Secret of the Blade

by ShadeslayerX

When Lily Potter comes across an artifact of immense power, hidden away by the Potters, old secrets come to light. Plans come undone and the day of reckoning is upon Wizarding Britain. Original Witchblade characters are never part of the action, only mentioned. M rating for adult themes, gore, physical and mental torture. All Criticism is welcomed and encouraged. Enjoy!

9. Chapter 7 - Rain of blood

A.N: Tom/ManiacLot: Howdy folks. Long time no see. Sorry for the delay, but as you are about to see, this is a Loooooohooohohooooohong chapter. The first draft took roughly 20-25 pages and we ended up with double that.

I have to apologise for not moving a bit faster, but. I do have an excuse. I have my own original writing to consider. In other words, I am writing my own stuff. And yes, my co-author does allow me to plug it here.

I have a page for it

AKnightsDarkTale

And the latest chapter (written out of chronological order) is the one just below

.

Now, to fry some other bigger fish…. This chapter is a 25k word monstrosity. I'd rather not split it into 2 or 3 smaller chapters. Number 8 might reach a similar word count. There will be no review answers yet, because, despite my extremely badly disguised strategy of using easter eggs, the number remains small. sigh T-T

Now, on to our regularly scheduled mayhem… i mean story…

P.S :Disclaimer still applies

Chapter 7: Rain of blood

Some may call it a curse, a life like mine. But others, a blessing. It's certainly a lonely life, but a fulfilling one at best. It's my cross to bear and I'll bear it gladly. Someone has to take a stand [...], why should it not be me?

Unknown location, November 1st 1981, 2:00 AM

Lightning flashed in the distance. Pain shot through the metacarpals of his right hand. The glass he held in his hand fell and shattered, spilling the aged bourbon on the carpet. He writhed in agony for what seemed like hours, the scar on the back of his hand throbbing all the way through. When the agony finally abated, he remained on the floor, breathing heavily. A moment later, he got up. There was no time to waste. He hurriedly made his way through the far end of the mansion and stopped in front of a door he hadn't opened in years. With a still shaking hand, he unlocked the door and stepped into the room.

The reinforced glass of the display case was covered in deep scratches. At a first inspection, the man could see that only the inside of the glass was damaged. The item on display, a gauntlet adorned with a red gem, was lying crooked on its pillow, its index finger still clinging to one of the scratches. Upon a closer look, he saw the gauntlet had written something. The scratches formed three sets, each in a different script.

"Britannia…" the man said as he inspected the first set, written in Roman Script. "What could have gotten your attention all the way out there? I wonder…" The second set was written in Greek. "Devourer? Your excitement has piqued my interest." The last set of scratches was one most peculiar. "Sanskrit? I don't remember you ever getting your hands on anyone from that part of the world. An… Abomination, is it? What are you trying to tell me?" the man asked, as he traced a finger on the other side of the third set of scratches. That word was definitely unsettling. His musings were cut short by a voice.

"Mr Irons, is there something wrong?"

"Nothing to be too concerned about," Kenneth Irons replied, with a smile. "She has sensed something. And is VERY afraid."

Morning of November 1st 1981, Greengrass manor.

"So, why exactly do you want to go to France? What are you looking for there?" Evelyn asked. Lily sighed, rubbing the wrist right underneath the Witchblade, where, ever since the Periculum, two small puncture wounds had appeared. Even though they were almost healed, they were still a bit sore.

"I am hoping to get my hands on a particularly rare set of books," she answered. "According to my… source, for lack of better words, these books apparently hold untold knowledge of Witchblades, detailing their history and powers, even covering their drawbacks. And, it might just contain a way to remove the damned thing safely. " Evelyn raised an eyebrow.

"Such books would be a boon," she said, setting her teacup down on the table. "That is assuming the French Bureau de la Magie hasn't got their grubby mitts on them in the last couple of centuries and conveniently forgot to share the news with their British counterparts. Even so, the place might have been looted ages ago." Lily sighed, and rubbed at her eyes.

"A reasonable assumption, Evie. but that doesn't mean I don't have to at least try. All I can do is hope everything is still there, safely stowed away from prying eyes." She took a sip from her own tea cup. "Given the last owner, the possibility is pretty damn high. Though I wonder why these books would be emblazoned with inverted wings." Evelyn stiffened.

"Did your source, by any chance, happen to say if these books were bound in red leather?" she asked, quietly. "Or if the inverted wings had stylised feathers?"

"Actually yes… they look exactly as you've said." Lily's eyes widened as a thought popped into her head. "Don't tell me you have them in your family library." With trembling hands, Evelyn picked up her teacup.

"I wish. I know how the books look, because the Department has been searching for them. The Cainite Grimoires are infamous. It is said the spells, recipes and rituals it contains can break the very fabric of existence. Not to mention their unique enchantments prevent anybody from copying them in any way."

"Cainite? As in the son of Adam and Eve and the Father of Murder, Cain?" Lily asked. Her naiveté made Evelyn's laugh, which was enough to break the tension.

"No, Lil. Caine, spelled C-A-I-N-E, a name adapted from Sumerian, was a necromancer that supposedly lived during the reign of High King Gilgamesh of Uruk. He researched the most powerful magical items and artefacts of his time, as well as the lore associated with them, and documented everything he could about them in books of bound parchment supposedly made of human skin and written in blood. Grimoires. It is said the runes it is written in are enchanted to be seen and easily understood only by its wielder." Lily looked impressed and shocked at the same time.

"If you ignore the materials they're made of, sounds like pretty powerful stuff."

"You don't know the half of it. The initial collection left by Caine had 7 volumes. One of the legends associated with the Grimoires is that each volume rests in a semi-conscious state. If it senses it is in the presence of new knowledge, powerful enough for Caine to deem worthy of recording it, it does just that. How, no one knows. In more modern terms, it is an ever expanding encyclopedia of the most powerful magics ever in existence."

"No wonder the Department is interested in this."

"Moreover, it is said that, upon gathering all the books collection in the same place, it would unlock a most powerful and ancient magic. No one knows exactly what that is, the legends are… less than specific at best. Dark wizards and witches, legitimate collectors and black market dealers, cults, as well as pretty much every ministry of magic in the world would give anything to acquire them by any means necessary. Even our own Director, Mr Crocker, is offering fifty thousand Galleons per genuine volume. No questions asked. The Department wishes to study these writings." Lily whistled.

"A quarter of a million Pounds per volume. The Department is desperate alright. I am not turning in any volume that contains information on the Witchblades. I'd rather burn it."

"Here's another fun fact for you, Lily. The books are indestructible. Caine made sure his work didn't go to waste," Evelyn said with a smirk, laying the empty teacup down on the table. Lily blinked. She stood up and went to one of the windows. She wasn't looking for anything in particular, rather she was trying to process what her friend just told her. A soft chime snapped her from her reverie. Her Witchblade sought her attention.

'So, Jeanne, what is your opinion about this?' Lily asked.

'If your friend is correct,' Jeanne said, 'these books are, most likely, the creation of my Father or one of my Mother's worshippers. If they indeed have had any part in their making, then the resulting works would be impervious to virtually everything, save for their combined power.'

'Scary thought, your parents. The way you mention them, they sound godlike.'

'One might say that about me, or rather us as well.' Sensing Lily's confusion with that statement, Jeanne continued. 'As you can imagine, you passing the trial allows us to fully attune to each other. You have full access to all abilities that I already possess and I am able to learn new ones while I am bound to you, all you need is observe it. Now you can demand of me to create so much more than tendrils and sword blades.'

'Like steel-tipped bone wings? Or a chainsaw sword?'

'As long as it is within reason, if you can imagine it, I will do my best to replicate it to the smallest detail,' Jeanne replied, exasperated with her human partner. 'However, I would refrain from any construct that would prove… world breaking. I am sure nobody wants us to cleave the world in half or to end up vaporizing the British Isles.'

'What I'd love most would be not to lose my clothes every damn time I call on more armor than the basic gauntlet.'

'That too is now achievable. Up until now, you called the armor on instinct alone. With some application of will, it can be formed on top of your clothes.'

'What about wandless magic, using the gauntlet as a conduit? It could prove a huge advantage both in battle and in the Department's infirmary.' The voice of the avatar sounded smug.

'Who says you can't? Will and imagination many not be enough for it to work, but you could apply yourself to developing the channel between your own magic and the gauntlet.'

Lily was reeled back to reality by the feeling someone was touching her hand. As she focused on the physical world, she saw that Evelyn had moved her chair to be next to her own.

"Are you OK, Lil? You looked a million miles away,"

"Sorry, Evie. I was just… thinking about something."

"If it is related to how you are going to get to France, without anyone noticing you, don't worry, I have that covered." Letting go of her hand, Evelyn handed her an envelope she did not have mere seconds ago.

"What is this?"

"Travel papers for a certain Jane Darcy, valued employee at Greengrass Imports. Jane is part of a team that is to go to a certain town 20 miles from Tiffauges to pick up a shipment of Bordeaux wine and Brie cheese." Lily raised a hand, interrupting her friend.

"Correct me if I am wrong, but Tiffauges is a lot farther from both Bordeaux and Brie."

"According to the papers Greengrass Imports will submit with the Ministry, our team is to liaise with our French partners, who handle all the acquisitions on their end. And, let's face it, they may be snobs, but Edward Parkinson and Lucius Malfoy love their fancy wines and stinky cheeses. Doubt they'll care too much where in France you'll go, as long as you bring them something good."

"What about the real Jane?" Lily asked with some apprehension. Evelyn's smirk returned.

"Well, our friend Jane hasn't been employed with Greengrass Imports for long, according to the records, but she has proven her worth already. She is a scout of sorts, looking for lucrative opportunities, and is paid a finder's fee depending on the revenue generated by her involvement." Lily looked bewildered. "Dear Merlin, you can be thick at times," Evelyn said, scoffing. "YOU, my dear, are the real Jane."

"So she exists on the books only because you need to have someone extra, that gets paid infrequently, so no one needs to investigate what she does to justify her salary. Evie, your genius is still showing."

"Yes, well… What can I say….. I AM a genius." the older woman replied. With a snap of her fingers, her empty cup of tea was replaced by a different cup, this one filled with black strong coffee.

As they set in absolute silence, Evelyn slowly drinking her coffee, Lily was trying to put together a plan on how she could get to the books as fast as possible. So deep was her contemplation that she almost didn't catch her friend trying to ask something.

"...money do you have, Lily?"

"I'm sorry, Evie. You were saying?"

"How much money do you have on you now Lily?" the older woman asked with a little less patience than before.

"Barely anything. I have a space expanded bag of cut gems I planned to use to get out of the country with James before I got my wake up call. I never took it out of the secret pocket of my cloak. Come to think about it, I never even told James I took them, or asked him to leave the country like I originally intended that day."

"Let me see. I was looking for some gems to make a new set of earrings. Probably one for Daphne to have in the future. I'll send Dot to my Account Manager."

-section break-

"Evie, did you drink milk from a rusty bucket? Or did Dot spike your coffee in any way? This is way too much money," Lily said with some apprehension as she eyed the miniature mountain of various denominations in front of her.

"What can I say, Lily?" Evie replied with a smirk. "The Potters had in their vault some of the best gems I've seen since my grandmother's set. My Account Manager had them appraised at a grand total of twenty-five thousand Galleons. I got you half of them in a chaotic mixture of Pounds and French Francs. Merlin knows you're going to need them."

"Why is that?" Lily asked.

"Given recent events, I figure it would be best to have it handled the Muggle way, do as little magic as possible. I am sure both the Ministry as well as You-Know-Who's remaining followers are still looking for you. A Portkey will not register any magical signatures of the people it transports, but what you do once you get there is definitely traceable, if they know what to look for. The fewer spells you cast, the lower the chances of having anyone detect you."

"Point taken. How do you advise I do that?"

"Do I have to spell it? You're Muggle raised for Merlin and Morgana's sake! Use the money. You'll need transportation, room and board and some clothing to fit in. You know, minimal creature comforts. I would recommend you acquire train tickets on the Muggle railways, preferably the TGV, to avoid detection, definitely no brooms or Apparition. I doubt that where you're going, there's a Floo Network exit point, so no worries about that. Also, I suggest you find room and board in a non-magical establishment, a few changes of clothes, preferably second hand, definitely not this year's fashion."

"By the way you have it all figured out, Evie, some could say you were the Muggle-born on the run, not me."

"I read a lot in my spare time," Evelyn replied, the smirk still present. "Now, you know me, I don't necessarily approve of bribery, but I have found out that, if you grease the correct palms, Muggles would be more than willing to open some doors easier or look the other way if you find yourself in a tight spot. " Lily sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"Fine," she replied. "Have your Account Manager put the other half in Vault 687. By the way, how much time does my Jane Darcy cover last on this occasion?"

"You need to be at the portkey location before sunset on November 4th. The shipment will be delivered to our team sometime that day and we must deliver the goods sometime before noon on the 5th."

"So I have less than three days to chase my lead and possibly retrieve what I need, all while trying to not be detected by both sides. No pressure what-so-friggin-ever," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "Tell you what: lend me an expanded purse for the money, while I throw on a glamour and take a shopping trip into Harrods to stock up."

"Or you can buy some rugged backpacker gear at a cheaper camping store." Lily grinned.

"Or that."

-section break-

November 2nd

Next day, Evelyn Greengrass walked in the office of her family's import business. Which was a surprise for all of the members of the team getting ready to depart for France, because, while she was known to be actively involved in the decision making process, she was rarely seen showing any interest in a mundane task such as seeing them off. She was accompanied by a young woman in her mid 20s. They were talking in a low voice.

"Good morning, everyone," Evelyn said when they got close to the team. "Hope you don't mind me dropping in today. I certainly do not want to get in your way, as I am sure you will do your duties with utmost professionalism… However, I have a small announcement to make. I want to introduce you to my friend, Jane Darcy." The three men on the team looked smug and cocky, the two women, worried and suspicious of the newcomer.

Jane Darcy was, for all intents and purposes, a mystery. She had a pleasant face and a benign smile. Her eyes were a piercing sapphire blue and she wore her long blonde hair in a relaxed braid, a few stray hairs sticking out here and there. She wore a pair of black business pants and black leather spool heel boots, a simple white button up shirt and a dark blue overcoat. In spite of her clothes' simple design, there was something royal in her features and her demeanor.

"She will be joining you on the Portkey into France. Don't worry, I am not replacing any of you, especially on such short notice. She will be running a private errand for me."

"I am sorry, Ma'am," one of the women interrupted. "I am sure anyone of us would be more than willing and able to help you with any errand you might have."

"I do not doubt that, Emily, and I know it is highly irregular, mixing business with personal matters, but there is no one else I would rather send. The matter is of great importance to me, and while I do trust in all of you, I would rather keep this separate from anything work related. I don't want to get any of you into trouble."

"If her presence is going to be an issue, are you sure it is wise for her to join us?" the other woman asked. "I am sure there are other, less conspicuous, ways for her to get into France."

