Chapter 22: Vlad Detmoore
When seven o'clock came that Saturday night Severus was at the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. He was dressed in black dress-pants, a dark green collared shirt, and sleek black loafers. There was a freshly conjured bouquet of wildflowers in one hand, and a folded note in his pocket, which he had gotten during breakfast that morning from Lucius Malfoy. In reality, however, it was from Lord Voldemort with the Dark Mark drawn beside his signature.
Just as Severus was about to reach in his pocket and pull out the note to reread it the portrait opened, and he stood at attention with the bouquet in front of him. The sight that greeted him was stunning.
Lily was standing before him, dressed in a powder blue, strapless dress that went above her knees and her silver shoes on her feet. Her hair was tied back in a simple ponytail with snowflake hairclips at her temples, and she was wearing her necklace proudly on her porceilin white neck. On closer inspection he saw that the center of the flower had turned pure ebony, and that two petals in the next layer were starting to deepen in color as well.
"You look very lovely, as always, Lily," he said, holding out his free arm to her.
Smiling brightly at him Lily replied, "Thank you, Sev, and you look very dashing yourself."
Taking the offered flowers from him Lily had one of the house-elves, Twila, place them in a vase in her room. She then took Severus's offered arm, and together they headed toward Professor Slughorn's party.
While they were going down to the Entrance Hall they were immediately floged by a mob of Lily's fans, who had all come to wish her a happy birthday and present her with some gifts.
"At least it isn't as bad as this morning," Lily commented as she accepted another box of her favorite chocoballs from a timid-looking Hufflepuff.
That morning the popular witch woke up to her roommates shouting a temulous happy birthday to her, and to three boxes of presents from her family, each varying in size.
The smallest box, which was wrapped in pearl pink and fit into the palm of her hand, was from Petunia. The only thing it had in it was a card inviting Lily to her and Vernon Dursley's wedding set for January the fifteenth... of that year.
"Didn't want to go anyway," Lily thought as she "accidentally" placed the card with the torn paper from the other presents. "Who'd want to go see a horse marry an overly fat walrus."
The medium sized present, which was wrapped in saphire blue and had to held between her hands, was from Adrianna. Inside was a dueling undergarment, with the family crest- a preditory bird holding a sword in its talons in front of a silver and gold background- stitched in it and two loops to hold her wand in. The garment was light gray, with padded elbows, chest, knees and shoulders, and had a note telling her that it was one part of her good luck present for the upcoming semi-finals.
The third present, which was wrapped in a simple brown paper, was wide, thin, extremely heavy and from Harry. Unwrapping it from the paper and lifting up the lid, Lily gasped, as did her roommates when they saw it.
Inside was a silver shield with the family crest imprinted in the center with the family motto: Determinatio Bello, Win Proelio (Battle with Determination, Fight to Win). In the back, where the arm would slid through the two handles, there were two smaller ones at the top and bottom, and they held an empty scabbard with the family symbol at the top- the falcon.
"Woah!" Mary exclaimed as she tried to hold the shield up. "This thing weighs a ton, Lily. How do you knights wear these things without breaking your arms?"
Giggling a little Lily explained, "This type of shield is just for decoration, Mary. See? The silver is actually a bunch of metal made to look pretty. You can tell because of the exaggerated weight. Sure it may look like it can hold its own, but this material is very thin in some places, and will damage easily if hit at the right spot. Knights wore lighter weight, sturdier shields to protect themselves with, and they were not made of silver, just well-honed iron and steel."
"Oh," the other girls said as Lily levitated the shield and attached it beside her side of the window with a Semi-Permanent Sticking Charm.
Then Sheila asked, "Are you going to wear your dueling garment under the Gryffindor Armor?"
"No, I don't think I will," Lily answered at once. "When I tried on the armor all I had on were my school robes, but I also had to empty my pockets so the armor could get a better feel of my magic. The paddings may obstruct it if I wore that outfit before the tournament, and I don't want to have to through some sort of Readjustment Spell."
