The Calm

Desiray loved food of any kind, it didn't really matter. Cajun, Italian, American, Asian... anything that dripped pleasure over her taste buds and spread mouth-watering scents through her nose. She was quite a glutton, which was probably the reason why her self-control was so poor. Sometimes the woman just couldn't wait to sink her teeth into something juicy...

Like this well-done seasoned quarter pounder, topped with juicy diced tomatoes and grilled red peppers. She had already eaten half of it, along with the mashed potatoes, green beans and corn that had come with it. It was a special order she had given to the house elves; for some reason she was craving American dishes lately. This wasn't even her first plate, but the food didn't seem to quench any hunger; it only made her want to taste more varieties.

"Oh, that was great." Desiray mumbled to herself. She stretched and watched as the few crumbs on her plate disappeared and were soon replaced by a decent slice of chocolate cake.

Life was good right now.

"You know...for someone who does not require such substance, your diet this evening is becoming quite substantial." Snape's drone interrupted her musings.

"Oh? You mean my usual purely liquid meals?" Desiray quickly swallowed the piece of cake that had already managed to slip pass her lips, "That's true in some context I suppose, but not entirely correct. I was born like this; between two parents, a normal birth with an anatomy a lot like every other being in this existence."

The man's dark eyebrows creased slightly, "Your anatomy is the same? So your body still needs glucose out of everything else?"

"Yes. The more I eat, the longer I can go without blood." The vampire frowned and tapped a finger against her chin. "Hmm, no that doesn't sound right. More like, the longer I go without blood, the more hunger I feel. After a while it's hard to determine which hunger it is that I am truly craving."

The man looked at her confused, but Slughorn gave her an overzealous look.

"So that makes you one of the Alpha Protos? If Salvatore is your real last name... then that means you have some relation to Ramiel Salvatore." The fat man asked in a curious voice, "A niece perhaps?"

Desiray would have rolled her eyes, but the cake put her in a good mood today. "Ramiel is my father." She half mumbled as the smooth taste of milk chocolate caressed her taste buds.

His eyes widened, "Why- ... I don't know how I didn't see that, you share an uncanny resemblance to the man, if I can be so bold to say so. No wonder the sun fails to have any significant effect on you, his lineage is said to be particularly strong."

It was funny that no one seemed to notice the solar problem until now.

The sun... was always an irritant, flaking her skin and the bright rays stabbing her retinas with relentless daylight. Constant exposure brought on Hyperthermia or even Hyperpyrexia-like symptoms to any vampire, it just took longer for others to succumb to it.

"Our linage can be traced back to the original vampires," Desiray naturally boasted. "The sun is only an irritant, and we also learned a few tricks along the way."

It was the truth; the Salvatore bloodline could be traced all the way back to where it started with Cain, and what made them different was blood. It always seemed to begin with blood, and while all vampires had a transferred connection to Cain through the sharing of blood, there was only one name that held a direct birth relation.

Salvatore.

Or at least that was what the world knew them as now.

"So that man you arrived with in the beginning of the school year," Snape questioned through narrowed eyes, "That was Ramiel Salvatore of The First Sanctuary?"

"Yes."

"You say Ramiel Salvatore is your father?"

Desiray nodded at the man though he seemed to size her up warily while Slughorn still gawked in the background.

There was a long silence before he responded with a blunt, "I don't believe you."

Desiray would have laughed at the statement if she hadn't chosen that moment to swallow her drink. So needless to say, she choked on it, coughing rather violently all while an amused look sparked in her dark eyes.

"Oh, I'm not? We'll I'm sorry to mistake my heritage; I must have confused it with someone else's." She commented sarcastically with a soft chuckle. She wasn't sure what made his comment so funny to her; the blunt tone, the easy rejection, or perhaps just a combination of both. "I could prove it to you if you like, but you don't strike me as an easily swayed man. Perhaps I can still give it a try?"

He raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? And exactly how would you go about convincing me?"

Desiray tapped her chin in thought, clearing her throat once or twice from the soreness of coughing, "Well, there's a potion I may need soon and it just so happens that I can't brew it myself."

"Not competent in Potions then, are you?" He sneered, but Desiray could tell he was somewhat intrigued.

He was a Potions Master after all, even if his position was currently in DADA.

"Something like that, but the potion is actually rather difficult to brew correctly and quite disastrous if done wrong." Desiray shrugged.

"Do you mean the Stasis Elixir?" Slughorn interrupted from the side his eyes landing instantly on the cross at her neck.

Desiray automatically slid the cross under her robes, hiding the necklace and its contents from view. She shot a glare at the man who seemed to make it his job to butt into her business; how he had managed to gain so much knowledge about her family was unknown and made her nerves tense.

Slughorn didn't seem to notice her discomfort on the subject as he turned attention to Snape. "Oh Severus, you'll have to reconsider brewing her potion. It's quite rare to be asked such a thing. Even I've only been asked to brew it twice, and only succeeded the second time. It is a chance that no Potions Master should miss out on."