"A covert op? If she is found, it would risk a diplomatic incident, which we would like to avoid. I assure you she will not pose a hindrance to any of you. All you need to do is make sure she gets past the customs, both in and out."

"Ladies, I am sorry to disturb you," one of the men said, as he checked his pocket watch, "but we leave in five minutes. Lady Greengrass, I hope you have her papers ready as well."

"Of course, Theodosius," Evelyn replied, "she has everything she needs."

"Marvelous. Well, then, Ms. Darcy, welcome on board," he said. He checked his watch one more time and picked up a large silver platter. "It is time to leave. Everybody, grab on and hold tight."

-section break-

Lily let out a satisfied sigh. No one suspected a thing about 'Jane', the last-minute addition to their little expedition, and she got a pretty warm welcome. She had James' cloak in her bag, a contingency, as Evelyn called it, in case she would need to make herself scarce and fast.

"If my portkey landing were smoother, that'd be great," she muttered crossly, wiping the dirt from her bottom. The others were trying to conceal their sniggering.

"You don't use them too often, do you? Takes a few frequent trips to get used to. Eventually, you find your footing," said one of the other men in the group, as he helped her up.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks," she replied as she accepted the helping hand.

'A device that bridges long distances in such a short time,' her tenant chimed in, 'is quite a marvel. It would have be very useful to move large armies between fields of battle.'

'Yes, well… It saves time while transporting groups of people, but it's quite painful when you don't land on your feet.'

The group made their way from the Arrival Hall to an office labeled Douanes magiques, to formally announce their presence in the country, Lily finally figured out where in France they were, when she spotted a sign just above the entrance to the office, with a bland greeting - Bienvenue à Nantes.

"Papers, please!" the man behind the counter asked in a gruff French accent. Lily presented the forged travel documents Evelyn got for her, with some apprehension. The customs officer checked the papers, skimming the main information needed, and yawned loudly. He took a large gulp from the coffee cup on his desk.

"Long shift?" Lily asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Early hours," the officer replied curtly. "Purpose and duration of visit?" She was taken aback by his attitude.

"Trade," Theodosius replied in her place, presenting another set of papers. "Acquisition of goods on behalf of Greengrass Imports." She let him take over, grateful she didn't have to invent any reason for her presence in France.

"Everything seems to be in order," the customs officer said after spending a couple of minutes checking all the paperwork the team provided. "Please proceed to the last step: wand registration." Lily put on a worried face.

"Excuse me, are you sure that is necessary?" she asked.

"First time abroad, are you?" Theo intervened, with a smile. "It's a harmless trace placed by the Bureau on your wand. It will only trigger if you cast offensive magic. Don't worry, it will not impede any sort of magic, they just like to make sure we don't cause trouble while we are here."

"Oh, OK. That makes sense." She reached into her pocket and pulled out James' mahogany wand. Lily laughed when Evelyn had suggested that she'd take it with her. As it turned out, she had a point. She handed it to the officer, who briefly scanned it and took notes of its model and length, wood and core, placed what looked like a simple trace charm on it and returned it to Lily.

Within minutes, everyone had their wands scanned, registered and safely returned. Soon enough, the group was waved through the wooden doors onto an empty street, in the middle of Nantes. Lily took a moment to get her bearings and checked the local map Evelyn so graciously provided. It was a magical map that would change its content, based on the traveller's surroundings, showing them both Muggle and Magical points of interest. At this very moment, it highlighted the best route to take from their arrival point to the train and bus station, just a couple of streets away.

"See you in 3 days," Lily waved to Evie's employees and started to make her way toward the train station.

"Hope you don't mind me asking, but what exactly are you looking for in Saint Martin des Tilleuls, Jane?" Emily asked, laying her hand on Lily's shoulder in a less than friendly manner.

"Well, Evie's supervisor in the Ministry has put out a sum of money for the acquisition of a few 'special' books, which turn out are extremely hard to find. I've managed to track them down to a local collector of rare books in the area. I am going to negotiate for them. For all our sakes, I hope he doesn't try the sleazy old man routine or the highway robbery approach. I don't feel like spending any more time with a filthy old man than I have to. And I'm sure Evie, or her supervisor for that matter, certainly wouldn't like me starting an international incident while I'm here. See you on the fourth." Before she could gain three more meters on the group, the busybody called again.

"What kind of books would a paper pusher in the Wizengamot Administrative offices put a bounty on?"

'Tell her it's a book on handling family feuds between nobles,' her tenant chimed in before Lily had any time to invent something.

"A 14th century law book, containing a record of legal precedents and a detailed account on the settlement of blood feuds between Noble Houses. Evie also requested the book is to be kept secret, as we don't want the French Bureau de la Magie knowing we're removing such a book from their territory," Lily added, hoping it would put an end to the woman's questions. No such luck.

"You and Mistress Evelyn seem to be very close, the way you call her like that. I've been working for Greengrass Imports for a very long time now, and this trip is the first time I've seen you or heard you are employed here. Why is that?"

"Aren't you a curious one? I've known Evie for ages, before she involved herself in the family business. Let's just say she has good reasons to trust me," Lily said before her wand sprang from within her sleeve. She twirled it in her fingers, enough to give off sparks. "Oh, and I forgot to add, I do have carte blanche to fulfill the mission entrusted to me here. If I find you to be an impediment, I do have the authority to remove you from the equation. Me being a part of Greengrass Imports is the easiest way to gain entry in the country, that is all you need to know."

The expression of shock on the Emily's face was indicative enough that she would no longer be questioning Lily's presence. If she didn't know better, she would have said she saw a flash of red anger in the woman's eyes. She frowned and turned, feeling it would be better to keep to her own business. The sooner the intruder left the group, the better. Lily smiled as she noticed the reaction and turned to leave. She checked the time to see if she would would make the next train to Saint Martin des Tilleuls.

"Good luck, Jane," Theodosius said behind her, "and remember, don't be late, or we leave without you."

"Thank you, Theo. See you in a couple of days," Lily replied and waved, not even turning.

'It is so distasteful when SOME people don't know their place, little one,' Jeanne said a couple of seconds later. Shifting her backpack straps for comfort, Lily contemplated the mission ahead.

'All I have to worry about now is my glamour failing at the worst possible time. You wouldn't be able to do anything about that, would you?'

'The illusion… is it anchored to your mind, or your body?'

'My body. It's being held in place by my will and focus. However, a forceful application of energy, of any kind, can take it down.'

'Not if it is held by my will and focus, it won't. Allow me to see what I can do about it.'

Lily felt a small tingling sensation, and the draw on her reserves from the glamour eased, then vanished completely. With a smile she quickened her pace once again.

'A girl can really get used to this kind of treatment.'

For no reason she could fathom, she felt as if the avatar of her tenant in the mindscape was grinning in a highly unsettling fashion. She gave a mental shrug and stopped thinking about it.

-section break-

From her table at a cafe in front of the train station in Nantes, Lily watched the people going about their lives unaware of the existence of magic.

'Look at them, so blissfully unaware of the incredible and frightening other world that lies just in front of them. At times, I envy these people, Jeanne.'

'Why is that, little one?'

'I've been in this fairytale world for about half my life. Some people don't do well with the secrecy and duplicity this sort of life requires of them. You can count me in that select group.'

'Do you wish to have never been known of it? To have never been brought into it? You have all the instruments you require to be a great force for change at your fingertips. Does it not please you to have that power?'

'To be honest, when I was younger, the answer would have been as clear as day. Nowadays, I wish I was a mere Muggle like most of my family. One thing is for certain. I love my son, but the hassle of having fought blood purists and worrying for my life makes me wish for a simpler existence, devoid of the nastier surprises the magical world can provide, that's all.' The Witchblade's voice seemed to scoff at her statement.

'A life of mediocrity is a life devoid of meaning. If it grants you any consolation, as long as I am by your side, you need not worry about any unpleasant surprises. Be thankful for your magic and acquired place in society.'

'Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for all of it. Just that it can be exhausting.'

'We can rest when we're dead,' Jeanne said abruptly. 'How long do we have until we depart for the town of my mistress's companion?'

The last question, out of the blue as it was made Lily stop and consider the words themselves. If memory served her right, the companion of her tenant's former mistress, was none other than Gilles de Rais, the infamous Bluebeard, a man who owed his ill gotten fame and power to the inhuman practice of murdering children. What stuck out in the history books was that there was no mention of him being magical, or how he kept that secret. Somehow, him ever having at least one volume of an equally infamous book of deep dark secrets should not have been a surprise.

'One thing at a time, Lily,' Jeanne said, noticing her reluctance. 'We WILL find something useful or nothing at all. Either way, questions will be answered. Now tell me… How long before the machine takes us to the town we were directed to?'

'We leave within the hour. The train ride itself to Saint Martin des Tilleuls will take roughly an hour, and the rest of the way to Tiffauges could take from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on if we can get a car to take us there or not,' Lily replied with a small amount of annoyance.

-section break-

As soon as they arrived, Lily noticed something.

'It just dawned on me. How on Merlin's beard am I supposed to track down a place that must have changed it appearance in the past half a millennium?' She huffed angrily, checking Evelyn's map. While she wasn't lost, she might as well have been. While map did provide a representation of modern Tiffauges and its surrounding areas, there was no record of the location where Gilles de Rais might have hid his volume of the Cainite Grimoires.

'Why do you not try asking the locals if they are aware of any 500 year old ruins? Or of any old yew tree forest?' suggested Jeanne.

'Need I remind you, Hogwarts did not have an intensive French class? I don't speak the language.'

'Could I suggest an application of magic for the purpose of translating between the languages?'

'I know one such spell, but casting it at random people is a good way to get a visit from the Bureau's Gendarmes. If I cast it on me and run into a local witch or wizard, they will notice it. I am not exactly dressed like a tourist.' Lily stopped in her tracks and her face lit up. 'Why didn't I think of this before. I'll try the town's public library. If there is anyone who might know English, that would definitely be the librarian' she said with a slight note of amusement.

'First, I suggest we find accommodations, as well as sustenance.'

'You're right. This morning, I was too worried about Harry, making sure he was all taken care of, that I barely had anything to eat myself.'

-section break-

Lily entered the rented room at the Cheval Cabré, threw her backpack at the foot of the bed and huffed in annoyance, before sitting heavily on the bed and laying on her back.

"Surviving the fight with that bloody terrorist must have used up my luck for the next six months," she said angrily. "I swear I've never seen so many people incapable of linking more than two words together in English. I'd expect that of old people, but even those my age are too proud or stubborn to reply in the same language."

'May I advise caution? Talking out loud to oneself, especially in an inn with walls as thin as this is definitely not a positive gain for how others see you.' Lily felt Jeanne smirk beneath the flat tone of the uncalled for advice. She let out a deep sigh.

'Just so you know, as long as I don't make a habit of it in public for extended periods of time and I don't sound like I expect an answer from someone who isn't there, I doubt anyone would really care. Still, you have a point, don't want to be mistaken for a loon. However, how bloody hard is for those librarians to understand I wanted to know about the local old forests where I might be able to find yew trees. I might as well have used sign language. Wonder if it is international. If not, I doubt they would have understood that.'

'Rest assured, we will find our quarry. In the meantime, as you did not get a chance to do so after the trial, I would strongly recommend you familiarise yourself with the new developments in the weapon's potential.' Lily noticed a hint of impatience in her tenant's voice.

'What new developments? What can you do now that you didn't before.'

'Spells can prove an invaluable resource, but, in battle, you won't always have access to your wand. Why don't you try casting magic, focusing it through the gauntlet? At first, the strength of the spells may not be akin to what you have been accustomed to with your wand, but, in time, the gauntlet may even surpass it. Or, why not practice using my sensing abilities without my active participation. I can't do it all for you, unless you relinquish yourself to being my meat puppet for the remainder of our bond. Which, in my view, doesn't sound too bad.'

'Look who developed a sense of humour,' followed Lily's snarky reply.

She rose from the bed and muttered a few choice words, before pulling a small ebony box Evelyn gave her out of her backpack. She set it on the floor and slightly tapped it with the tip of her wand. The box started to expand slowly, engulfing her and the room around her, stretching past the walls.

'This should do,' Lily said, inspecting the white open space,.

'Most impressive,' Jeanne replied as well, 'but are you sure it is necessary?'

'I am not entirely certain I will be able to fully control all the abilities right now. And we don't want to destroy the inn or bother any of the other guests. Let me demonstrate.' She raised her wand and simply said 'Bombarda Maxima!'

The charm struck an invisible barrier, smoke and dust rising from the spot where the spell hit. When it finally settled, seconds later, what should have been a pile of rubble, was, for lack of a better term, still as intact a wall as before.

'Extraordinary!' Jeanne said, shortly after. 'Within this… space, we shall have no worries of disturbing anyone fortunate enough to be close by tonight. However, I recommend we start off with far less lethal charms - Levitation and Lumos.'

Without a word and wand in hand, Lily conjured a simple wooden block, which she levitated effortlessly. Next, she used her wand to cast Nox and Lumos, concentrating on the feel of the energy going into the implement to power the charms.

Putting away the wand, she willed the gauntlet to form. She closed her eyes and, extending her arm, she spoke the incantation for the Wand Lighting Charm. She concentrated on visualising the effect. She opened her eyes, hoping to see a light on her extended index finger. There was not so much as a glimmer. She grunted in dismay.

'Anything wrong?' Jeanne asked, breaking her concentration.

'Visualising the light on the tip of my finger isn't working,' Lily replied.

'I am sad to say… You are doing it wrong,' her companion said, in a sing-along voice.

'Shut it. Let's try that again.' This time, Lily made a fist and stuck her thumb up. Visualising the light gathering on its tip, she spoke the incantation 'Lumos'. Nothing.

'You must be dreaming if you think you will achieve the expected results this way.' Jeanne's tone was dripping with mockery. 'What exactly were you trying to do? If you don't mind me asking.'

'I was visualising my thumb as a candle. I was trying to light the wick on fire and have that as a light source.'

'Light on a fingertip like, while trying to mirror a lit candle. Spectral light trying to mirror a flame. Not exactly similar, little one.'

'Stop calling me that. I thought we agreed for you to use my name.' Jeanne ignored her and continued.

'For starters, if you wanted a flame light, you are trying the wrong spell.'

'Hmph.'

'Next, as I just said, you are doing it wrong. According to your own memories, the times where you performed magic without any implement, like floating from a swing to the ground, or changing your sister's hair color did not involve only visualisation. I find it laughable to see that you were regarded as the smartest among your peers, when you seem to misunderstand the way magic works. It is not only visualising the effect, but manifesting your will.' The voice of her tenant must have struck a chord. Lily almost growled the spell, foregoing the image of the candle and focusing on the light she needed. Slowly, a small ball of light formed in her palm. The result snapped Lily out of her anger.

'That was really underhanded, you know. You should have just said that I need an application of will and a different form of visualisation,' she said with some disappointment.

'It is somewhat logical that you need a different set of actions when doing magic in different conditions.'

'Meaning?' Lily asked. She heard her companion sigh.

