Chapter 6:
The next day was horribly boring. Trudy felt rather trapped sitting in the corner of Snape's office. She worked in her books and did the assignments Professor Snape had given her, but she couldn't help feeling a little stir-crazy stuck in the cold and dark room.
"What do you suppose that thing was?" Trudy asked, referring to the cat-like monster in the woods. Bored out of her mind, she tried to strike up a conversation.
"Miss Quinn, you are being punished. Stop trying to talk to me." He said firmly. His greasy black hair fell into his face as he bent in closer to his work.
"You're still mad at me, aren't you?" She asked miserably.
"No...Miss Quinn, I'm not." He said in a low voice and sighed heavily. This was the truth of course. It was hard to stay mad at someone like Trudy.
They worked in silence the entire day. As it grew late in the evening, Trudy felt as if the day was never going to end. She really wanted to go outside, but didn't dare ask. She could tell this was going to be a very long two weeks.
Later that night they sat together in the sitting room. Snape was engrossed in a book as usual and Trudy sat huddled by the fire, thinking hard. He had said he wasn't mad at her, but she didn't really believe that. Snape seemed like he was sulking. She felt really bad that she wasn't able to tell Lenore she wouldn't be able to see her. What if Lenore thought she hated her or something?
Snape watched her sitting by the fireplace. She looked gloomy as she stretched out her thin fingers toward the warmth of the fire.
"Quit looking so tragic." He said to her. Trudy turned her face to him. Her cheeks were pink from sitting so close to the fire.
"Sorry?" She asked, her face still distinctly discontent.
"Come on." He said and got up and walked toward the bookcase. "Don't know why I'm doing this..." He muttered as he flung open the door to the narrow stairwell and started up them.
She started to follow him, but stopped at the steps of the staircase.
"Is it okay? I've never been up here before..." She asked nervously.
"Yes, Yes. Hurry up." Snape snapped, tapping his foot impatiently.
"Sorry," she said, hurrying up the steps to him.
He lead her down a hall and turned left. They were in a room that seemed to be a lab/study. Cabinets full of potion ingredients lined the walls and a large table stood in the middle of the room strewn with cauldrons, mortar and pestle and a few objects Trudy didn't recognize. Snape went to one of the cabinets and began pulling down bottles and boxes from the second shelf.
"I'll teach you something easy, a forgetfulness potion ought to suffice." He said, clearing some space and slamming the ingredients onto the table.
He opened the Magical Drafts and Potions book and handed it to Trudy.
"The instructions. These are the goldfish scales." He said pointing to the only unlabeled box on the table.
Trudy got to work and found that she rather liked making this potion. It was almost a game to try to be as precise as possible. She found its need to be exact similar to alchemy. Professor Snape watched her and added helpful tips here and there.
"You'll need to grind that up a little further. It needs to be a very fine powder."
"Oh, Okay. Thank you."
Once she was done, Trudy took a large wooden spoon and stirred the mixture. It turned a sickly color yellow. Snape peered into the cauldron.
"It looks as if you've done everything correctly." He said.
"This is fun," Trudy added.
"Indeed," Snape said unenthusiastically. "Go downstairs and write a two page essay on the uses and side effects of a forgetfulness potion." He said, collecting the ingredients and placing them back on the shelf in the cabinet.
As Trudy walked downstairs to the sitting room she thought about the lesson. She appreciated Professor Snape taking the time to teach her these things. Trudy found it odd for him to be so kind.
The next two weeks dragged on slowly as ever, but in the evenings Professor Snape continued to teach Trudy potions. This was the only thing keeping Trudy from going Sunday before the two weeks were up, Trudy stood in the sitting room and looked out the small front window. She could hardly contain her excitement of seeing Lenore the next day.
"May I go outside?" Trudy asked, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. It occurred to her that she'd never been outside of this house, aside from when she first came here with Professor Dumbledore. She vaguely remembered a park across the street.
"Whatever," Snape said, engrossed in his notes. He waved his hand at her dismissively.
"Come back before dark," He said as she stepped outside. Trudy noticed that Snape's house seemed to be one of few houses occupied on this street. Many of the houses had boards nailed to their windows and doors. The mailboxes of the vacant houses lay crumpled on the ground, no doubt the work of teenagers with baseball bats. She crossed the uneven cobblestone street and hurried through someone's yard to get to the small park.
It was a decent park, considering the neighborhood in which it belonged. It had a swing set and jungle gym. An old metal slide stood off to the left and a teetertotter on the right. Trudy settled herself in one of the swings. She could see an old dilapidated mill across the street. Birds nests were visible on the ledges and frames of its windows. The silo beside it was rusted and had gaping holes carved into its sides.
The cool night air was pleasant as she swung back and forth lazily on the swing. Trudy wished she had worn a jacket, because even though it was the middle of summer, it became quite chilly at night.
