise.
"I sincerely hope so," he answered, addressing a small smile at the man.
"This Triad has been chosen among volunteers from Line Andersen to assist you when you begin working on the potion," explained Brage. "The same was done for each line. We tried to take into account the various states of magical control Vampires could possess as well as potential differences depending on the lines. As you must have realised, Ledsager is the title given to Familiars."
Severus nodded. He had been worried about the way human Familiars would be treated and considered, and he was glad to see it had been for naught. They were clearly respected as much as their Vampire's counterpart.
"I must say I'm intrigued," said Severus, looking at each of the Andersen in front of him. "Please tell me if I'm being indiscreet, but I was wondering how you were able to agree to become Familiar for a Vampire in the short time allowed by the Ritual?"
He certainly could not see himself agreeing to be bound to a Vampire in a mere three days.
All three laughed.
"I understand how confusing it must be for you," answered Master Andersen. "The Ritual is different for the races who depend on walls. We, Vampires, find our Familiars through the dreamscape. It usually takes years to find then woo our Familiar or Familiars. The dreamscape allows us to test our partnership and our compatibility. The Ritual is the confirmation that the partnership is as harmonious as we think it is."
"The percentage of failure is lower than for the races with bridges," completed Voktere Jung. "It's only twenty-three percent."
It was still quite high.
"Does it mean that you two became Master Andersen's Ledsager at the same time?" asked Severus
"Indeed, but Jorgen met Gaute first," answered Ledsager Elin.
"Yes, we passed the Ritual about twenty years after our first meeting," confirmed Ledsager Jorgen, looking at Master Andersen fondly. "You're lucky I'm patient."
"You're the one who found Elin and said we had to wait for her," replied Master Andersen teasingly.
"As if you wouldn't have," huffed Ledsager Jorgen.
"You don't look older than Elin," remarked Severus, intrigued.
He laughed.
"The perk of being a Ledsager. You wake up in a body younger and stronger than ever, with eyes that can see as well in the night as day and the ability to cast spells. And then there are a few other surprises, like understanding bats or turning into one."
His last words were said playfully, but Severus had the feeling that they were truthful.
"We are a bit unusual among vampires," intervened Master Andersen. "Vampires with several Ledsager account for about one third of those who passed the Ritual, but their relationship with their Ledsager, like the one between Vampire-Ledsager pairs, usually is a romantic one. Elin, Jorgen and I are among the few who consider themselves siblings. As you can deduce, Vampire with Vampire pairings are highly unusual."
"What about the children?" asked Severus, curious and wondering why they did not learn this at Hogwarts.
"As long as the partner is from a bridge race, the child will be a Vampire," answered Voktere Jung. "Pairings with wall races are extremely rare, because their members are not suited to our needs. Now, Servant Sæther, if I'm not wrong, we haven't finished our tour yet and lunch is approaching."
Severus saw Brage bristle under the reminder, briefly projecting his Magic before nodding with a smile.
"You're right, Voktere. Do you wish to join us for our visit to the Sæther district?" asked Brage at the three Andersen.
They shared a look before shaking their heads.
"Thank you for the offer, Brage, but we have our own lunch to get to. We only wanted to introduce ourselves to Lord Caspian," answered Jorgen.
He hesitated then added.
"We also wanted to greet Ledsager Dhaal properly. The Thestral is Family Ressurs' totem. The fact that Dhaal is your Familiar, Lord Caspian, is an auspicious omen."
Severus had no idea how to respond to this piece of information. He settled on letting Dhaal give a few happy whickers from his shoulder that seemed to delight the two other Ledsager.
They exchanged farewells then Brage, Severus and Voktere Jung went on to the Sæther district.
It looked exactly like the three other districts.
Brage and Severus spoke of Kyirong and their mutual friends, exchanging the latest news from them. Brage was excited to learn that Severus wanted to visit Muśkēlī and proposed they organise a group visit with all their Kyirong group. It was an excellent idea that would allow Severus to observe the Faes' behaviour without letting them know that he was considering proposing an alliance with them.
Finally, they were back in front of the building where they had met with the Matriarch.
Voktere stopped in front of the door and turned to Severus.