'Listen,' Jeanne started. 'Your magic is yours. It wants to serve you, but it will not bend, unless you make your will known. By overthinking its effect to the means by which it is achieved, you restrict it. As such, more will power is needed to make magic work. Wands, through their core and wood, learn from their wielders and even compensates for whatever will power they can't bring forth themselves.'

'That's why wandless magic is more complicated. No one explained it to me like that before. No wonder I am rubbish at it. But… isn't… aren't you a magical implement? Wouldn't you be able to do what a wand does and compensate what I am lacking?'

'Well… yes. However, unlike a wand, I lack a core to compensate with. For lack of better term, you are the core. Then again, I could help you, but it would work only if you relinquish yourself to me. Or I could briefly take over, at least in a defensive capacity, but only if you ask it of me, as you did just days ago. It would be a poor showing if my host would die while I am on their side.'

'I think I understand now. Lose the sarcasm and you might just turn out to be a half decent tutor,' Lily replied with a smirk.

'Levitation is next,' Jeanne said, ignoring the mock compliment.

Taking the Witchblade's advice, Lily did not bother with the swish and flick of the Levitation charm; instead she flicked a finger upwards while saying the incantation, and willing the small wooden block to raise to her eye level and stay there unless directed. The block wobbled for a split second, then rose to the required level. Surprised that it worked on the first try, Lily lost concentration and the block promptly dropped noisily to the floor. She wanted to cheer, but, as she rose from her seated position, she felt the magical drain. Not even the worst battle against the Death Eaters left her this drained. She tried to stand up, but her legs buckled under her weight due to exhaustion, and she fell unceremoniously on her behind.

"Wandless magic is draining. And, by the looks of it, hazardous to my health," Lily grumbled, rubbing her sore rear end.

'It will get easier with practice. Slowly, you will learn how to dose your strength and will with each spell,' Jeanne said. 'Moving on. Try forming the armor on top of your clothes now.'

'How about later? I need a break. Let me catch my breath and take a shower. Then we can continue, but with less clothes on. Since I didn't bring too many with me, I'll need every last piece to be intact, when we return to pick up my little man from Evie.'

'I sense you miss your offspring greatly.'

'Yes, I do. I'm counting the seconds until I see him again.'

'Clean your body then. Rest up. You will need your energy when forming the armor.'

-section break-

"Here goes nothing," Lily muttered as she sat in the emptiness of the safe space within the charmed boundaries of the ebony box. She felt exposed having only a bra and underwear on, but shredding any clothes she couldn't easily replace or justify the destruction of wasn't worth the risk.

'Focus on your discomfort. Use it. Bend magic to your will and bring forth the armor to preserve your modesty,' her tenant chimed in, sounding closer to a wise teacher, as opposed to the slight air of a cocky and conceited child it usually exuded in its mental voice. Huffing, Lily stood up and, with her eyes closed, she willed the armor to form slowly, over her underwear.

She felt the cold of the metal inching its way up from her right wrist, slowly covering her shoulders and her torso. She opened her eyes to watch the progress. Thin straps lines of metal were crawling across her skin. As if being watched gave it an impulse, the straps flowed faster, wrapping around her lower back, moving ever downward. They soon covered her all her body, all the way down her legs and feet, only to end in high pointed stiletto heels as boots formed under her soles. She struggled to keep her balance, but only for a moment.

'Really?' Lily heard Jeanne ask. 'Are you going to flaunt the latest ball fashions on the battlefield?'

'Can't a woman look nice while she goes about her business?' she replied, in a playful tone.

'What will you think of next, replacing metal armor with sentient hair?'Jeanne seemed to enjoy mocking her

'What? Ewwww! Hell nooo!'

'You can barely stand on those… things,'

'Fine… damn party pooper,' Lily muttered to herself. She visualised the stiletto heel transform itself into a slightly elevated flat one. 'Satisfied?' she asked, as she took a couple of steady steps.

'Perfect. See how well it worked, remember how you did it it and hold on to it.'

'O-kay…'

'Now dismiss the armor and summon it again, only this time, faster.'

'Yes, mom' Lily replied with some venom in her voice. "This is going to get very old soon." she muttered.

-section break-

Lily practiced forming the armor for about an hour or so, adding another piece of clothing every other attempt. Initially, she found the metal straps would crawl very close to her skin, so, in order to avoid ruining her clothes, she willed the armor to form over them just an inch wider. If any of the armor pieces would be too large for her to wear, it would simply be altered at will.

When she was confident she had the gist of armor summoning down, Lily felt she was ready to try weapon creation. She raised her right hand and flexed her fingers. The gauntlet formed almost without her sparing a conscious thought.

"Might as well start off with the basics." A simple straight sword blade base extended from the underside of the wrist.

'This type of sword was the standard issue of the regular soldier during the time of my former mistress. I have grown quite fond of it,' Jeanne said, somewhat nostalgic.

'Wish you'd call me that as well,' Lily replied, in a singsong voice.

'What… exactly… are you talking about?!'

'Mistress. Wish you'd call me Mistress.'

'My dear, you have to earn that title,' came the Witchblade's snarky comeback. 'Now, pay attention. You will definitely need this information.'

'Ffffine…'

'If you are to summon a weapon as an instinctual response to a threat, this sort of sword will be the one that will materialise. Unless you put a minimal thought towards another weapon, that is, even newer ones, I am not familiar with. But, again, with proper application of will, you can create any implement you might need in the heat of battle.'

'Let's try the blades on the tips of my fingers,' Lily said, a couple of seconds later. 'They seem pretty useful.' No sooner had she thought it, that the one inch blades on all fingertips grew to 3 inches. With a small effort of will, the straight blades curved slightly, widened by a small margin and the backs became serrated.

'A rogue's tool…' Jeanne sounded a disgusted.

'You do not approve of it?'

'I am used to facing my enemy on the battlefield in an honorable fashion, with a proper sword in hand. A blade shorter than that of a short sword is more suitable for one that lurks in the shadow. A coward's weapon.'

'Says who? For all we know, the Wizarding world doesn't have a clue you exist. Having a huge sword is definitely a dead giveaway, we'd be announcing ourselves to everyone. Once everyone knows, they will either fear you or want to study you, which means we will be separated. And given your track record so far, who knows when you will find another willing companion. We have to work from the shadows,' quipped Lil.

'I suppose you are right,' replied Jeanne.

'And not to mention, not all enemies can be fought head on. Smaller, faster weapons and shadows might be a coward's means, but they are the best reconnaissance tools.'

'You make a fair point,' said Jeanne. 'All I hope is you will not waste my potential, and yours for that matter, on the small things.'

'Don't worry, I have big plans. And it will take the best tools and level headed partner to accomplish them.' Lily felt the Witchblade grin a wicked grin. 'Now, what else can you can you create?'

'I told you, Lily. if you can imagine it to the smallest details, I can form it. Within reason of course,' her companion replied, sounding like a smug child.

'So nothing world breaking. Got it.'

As the blades retracted, Lily thought about a bladed whip. A second later, a couple of tendrils coiled together while extending and grew spikes. She looked to the gauntlet and saw that the whip was still attached to the backside of her wrist, so she willed it to form a handle and wanted it in her palm. It did just that.

'You weren't kidding about what you can do. Let's see how far I can take it,' Lily mused. 'Perhaps even try Joan's spear I saw in the Periculum.'

'I do not know what juvenile goats have to do with anything I have imparted upon you about my abilities…'

'I'll need to give you a crash course in proper modern English, or you won't understand half of what I'm saying.'

'As for the weapon my mistress held in the trial,' Jeanne continued, paying no heed to the unwanted interruption, 'see it in your mind's eye and pull it forth into reality.'

Almost in an instant, thin slivers of black shadow erupted from the closed fist and materialised into a rod, which extended five feet and sprouted a leaf-shaped blade.

'You might want to add a spike on the other end, Lily, to counterbalance the weight of the bladed tip.'

'Right.' As instructed, Lily made the alteration and found it a lot more maneuverable. 'Thank you.'

She spent the following hour summoning different weapons to get a feel for them, and altering specific details, to make them more suitable for her frame. She was about to bring her practice session to a close, when an interesting idea popped into her mind.

Feeling somewhat tired, Lily was about to bring her practice session to a close, when she got an interesting idea.

'Can I make the off hand gauntlet into a copy of the main hand? As in form weapons with my left hand, not just my right?'

'The form the armor takes can change if you and I wish it to. Forming weapons with your off hand is of course possible.'

'Ok… but can I summon individual parts of the armor, like boots or the gauntlet on my left hand, without creating the entire armor?'

'I don't see why this should be a problem. You will just need to find a way to bridge the connections between the parts. Might take a lot more magic to keep them fully formed at first, but, given what I have seen tonight, I think you can manage it.'

Raising an eyebrow, Lily dismissed everything except for the main gauntlet on her right hand. She focused on forming the gauntlet over her left hand. Nothing seemed to happen. At first, she thought it was because she was exhausted. Then it dawned on her, the true meaning of what the Witchblade said. She needed something to connect the pieces of the armor. As soon as she asked herself how she could do it, the answer came to her. She imagined an invisible thread, crawling beneath her skin up her right arm, across her back and shoulders and down her left arm, and emerging through the wrist of her left hand. It quickly took the shape and colour of the main gauntlet, even down to the bladed fingertips.

She felt the experience left her drained, but she decided to push on. Sword blades formed from both wrists, extending only halfway the normal length. She retracted the left hand blade, at the same time willing the right hand one to form a hilt, effectively detaching it from the gauntlet and falling into her open palm. She threw the now detached sword into her other hand and attempted assimilating its hilt, which seamlessly melted into the gauntlet.

Lily was happy with the progress she made so far. In spite of her weariness, she felt compelled to attempt one more thing. She detached the blade from her left gauntlet and threw it in the air. Tendrils shot from her right hand, caught the weapon in mid air, twirled it once for good measure, and absorbed it within seconds, before retracting into the fingertips, making them resemble daggers.

"Now THIS is what I call proper weapon handling," she couldn't help gloat to her companion.

'Amateurish at best, Lily,' the Witchblade retorted. 'Your only limitation with the weapons is how fast you can form the image and how fast you can will changes. Your skill with said weapon also governs how well you can use it.' Lily huffed.

'Would you stop raining on my parade? It's not like you taught me how to do this from the get-go, you know.' She dismissed the weapon and armor and exited the ebony box, back into her room at the Cheval Cabré. 'Though I should ask Evie for some lessons on handling swords.'

'Do that. Some exotic weapon training would be fortuitous to have as well.'

The bell in the clock tower announced it was three in the morning.

'I'm hungry. Gonna pop down for a bite. Want something?'

'You MUST be joking. You can barely stand. You should sleep.'

Lily felt the Witchblade's last word had a strange echo to it. Her eyes felt heavy, her knees weak. She fell backwards onto the bed, falling asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Nobody noticed the ruby give off a pulsating light, probably echoing the beat Lily's heart.

November 3rd

'Let's hope the search for the location of Bluebeard's chateau goes better than yesterday. How bloody hard can finding a yew tree that has been here before 1430?' Lily thought to herself and sighed as she walked out of the inn she was staying in.

The weather was chilly and, with the sun hidden behind thick clouds, it looked like there were little chances of getting any warmer. The constant wind and light rain made Lily pull the collar of her coat up and the hood a bit closer, to stave off the elements. She readjusted the backpack on her shoulders and made her way towards the town library, hoping she would find a librarian with a minimal comprehension of the English language.

Not paying attention to where she was going, she bumped into someone. Considering she was walking at a very brisk pace, trying to get out of the rain as soon as possible, the impact of the collision knocked her off her feet.

"I am terribly sorry, didn't see you there," she stammered as she tried to get back to her feet. Once up, she looked at the person she bumped into. The woman's hair was a shade darker than her own, her eyes a stunning tint of violet. She was garbed in a long green dress, with a spiral on the left side. She was rubbing her head and she was muttering to herself what, to Lily, sounded like a long list of expletives. She was definitely not pleased with the unwanted interruption to her day.

"I am very, very sorry. Please, let me help you up," Lily said, offering a helping hand. The woman accepted and got to her feet, not before picking up the long cloth-wrapped bundle that laid beside her.

"What in the name of Kami has you in such a hurry, that you managed to knock us both down to the ground?" the woman asked in perfect English, only the slightest hint of a foreign accent. Lily looked stunned.

"You speak English?" she asked.

"Obviously," the other woman replied, rolled her eyes. "Otherwise, I would have cursed you in French or Japanese. Now, would you kindly answer my question?" she continued with a tinge of frustration in her voice.

"I was trying to get out of the rain. I admit, my mind was a million miles away," Lily replied sheepishly. "You see, I have only two more days to find a certain location, somewhere close by…" The other woman sighed.

"What are you looking for that would have you so strung out?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. Lily was taken aback by the woman's straightforward approach. She was lost for words, spending the next couple of seconds trying to form an adequate excuse, one that would not make her sound weird.

'Tell her you're studying a local myth about Gilles, about a hidden structure he started building before he was tried for his crimes. You might want to tell her about the trees and the wall,' the Witchblade suggested.

"I am an Archeology student and I am… investigating a local urban myth about Bluebeard…" Lily said. "You know, Gilles de Rais? I know you are gonna say I am silly, but I am trying to find something he built before he was put on trial… for taking children."

"A door in a wall, that is part of nothing bigger?" the woman replied with a smile.

"That's the one," Lily replied, trying to stifle a laugh. "My history professor is probably laughing himself hoarse. He considers me crazy to think the place actually exists. I was hoping to bring him a photo of where the locals think it was."

"That's all?" The woman laughed for a few seconds. "While it is not a tourist attraction, you are not the only one to look for the place. Adventurous teens and self proclaimed historians tried to find it, but to no avail. I believe there was something there once, however, last I heard, nobody found anything but rubble. If you have a map, I can point you in the general direction." She pointed to an area, just a mile or two outside town, along the road down south.

"Thank you. You just saved me hours of searching," said Lily. "Is there anyway I can repay you?"

"I believe there should be no price on history. I am sure I will hear about it on the news, if you find anything," the other woman said, winking. She bid Lily goodbye and good luck, all the while trying to suppress outbursts of giggles.

'See, Lily?' Jeanne said. 'We now have a place to start our search for Gilles de Rais' chateau and the resting place of the books.'

'Don't you feel it is a little too convenient that I literally ran into a person willing to direct me exactly where I needed to go?' Lily enquired, tightening her grip on the strap of her back pack.

'I felt no magic on her, no any mystic energies, such as those associated with my mother, nor the presence of any other like myself. It is wise to be cautious, but it might be energy unwisely spent.'

'Well, we are still pretty far away from it, an hour or two walk, if I'm right. Better stock up on water and grab a bite to eat. I'll need to keep up my energy levels.'

Behind Lily, the woman who helped her grinned, her violet eyes flashed for a brief instant, and, with a slight crack, was gone. People were walking through the place she occupied just moments previously as though she was never there.

