Chapter 4. Strength
Lily Evans waked up hearing a peck on the window. Glancing up at her alarm clock she saw that it was eight in the morning.
Yawning she stretched her body and stood up from her comfortable bed. It was about a month ago when summer vacation started. Looking out the window she saw a barn owl pecking at her window. A letter was stuck tightly on the owl's leg.
Opening up the window she ushered the owl inside and took the envelope from the owl's leg. In one glace she figured out it was another love letter from James potter.
Lily pulled out the letter while petting the owl and started to read.
Dear Lily flower
I hope you are having a wonderful summer vacation. Did you go anywhere with your family? For me, I traveled around Europe with Sirius and watching a lot of quidditch. Right now I'm in France. There are so many things to look at and buy that I don't know what to do. We are going to go back to London in about a month and I would like to invite you to a party that is held at my house.
I would love to spend some time with you. It would be an honor to be your date. It would be nice telling you all kinds of things I saw all over the world. I send you a flower that I picked up in Germany. I don't know what the name is but it is very beautiful as you.
Hope to hear from you soon. Have a wonderful day Lily flower.
Yours truly
James Potter.
P.S. The owl I sent you is an international owl. It is faster than normal owls and flies farther as well.
Lily reached inside and pulled out the flower that was sent by James. It was red like a rose but didn't have any thrones. She put it on her desk and took in the sweet scent.
It was sweet of James to give her a flower and it made her happy. She blushed a little as she read the letter again.
Lily thought about James Potter. He was handsome, rich, and was fun to talk with. It would be a lie if Lily said she had not thought about James Potter as boyfriend material. If he didn't pick on Sev that much, she would have surely gone out on a date with him.
Compared with James, Sev was poor, ugly, and quite. He almost looked like a bat muttering curses under his breath all the time. Still, she thought him as a friend… Until the mudblood incident.
Lily now knew her Gryffindor friends were right all along. Slytherins were wannabe death eaters the lot of them. Severus's Slytherin friends and his interest in dark magic made him crazy. How dare he call her a mudblood.
Looking out the window again, Lily saw a raven sitting outside on a tree branch. It reminded Lily of her ex-best friend.
"Stop thinking of him Lily, he is a lost cause. Just….. forget about him." Reminding her self that she no longer needed to think about a boy named Severus Snape she picked up a pencil and started to write a letter to James.
Maybe this party will make her mind move on from Severus for good.
-Tigulang sa bukid-
『Install.』
Blue flames erupted from the card and started to take form as a huge sword began to form. The flame-worked up towards Severus's arm and soon a metal armor was clinging to it.
It was about a month since he started to study the magic of cards and finally last week he had succeeded in doing 'Part installing'. The armor only covered his right arm and the big sword was missing the top.
Severus scowled in disappointment. He knew he had improved a lot in the past month but he was not that satisfied with the results.
He still lost every round of wand dueling with Shirou and hand-to-hand combat with Jack ended with his back touching the ground. But anyone could tell his reaction speed had become faster and his body became fit.
Right now Severus was inside his room practicing his card magic with Shirou.
"You're doing great Severus. A lot of students need to practice for six months before achieving part install."
"Thanks, Shirou," Severus growled. Shirou's word didn't help Severus's mood.
He just wanted more power. Severus thought he was still too weak. Dueling with Shirou made him realize how slow he was casting magic. He knew that he studied for just a month but he still couldn't help but feel venerable and useless.
Shirou sighed knowing what Severus was thinking about. He knew the boy was hungry for respect and power. It was not that it was wrong, but Shirou worried it will make Severus choose the wrong choice when needed.
"Mother, Husband, Headmaster is calling."
A knock came from the door as a young voice called out.
Stomping toward the door, Severus yanked it open to see Jack looking up at him with no emotions.
"I said to you. Don't. Call. Me. That!" Severus spat out. He was embarrassed by Jack calling him that word. With Lily not talking to him, he never thought about romance in the last month.
Jack, ignoring the angry boy, locked her eyes with Shirou instead. Seeing the seriousness in her eyes Shirou knew immediately something came up.
"Severus we should go right away. I think this is urgent."
Never hearing Shirou's voice so cold Severus forgot his anger and nodded numbly.
Together the three climbed up the tower and opened the old wooden door. The headmaster, as usual, was sitting in his chair looking out the window.
"Shirou, Jack… and Mr. Snape. It would be nice to ask how you three are doing in school but this is not a time to get chatty."
"What is it this time headmaster?" Shirou asked with a voice of steel.
"It seems a couple of werewolves are looking for trouble. I need three of you to go there and make them stop."
Severus could feel his fear of werewolves starting to build. Werewolves were not his strong fort. Severus never forgot the accident in the Whomping Willow.
"But why am I going, sir? Surely there are more capable students?" Severus said calmly trying not to show his fear.
"Well, Mr. Snape. This mission is something like a test run. The academy sometimes gives out missions to make our students understand what it is to feel when your life is in danger. But don't worry, Shirou and Jack are very strong fighters who can activate 'full install' in seconds. I'm sure they will take good care of you."
Severus clenched his fists. He didn't want protection but he still was scared of facing a pack of werewolves. Reluctantly he nodded his head and said no more. He didn't like to be seen as a coward.
"When are we going to leave, headmaster?"