"Besides, there's no way I'm wearing a Muggle dueling outfit and having it taint the magic of that armor," she thought, then she quickly excused herself so she could have her shower before breakfast that day.
During breakfast all of Gryffindor House literally showered her with assorted gifts via owl post. The most memorable ones came from Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and even James Potter. Remus presented her with a book on magical artifacts and their properties; Sirius got her a pair of socks with roaring lions on them; Peter shakingly gave her a small box of Bertie's Every Flavor Beans before he fainted from her smile, and Potter gave her a card, that she immediatly regretted to open, because the moment she did...
"I'M SORRY! SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY FOR EVERYTHING I'VE DONE! I'M SORRY FOR FOLLOWING YOU TO THE BATHROOM THAT DAY! I'M SORRY FOR HURTING YOU AND I'M SORRY I CAN'T BE THE BOYFRIEND YOU TRULY DESERVE!"
Potter's apology echoed all the way through the Great Hall, accompanied with the sound of some sort of screeching in the background that was supposed to be a Merperson's song, until Lily finally closed it and held it tight in her hands. She then placed a silent, wandless hex on it and let the card go.
At once it turned into a set of sharp teeth and began to chase the offender at of the Hall and back toward Gryffindor Tower.
Reaching the Potions Master's room, after giving her gifts to Twila so they could go to her room, Lily looked at her escort and smiled.
"Thanks for waiting outside the Tower for me Sev. If you hadn't been there I might not have gotten here in one piece," she said, a twinkle in her eyes.
"Glad I could be of an assistance to you, Lily," Severus replied. "Besides, I don't think Professor Slughorn or Bellatrix would have liked their guest of honor to show up to her own party looking like a rag doll."
Laughing lightly the couple opened the door to the large ballroom that took up half of the dungeons. Inside the room was decorated with frothy chocolate brown curtains that hung tastefully around the large room, charmed snow was falling from the ceiling around many ice sculptures of swans and does, and a ball of light was in the center of the ceiling. Dancing around the light were tiny, colorful creatures that the couple recognised as fairies.
Along the walls were long tables draped with green and silver tablecloths in a repeatitive pattern. On each of the tables there was a set of the golden plates and other assorted silverware that was usually seen during the holidays in the Great Hall. The table at the other side of the room was set like the staff table, and it had place cards with some people's names on them.
"Oh there you two are!" a voice called from the right of them.
Looking around Lily and Severus saw that it was Professor Slughorn, a glass of wine in his hand and red patches on his face. Coming up behind him was Bellatrix, dressed in a lilac sundress with black high heels and fishnet tights. Beside her was Rudolphus, dressed in a blue dress-shirt, beige dress-pants, and brown loafers.
"We were getting worried when you didn't show up five minutes ago," Bellatrix said. "You're usually much more punctual than that Lily. Did Severus only meet you halfway?"
"I deeply apologize for that, but it was not Lily's fault, nor mine. Some of Lily's fans were swarming around her on our way down here, and it was a miracle we didn't trip over anything with all the gifts we were laden down with," Severus explained as Lily nodded to confirm his words.
"Better late than never!" Slughorn said joyously as he tactfully pulled the guest of honor away from the other teenagers. "I was surprised when you decided to accept my invitation, but pleasantly so, of course. Now that you're here, Lily, I would like to introduce you to a few people before we get started with the festivities."
The professor lead her to a corner of the room where four people were gathered together. Three of them were in deep conversation with the fourth member of their group until the two joined them. The foursome turned towards the newcomers when they were in close proximity.
Two of the people gathered were the future Mister and Mistress Malfoy, who gave their old teacher kind smiles and gave Lily acknowledging nods, which she returned. The third person looked like an older version of Rudolphus, who Lily assumed was his father, Claude Lestrange, the owner of the managerie in Knockturn Alley. The fourth person, however, was a mystery to her, although it felt like the Gryffindor met him before.