-section break-

Lily looked at her map, hoping she didn't lose her way. She was in the middle of the forest, several miles out of town. She had no landmark to guide her. The compass she had recently bought did little to help her find Bluebeard's chateau. All she had to go by was her limited knowledge of botany. She remembered James taking her camping once or twice, but the newlyweds had other things in mind than just trekking through the woods. She blushed and shuck the image out of her head, suppressing her disgust at the mere thought of her former husband having ever laid a hand on her.

'You have to leave that behind,' Jeanne said without warning. 'Focus on the task at hand.'

"Do you bloody mind?" Lily shouted. 'Can't I have a single private thought? Not all of us are soulless war machines. Humans can't always go on, only focusing on the tasks at hand. I will have my moments of privacy, whether you like it or not.'

'I do apologize,' Jeanne replied, 'but even though I am a soulless war machine, as you astutely observed, I can not remain completely detached and emotionless about the prospect of finding the sanctum of my former Mistress's betrayer.'

'Emotion?' Lily raised an eyebrow. 'I thought the warrior should show no emotion.'

'Warriors should not let themselves be led by emotion. As for your reveries, I can see their purpose, but do not dawdle on them. We don't have enough time for that. You can no longer walk down the primrose path.'

Lily scoffed and ignored her. She was now standing in a small copse of trees that looked no older than 30 to 40 years. And they were the wrong species. Fiend elms.

'For the love of Merlin, this is taking too long. Jeanne, do you feel anything magical in the area?'

'Why don't you try using your own magical senses?' her tenant replied, in a whimsical, yet miffed tone. 'They worked just fine for the runes in your house.' She sounded like a petulant child.

'Didn't you just say that we don't have time to dawdle? Not to mention, yours are sharper than mine.' The Witchblade didn't reply. 'You're a terrible tutor, you know. This isn't as easy as summoning and dismissing armor or weapons, those at least have a physical element to them.' Still nothing from her companion. 'I am drawing as much knowledge as I can from seeing how you find concealed things, too subtle for the human perception.' Silence. 'Fine. If you insist, I will try on my own. But remind me to buy you a binky when we get back home.'

'Excuse me!?' The Witchblade sounded extremely offended.

'Ah, so you CAN hear me,' Lily said, with a giggle. 'Alright. I said I'll try on my own. But I'll take any help that you can dispense. If I can't find anything, but you DO sense something, do let me know.'

Lily closed her eyes and placed her hand on the trunk of one of the fiend elms. She tried to feel the sap moving through it, to trace it to its source and sense any remnant of magic coursing through its the lifeline. After a few seconds search, she felt the tiniest shred of a magical signature with a very foreign aura, pulsating from nearby. It was no regular magic. She opened her eyes and moved towards a clearing which seemed to be its origin point.

The fiend elms slowly thinned out as Lily got closer to the clearing. In the center, there were ancient looking thick stumps, looking really out of place among the younger trees. It looked like they were arranged in an odd pattern, encircling the remnants of an old wall. She squinted and pulled her wand out.

'Specialis Revelio!' she said, in a whisper. Lines of fading light connected the stumps, forming an incomplete pentagram. The magical aura she had felt previously sensed seemed to originate from it, oozing and pouring off of the wall and stumps. It felt old and almost fully decayed. Ley lines seemed to sprout out of each of the points of the pentagram, all of them equally decayed. Except for one. It lead somewhere to the right.

Lily moved in that direction, and, with her hand extended, followed along the fading light until it intersected another barely visible line. It looked like, for a five-foot radius around it, the junction was completely and conspicuously devoid of plant life. As she got closer to inspect the place, a brush rustled close behind her. In an instant, she turned, wand out.

A tiny red fox sprang from between the twigs and darted towards the lines of light. However, before it could set foot within the barren circle, it froze. It turned its head towards Lily. She saw the look on the poor thing's face, one of sheer terror, a silent plea in its eyes. It looked like it was in pain. Lily couldn't stand it.

'Stupefy!' The tiny creature slumped to the ground. Lily picked it up and moved it well away from circle. She noticed its fur had turned grey in places and was singed in others. When she felt it was safe for it not to run back into the trap, she set it down. 'Enervate!' The fox slowly came to and sniffed around. It got up and, approaching Lily, it tentatively head butted her outstretched hand, allowing her to scratch her behind the now silver grey ears. It repaid her with a purr and a lick and bolted into the woods, with a limp, albeit a barely visible one.

Lily didn't sense any other animals nor any people around. She stowed her wand away.

The ground where the ley lines crossed each other looked very compact. It couldn't have been trampled by any of the forest beasts, as she saw what effect the place had on animals. Lily chalked it up to the passage of time and to the elements. It would have been enough for a strong rain to drench the soil and a strong summer sun to help the water evaporate to harden it.

'I think there is only one way to break through,' she said, a wicked grin on her face.

'What exactly do you have in mind?' Her companion sounded worried.

'Let's say you deserved this,' Lily said and formed the gauntlet. She extended the claws and plunged them deep into the ground.

'What ARE you doing? I am an immensely powerful instrument of war and magic, and you use me as a mere shovel? Why don't you use your bloody wand for this?' Jeanne complained. Before Lily could reply, the claws hit a big rock. She brushed the dirt around it and found it was a wardstone, odd looking runes carved into it. She felt its magic was almost drained.

'Well, well, what do we have here? Jeanne, can you read these runes?'

'After the treatment you put me through, I should…'

'Consider it a mud mask, a common beauty treatment present day folk enjoy. Now, can you read the damn runes?'

'There are three sets of runes,' Jeanne replied in a reluctant tone. 'The first mentions a ward of concealment, the second is an array of misdirection and the third, a magical tap to redirect energy to an expansion charm. What do you make if it?'

'Concealment and misdirection runes are somewhat understandable. If Muggles were to come close, the array would have guided them away from the circle. If one of them managed to power through the charm, the concealment runes would have made sure the place remained invisible to them. The broken down wall at the edge of the array most likely would also have been concealed.' The explanation just rolled off Lily's lips, as if she had been doing this for a living. 'As for the tap, if what we saw our little foxy friend go through, it would seem it serves to replenish the charms magic by draining the life of the creatures that step within the circle. Small animals might be drained in an instant. Any stray Muggle would suddenly feel sick and would step outside the circle before it would affect them.'

'A most astute observation. I sense the wards started to fail fairly recently. Why do you think that is?'

'Probably because of the Second World War, 40 years ago. France was pretty much a battle field. Nazi Germany bombed the hell out of cities and forests where the French Resistance might have hidden. I doubt that ward stone, with all its enchantments, could have withstood a bomb landing right on top of it. Not even a madman like Bluebeard could have predicted his chateau would encounter such destruction. Locals found these ruins after the War had ended.'

'What you sure this is Gilles de Rais place?'

'I am not sure whether we are where the visions pointed me. Just that whatever is hidden here is too damn well protected by strong enchantments. Unless there were two villains willing to sacrifice all forms of life to keep their place hidden from intruders. And that wall we passed previously fits the style of the period he lived in. The trees that marked the doorway might have fallen. Let's just hope we find the way in.'

'You have done well, but I recommend you let me look for the doorway,' Jeanne said. 'Your human senses might may not be able to find it. Draw your casting implement and let me do the rest.' The Witchblade's voice sounded awfully imperious.

The gauntlet reformed as soon as Lily had the wand out of its holster. When dark metallic tendrils twisted around it, the wand's tip glowed white.

'Slowly spin in a circle and watch the color of the tip,' her tenant ordered.

'A magical compass? Interesting.' Lily did as directed and the light started to dim and shift to green, and then to silver. A beam shot out and cut through some overgrown shrubbery at the edge of the barren circle and marked a spot under the rotten trunk of an uprooted tree.

'There is something under that tree.' The Witchblade sounded smug. The tendrils released their grasp on the wand. Lily's first thought was to retract it in its holster, which was hidden up her sleeve, then reconsidered. She inched closer to the lit spot and saw moss covered stone in the shade of the rotten tree. The undergrowth was creeping up the stones.

'I hope the place hasn't collapsed yet, for the sake of all the time I spent searching for it.' Lily mused.

'If the expansion charm still draws power from the wardstone, it could mean the affected space might still be active. Hence, the entrance might still be intact as well,' her tenant said.

'In theory, yes. The doorway might just be blocked.' Lily looked at the uprooted tree and, under it, she saw the same type of stone as the outer wall, covered in moss and creeping vines. 'You were right, it's under the tree.'

'Why don't you allow me to take the reigns? I will clear this up.'

Lily let herself fall back into a spectator position, while the Witchblade had the armor form over the clothes. Both her hands were covered in the armored gauntlet, the claws supplemented by a set of tendrils coiling around her wrists. She thinned the claws and drove them into the tree trunk, extending them into branching spikes, which, once embedded in the rotten wood, began to thicken, effectively breaking it from the inside. She retracted the claws and sent the tendrils into the newly formed channels, and, with the tiniest amount of applied force, obliterated the obstacle in that stood in her way, sending wooden splinters as tiny as a toothpick and shards as big as a matchbox flying, many of which ended up in Lily's hair.

'Thank you for that!' she said, sarcasm oozing out her tone. 'I'll be pulling rotten splinters from my hair for days. Just what I needed to brighten my bloody day.'

'Oh, but allow me!' Jeanne replied, in the same tone. Lily felt a thin layer of magical energy forming around her entire body. It expanded outwards, disintegrating the numerous pieces of wood that in her hair and clothes.

'What was that!? How did you do it?' Lily sounded thoroughly impressed.

'Remember the principles I provided last night? Magic is based on the user's intent, focus and implementation of will. What just happened is an even more basic form of the armor summoning you have already learned. I merely channeled your magic outward through your entire body, banishing any intruding pieces of wood. Same principles, different application. Through thorough practice, you might just find new ways my powers can aid you, even when wandless.'

'I'll keep that in mind. You do realise how strange the way you can make something so complicated sound so simple and frightening at the same time, don't you?'

'At least the wall is now uncovered,' replied a smug Jeanne, which then relegated back to Lily control of her own body.

Without the tree obstructing it, the wall from her Periculum vision looked even worse than they even expected, almost completely covered in moss and other unidentifiable organic matter. Lily took a sniff, expecting the stench of decaying plant life to hit her nostrils, however, there was no foul odor whatsoever. She pulled her wand and fired a series of charms meant to cut through the almost petrified moss and clean the the dried up matter, ending it with an extremely flourished 'Scourgify!'

'There's no such thing as something being too clean,' Lily mused as she retracted the wand in the holster. She formed the basic gauntlet over her right hand and, with her left tentatively raised over her head, she tried pushing the stone she saw in her vision opened the entrance. It didn't budge.

'The brick would have been at chest level in relation to a man's height,' the Witchblade chimed in. 'You, on the other hand, are below average height, even for a woman.' Lily couldn't let this slide and jabbed back.

'Remember the mud mask from earlier? I just thought of another beauty treatment you might enjoy. Remind me to give you a bath in sulphuric acid when I get a chance.'

Reveling in her tenant's confused silence, she tried all the stones of the ruined wall from as high as she could reach down to her chest height. One particularly odd shaped stone, two rows just above her head, moved sleightly inwards upon her touch.

"Vindicta!" said Lily, in as assertive a voice as she could, yet nothing happened. The stone popped back out. She repeated the process a dozen more times, trying all possible variations of saying the password, altering the tone of her voice and the speed with which she pushed the stone. She even tried using the password as a spell, using her wand to cast it. Nothing seemed to work, not even when she formed the gauntlet and attempted to use it as a conduit for pouring her own magic into the wall. It only served to make her angry.

"Bloody buggering shite!" Lily yelled at the top of her lungs. "Of all the blasted things that could have gone titsup, it had to be the fucking door!"

She kicked the wall in frustration, the boot glancing off the stones. Her anger was growing by leaps and bounds. She had better things to do with her time that she had to put on hold. She left her own baby for days; true, Harry was in the care of her best friend, but still, she wasn't by his side, where she should be. All for this pointless search. She felt the time she wasted on it could have been better spent on hunting down Peter, alongside Remus and Sirius. Or on beating Dumbledore down within an inch of his life for almost getting her killed. She saw red, rage flaring up, and punched through the wall. But, just as her fist made contact with the stones, the gauntlet retracted, which, coupled with the enhanced strength granted to Lily by her pact with the Witchblade, resulted in resounding crack. Shocked, she drew her hand back to assess the damage, expecting to see bone protruding through the skin. Instead, she saw her knuckles were barely grazed, blood dripping through the minuscule scrapes. No tendon or bone damage present.

Behind her, the wall groaned and gave way. She heard the sound of stone scraping against stone. She turned and, unlike anything she had expected, she saw the slabs below the wall separating and uncovering a stairway that went down into the ground.

'Why the hell did you retract the gauntlet?' Lily asked, as she muttered Tergeo and Episkey. Her hand returned to its unharmed state.

'May I rust if I did such a thing! The armor retracted without my command. There must have been a hidden enchantment or two on the stone wall. Regardless, the doorway is now open. Let us see if the highly sought-after books are here or not.'

Lily lit her wand and, bracing herself, moved into the dark passage ahead of her.

-section break-

At the bottom of the long and winding set of stairs, their path was blocked by an iron-bound wooden door. As soon as Lily touched the wrought handle, the stone slabs above slammed shut, sealing her and her tenant in the darkness, under what might not even be the stone slabs in the clearing through which she entered, in the woods of outside the town of Tiffauges. Just as she was about to pull out the wand to cast some light on the situation, the torches that ran along the corridor beyond the door came to life. In the dim light of the flames, she saw a rune glowing on one of the stones beneath her feet.

'It would appear our most gracious host made sure we wouldn't fumble in the dark for too long,' she said.

'Caution is still highly advised, Lily. That same host is not to be trifled with.'

Releasing a breath she didn't no she was holding, Lily drew her wand in her left hand, willed the gauntlet gauntlet and sword to form on her right and stepped into the corridor. The silence was deafening. She half expected to see the flames flicker and to hear them crackle, yet they didn't. The walls and ceiling were devoid of cobwebs, the floor, untouched by dust or grime. It looked as if the environment itself was perfectly preserved, untouched by the reach of time for the past half a millennia, waiting for the return of its master.

'I've never seen anything like this. Even the Department of Mysteries exudes more life than this place.'

'This place, as you call it, is not meant to exude life. It is grief, given shape and substance, a place of mourning, built, for lack of better a word, by the man that loved my mistress, after she had been condemned and put to death. Unlike any run-of-the-mill witch or wizard, this man poured all of his heart and will into his casting, heavily influencing the result of his spells.' The Witchblade fell silent.

Lily halted in the middle of the corridor and extended her senses in search of the particular 'flavour' of the charms and wards usually set on a library. No such traces were to be found. What she did feel that came across as strange was the room at the very end of the hallway, on the left hand side. It felt devoid of any form of magic.

'I sense you are drawn to it.' The Witchblade sounded intrigued. 'It doesn't feel any different than a regular room in the non-magical side of your world. Why does that particular room pique your interest?'