"The Library of Family Ressurs is in one of the adjoining buildings. It contains the same knowledge as the Lines' libraries and more. You will have complete leisure to use it after the lunch break."
Despite his desire to get right on his research, Severus had to admit that he would work better on a full stomach. His brain also needed a break from the influx of information he had received for the entire morning.
They went into the building, this time taking the stairs until they reached the third floor. The Matriarch, the Vakten, Master Sæther and Vilde as well as a few other voktere and unknown Vampires were already seated at the unique rectangular table in the room.
Brage made Severus sit next to Vilde then sat on his other side. Voktere Jung sat in front of Vilde, and gestured for Dhaal to sit next to him. They barely had time to exchange a few pleasantries with Vilde before the meal began.
The dishes were unlike any Severus had ever eaten, with unknown fruits, meat he would never have thought to eat and in combinations that left him doubtful until he tasted them.
They began the meal with king crab with buckthorn and tarragon. Then, another dish of crab but this time with lingonberries and trout roe. A dish of meat followed, reindeer steak with brown goat cheese, bilberry jam and broccoli. Then another one, this time a seal steak coupled with potatoes au gratin, root vegetables and a red wine sauce.
To Dhaal's disappointment, they finished with cloudberries as dessert. The fruits were juicy but a bit tart, and did not hold a candle to Tuei's desserts. Severus was too full to regret it.
"We usually mix dishes from various origins, but Bestemor and Vilde wanted you to experience a traditional meal," explained Brage to Severus. "She remembered that you and Dhaal enjoyed experimenting with new foods in Kyirong."
"I'm always glad to try out something new," agreed Severus, smiling at his two friends.
He hesitated, wondering how to ask his question without being rude.
"I noticed that all of you enjoyed the entire meal, even the dishes without meat…"
"Without blood, you mean," stated Brage knowingly. "I told you that we needed blood because of a difference in our anatomy compared to Wizards. It's a bit more complicated than that. We need blood both for its nutritive quality and for the magic it contains. Blood is what allows us to regulate our body parameters to levels that would mean death for a Wizard. It also allows us to replenish our core. Having a Khorlo wide open means that we leak our core Magic, especially before reaching the grade of Servant. The higher the grade, the less amount of blood you need to drink, except if you're hurt."
Severus was beginning to realise that the number of parameters to take into account to create the Vampires' equivalent of the Lupacem was far higher than for the Werewolves. He wished he could begin his research right now.
Brage and Vilde laughed as if reading his thoughts.
"You have that glint in your eyes like in Kyirong, I can see the gears turning," smirked Vilde.
Severus mock glared at her, causing his friends to laugh again.
Voktere Jung was observing them with a fond look while the Vakten was impassive. Severus had no idea if he disapproved of Brage and Vilde's friendship with him or if it was his business face. Severus realised he had no idea what was the relationship between Brage and Vilde, and what the Vakten was to them.
"Alright children," interrupted Voktere Jung, getting up from his seat. "I believe Lord Caspian needs to visit our library."
Severus sobered at once. He needed to focus if he wanted to be efficient. He stood up, bowed at the entire table then at his friends, and followed the voktere outside the room.
Quickly, he went over the goal of his research. Understand how the Horcruxes prevented someone from dying. Search for examples of living Horcruxes and how they were reunited with their Khorlo. Look for ways to block the Mark and slow down Magic's payback so Lord Voldemort neither died nor drained his Death Eaters' magic.
The Voktere did not speak and they walked in comfortable silence until reaching the library. Contrary to the rest of the buildings, its interior was inset with gold and wood. About twenty wooden tables with assorted chairs were set at the front of the rooms. The rest was filled with many shelves bursting with what seemed to be infinite rows of books, parchment and other recordings. It was at least twice the size of Uusi's library.
Voktere Jung led Severus to the right side of the room, near the entrance. A wooden desk was set up against the wall, with an assortment of various stones inset in a circle upon it. On each side of the circle, two quartz stones were set, linked to the main circle by a string of runes.
Severus let his Sense run along the circle, and found a strong intent of finding and organising.
"This is the main research device," explained Voktere Jung. "As you may have noticed, the library is huge and the knowledge it contains is more than any man or Vampire could hope to learn in a lifetime. It was created four centuries ago by Librarian Ressurs IV to help anyone who looked for knowledge to find the information they required."