Crack! Trudy looked around wildly, she knew that sound...At the other end of the park, she spotted a tall man with dark hair and a thick beard, streaked with gray. He was clearly a wizard with his dark billowing robes. He threw himself onto a nearby park bench. There was another man beside him doubled over on the ground. He was younger with short brown hair. He scrambled to his feet and the older man yelled something at him and... pointed at her? Trudy squinted at the pair. She must have seen wrong...Her heart began beating very fast in trepidation.
In a split second decision, Trudy jumped out of the swing in mid air and hit the ground running toward a grouping of trees at the edge of the park. She didn't know for sure why she was running away, but knew she didn't want to be anywhere near these two men.
She heard heavy footsteps behind her and looked around in horror to find the brown haired man pelting after her. Trudy gulped as she noticed that he was quite a bit faster than her and would be gaining on her very shortly.
Trudy could feel him right behind her. He was so close that he was swiping the air trying to grab her. His right arm swung at her, snagged her hair, and he dragged her forcefully to the ground. She twisted in his grasp and kneed him swiftly in the groin. He yelped in pain and staggered slightly, but kept hold of her.
"You'll pay for that!" He hissed and slammed his fist into her face.
Crunch! It hurt. It hurt a lot. Blood poured from her nose and splattered down her chin and neck.
Her eyes streamed with pain, but she tried to focus on her attacker. His face was contorted in agony and it looked as if he had to use every ounce of his strength to stay balanced. Now was her chance to escape! She kicked him again with all her might. He screamed and loosened his grip just enough for her to slip struggled to her feet and ran as fast as her legs would carry her. The man continued to limp after her, but thankfully he wasn't nearly as fast as he had been. Trudy thrust her hand into her pocket and grasped her wand tightly.
She racked her brains for some useful spell. She didn't know any defensive spells! She desperately tried to remember what Lenore had used on the monster in the forest. Something to do with the eyes!
Then a different spell came to her mind. Simon had used it against a classmate in a fight once. The memory was so firmly rooted in her mind that she was sure she remembered the proper incantation.
"Flipendo!" She yelled, pointing her wand behind her. The man with brown hair flew backwards and hit the ground hard. She didn't stop to see if she hit him however, she knew she had to keep running. The wizard was sure to follow as soon as he noticed his partner's failed attempt. She bolted into the small strip of woods and tore through the brush as fast as she could.
After about 20 minutes of running, she threw herself behind a tree. Her heart was racing so frantically that she thought it might give out on her. Thick globs of blood dripped down her chin and fell to the earth. It was dark now and she prayed that Snape would come to look for her. She rung her hands nervously and panted, trying to catch her breath. Should she make a run for it back to Snape's? Or should she try to stay hidden in here? Neither sounded like good ideas.
"There you are..." She heard the gray wizard's voice ring through the trees. She panicked, unable to tell what direction he was coming from. She spotted him a moment too late. He pointed his wand at her and bellowed, "Locomotor Mortis!"
It hit Trudy square in the chest and she felt her legs lock together. She teetered unsteadily, but managed to shout "Flipendo!" at him. An invisible force threw him back into a tree. Trudy lost her balance and fell to the ground with a crash. Her wand flew out of her hand and landed several feet away.
The gray wizard staggered to his feet and adjusted his robes. He chuckled to himself as he approached her. Trudy lay face down on the ground, her useless legs refused to budge one inch, but she clawed at the earth. She was slowly dragging herself to her wand. Just a bit further! Trudy stretched her arms out. She was terrified, but determined to fight him.
"You put up a better fight than I thought you would." The wizard remarked, stepping over a twisted vine blocking his path.
"Hans is out cold." He said, referring to the muggle man assisting him. He was clearly amused.
A cruel smile curled on his lips as he watched Trudy struggle to reach her wand.
"My, you're persistent." The gray wizard laughed, kicking Trudy's wand just out of reach. He had a great booming laugh and it echoed within the trees.
"Just kill me then!" She shouted at him, she knew she had been beat. It was only a matter of time. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of begging for her life.
"Kill you? My dear, what on earth would I want to kill you for?" He laughed loudly again and paused over her.
"You are very valuable..." He said with a distinct note of greed in his voice. He reached down with powerful arms and just as he was about to grab hold of Trudy, something slammed into his chest. He fell backwards and lay motionless.
Trudy whipped her head around and saw, to her great relief, Professor Snape stalking deliberately through the underbrush. His face was unreadable. Snape removed the jinx from Trudy's legs and she scrambled to collect her wand. She glanced at the unconscious wizard. He was just unconscious, right?
"Did-did you kill him?" She asked, staring fixedly at the man. He was very still. He was breathing, wasn't he?
"No, I didn't kill him!" Snape shouted in outrage. He snatched Trudy's arm and squeezed tightly.
"Ouch! wh-"
CRACK!!
Trudy suddenly found herself lying in the street of village. She held her stomach, her insides felt as if they'd just been rearranged. She felt a little dizzy, but clambered to her feet. Trudy guessed that the man called Hans had felt the same way when he apparated with the wizard to the park. She saw a sign on her left and discovered that they had apparated to a village called Hogsmeade.