"Yes, Professor Snape, you should consider this a privilege." Desiray grinned at him with a mocking undertone. "I don't offer this chance very often."

He glared at her from the corner of his eye before growling out, "I'll think about it."

The woman rolled her eyes.

He didn't say anything for the rest of the meal, and even when time began to fly by, it took several days for him to send a note via owl with a simple sentence.

I will be in your classroom after midnight.

-Severus Snape

And it was about time...She had been close to sending for a friend who knew how to brew the potion; with the quickly passing days came a slow burning hunger, one that shouldn't be toyed with like the male obviously was...

Was she not supposed to have anything more exciting to do during her nights? Nonetheless she scared off the dreaded owl and made plans to stay in the building this night. Which she would spend grading papers, sending letters and finishing some of the family paper work.

"Leave it to the great Dismas King to lose his cool in the midst of compromise." Desiray growled out sarcastically behind clenched teeth.

She was currently (finally) reading the letter Felix had delivered earlier in the week. It was from a man named Zehrer Nach, Sire of the Dismas faction. He was a big shit of a man who didn't rightfully deserve a placement in The Nocturnal Solstice, an organization that was basically the Ministry of Magic with darker beings, but he was the only other being who had a legit heir linage besides Seriphia Hera, and she was damn near insane.

Zehrer also just so happened to have a daughter named Lilith who had a thing for the lecherous thug that was Desiray's overrated brother.

He was asking questions about this Dark Lord the wizards had, wondering about his strength, numbers and intentions. The man's traitorous intent was so poorly disguised it was almost insulting.

Desiray was oblivious to the footsteps of a young student even when they reached well within her hearing distance.

"Umm, Professor Salvatore?" The shy female voice caused Desiray's head to snap up to the source. She mentally scolded herself for being too distracted by the task at hand and studied the small form of Hermione Granger curiously.

"Can I help you, Ms. Granger?" Desiray barely caught herself slipping into a rougher accent since Zehrer mainly spoke German. If Granger caught the slip she didn't show it.

"I apologize for interrupting you Professor, but I was wondering about the book..." She hesitated.

It took a moment for Desiray to remember the conversation she had with the girl earlier in the week. She was beginning to regret the agreement and wondered for a moment why she had decided to be nice to the human girl in the first place, but a deal was a deal right?

Oh, look at her deciding to be honorable for once...

"Oh, right...I nearly forgot."Desiray stood from her desk to stand by one of the walls that seemed to simply be made out of a smooth wood. What couldn't be seen were the engraved handles that were so perfectly lined up to the side that they were unnoticeable.

She gave the handle one quick tug and the seamless panel slid to the side to reveal a ceiling tall bookcase. It held a very large variety of books from modern history to ancient Shakespearean tragedies, each of them bound in pristine leather of various colors. Her hand skimmed a few spines before pulling out the book she offered. 'Silver Tides' was engraved in white inked calligraphy that was a brilliant contrast to the dark leather.

The woman walked slowly over to the desk with eyes not leaving the girl.

"I hear you're bright for your age, Ms. Granger. I'm not surprised you have an interest in this novel." Desiray placed the book on the desk in front of her. "Vahan Keath entrusted this book to my family a few years after his house's purge and he values it greatly. It would be in your best interest to keep it out of harm's way."

A lie obviously...since the man had given it directly to her some eons ago, but lying wasn't unusual for someone who looked this way for the majority of their life.

The Granger female stared at the book with an eager light in her eye that intrigued the woman.

Her voice was almost bouncing when she spoke again, "Yes, I understand, Professor Salvatore. I would never dream of disrespecting a book."

Her eyes stayed glued to the pages and the slim hands that held them.

"Is that all you came for, Ms. Granger?"

The girl nodded.

Desiray raised an amused eyebrow, "Is it, now? Did you lose interest in my classes so quickly?"

Hermione's eyes snapped back into focus on the Professor's face as her memories returned to the present.

"Oh right, about that...," She hesitated as a guilty blush spread across her cheeks, "I'm not exactly sure if I'll be able to manage my hours in a healthy manner if I were to take on another class. I've already tried to do so once with no such luck."

"Oh? Well that's a shame." Desiray frowned, "I hoped that your interest in ancient ruins would secure a more positive response from you. Your runes professor and myself have come to a sort of agreement for this term. Those who learn the more advanced terminology in her class are welcome to learn the physical applications in mine."

"Do you mean Rune Smithing?" She asked the woman with wide eyes, "Are you a Master Enchanter, professor?"

"Amongst other things." Desiray said with a small grin.

The girl blushed embarrassed, "I'm sorry ma'am, I didn't mean to pry."

"No worries." Desiray shrugged nonchalantly, "Tell you what, Ms. Granger, how about you sit in for a few of my classes this week, and if you don't decide to join there will be no penalty on your part."

The girl looked confused, "Why would you do this for me, Professor? Besides me being the brightest witch of my age, you don't even know me."