"Tomorrow morning. You all should be prepared." With that, they were dismissed.
Walking down the stairs to his room Severus's head was full of werewolves. Of his experience, he had in his third year in Hogwarts.
Of the monster who was sleeping in the Whomping Willow. His big yellow eyes. His big white teeth. His beast like claws…
"Are you okay Husband?" Snapping out from his thoughts he looked around to see Jack holding his hand. It made him blush a little. The cold hand of Jack's was cooling off his sweaty hands.
It was a nice feeling but still, he pulled back.
"Er… yeah." It was awkward to be cared for once. Sure, Shirou cared for him but Jack was a girl and girls did not like him at Hogwarts.
Jack nodded her head still emotionless. "Then I'll see you tomorrow morning. Good night… Husband." And she scampered down the stairs giggling a little while Severus yelled down to Jack to stop calling him that ridiculous name.
Shaking his head he walked back to his room and pulled the covers. Trying not to think about werewolves or the Whomping Willow.
Severus sighed in frustration it was no use. He vividly remembered the white teeth that bared at him that night. Knowing that he was not a shape to go to sleep he took out the card from his pocket.
『Install.』
He stared at the blue flames. It was not hot nor cold. Severus always thought Fires were something that could burn but he didn't know what this flame burned.
He put it on some paper but it never burned. It never burned any wooden objects either. Severus thought it was strange so one day he asked Shirou why it could not burn anything.
'Maybe that is the power of your card's heroic spirit. Your card is an assassin so maybe the flames are something like an illusion.'
That was what Shirou thought it was but Severus didn't feel that it was right.
『Install』
Again, the blue flames blazed wildly. He stared at blue flames until he fell asleep.
And he dreamed. For once he didn't dreamed about a man that killed others.
In the dream the sky was cloudy. He was standing on a hill. All he could see was the sky and the hill. Everything from the sky to the ground was painted black and white.
"You seem lost young one."
Severus whipped around to see a man lurking behind him. The man was dressed in filthy black clothes and was hooded with a cloak.
"Where am I? Who are you?" Severus felt a little frightened. The hill, the sky, the man. All looked too real.
"You don't know me?" The man said sounding sad. "Pity, I thought you knew me very well."
Severus stepped a little back. This man looked like trouble for him. He had this aura that screamed 'I'm the last thing you will ever see'!
"I'm called Death." Death introduced itself calmly. "The place we are is on a mountain that I own."
"Death? Like… the Dark Lord?"
The hooded man laughed heartily. "Nothing like the stupid snake. I am who he fears."
"So… you're stronger than him?" Severus asked hopefully. "Can you teach me how to get stronger?"
"Ah… Boy, do you want strength? Do you want it that much?"
"Yes, I would do anything to be stronger. Anything. I can be respected, I can be famous, and no one, no one will think lowly of me again!"
Death looked at Severus quietly for several minutes. Severus stared back with hunger in his eyes.
"There is a limit when you only want power child." Death finally said. Severus could see the man brining out a hand from his racked cloak. His arm was covered in black armor and familiar blue flames.
"That… blue flames?"
Severus looked fixedly at Death's arm as it rolled around the flame as if it was a toy. It looked like a blue orb as it danced around in Death's arm.
"Amazing isn't it?" Death murmured. "The flames that kill everything…"
"Flames that… kill?" Severus repeated not knowing what Death was talking about. "Doesn't flame burn and then kill?"
Death didn't answer Severus as he around and started walking back into a cave.
"Wait! What do you mean by that?"
Severus tried to catch him but his sight was starting to spin as he saw only darkness. The mountain was no more.
With a jolt, Severus opened his eyes. He looked at the clock. Six O clock. It was morning. Severus moved to stand up to see something attached to his arm. Looking down Severus saw the black armor was still there but with a grey-white sword.
The handle was covered in nails and belts. The whole length of the sword was so long that it almost comes up to his neck. Also, blue flames licked the sword's body that made it shinier.
Severus knew that he didn't know the answers to the flames yet. Still, he felt his connection with his card grow stronger.
-მთებშიმოხუცი-
Severus walked down to the tower gate to see Jack and Shirou waiting for him. They each had a small backpack slung over their back.
"Okay there Severus? You don't seem to have enough sleep." Shirou said looking slightly worried.
"I'm fine Shirou. Anyway, where are we going?"
"Royal Forest of Dean. The information says that the werewolves are trying to attack Goodrich castle."
Severus's mood didn't get better by hearing this news.
"But that's so far away from London. Plus I don't like brooms."
Jack and Shirou looked at each other and shared a chuckle. In Jack's case a twitch of the eye.
"Oh, no-no. We are not going there by brooms. Come on now follow me."
Severus followed the two and reached a room that read 'Magic transport.' They shuffled inside to see nothing but a magic circle drawn in the middle.
"This Severus is a magic circle," Shirou said looking proud. "This little circle here can help us go to places we never went before thus making it more useable than apparating."
Severus watched in curiosity as the Circle glowed weakly around their feet.
Shirou shouted "Royal Forest of Dean!" and the glowing grew brighter until Severus could only see white.
About a second later the glowing stopped and Severus could see trees surrounding them. They have arrived in the Royal Forest of Dean.
Severus gulped. His first mission had already begun.