'Places without magic in the non-magical world are absolutely normal,' came Lily's reply. 'On the other hand, lack of magic in a place built on and sustained by magic, that is what definitely stands out. If you see ten goblets on a table, you would expect to have water, wine or pumpkin juice, something to drink in them. However, when you approach, you see that one of them is filled with breadcrumbs. Do you notice the rest, which meet your expectations, or do you notice the one that immediately stands out?'

'Your logic is sound. In that case, let's proceed. Your destiny awaits in that room.'

'Yes, it does,' Lily replied, apprehensive and stepped forward.

Lily half expected the room to be pitch black, yet the room at the end of the corridor lit up as she walked in. Candle holders all around the room's edges and on every surface, all of them having the same eerie flamelike glow as the torches in the corridor.

It was a large room, almost cavernous in appearance, its walls lined with bookshelves that nearly touched the vaulted ceiling, all overflowing with everything from huge tomes and ancient looking books, to ragged scrolls and faded parchments. Some of the shelves looked like they contained entire collections of books nobody saw for centuries, quite a large number of them written entirely in strange runes, a few having golden and silver inlays. Here and there, there were stone tablets from almost all of the ancient cultures, ranging from cuneiform to egyptian and sumerian hieroglyphs, as well as displays that exhibited small skeletons of strange animals, dried herbs and the dried out husks of odd looking insects.

'Quite the collector he was.' Lily was thoroughly impressed.

'For better or for worse, he was a scholar,' the Witchblade corrected her. Lily didn't seem to notice her tenants almost melancholic tone.

'Even if we don't find the Grimoires, I suspect that the head honchos at the Department of Mysteries would pay a small fortune. Hell, any institution and private collector would love to get their mitts on these.'

'Need I remind you we are here to find something? Let's move along and find what we are looking for.'

Lily hmph-ed and continued to inspect her surroundings. She noticed something shimmer in the center of the room and carefully approached it. It was a pedestal with a thick twisted stump for a foot and a red leather-bound book atop it, in the center of two revolving circles of crimson glowing symbols. Right next to it, a sword was wedged point down in a crevice in the stone floor.

The book drew her attention. The red of its covers was unlike any shade she had ever seen. As she drew closer, the leather of the cover seemed to ripple, a symbol slowly forming - white inverted wings, with two stars on top. She tried reaching through the shimmering field for it, only to receive a nasty shock, living her hand partially numb.

"Ouch!" Lily yelped. 'Well. Looks like we found it,' she said to herself. She carefully circled the rings of foreign looking runes on the floor. They were different than everything she'd seen before. She wasn't eager to try and prod the field again, her arm still feeling the sting of the shock. 'Just need to get through this damn thing.' Her tenant was unusually quiet. 'Any suggestions, Jeanne?' The Witchblade remained silent. Lily wasn't in the mood for games. With her left hand pointer finger, she flicked the silver band around her right wrist.

'Ouch,' her tennant said. 'Do you mind?'

'I know you must be in awe, but didn't you just say we are on a mission to find something? Well, I do believe I found it. I could use some help on how to get past the field.'

'You are correct, of course,' Jeanne admitted. 'Fine. Feel the flow of the magic around the circle…' Lily rolled her eyes.

'Are you daft? I already tried that. Didn't you feel the jolt just seconds ago?'

'If you would pay attention, maybe you will be able to bypass the magical shield. You need to sense the flow of magic. If you believe you are unable to do so, ask for my help and you shall have it.'

The young woman huffed. She knelt just outside the rune circles and tried to feel the flow of the magic that was coursing around her. She sensed the circle was receiving power from somewhere, but she couldn't pinpoint its source. Other than that, the room didn't feel strange at all, though the lack of magical means of preservation was somewhat disconcerting in itself. The silent, self-lighting torches in the corridors, as well as the candles in the room did not give off any indication of being powered by a magical source. She knew her tenant wouldn't freely offer her assistance. This and having to rely on the Witchblade so much was starting to wear on her nerves.

'I can't sense anything useful. Jeanne, could you please help me?'

'Understood,' Jeanne replied, all smug. The gauntlet formed and the tendrils hovered over the symbols. For the next minute, all was still. Then, she chimed in all of a sudden. 'The symbols are meant to keep something sealed within the boundaries…' This abrupt intervention startled Lily, almost knocking her backwards. As she tried to regain her balance, she tried to grab onto the closest surface and instinctively wrapped one of the tendrils around the sword within the circle.

'Bloody hell, Jeanne. Can you NOT scare me like that ever again?' mentally shouted a startled Lily. She was about to continue her tirade, when she noticed the sword coming dislodged from its crevice. It came falling onto a random rune in the outer circle. The magical field around the pedestal flashed red. Flaming whips flared out, one of which wrapped around her wrist, then dissipated into thin air. The carved runes themselves lost their glow as well. The floor rumbled for a minute, hard enough to cause Lily to extend her arms to keep her balance. 'Bollocks! Look what you made me do!' she complained as she rubbed her wrist.

'Congratulations, you got past the shield!' came Jeanne's snarky reply.

'Without any precautions against whatever it was meant to seal…'

Just as Lily was about to rant on, a ghostly figure walked out of the inner circle. It was a man with disheveled dark hair and unkempt beard, a permanent look of disdain seemingly etched on his features. He opened his mouth and spoke, but his speech was strange to her.

"I do not understand you." The apparition said something else, this time appearing to speak in Latin, which, again, she didn't understand. 'Can you make out what he is saying, Jeanne?'

'He first addressed you in the French of my Mistress' time. He is inquiring as to you you are. His second attempt was in Latin. Don't you possess knowledge of a charm that would enable you to understand him?'

'I do know a modern translation charm, but it doesn't work with the older versions of any given language. I would have to use a version that was common in his time, which, again, I don't know and which would translate it in the equivalent old English. I may be a bibliophile, but I am definitely not a linguist.'

'It would be rude to keep our host waiting. Allow me to help you. Let me try something.'

Lily felt the Witchblade release the floodgates, pouring every bit of antiquated knowledge of the period's French language into her head. As the apparition spoke again, she could catch glimpses which she could understand.

"...are...doing...property?"

Breathing in slowly in order to alleviate the pounding in her head, Lily took her wand out and cast the modern translation charm, hoping the mental influx of information she had just received would make a difference.

"Can you understand me now?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"A magic user inside my domain. How did you learn of this place?" the apparition asked.

"Introduce yourself," Lily replied with a small smirk on her face. "It would only be the polite thing for a host to do. As soon as I know with whom I have the pleasure of speaking, I will answer all your questions." The apparition glared at her.

"My name is Gilles de Montmorency-Laval, Seigneur de Tiffauges, Maréchal de France, Baron de Pays de Retz. And who might you be, you impudent girl? Your visage is somewhat familiar to me."

"Also known by the common folk as Gilles de Rais. You are a hard man to find." The smirk never left her face. "A pleasure, Milord," she added with a curtsey. 'Jeanne, release the glamour.'

'Are you sure that is wise? We barely know what this spectral apparition is capable of.'

'Stop nitpicking and just do as I say.'

'I do not know what picking nits has to do with this, but you seem determined.' Lily felt the glamour fade away. The apparition gasped.

"Evangeline!? How did you gain magic? Last I saw you, you had none." Lily was stunned.

"I do apologize, but I am afraid I have no idea who Evangeline is. My name is Lily Evans."

Whatever the apparition expected to hear, her answer seemed to have surprised him. He started pacing and muttering to himself something Lily couldn't understand. A few seconds later, he turned back to her.

"You may not be Evangeline, yet, there are traces of her name in yours, even if befouled by the English language. And your parents paid homage to the Fleur de Lis."

"My parents had a thing for flowers. Even went as far as naming my sister Petunia, of all the possible names."

"Unimportant. Tell me, how long has it been since my Jeanne was burned at the stake?" Lily rubbed her own wrist.

"Today is the 3rd of November, 1981. Joan of Arc has died about half a millennium ago."

"I have sent Evangeline to meet with someone from the Noble House of Black in the Month of Mars, 1440. I do not have any memory of the events beyond the second of Avril."

There was sorrow in his voice. All things left unsaid apparently forgotten, he suddenly stepped towards Lily, eyes aglow with anger. She drew her wand out and pointed it towards his face, which didn't seem to deter him.

"How did you learn of this place? How did you enter? Speak, you impudent child!"

With each word he got closer and closer to Lily. Feeling the anger coming in waves off of him, forcing her backwards, she felt her own rage reaching a boiling point. Without sparing a single thought, she called forth the gauntlet and, claws extended, slashed at the him, ripping into his spectral clothing and causing him to freeze in place. His eyes were affixed on the gauntlet of the Witchblade.

"You carry Jean's burden. How is that possible?" de Rais sounded baffled.

"You introduced yourself, it would only be fair keeping my word. All your questions will be answered. First, how is it possible for me to posses this lovely trinket?" Lily asked pointing towards the gauntlet, as she retraced the claws. "It laid dormant in my now deceased husband's vault. I won't tell you the entire story of how I got it. Let's just say it made promises and it delivered on them. As to how I found this place, the spirit of Joan herself told me about it," she continued, extending the sword blade. It was de Rais' turn to step back, fearing the weapon might be able to injure him. "She told me you had information on the Witchblades. Books. I am seeking those. Lastly, you asked how I entered this place. It took a bit of persuading, almost to the point of me spilling my blood on the trigger stone of your doorway."

"Your blood opened the door?!"

Lily nodded. de Rais looked surprised, then burst into laughter. It sounded highly unnerving. She raised her sword, as if she was about to run him through.

"What do you find so goddamn funny, you glorified ghost?"

"Fate... and you, you silly little girl," de Rais said, between bursts of laughter. "It would appear to be true, the Witchblades really do seek out the descendants of their previous wielders."

This time, Lily was the one that was dumbstruck. She shook her head, gritted her teeth in anger, and slashed at the apparition. She advanced, not relenting her attack one bit, forcing him back, until he was right up against the pedestal. He didn't seem to be able to phase through it and he couldn't evade another sword slash. The tip of the Witchblade's sword came to rest right against de Rais' chest, the point where it made contact glowing a spectral glow.

"You better explain yourself or, so help me God, I will cut you to pieces, corporeal or not. Understood?" He nodded.

"A Witchblade, if impressed by her wielder, will always leave a sort of mark on them and their line. Should the artefact be separated in any way from its master, she will feel the mark through space and time. It doesn't matter if they are halfway around the world one from the other or if hundreds, even thousands of years pass, over hundreds of generations, she will try to get in proximity of such descendants, seeking out another suitable wielder. And now, you are the one to bear it. That means there is a chance, ever so slight, that you are her descendant. As Fate would have it, your blood opened a door that was not meant to open if you are of our lineage."

"To my knowledge, Joan died childless. There is no way in hell I would be her descendant. Nor yours, for that matter," Lily said, voice thick with disgust.

"Ah, but here is where you are wrong, my dear," de Rais grinned. "I had that greedy beast Nicholas Flamel brew up a concoction that, with a single hair from any specific man and woman added, could allow any other woman that drinks it bear their child. Once it was in my possession, I simply a lock of Jeanne's hair and one of my own and had Evangeline take it. She was to go to England to raise it. The House of Black was to offer her any aid they could."

"Great, one more thing to ask the goblins for… a lineage test for myself," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Until then, however, I still have you to deal with. You are no normal ghost, are you?" she asked, steel in her voice, as she poked him again with the tip of the sword, making him cringe.

"True enough, I am not a ghost. This… form… is the result of my rather infamous work. Years and years of splitting my soul by torturing and sacrificing so many innocents."

"Why the hell would you even submit yourself to such a thing?"

"What I did, I did in the name of the love I bore Jeanne. I did it to complete my vengeance on Gilbert Potter and his line," de Rais declared, with a smug grin on his face. He seemed satisfied at the puzzled look on Lily's face.

She had no idea what splitting one's soul meant. Yet, hearing the cause for the man's actions was a Potter was a very serious reason to worry. Not to mention, the damn apparition looked proud with all of the murders it had committed while alive. However, she didn't have time to process all of this further, as de Rais was far from done with its bravado.

"Foolish little girl, didn't the House of Black teach your forebears nothing about the darkness that one can seek out and embrace in order to empower and keep oneself alive?"

"I was not raised among the House of Black. If anything, I am merely acquainted with one who could inherit its Lordship." This information made the apparition furious.

"Did those bastards forget their sworn duty!?" he asked.

'Lily, I highly recommend you do not mention your son is the heir is Potter family. It might not end well if you do,' the Witchblade whispered in her ear. 'He is too far gone… corrupted… My sword could destroy him, if need be, but before, have him tell you more about my mistress' legacy.'

"The House of Potter is no more. Its last lord died just days ago."

"Ah, so Gilbert Potter's lineage is broken. "My love has been avenged." de Rais said, deeply satisfied. "You have brought me the most wonderful of news."

Lily stepped back, letting him move away from the pedestal.

"Tell me about the Cainite Grimoires!" she demanded. de Rais circled the pedestal and touched the book. It responded to the touch, the cover swinging open.

"The greatest source of information ever written. One has to merely ask, answers will be freely given. But it will not relent its hoard so easily. It demands a sacrifice of knowledge and blood." Lily scoffed.

"Let me be the judge of that," she said, her eyes on the book. "Tell me more about what you meant by Evangeline and Jeanne's legacy," she demanded as she turned her attention back to de Rais.

"Why should I?" he laughed in her face. "You come seeking my knowledge and you will pay for it."

"Consider it payment enough I don't cut you to pieces and have the Witchblade feed on your magic. Get on my last nerve and I will not be so generous." de Rais scoffed.

'Destroy him now,' said the Witchblade eagerly. 'I am more than certain we can figure out the trick to the book without his aid.'

Fed up with his arrogance and foul attitude, Lily was inclined to agree with her companion. Given the fact that it looked like the polite negotiations did not bear the fruitful results she had hoped for, she decided to employ a more aggressive strategy. In an instant, she brought her sword up and cut through the his chest. However, she saw that, instead of being absorbed within the Witchblade itself, the corporeal apparition dissipated and entered the sword that was previously wedged between the stones.

'Is it supposed to do that, Jeanne?'

'Most definitely not. I don't think touching the sword would be a good idea.'

Lily decided to ignore the vanished de Rais for now, confident in the Witchblade's abilities to react to anything suspicious, and went to see what the book was about. As she turned her back on the fallen sword, she felt the urge to duck and roll out of the way, just as the sword slashed where her neck would have been. She had to roll several more times, to duck out of the way of the flying weapon. She was about to back herself into a corner avoiding it, when the sword nicked her coat. In that very instant, an angered Witchblade took control over Lily's body, forming the armor just as swiftly, determined not to lose her newest wielder to a possessed sword. With the aid of the tendrils on her left hand, she caught the flying sword and brought it just out of reach of Lily's arm. The offending weapon thrashed and bucked for a second or two, before it fell still and the ethereal form of Gilles de Rais formed.

"You're going to get it now," Lily said in a distorted sing song voice, cocking her head to the side and laughing. "Any last requests before I destroy this vessel of yours? I can't wait to cut you to pieces and take your magic."

"You talk too damn much," he laughed back in her face. "You need my information far too much to risk destroying me, you silly little girl."