"How long have you been a student here? 6 years? You should know by now that the Headmaster only brings people here for a reason," Desiray said in a low voice. "There are only a few things that can harm a vampire permanently and one of those things just so happens to be items engraved with ancient runes. You know this Ms. Granger, don't forget your studies just yet."

Perhaps that was something she shouldn't have mentioned so soon, but the level of caring was at a minimum at the moment. Besides, if she wanted to undo it later, a simple mind wipe wouldn't take much energy.

Albus hadn't added that to the list of rules yet.

He eyes widened in surprise and she stuttered over her words, "Professor, well...I."

"You were just heading to bed, I hope." A deep voice sounded from the entrance of the room, "Lest you stay after hours and manage to run in to some other manner of dark creature this year."

The girl started at Professor Snape's unannounced entrance and flinched away from his quick approach.

"How you Gryffindors manage to get into life-threatening danger before the new term begins is the one thing beyond my comprehension." The man sneered at the two women in front of him as if they were the bane of his existence. "Well, Ms. Granger? I'm sure the rest of the golden trio are awaiting your arrival."

The Granger girl mumbled a hasty apology and Desiray made sure to place the book in her grasp before she left hurriedly.

Snape's sharp eyes followed the action before he turned to glare at the woman. "Silver Tides?"

Was that a hint of envy she heard in his voice?

Desiray grinned, "Ah yes, Argentum Complura... Silver Tides. Actually, Vahan says that if the Greek language was more developed he would have titled it 'Tides of Steel '. Yes I do own one of the original copies, and no I did not steal it. The book was given to me by the man himself. "

The man raised an eyebrow. "I would not trust these children with a copy that isn't their own, let alone an irreplaceable original antique."

Desiray scoffed. "So much faith you hold in this generation. You don't even trust Granger with such a book?"

Snape adverted his eyes in irritation, but didn't answer. "I do not have all night Professor Salvatore, so if you don't mind, could you please list the ingredients so we can keep the chances of you devouring the children at a minimum."

Desiray chuckled and pulled out a spare parchment, "As you wish."

Venomous Tentacula leaves.

Abyssal Dragon Blood

Worm Wood

Night Shade

Asphode

She wrote...

Dragon's Blood was actually the newest ingredient, courtesy of Albus' ingenious mind: the fiery kind from the nearly extinct species of the Mythic Abyssal Dragon. Their specific blood was almost liquid fire and the flickers of golden flames proved it.

It burned like a motherfucker going down too.

Desirays eyes trailed up in thought to see Snape's attention turned to an open book on her desk.

Grimm's Fairy Tales.

His eyes steadily moved across the scripted black letters of the dark fairy tales. 'Poverty and Humility Lead to Heaven' was printed boldly on the top page.

Desiray had been reading it earlier. The story of a rich man who turned into a beggar under his own will to find his true path to the heavens.

His eyes hesitated on the last line. What was he thinking about?

Death? These kinds of stories always ended with a selfless death and sign of otherworld peace at their graves. Two flowers, a rose and a lily, suddenly sprouting at someone's grave was common for a wizard, but to a human it could mean so much more.

Desiray was curious about why he would stop there...

Her eyes studied his form where her trained eyes could pick out the subtle hints of strength. He was in no way a weak child but she could definitely take him on physically if she tried.

Perhaps he could outdo her in strength on a casual day, but Desiray was always faster. A few quick distracting hits to set up the restraint she would put round his neck with a quick head lock. She could put him to sleep after that but...where was the fun in an unconscious target?

Snapes eyes snapped up to hers, probably sensing the woman's scrutiny, "Do you mind, Salvatore? I do not appreciate you sizing me up as if preparing me for your next meal."

Desiray jerked out of her daydreaming before grinning widely to herself, "Excuse me if my mind is elsewhere professor. It took you quite a while to get back with me. I may have to indulge myself one more time before this new potion is created. It takes a few days to brew. Well...they do."

"They?" He questioned.

"Yes, one is for me to drink, the other is more of an outside... restraint."

Snape looked over the instructions when Desiray finished with the writing in her elegant manuscript.

Powdered Moonstone.

Bloodroot.

"Am I correct to guess that the Potion you will be consuming has the lethal ingredients, or am I simply getting my hopes up?"

Desiray chuckled softly at his sarcasm, a light and airy sound that was distinctly feminine.

He raised an eyebrow and glared at the woman.

"It's only funny because you're right," she said with an amused look in her eyes.

Snape ignored her to continue his evaluation of the list. It seemed to frustrate him as he came closer to the end and by time he finished, there was an angry frown on his lips.

"Nightshade? Moondust? You said this potion would only take a few days to complete, and several of these ingredients only bloom on specific days of the month," he commented in a rough tone.

Desiray smirked, "Oh, did I say days? I meant weeks. My answer would have been true if you had managed to contact me sooner, don't you think?"

Snape just gave her a look, "Then I suppose you have your own solution for the Abyssal Dragon Blood? Said species has been extinct for several hundred years now.

The woman simply grinned again and crossed her arms idly, "Don't worry about it."

This was going to be an interesting adventure.