It certainly was necessary. Severus was eager to see how it compared to the Hogwarts' system. Uusi's was certainly lacking, though that might be on purpose.
"To use it, put your hands on both sides of the stone and think about keywords that can help you define the knowledge you seek. The more precise you are, the better the results the device gives should be," continued the voktere.
"Thank you, Voktere Jung," said Severus.
He made his way to a table close to the device, noting with appreciation that all the tables were furnished with quills and blank sheets. Feeling the need to be at ease, he put off his robe and carefully set it on the back of one chair. He set several sheets of papers and a quill the way he liked, to have enough room to put the books he needed to consult as well as take notes.
Then, he went to the research device.
Ten minutes later, Severus sighed as he looked at the blasted device. No matter the keywords that Severus used, it proposed dozens of results to him. He did not have the time to check them all.
Tilting his head thoughtfully, Severus caught Voktere Jung watching him with open curiosity.
The voktere had bested Severus in a duel. He was at least three hundred years old and the Vakten had assigned him as Severus' watcher. The Vampire had to know about Horcruxes. Vampires were known for their Dark Lords. Surely, he would not be suspicious of someone asking about Horcruxes. He hoped.
"Voktere Jung?" called Severus softly.
"Yes, Lord Caspian?" answered the Vampire, coming closer.
"I'm having trouble finding what I need and I was wondering if you might be able to help me. I'm looking for information on the workings of Horcruxes, more specifically what happens when someone who has made an Horcrux is killed," explained Severus.
The Vampire nodded, not seeming phased.
"I see. We have many books on Horcruxes, but for what you're asking... I know what you need."
He briefly disappeared in the rows of books before coming back with a thick book that he handed to Severus.
"Thank you Voktere," said Severus, taking the book and going to sit at his chosen table.
Lord Nikolaï Romanova's Memories: Wars and Peace during the High Middle Ages.
That book was old.
Severus leafed through it until the recounting of one battle caught his attention.
The wizard army stood in front of us on the Valdaja augstiene. They did not look as scared as the soldiers we had encountered five days ago, but I was not worried. Even if they were better trained than their compatriots, our superior battle knowledge and our almost invincibility would allow us to prevail.
The battle lasted longer than the previous one but as I had predicted, we won, though we had more injured and dead than expected. The Wizards were learning, or finally calling on their most skilled elements.
Weary from the fight, we made camp only a few hundred meters away from the battle site. Far enough not to see or smell the corpses littering the site. As usual, we did not see any need to bury or burn the bodies of our enemies. It was almost our downfall.
Ser Volkov woke me up one hour before dawn. Our fallen enemies were attacking our camp. Without our discipline and training, we would have fallen. Many from our ranks died before we had once more killed the wizard enemies.
This time, I set several soldiers to watch over the corpses. One called me barely one hour after the battle was over. One of the Wizards was breathing.
We immediately restrained him, then waited with curiosity. Not ten minutes later, another two came back to life. It went on like this until half of the Wizards were alive.
I interrogated several of them myself, using every bit of Mind Magic I knew to find out how the dead Wizards came back alive, and not all at the same time. The answer was impressive: the Wizards had discovered that making a Horcrux not only helped widening their main Chakras, but also prevented them from dying!
Armed with this knowledge, I conducted several experiments on the wizard soldiers. The results were very interesting: depending on the way a Wizard died, the response of the Horcrux was different.
We already knew that Magic was the reason some races were more resistant to injuries and sickness than others. Making a Horcrux means that when a Wizard dies, his body is put into a magical trance until the internal magic of the Wizard has healed or eliminated the reason for his death. Depending on the cause of death as well as the power of the Wizard, his magic works more or less quickly, which explains why the soldiers did not come back to life at the same time.
Some of the Wizards I experimented on and who bore severe injuries did not come back to life, but I could Sense their Magic at work. It needed a lot more time to heal them. However, a few others left me perplexed. One Wizard who had been beheaded truly seemed dead. His Magic was not active and trying to make his head grow back.