"See you in Hell."

In a flash, the Witchblade brought her sword down on the one held by its tendrils, slashing through the blade, pommel and handle, sending the shards clattering on the stone floor. Another set of tendrils shot through de Rais' chest and limbs, anchoring themselves in his spectral flesh. They glowed blue as they started syphoning the apparition, draining it of color. The candles in the room flashed green, as soon as the tendrils absorbed the last of its magic into them.

As the Witchblade relinquished control back to Lily, she felt the tattered wards of the location latch onto her.

'Lily, we have a guest,' the voice of her tenant came out of the blue.

'What on earth do you mean?'

'It would seem that, when I drained the magic keeping the corporeal apparition of Gilles de Rais tied to this plane of existence, I have bound him to us. I was unaware I am able to do that, but I know it is against my wishes. I feel dirty.'

"You don't do anything by half, granddaughter," she heard a voice say from behind her. She turned as fast as she could, bringing the Witchblade's sword en garde. The apparition of the man that stood in front of her looked different. His hair and beard were tidy, his clothes no longer wrinkled, but befitting a man of his stature. Seeing that Lily was about to strike, he raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I assure you I mean you no harm. Not since the other me deduced you are my descendant."

"How about the flying sword that wanted to lop my head off? Was that you meaning me no harm too?" de Rais sighed.

"What you saw moments before was a shard of my full self."

"How is that even possible?" Lily asked, perplexed.

"Ah, so you do not know what a Horcrux is. Perhaps it is for the best. In short, I infused an object with half of my soul, to insure I wouldn't die in order to pursue my vengeance on the House of Potter. By destroying the object, you destroyed its vessel. When the Witchblade absorbed its magic, it managed to call the rest of my soul from beyond the grave."

"That still does not explain why the sword went for my neck."

"A Horcrux's mission is not only to preserve its master's soul, but also to find a way to come back to life. It would appear that it confinement within a runic circle for half a millennium was too much for it, perverting it and bringing it ever closer to the madness it had displayed."

Lily breathed in slowly, counted to five, to ten, to fifty, trying to calm herself down. It didn't seem to work. She affixed her strongest glare at her supposed ancestor.

"Why on Merlin's beard would you put it in the damned sword, in the middle of your library? That is a dangerous enough object on its own, without a crazed part of a soul possessing it."

"You can't simply use a pebble from the side of the road. Such things as Horcruxes require objects of great significance to the caster. I have chosen Jeanne's sword, for reasons of my own."

"Apparently, I am Fate's newest favorite chew toy," Lily said with a deep sigh. "Could you please tell me if you booby trapped the pedestal?" de Rais looked surprised.

"No. Those books have a vile habit of draining the wards and enchantments placed in their nearest vicinity, if the wardstones are not specially shielded and kept at a safe distance."

"Wait, what? Books? As in you have more than one volume of the Cainite Grimoires?"

"In my life, I have managed to acquire four volumes of the collection. Two I found in Myrddin Emrys' tomb in Brocéliande."

"Did you just say you looted Merlin's tomb?" Lily asked, running her hand through her hair in disbelief. "What about the other two?"

"The other two I have stolen fair and square from the Vatican. From the Pope's private collection."

"You did… WHAT?!" Lily's incredulous reaction made de Rais put on an extremely wide grin on his face. She dismissed it. "If one of them is here, where are the other ones?"

"Locked safely in the armory, a couple of doors down the right side of the corridor."

"A logical storage option, given their perilous nature. Lead the way, then."

-section break-

'Do you have any idea how much that man gets on my nerves, Jeanne?' Lily asked, huffing as she pushed the door to the room the untainted ghost of Gilles de Rais has told them would lead to the armory.

'I can assure you I had no intention of binding him to us.'

'Still, having him around might help us move things along faster.'

'It may not be worth it in the long run.'

Once Lily stepped inside the armory, her tenant fell silent. With good reason, as her own jaw almost dropped when she saw the contents of the room. In the very center, there stood a tall stack of golden bricks, flanked by a pair of armor stands. From somewhere behind the stack, Lily felt the pull of a powerful magic, accompanied by the soft whispers of a female voice, calling her by her name and promising her the fall of her enemies. Following the whispers, she found herself in front of a weapon rack.

Among blades of varying shapes and sizes, only one stood out. Its meter long blade was black, with an nigh imperceptible sheen of red across its edges. As she approached the stand, she saw its hilt and pommel giving off a faint glow as they started to morph, before finally settling. Upon closer inspection, she saw the hilt was formed of what looked like two different metals, gold and dark grey, intertwined. The pommel itself was fashioned as two opposing beasts, a lion and an eagle, their heads facing away from each other.

The whispers seemed to be originating from this blade and they were growing louder as Lily got closer. The urge to reach for the sword grew stronger as the seconds passed. Her fingers were an inch from grabbing the hilt when she heard the incessant chiming of the Witchblade, causing her to snap out of it. She drew her hand back, as if it burned.

"Where the hell did you get this, old man?"

"It laid hidden from this world, within Emrys' tomb, just a few rooms from the grimoires," de Rais replied nonchalantly, all the while watching her actions carefully. "It has been enchanted with magic the likes of which I have never seen before. I must admit, I took it on a whim, though I have never wielded it longer than testing it out. It can cut through solid stone, without being damaged. It would have been all too obvious among the mundane sheep."

"Mundanes?"

"People with no form of magic."

"The wizards and witches of england call them Muggles," replied Lily, trying to take her mind off of the compulsion of the sword.

"Hmph. A name fitting for a barely intelligent animal, quaint, yet useless."

"Something like that," Lily agreed. She then looked around, at the amassed riches. "Now, how to take all of this gold out of here?" she said to herself, paying close to no attention to de Rais. "I assume you don't have a room with empty chests, do you?" she asked, as she turned towards him.

"What makes you think that I would allow you to claim everything you want?" Lily scoffed.

"When you were bound to us, I felt the wards latch onto me. There is nothing you can do to prevent it… grandfather." For the first time in centuries, Gilles de Rais smiled with pride.

"You are going to be fun to watch as time passes, Lily Evans. Indeed, you are correct, everything here is yours to do with as you wish. I cannot stop you, nor do I want to even try. There are enough chests to transport over a dozen suits of plate armor in an adjacent room. You might as well use those. But I have no idea how you plan to carry them all. They are quite massive. The gold weighs over half a ton."

"Undetectable Expansion charms, Featherweight charms. I am even considering calling in a very dutiful House Elf to transport them out if here."

'I would recommend employing the space we have used for our training session as an intermediate storage medium,' the Witchblade chimed in.

'That is not meant for transporting things in. Not to mention, I do need an update on my son,' replied Lily.

-section break-

Lily brought the chests in, applied all the necessary charms and started levitating the gold into them. As the last of it was safely stowed away in the expanded chests, the sword's call became desperate.

"Take me with you and your enemies will not stand a chance. You NEED me!"

"Shut up, you annoying toothpick!" Lily growled and turned to face the offending weapon. She manifested the gauntlet, extended her own sword blade and cut through both stand and weapon. She heard the faintest of shrieks, as an aura of black, red and silver rose from the shards and was absorbed into her gauntlet. The gem flashed red, then silver and the Witchblade's sword darkened, widened and thickened.

"I never knew the Witchblade's weapons can evolve this fast," said de Rais, fear in his voice.

"A magical blade like this wouldn't probably evolve as fast in the hands of a non-magical person. Since I came upon it, it has changed three times already." Lily replied, smugly.

She then sealed the chests with her own magical signature and summoned, Evelyn's house elf, Dot. The little creature popped in front of her with an almighty crack, falling on her rear end as she landed.

"How may I be of assistance, Miss Lily?" she asked with a tiny bow.

"Would you be so kind as to help me by taking these chests to Harry's room, back in your Mistress Evelyn's house?" Dot squinted at the large pile of luggage and lowered her eyes in apparent shame.

"I am sorry, Miss Lily. I am afraid I can not do that. Apparating through the wards here has proven to be tiring. Could you please take me outside, so I can leave more easily?"

"That shouldn't be a problem," replied Lily with a shrug. She levitated the luggage and led the elf to the stairs. She then pushed the rune on the stone before the door and escorted her outside. A few moments later, her little helper, having collected herself, made to leave. Before she could pop out of sight, Lily kneeled to be at Dot's eye level.

"Tell your mistress my search is complete," she said as she placed a hand on the house elf's shoulder. "I will return at the appointed time." The little creature nodded her acknowledgement. "How is my baby? How is Harry?" the young mother asked, anxiously.

"Your little one is missing his mommy, but miss Daphne is keeping him company. They have become quite fond of each other and even fell asleep in each other's arms." Lily gave the elf a relieved smile.

"Tell Evie that the chests contain my rightful inheritance from the family my squib ancestors came from." The elf looked appalled.

"Dot would never lie to Mistress Evie for Miss Lily."

"I am being quite truthful, Dot. Would you like to see?" The little elf shook her head.

"If Mistress Evie wants to see the contents of the chests, Dot will obey." With that, Dot Disapparated with the chests in tow.

"Note to self, never doubt a House Elf's devotion to their masters. Will need to look into getting one of my own."

'This place is quite useful as a safe haven, in case of danger,' the Witchblade chimed in as Lily made her way back down the stairs.

'Come to think of it, Jeanne, you are right. Would you be able to draw upon my magic ability to Apparate here, if I can't do so myself? In situations where I should find myself incapacitated or overwhelmed, that is.'

'It would require you to attune yourself to this place's wards, but it can be done.'

-section break-

When Lily returned to the armory, she found that the apparition of Gilles de Rais was nowhere to be seen.

'Where could the old man be? Did you release him, Jeanne?'

'I have not. However, it matter little. Should we need him, we can summoning him, just like you would bring an object to you with your own magical implements.'

'Summon a ghost like I would a handkerchief… now that IS something I can get behind.'

Lily spent a few minutes looking for the books she came here for in the first place and she did eventually find them on a table, covered by an extremely dirty cloth. Just as the one in the library, the volumes displayed the inverted wings design and a varying number of stars on the covers.

"So, these are the first, fourth and seventh volume. The one on the book stand must be the second volume. Now… how to transport them without raising any suspicion."

'Why not try decreasing their size? Then place them in your backpack, just like any other object.'

'I thought de Rais said they absorb and drain enchantments placed on them. I doubt any sort of charm would take hold.'

'And you take his word for it? We won't know until we try and see. An easy proof of his honesty.'

Lily drew her wand, pointed it at the first volume and said "Reducio!" The charm should have reduced the boulder sized book to the size of a pebble. Yet, the book absorbed it in an instant. Undeterred, Lily shrunk one of the empty armor chests, making it large enough to house the four volumes. She stacked them inside it, laying them one on top of the other, and attempted to shrink it even further, to the size of a matchbox. The chest decreased to only the size of a large jewel box instead. As she tried to pick it up, she realized that it had lost none of its weight.

'That's a new one… it's smaller, but it has not lost any of its weight.'

'That matters not, Lily. Seal it, so no one can get into it.'

"Colloportus!" She heard the mechanism lock in place. Once locked, she stored it at the bottom of her slightly enlarged backpack. 'Come to think of it, there is one more thing I want to take from here - the metal shards of the sword that was trying to lure me. Xan may be able to point me in the direction of someone who could reforge it. If it is so durable, it would be a shame to let it go to waste.'

'A bold choice,' said the Witchblade. 'It could prove extremely useful, having a fighting implement that does not rely on magic.'

A few seconds later, all the shards were safely tucked away in an enlarged pocket in her backpack. She gave the place a once over, seeing if there is anything else that might have been worth taking, before finally deciding to do leave it for a later visit.

Lily reemerged in the clearing and noticed the lengthening shadows.

'It took us almost the entire day to pick up books and gold.'

'And I suspect you can't wait to get back to Nantes and to your son.'

The Witchblade's declaration sounded almost sarcastic and Lily tried her best not to burst into laughter. She applied her Jane Darcy glamour and let it fall under the control of her tenant.

'We still have a full day until we have to get there. I would rather spend it in Nantes, until we have to meet up with Evie's people and return back to England,' Lily replied.

She readjusted her backpack, to compensate for the added weight of the Cainite Grimoires hidden within.

-section break-

A couple of hours later, Lily arrived at Saint Martin des Tilleuls, at the train station. It was close to 7.30 in the evening. She made her way to one of the ticket booths and demanded a ticket on the first train to Nantes.

"You must be joking, Mademoiselle," the frazzled employee in the ticket booth said, as he gave her a scathing look. "Didn't you see the news? There has been an accident on the line outside of Nantes. It should be cleared out by morning, but, until then, there is no train to Gare de Nantes. If you are really in a hurry, I can sell you a ticket to Saint Sébastien sur Loire. All you need to do once you arrive is to take a bus to the city's center. You should arrive in Nantes by midnight."

"I'll take that route then," Lily said with a huff, as she paid the ticket.

"Have a nice trip, Mademoiselle," the man said, as she made her way to the waiting room.

-section break-

Jane Darcy got on the 8 PM train to Saint Sébastien sur Loire, with no indication of how long it would actually take to get there. She definitely couldn't get off at the last stop, as it was not the end of the line and the train wouldn't stay in the station too long. She decided she would have to ask someone to point out where she needed to get off.

Still, she didn't actually notice how exhausted she really felt, until she took her seat on the train. Given the day's events, she dozed off in an instant. She had no idea when she woke up and thought she might have missed her stop. She pulled out the map she had from Evie, but it either needed a bit of time to focus on her location or the damn thing decided to stop working properly.

"I am sorry, do you know if we passed Saint Sébastien sur Loire?" she tried asking a fellow traveller. The man looked at her, blinked once and shrugged.

"Perdoname señorita, pero yo no entiendo." There was no one else in the car with them.

'FUCK!' Lily said to herself, picked her luggage up and got off the train at the first stop. She would ask someone else at the train station.

The sign above the platform said she arrived at La Chapelle-Heulin. Lily made her way to the ticket booth to ask for directions, but found it closed. She thought it odd and checked the clock on the wall. It was close to 9 PM. She checked the schedule, only to find that the train she just got off of was the last one that night. She pulled the map out once more, hoping it would give her some indication of the best direction to go in. Nothing stood out at first glance.

'Do you know anything about the area we are in?' Lily asked her tenant.

'If memory serves,' Jeanne replied,' in this part of France, there are a number of Veela villages, hidden from the eyes of Muggles, as you call them. As their race is native to the Eastern part of Europe, I would suggest to see if there is any small settlement with a name that would indicate that origin.' Upon a more thorough check of the map, Lily saw a barely visible name that did not sound French in the least. It was written in cyrillic - Скрито Село.

'I won't even try to read this name, but I guess this is it.'

'It is quite close by, so it wouldn't hurt to try our luck,' Jeanne said. 'If this fails, I guess we will need to politely ask someone to deliver us to the city. That is, if anyone understands your request.'

'Aren't you a funny one?' Lily replied and made in the direction of the village, down a road guarded on either side by tall trees.