Professor Snape glanced at her as they rushed toward The Three Broomsticks. Aside from the violently bloody nose and a few scraps and bruises, she wasn't much worse for wear. They burst into the bar and flooed directly to Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore looked startled by the amount of blood dripping from Trudy's face and hurried over to them.
"Get out. I have something to discuss with the Headmaster." Snape said giving her a slight push toward the door. She left down the steps obediently. Dumbledore looked as if he wished to protest. He wanted find out what all the blood was from, but he let it pass and assumed he would find out soon enough.
"What exactly have you gotten me into!?" Snape screamed as soon as the staircase came to a halt.
"Severus, I have no idea what you are talking about..."
"What do you mean! ? She was attacked practically right outside my house! Two men were trying to abduct her!"
"Oh my, Do they know that she's staying at your house?"
"Well, no, I don't think so...Wait? Who's they?!"
"If they were trying to capture her instead of kill her, I would guess it's the Conclave of Immortality."
"Why didn't you tell me about this before!?" Snape bellowed. The portraits hanging on the walls covered their ears with their hands and glared at Snape.
"Please sit down, Severus." Dumbledore said kindly. Dumbledore was accustomed to Snape's temper tantrums.
Snape threw himself into a chair and glowered at the Headmaster.
"Forgive me for not telling you sooner...I didn't think news of her survival would travel this fast." He apologized, gliding to his desk.
"It seems that aside from the Defenders of Natural Order determined to exterminate every living alchemist, there also appears to be a group wishing to capture her. The Conclave believes she may know the secrets to the philosopher's stone. This is the same group that has been after Nicolas Flamel and the underground Alchemist Guild for centuries." Dumbledore said meaningfully.
"Well, does she?"
"Does she what?"
"Know anything about the philosopher's stone?"
"I don't know. I believe you are in a better position to ask her that, Severus."
About an hour later, Snape trudged down the stone steps and found Trudy slumped against the gargoyle, asleep. The blood had dried on her face and she had sticks and leaves poking out of her curly red hair. She now vaguely resembled a tribal mask of some sort. He shook her awake and they flooed back to Snape's house.
"Do you know anything about the philosopher's stone?" It was more of an accusation than a question.
"I regret to say that I do." Trudy replied. Her hands were folded neatly on Snape's kitchen table.
"You should have mentioned that before!" he raged pacing in front of her.
"Forgive me, Sir. It is not something one speaks of lightly." She suddenly looked more serious than Snape had ever seen her.
"Every alchemist takes an oath to never reveal it's secrets to an outsider. We also vow to never create one ourselves. So you will understand why I cannot tell you everything." She explained softly.
"However, due to the circumstances...I believe it is necessary that you and Dumbledore be informed. I don't have to tell you that an object that can grant immortality is dangerous, but the philosopher's stone is dangerous even its construction."
She took a deep breath, as if bracing herself for a blow. "You see, to create the stone, an essential ingredient is human lives. It takes thousands of sacrifices."
"Many centuries ago, even the Alchemist Guild sought to create the stone. When Nicolas Flamel finally succeeded, he was praised as the greatest alchemist in the world. Until the Guild discovered how he'd done it. They cast him out and marked the philosopher's stone as forbidden."
"Nicolas Flamel survives today. Living off the souls trapped within the philosopher's stone." Trudy said scathingly.
"The Conclave of Immortality has chased after the secrets of the stone since its creation. This is why the Guild went underground and became highly secretive."
"I should have known I couldn't hide for long." She said laying her head down on the table in defeat.
"We were safe from them in the underground. It had only been a concern when alchemists traveled outside of the guild's protection. I can't believe I didn't see this coming..." Trudy berated herself.
Professor Snape was at a lost for words. He had no idea that the philosopher's stone required human sacrifices. That was just too bizarre. Nicholas Flamel was praised as a great alchemist. Evidently no one else knew of his great sin. Snape had to admit that despite how bizarre it was, it made sense. Why else would two extremist groups be so interested in the alchemists?
"Why was the Guild attacked?" Snape asked. He had a sneaking suspicion it was because of the stone.
"The Defenders of Natural Order learned of the stone and believed the Alchemist Guild was planning to create another. They feared the stone's power." She answered, not lifting her head.
"They did not understand and when we do not understand something, we tend to fear it. Unfortunately, we when fear something, we also tend to destroy it." Trudy said sleepily.
This was quite true. Human nature was often dictated by this rule. Yes, the stone was dangerous, but was it worth destroying an entire race over? Snape surveyed her for a moment. She looked exhausted and a little sad. He felt a slight surge of affection for the girl. He hadn't really thought of it before, but she had been through a lot. Judging by the fight she had put up in the park, she was not unaccustomed to doing so either. Snape wondered how many times Trudy had fought for her life just like tonight, but dared not ask.
End of chapter 6!
CindersNSmoke