Sadly, I had already lingered too long and had to go back to the campaign before I could solve this enigma. I had my men bury the soldiers alive with heavy spells around them to prevent them from escaping their tomb. I figured that continued asphyxia would prevent their Magic from regenerating them completely.
There was a footnote that referenced a later page. Curious, Severus went to it.
After ten years of arduous battle, I am finally back to my home, assured to have vanquished all who would defy me. My child was delighted to see me, and I was proud that she now had enough self-control not to try to rip my throat out when I told her that I had not brought her back a Wizard's head.
I enjoyed several days of rest before my mind came back to the mystery, only partially solved, of the Wizards who came back to death using Horcruxes. I had met only two companies who had used that trick despite its obvious interest.
I decided to go further into my experiments. It was easy to capture a few Wizards to use as guinea pigs. The experiment lasted several years until I was able to completely solve the enigma of the Wizards who had never come back to life — or so I thought. It appears that when the injuries or illness affecting the body are too severe, for example if it is too badly burnt, beheaded or continuously asphyxiated, the spirit of the Wizard moves to his Horcrux and builds back the body from it. However, an enormous amount of external Magic must be supplied to the Horcrux for this to happen. Otherwise, the spirit will remain in the form of a wraith, condemned to wander the earth for eternity.
It is a shame that we cannot use Horcruxes because if well used, they could be an enormous asset when infiltrating enemy camps. However, I do not know one Vampire who did not immediately go mad as his main Khorlo widened even more than it already was and then burst into flames.
It may be worth trying one last time though. Contrary to the soldiers using Horcruxes, my experimental subjects were not clear headed when they came back to life, often remaining disorientated for several hours after breathing once more. It was a stark difference, and I had to rewatch several of my memories to understand the difference. Several of the wizard soldiers used an anchor, though I was never able to clearly see in their mind what that anchor was: a bond with another Wizard? a specific object?
Severus browsed the end of the book quickly, but Lord Romanova only described failures after failures until he definitely stopped trying to use Horcruxes for Vampires. Not once did he mention the possibility of making several Horcruxes or using a living Horcrux. Severus had no idea how it would impact their functioning in the case of Lord Voldemort. Did the creation of so many Horcruxes reduce his magic capacities at healing his main body? How would his spirit choose the Horcrux it would use in the case of a too severe injury to heal? Would it be his main Khorlo? What if it chose Nagini?
Nodding to himself, Severus went back to the research device, this time focusing on living Horcruxes. There were far fewer results. Severus checked them all and felt quite disheartened afterwards. None of the books or parchments truly were about living Horcruxes, but rather about living with a Horcrux without becoming a Pahuu.
Sighing, Severus stood in front of the research device once more and searched for making several Horcruxes. There were several dozen results. Most were memories from various vampire Dark Lords as well as a few goblin masters, no doubt spoils from some past war between Vampires and Goblins. There were also some kinds of academic papers on the subject. All could be divided into two categories: those who believed that creating more than one Horcrux automatically made the Wizards or Goblins doing so Pahuu, and those who thought that with proper boundaries and rules, it was no different than using any Dark Art. After reading two papers from each side, Severus was inclined to agree with the later thesis though he was aware he might be biased by his belief in Lord Voldemort. He would need to read all the documents available to further his certainty.
Voktere Jung clearing his throat almost made him jump. He had been so focused he had forgotten to watch his surroundings.
"I would have warned you," Sensed Dhaal, though boredom leaked through their bond.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Lord Caspian, but it's almost eight," said the voktere.
Already? He had not even had the time to research everything he needed to.
"I have taken the liberty of speaking with Vakten Ressurs," continued Voktere Jung. "He has agreed on providing a few training sessions with some of the voktere if you ever come back for more research. He seems to expect you will need more than one afternoon to find what you need."
Were the Vampires truly so supportive to please a new potentially powerful ally? Or did they know more about Severus' Horcruxes problem than he thought? Had the Goblins warned them? Or was it the content of their own prophecy that made them keen on helping him?
Severus disliked the uncertainty, however, he had no one else to turn to with his questions about Horcruxes and Dark Magic and could not deny that the Vampires' help was useful. He was also very excited about training with the voktere and exploring the Vampires' abilities.
In the end, he and the Vakten agreed that he would come back two days later for another research session as well as training with the voktere.