Not five minutes from the train station, she heard cries for help, coming from a little way from the road. As she closed in to the source of the sounds, she couldn't see anything at all. Yet, she did hear muffled mutterings of what sounded like several men speaking in English and a woman sobbing. She extracted the Invisibility Cloak from her backpack and put it on, disappearing into thin air.

'I do not think we should interfere, Lily,' the Witchblade suddenly advised.

'She sounds in trouble. And I believe we can take them.'

'It is not wise, in our current situation.'

'Why is that?'

'Both your reserves and mine are low. You have had little time to rest since we left Tiffauges.'

'I got enough on the train. Now, if their Notice-me-not charm is anything to go by, their magical skill is not anything to write home about. Can you get past it?' Lily asked.

'Like you don't know the answer,' Jeanne said.

Lily summoned the gauntlet and extended a single claw. She found the edge of the area the charm affected and she gently stroked it until she found the weakest spot, which she poked with the claw. It felt almost paper thin, crumbling as soon as the claw broke through.

'If you would judge the quality of the spell work,' said Jeanne, 'the one who casted this charm is definitely a novice.'

'I thought you wanted to get this over with fast,' Lily replied.

'Take a moment to investigate your surroundings before a battle. It always gives ample amounts of information about your enemies and any environmental elements you might employ in your fight against an unknown enemy. These individuals are novices or in a hurry. They have set up a mockery of a charm and they did not link any alarms to it either. With your current energy reserves, you should have no problems removing them from this world.'

'All that from a single poke. Impressive! Fine, let me see what we are up against.'

Lily peeked from behind a tree to see a woman and a child, a girl, bruised and chained, as well as four men. Two of them had the burly build and tan of sailors. The third looked like he was in his early twenties, almost skin and bones, with an ashen complexion. The fourth one was clean shaven and dressed to the nines, with a heavy golden ring on his finger and leaning on a cane. They didn't look nor sounded French. The brutes had a thick British accent, while the other two came off as American.

"You've seen them goods, time to talk 'bout da price," one of the brutes said.

"Veels sure'd fetch a nice bit o' coin 'n Egypt. Ya see, they don't get a lot o' them in those parts, if ya know wha' I mean," the skinnier man said, with a wink.

"Would you shut your damn mouth, Bones?' the man in the suit whispered. "You moron, keep talking and they'll jack the price up. The Boss won't like that."

"Righto, Mr. Cane…"

"And it's Veelas, you nitwit, not veels."

"I don't mean to interrupt, but we need to conclude our business here, gentlemen," the other brute said.

"How do I know they're the real stuff and you're not just selling a painted whore?" said Mr. Cane. "I want to know we're getting our gold's worth."

"Why dontcha lemme take one for a test drive, if ya know wha' I mean?" Bones asked, with a wink.

"So da gentleman would like to sample them goods first," the first brute said with a smirk. "I believe we can work something out. A small deposit towards da… taste test… and yer can take yer pick."

"Here," replied Mr. Cane, as he tossed them a heavy gold coin. "If I'm satisfied, there's going to be a lot more where that came from."

"Aw, maaaan," cried out Bones, as he kicked a pebble on the ground. "I wanna go as well. Not fair ya gets to sample all them goods."

"One word, you idiot. 'Seniority'. Now, if you would be so kind to shut your damn mouth and stand guard," came Cane's instructions

"Aye bloody aye," the underling said, as he turned his back, rubbing his crotch, to try and tame his own urges.

"Just fucking do it, imbecile, and I might let you have your fun later on." He directed his attention the little girl. "Hello sweetie," he addressed her in a mock comforting voice, all the while unbuttoning his coat. "This your first time? Don't squirm and you will be alright. I want this to last as long as possible. Put up a fight and you might lose a couple teeth. Play nice and I might even Obliviate you at the end."

The girl eyed him in terror as he approached. She tried to kick back, but to no avail. Then it happened. An odd noise, like a deafening whip crack, followed by a dull thud. She had been so focused on the man currently unzipping his pinstripe trousers before her, that it took more than a couple of seconds that the man that had been standing next to her assailant had been inexplicably yanked from his position and flung into a tree, where he was impaled upon a branch.

Too surprised to scream, she stared at the men around her realized something was amiss. They scrambled frantically with their wands out, trying to figure out where the attack came from, firing curses blindly all around them, hoping to hit something, then stood in waiting. Seeing nobody retaliated, the flesh mongers breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Must've scared them off," one of the brutes said, putting his wand away.

"Sorry for your loss, Mr. Cane," said the second,

"Nobody will miss that blockhead. He outlived his usefulness. Now, where were we again, sweetie?" Cane asked as he turned to his would be purchase. "Ah, yes," he said, as he unzipped his pants. "Be quiet and I might let you enjoy it. Fidget and scream, and you will get hurt." He pulled his half engorged phallus out and gave it a stroke.

"AIDEZ-MOI!" the girl screamed and kicked at his feet and knees as he got in close, only to be on the receiving end of a heavy backhanded slap from Cane, knocking her out.

"CONNARD!" the mother cried out, as he was about to enter her little girl. One of the brutes slapped her hard enough, that a rivulet of blood came from the corner of her mouth.

"Quiet, woman!" the other brute said. "You will get your turn, soon enough!" The look on her eyes was not one of fear, but of pure rage.

"I would strongly suggest you put that… thing away," a distorted voice came out of the dark. Cane put his member back in and zipped up his pants, before pulling out his wand and turning to look for the intruder.

"Who the hell are you!? Show your self, if you know what's good for you."

"Or what?" came the distorted voice, apparently from the other side of where they heard it first. All three shot multicolored curses towards the spot. "Oh, missed!" This time the voice came from behind them. Again, the men shot in its direction.

"Tired of living, are ya?" one of the brutes bellowed.

"Tired, yes. YAWN It has been a long day," the distorted voice said with a sigh. "And the three of you are terrible shots. Let me make things a little easier for you."

A slim figure in a hooded cloak seemed to materialise out of thin air. It was standing next to the impaled corpse of Bones, with its face obscured by the darkness of the night. The men started firing a string of incapacitating spells and curses, but the figure bobbed and weaved through the different color beams. When the barrage finally stopped, the figure cocked its head and waved an armored hand in a 'come hither' gesture.

The woman shuddered, realising that the distorted voice was that of Death's and far more worthy of her fear than the men standing around her. Dodging that amount of spellfire was beyond a Veela like her, even in her avian form. It seemed to be a lot smarter than its opponents, or at least more aware of its position on the battleground, its movement easily making them stumble and trip over each other. In the chaos, the men left both her and her daughter unsupervised. As they were still chained up, there was nowhere to go, all the little girl could do was to bury her head in her mother's bosom and sob loudly. What the Veela found even more unnerving was the fact that their savior was enjoying the battle, laughing with the same distortion its voice had when it spoke. Its movements were so fast, having a certain fluidity and… elegance, a fact confirmed by the pirouette during which it discarded its cloak in. It was a woman unlike other, all clad in what looked like metallic armor, her head hidden inside a rounded helmet.

"Time to end this," she said, as she seemed to summon a sword blade out of the gauntlet on her right hand and a spear out of the one on the left hand. One of the brutes didn't display any self preservation instinct, shooting a curse that barely missed the woman's head. When she didn't react, he came right for her, as if to tackle her, only to find… nothing but air. As he spun around, the last thing he saw was the sharp end of the spear penetrating his left eye. A spurt of blood gushed forth from the back of the man's head, snapping it back with a loud crunch. He turned to face his partner, albeit awkwardly, and fell to the ground, dead before crying out in pain or even noticing what had happened to him.

'A mercy he didn't deserve,' the Veela thought to herself.

The strange woman dismissed the spear and uncoiled what appeared to be metal tendrils from her left gauntlet. At the sight at the development, the second brute attempted to make a run for it. Just as he was about to Disapparate out of there, the tendrils shot forward and wrapped around his upper limbs and throat. Before the man could utter a sound, the tendrils ripped off his arms and crushed his windpipe. As the tendrils retreated, the corpse flopped down with a wet thud.

The Veela felt a sudden urge to retch, but she forced it down and tightened her arms around her little girl, hoping that their would-be savior was not just another slaver, muscling in on a rival group. She saw Cane's face cringe in realization, looking like he understood the danger he was in. He muttered something under his breath. He raised his arms. The woman flicked her sword and the wand flew out of his hand.

"Alright! ALRIGHT! You made your damn point!" he yelled. "Let me go and you can have them!"

The bewildered Veela looked in awe as her savior stepped aside to let the slaver pass. She wondered if her captor was that stupid that he really believed he would be able to walk away unscathed, or if the woman would be stupid enough to believe the slaver would depart peacefully. As the man drew level with the woman who had already slaughtered his confederates, she noticed a flash of silver going straight for her saviour's face. The woman didn't blink, nor did she move to avoid it. Instead, the man's whole arm, alongside the small knife he had in his hand, dropped into the grass. He started thrashing in agony, blood spraying out of the stump of his arm. In an instant, metal tendrils sprouted from her gauntlet. One tendril pierced his genital area, the rest of them wrapped around his remaining limbs and started pulling the man apart. Hellish screams filled the air. Eventually, the tendrils released him. His bloody torso fell to the ground, struggling to breathe.

"What the hell are you, bitch?!" he managed a gargled question.

"You will not live long enough to remember my name," she said in the same distorted voice she had spoke previously.

The blade retreated the gauntlet, which then faded from view, along with the armor and rounded helmet. She had long blonde hair, black pants and black leather spool heel boots, a white shirt and a dark blue overcoat. With her back at them, the strange woman drew a wand. With a wave, their bonds broke. A second wave and the dismembered corpses of their captors were all piled up. With a third, their savior's clothes were once again gore free. The fourth wave had no discernable results. At last, the woman turned and spoke to the Veela and her daughter.

"Are you alright?" she asked in English. Her voice sounded absolutely normal. The mother nodded. "I happened by this place out of pure chance. Be glad I did. If there is one thing I hate most in this world is rapists and slavers."

Before the Veela could answer, the woman saw something move with the corner of her eye. A pinkish-red red curse flew towards her head. Without even looking, the woman's hand rose, caught the beam and seemingly crushed it in the palm of the gauntlet that had covered her hand and forearm out of the blue. As she turned to face the new threat, the Veela saw her eyes turn black and green.

"The bravest of the bunch, attacking my blind spot, and invisible no less." The woman's voice reverberated oddly. "You could have left without me ever knowing you were still can do just that."

"You have cost me a small fortune tonight! And I will make you pay!" a squeaky voice came from somewhere near the corpses.

"Come out, little mouse, and you will receive your payment in full." The strange woman laughed, the reverberations in her voice sending chills down the Veela's spine.

Suddenly, she saw the knife that Cane dropped being levitated off the grass and zoom straight for her daughter. Before it could reach the girl, she jumped in front of it. The weapon embedded in her chest.

A tendril formed once again around the armored gauntlet of her rescuer. The woman extended it as much as possible, and, with a pirouette, swept it across the entire battlefield. The tip of the tendril wrapped around the seemingly invisible assailant. He started struggling, as the tendril syphoned off the Disillusionment Charm he had placed on himself. As the woman reeled the tendril in, bringing him close, she saw he was a tiny man, old and bald, completely unremarkable, save for a very mousey face.

"Well, mouse… you had a chance to scurry away and you blew it," sad the woman. Before she could continue, he spat in her face. "Slaver filth!" was her words to him, as the gauntlet on her left hand formed, complete with sharp metallic claws, which she then dug into his chest, the man's face locked in a mask of agony. The hand drew back in an explosion of blood and cardiac muscle tissue. The mouse's corpse fell to the ground.

The woman turned to the two veelas, kneeling to inspect the knife wound. The little girl was frozen in shock, having come so close to being enslaved, raped and even murdered, all in the span of a couple of hours.

"I'm a healer, let me check the wound," she said in the calmest voice possible, though a slight tremble in her voice did betray the sense of worry. "Hopefully, I can stop the bleeding long enough to buy us time to get you to someone in Nantes…" The Veela raised her hand, shook her head and coughed, blood dripping at the corner of her mouth.

"Don't… punctured… lung…" she said, wheezing between each word. Her daughter's eyes were tearing up. "Don't… cry…"

"I'm sorry," whispered Lily.

"Owe you… our lives… a Life Debt… must… pay…" the Veela managed to say, wincing with each word. Lily shook her head.

"I can't accept it. I have done nothing that would deserve it…" The woman coughed again, more blood coming from her mouth this time around.

"Your… name?" she asked.

"Lily."

"Lily… refuse… and my Celly… will lose… her magic." Lily lowered her eyes and cursed at the strange development.

"Alright… I will take your daughter as a ward of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter. As she grows up, she will be my son's defender."

The Veela smiled at Lily and reached for her her daughter, caressing her hair. The child was sobbing quietly. Lily's heart almost broke at the sight, hoping she wouldn't have to submit Harry to the same any time soon.

"We owe… this woman… a Life Debt. You… have… to fulfill it." The girl nodded shakily and looked at Lily.

"You made it rain blood," she said in a weak voice and burrowed her head in her mother's neck, crying all the while. Due to exhaustion or to shock, she quickly fell asleep in that position. The Veela motioned Lily to come closer.

"Swear… to me… that Celly… will… only… protect… the boy," she whispered. With the wand gripped in her blood-covered hand, Lily looked her in the eye.

"What's your daughter's full name?" she asked

"Celestine de la Serre," the Veela whispered.

"I, Lily Evans-Potter, hereby swear on my magic that Celestine de la Serre will only be Harry James Potter's defender, until he comes of age. I swear that I or he shall release her from her duties at that time. So mote it be." After her vow was complete, she looked at the Veela, which didn't seem to be long for this world. "Please, tell me your name."

"Camille…" the Veela replied and breathed her last.

With adrenaline fading from her system, Lily turned to the unconscious girl. She shakily disentangled her arms from her mother's neck, levitated the Veela's body and wrapped it in her Invisibility Cloak. She then picked the girl up, trying to think of a way of letting her know her mother would never be able to hold her ever again. Being a mother herself, she abhorred the very idea of the girl growing up an orphan.

'I will care for her as best I can,' Lily made a final silent promise.

'Shrewd thinking, Lily,' Jeanne intervened, with a gleeful tone in her voice. 'Having someone watch over your son will make your mission to trim the tree a bit go so much smoother. Not to mention, from my knowledge about Veelas, most people think that having a Veela incur a Life Debt is an automatic offer of sexual submission.'

'What?!'

'Who knows, she might teach Harry a couple things. Might even help you relieve some stress.'

'Is there a mute button on you?'

-section break-

The gates of the Veela Village were made of wrought iron and weathered wood. Given the late hour, Lily found that they were, unsurprisingly, locked. With a child in her arms and an invisible corpse floating behind her, she knew she would not be able to do anything. So, she gently set them both down and knocked on the wooden door, hoping she would gain someone's attention. When nothing happened, she resorted to kicking the door. A couple of minutes later, a woman finally came out, warily. When she spotted Lily, she looked at her with an air of disgust.

"You have to get help, this girl," Lily said as she picked Celestine up in her arms again, "was almost…" The Veela closed the door before she could finish her sentence. "…kidnapped by slavers. Shit!" Lily put the girl back down and started banging on the door. The Veela opened once more.

"Qu'est-ce que tu veux?" she asked.

"How about you open the damn gate and help her!?" Lily said. The Veela moved to close the door again, but Lily put her hand on the door. "She needs a warm bed for the night!" The Veela slammed the door shut.

'I do believe it is time for a show of force,' suggested Jeanne. 'Sword or claws?'

'What for?' asked Lily.

'Do you want to cut through the gate or tear it down to pieces?'

'I think you should sit this one out. I don't want this to end in a bloodbath.' Lily raised her wand and knocked again. No answer. "I tried being polite. Bombarda Maxima!"

That seemed to draw everybody's attention, as Veelas poured on the road, to see what was the cause of the ruckus. Some had already transformed in their harpy-like avian form, with a fireball in one of their clawed hands, a thin long curved sword in the other.

"I come in peace," Lily said, stowing away her wand and raising her hands. Two of the transformed Veelas started moving in closer to her. They looked like the village guards.

"Arrêtez!" barked one of the women. She looked to be in her 40's and had a stern look on her face, fitting of the village chief or some other form of local authority, as the guards extinguished their fireballs and lowered their swords. She made her way through the ranks of inhabitants and asked Lily something in French. Rolling her eyes, Lily pulled her wand out. The sudden movement made the guards reignite the fiery spells, but the woman raised her hand, stopping them in place, giving Lily time to cast a translation charm on herself.

"Could you please what you just said, Ma'am?" she asked. "I don't speak French, but I should be able to understand you now."

The woman motioned for the inhabitants to disperse. All of them returned to their homes, except for the guards, who stayed behind. They did not revert to their human form.

"I asked you why you decided to blow up the gate."

"I blew it up to get your attention," replied Lily, quite angry. "Your gate guard decided to ignore one of your own who is in need of assistance."

"You don't look, nor sound like a Veela," the woman said dryly.

"Not me, but her," said Lily, as she kneeled to pick up Celestine. "I can't believe you and your neighbours would shrug her off, not without listening to what I had to say."

"You can talk to the Village Chief. She will decide what to do with you."

"Fine. Let me put the gate back up and we'll go talk to your chief."

She raised her wand once more and, before repairing the gate, she levitated and snuck the invisible corpse of Camille inside the village boundaries. Once every splinter and metal shard of the gate was back in its proper place, Lily turned and followed the Veela, with Celestine in her arms and her mother following close behind her. The Veela led her to a slightly larger house near the center of the village. She stopped just before the door.

"Leave your wand here and you may go in," she said. Lily did not object and relinquished it. The Veela then opened the door and motioned her in. "You may enter."

The door was closed behind her, Lily found herself alone in a large hallway. She heard music coming from the room at the end of the corridor. She called out, but no one came, so, she went in, only for her jaw to drop.

An old looking woman, garbed in a pale blue dress and a silver-gray house coat, was dancing. It was no ordinary dance, as she spinned on her toes and twirled the same type of swords the guards had. Her movements matched the music. She appeared to be in a state akin to a trance. Lily was enthralled by the speed and grace with which the old lady spun the swords. The metal blades, sharp enough to cut limbs off, moved fast enough to make it look like she was encased in a thin metallic bubble.

The old Veela stopped twirling when the song ended, but Lily couldn't tell how long she had stared at her. She finally snapped out when the old woman cleared her throat loudly. Only then did she realise she still had Celestine in her arms and Camille's corpse safely set on the sofa.

"Welcome to my home. My name is Adrianne" The Veela had her back at Lily. Her voice was icy cold. She didn't seem to take the interruption lightly. "It is late, what brings you…" she started asking as she turned to see her unwanted guest. The question was never finished, because she saw who Lily had in her arms. "Mon Dieu, Celestine!" She ran to the little girl, worry on her face. "Please, set her down on this arm chair. Gently… What happened? Where did you find her? What of Camille?" Lily moved to the sofa and pulled the Invisibility Cloak off of the Camille's dead body.

"I found them less than a mile outside the village, under a Notice-me-not ward. They had been abducted by slavers who tried to sell them into slavery and prostitution. The clients tried to force himself on Celestine, while her mother was going to be forced to watch and probably be subjected to the same treatment, when they had their way with her daughter. I made sure all four of them will not be a problem. The problem is…" Lily sighed as she drew a hand through her glamoured hair, "I wasn't fast enough, nor did I take into account any invisible threats. And Camille paid the price for it. There was a fifth slaver, hidden, that attempted to take the girl's life. She jumped in front of the knife. Needless to say, he met his end as well. Before succumbing to her wound, Camille said she had a Life Debt to settle. It would seem that it has now fallen to Celly." Adrienne swore.

"Did you accept?" she asked, her eyes flashing silver.

"From what I understood from her," Lily replied, "if I didn't accept, Celestine would lose her magic. For some, that would be a blessing. For some, a curse. It was not for me to decide her fate. Yet, the girl did accept it as well."

"What did you ask for?"

"I asked that Celestine serve only as my son's defender until he comes of age and is legally recognized as such."

"A duty she will fulfill with utmost loyalty…" Adrienne said, as she slowly caressed Celestine's hair. A few seconds later, she stopped and stepped outside. Lily heard her open the door and call for someone. "Sophie, Anne, could you please join us?" Moments later, three Veelas entered the room. "Sophie, could you please take Camille's body to the Healer's hut? And bring him here. Quietly, please! Anne, would you kindly fetch our guest something to eat and keep her company for a short while?" Both Sophie and Anne nodded and did as she requested. Adrienne then picked up Celestine and made to exit the room.

"Where are you going?" asked Lily.

"Hope you don't mind me putting my granddaughter to bed, do you? We'll talk shortly," the Veela replied and went upstairs. Lily had nothing else to do but wait for her.

Anne returned with a plate of food and a glass of red wine and set on the coffee table. She leaned on a wall and watched quietly as their guest was eating. Moments later, Sophie returned with the village healer, which was directed to go upstairs. Shortly after that, Adrienne came down and dismissed her two helpers. She then turned to Lily.

"I'm sure you have questions. As do I." Lily bowed her head, the green of her eyes darkening.

"Why were Camille and her daughter outside the village at this hour?" she asked. Adrienne slumped in her chair.

"Camille had Celestine little over 9 years ago with a mundane law enforcement officer from Nantes. Normally, Veelas are allowed to mate only with people with magical powers. Celly's… lineage wasn't noticed until recently, when her Veela powers did not manifest themselves, even years after showing regular magic abilities. The only thing the Village Council could do was to banish them when this came to light. To my great shame, I couldn't oppose this punishment, even though I am the Village Leader. If I had, maybe those slavers wouldn't have killed Camille." Adrienne wiped a tear from her eye. "Please promise me Celly will be alright."

"I promise. I will teach her all I can and, for what I can't, I will arrange for proper training."

"I hope you will also teach her manners. You still have not introduced yourself, but you do have extenuating circumstances."

"My name is Lily Evans-Potter."

"Well, Lily Evans-Potter, I expect you will teach better manners than what you display. I heard you blew up the gate to get in the village."

"In my defense, I did try knocking politely. After I was ignored for over half an hour, I decided to make sure everybody heard that. I do believe fear always gets people off their rear ends."

"I see. That is both good and bad. Should I be worried my granddaughter will be in your care?"

"I am on a mission of a… personal nature. I can not make any promises. Though I will do my best to keep her out of trouble."

"I guess that will have to do. For now."

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, when Lily felt the urge to ask something.

"Where did you learn to dance that way? I have heard about sword dancers, but I haven't seen any in real life."

"Dancing is part of Veelas' life and culture. The faint of heart of our people use ribbons, though the bolder ones prefer the sword. A dance from our motherland. I learned it from my grandmother who learned it from hers."

"Would you be able to teach me?" Lily asked.

"You? No. But I could teach it to Celestine."

"Alas, I need to get back to Britain in the shortest time possible."

"Then I would suggest you leave Celly here for a fortnight. She should be able to pick up the basics in that time, all she would need to do would be to practice."

Lily took a look at the grandfather clock. It chimed midnight. The healer came down from Celestine's room.

"She will be alright, though I would recommend plenty of rest for now," said the healer and bid them good night. Adrienne walked her out.

"Then it's settled," said Lily, when the Veela returned. "I will let Celly here to recover and to learn the sword dance." Adrienne nodded in agreement. "One more thing. May I bother you for a bed tonight? And, if possible, for a Floo trip to Nantes in the morning?"

"I am sure we can arrange something. Do you wish to speak with Celestine before you go to sleep?"

"Sure." Lily followed her upstairs. "Hey, little one. How do you feel?" she asked when she entered the bedroom. The girl shook her head.

"My mommy is gone. She said that you saving us means we owe you something." Lily sighed, passed her hand through the child's hair and nodded.

"Yes. I asked your mommy for something simple - someone to be my son's defender until he comes of age."

"I'm sorry that you have to go through this," Adrienne said, putting a hand on top the girl's. Celestine shook her head.

"I'm happy to work for her, Grandmother," she said, lowering her eyes. "I'll miss my mommy."

November 4th

At 7 AM next morning, Lily was already packed and ready to leave. She came down the stairs to be met by Adrienne.

"Sit down, eat," she said in a stern voice when she saw her. The Veela placed a plate of fried… something on the table. It looked deep fried.

"I thought French people eat pastries at breakfast. May I ask what this is?"

"Mekitsa. A traditional Bulgarian breakfast food," the woman said as she brought up jars of jam and honey and small bowls of crumbly soft cheese and yogurt. "You have a long way ahead of you, you need a hearty breakfast. And a lot healthier than what your people eat. Beans and sausages for breakfast?"

"Thanks," Lily said and sat down to eat.

"Drink it. Ayran," Adrienne brought her a glass. Lily took a gulp. It was a salty soft yogurt, which she found oddly delicious. "Now. I have arranged for someone to take you to Nantes. It's a short drive away, not worth a Floo trip. Not in those fancy clothes of yours."

"As long as I get there by 9, I don't think there should be a problem. And you do know I am a witch right? Still, I want to thank you very much for your kindness."

"Don't mention it. It's the least I can do for you," the Veela said with a tiny smile on her face. "Now, I will have Celestine ready in a fortnight, as promised. You need to take care of the legalities."

"I will, don't worry. Celestine will be in good hands, I don't mean to put her in any unnecessary danger."

"Good. Your driver awaits." Lily was about to leave when Celestine came running down the stairs.

"Wait!"

"Good morning, Celly. You look better," Lily said with a smile.

"Do you have to go now?"

"Yes, sweetie, I have to go back to my son. You will meet him soon."

"Do I have to go now as well?" Celly asked, slightly teary eyed. "I haven't said goodbye to anyone yet."

"Not yet. The healer said you need to rest a little longer. And your Grandmother has something to teach you." The news put a little smile on the girl face. "I will have a friend pick you up in two weeks."

"Okay."

"Delay your departure any longer and you will arrive late for your meeting in Nantes," Adrianne chimed in.

"Right. Good bye."

It was 7.30 AM. Outside, was a simply dressed man was waiting for her, besides a white-and-blue car, a two tone Ford Anglia. The car seemed to be barely holding together. The man took Lily's backpack, placed it in the trunk and opened the door for her to get in. To her surprise, the interior was magically expanded and adjusted to resemble a lavish limousine. The ride was smoother than expected, as the car seemed to be able to weave in and out of traffic seamlessly, much like the Knight Bus. Her chauffeur was oddly quiet, but, then again, she wasn't in the mood to chit chat. They arrived at the Nantes Douanes magiques with a full hour to spare.

Lily collected her backpack and thanked the driver, before he pulled away. She entered the building and took a seat in the waiting room. Not a quarter of an hour later, the rest of the group she arrived with showed up, followed by a couple large containers, levitating behind them.

"Just the people I wanted to see. Good morning, everybody," Lily greeted them.

"Good morning, Jane," replied Theodosius. "Did you achieve your goals?"

"That and more. Listen," Lily said quietly, as she pulled him aside, "I did find what I was here to find. The only problem, it would seem to be impervious to any concealment charm I can think of."

"Don't worry," he said, in the same whispered voice. "Mrs. Greengrass already thought of that possibility. There is a hidden compartment in the cheese container. You can use that. The cheeses have already been charmed to be practically weightless." Lily almost laughed at this news.

"Good old Evie…" she said, smiling widely. "She thought of pretty much everything."

Seconds later, the Cainite Grimoires were safely stowed away in the fake bottom of the container filled to the top with French cheeses, with the lid left slightly cracked on purpose to let the smell sneak through.

"Time for the outgoing formalities."

The customs officers carefully checked all of the paperwork and their luggage. Then they turned their attention to the containers, and, though she didn't want to admit it, Lily was beside herself with worry. However, after catching a whiff of the stinky contents of the containers, they quickly backed off. The last stop was the wand checkup, where the group relinquished their wands to have the trace placed on them on orders of the Bureau de la Magie removed. Once again, Lily presented James' wand, which she never used while she was in France. Oddly, the officers didn't think this to stand out as strange at all.

After the procedures were completed, it was time to depart. The group grabbed onto the same large silver platter the arrived by and instantly transported back to the Greengrass Imports offices, where a large eared elf was waiting for them.

"Dot? Is everything OK?"

"Mistress Evie asked me to let her know when you arrived. An urgent owl arrived for you. Also, someone knows you have taken up temporary residence with Mistress Evie. They are at the manor, waiting for your arrival. They look to be extremely worried."

Without a word, Lily retrieved the books from cheese container, bid the group farewell, and promptly Disapparated alongside Dot. Unfortunately, it seemed that the Grimoires' aura affected her transport method. Instead of Apparating in her room in the Greengrass Manor, she landed in the woods she found herself in a couple of nights ago.

'Good thing we didn't Apparate from France,' Lily said, half annoyed, half relieved.

'Indeed,' replied Jeanne. 'Otherwise, we might have rematerialised back in the middle of the English Channel.'

She walked the rest of the way to the manor, where Evelyn was waiting for her.

"What happened, why didn't you arrive with Dot?"

"Short version? The Cainite Grimoires. I found them and they enjoy consuming magic from any spell cast around them."

"You mean… you found more than one?" Evelyn asked shocked. Lily nodded. "We've got time enough to study them later. You, my dear have guests," she said as she led Lily to the living room and opened the door, where Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were waiting for her.

'Drop my disguise please.' she asked her tenant.

Sirius and Remus gaped. "THAT is one helluva glamour Lily."

Lily ignored the remark "Why are you here?"

Sirius sighed, and dropped in an armchair. "Shit has really hit the fan, Lily. Frank and Alice were attacked, Moody's missing a leg and eye, and Barty Crouch got killed while conducting an interrogation."

Lily drew a hand through her hair, and dropped onto the couch. "Start at the beginning."

A.N : This chapter may have ended in a cliffhanger, but it's a 25k wall of text. Till next time folks.