He was dressed in a set of deep purple, nearly black, dressrobes with sleek black men's dress-shoes that buckled at the top. The trimming was of silver that wove itself around like intertwining snakes. He had graying black hair that framed a pale face, and he wore grayish-black glasses that nearly hid the color of his eyes.
"Ms. Evans, allow me to re-introduce you to Lucius Malfoy and the soon-to-be Mistress Malfoy, Narcissia," Slughorn said while the two stepped forward to greet Lily.
Lucius Malfoy, who was twenty years old with long blonde hair, took Lily's right hand and lightly kissed it for a brief two seconds in a business-like manner, much to her relief.
"It is good to see you again, Ms. Evans," he said in the same manner as his chaste kiss. "I assume Narcissia has invited you to our wedding this coming summer?"
"Yes she has, and allow me to once again give you my congradulations," the red head answered politely as she shook hands with Narcissia.
Next she was formally introduced to Mr. Lestrange, who also gave her a chaste kiss on her hand. He was dressed in formal wizarding apparal, which was a darker shade of his son's blue shirt. His dark brown hair was combed back neatly and was highlighted with small amounts of gray.
"Ms. Evans," the older Lestrange began, "first of all, allow me to once again thank you for averting what would have been a rather nasty mishap in my shop last summer. I hope you enjoyed the gift I had placed in your shell at the Silver Tongue."
"I did very much, Mr. Lestrange. Thank you," she replied with a polite smile.
"I also wish to introduce you to the purchaser of the boa," he indicated the man beside him. "This is Mr. Vlad Detmoore."
"It is a pleasure to make your aquaintance, Mr. Detmoore," Lily stated to the man before.
"The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Evans," the man replied in a silky, Albanian voice as he gently pressed his lips against Lily's hand. "I, too, wish to thank you for handling my new pet so gracefully back in Claude's menagerie, and I am glad to hear that you enjoyed your dress. If I might say, that is a lovely necklace you are wearing."
Placing a hand fondly on it the blushing girl responded, "Thank you, sir. My boyfriend gave it to me for a Christmas present, and I have enjoyed it very much. I hardly allow it to leave my neck unless it is necessary."
"Indeed," Detmoore stated, smiling at her sweetly and keeping eye contact with her.
That was when she got a better look at his eyes behind the glasses he wore, and she was nearly intraced by them. They were a deep shade of blue, but around the iris and the outer rim, there was also a touch of red in them. The irises themselves were nearly thined out, but Lily attributed it to the condition that made the man before her wear the dark glasses in the first place.
Before Lily could become completely absorbed in the strange eyes Professor Slughorn put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Well, now that we have become acquainted with each other, how about we start off our little banquet?"
"Of course, Professor. Just let me go find Severus," Lily said, taking one last look at the Albanian's eyes and making her way to where her boyfriend was moments ago.
When she got there she noticed that he had left, so she looked around the room until she saw a dark, bat-like shadow behind one of the curtains. She weaved her way between the other guests and went behind the curtain. The sight before her made her smile.
There was Severus, his head bent over a plain-paper wrapped package and a contemplating look on his face.
Coming up behind him with delicate steps Lily whispered in his ear, "Hey Sev."
Turning quickly Severus drew his wand and aimed it at the person behind him. When he saw who it was, with her own wand out, the dark-haired Prefect lowered his wand and sighed in relief.
"Lily, don't do that!" he scolded her lightly. "I thought you were Trixie, or somebody just as unpleasant."
Puzzled Lily asked, "Why would dear Trixie bother you when she's got Rudolphus and her so-to-be brother-in-law to heckle?"
Sighing Severus began, "After Professor Slughorn drew you away to talk with Lucius and the others Trixie started asking me some obscene questions."
"What kind of obscene questions?" she asked, although she could guess their context.
"She wanted to know if we...you know, or when we would plan to start," he replied, blushing fiercely.
"And what did you tell her?" the Gryffindor continued, a blush creeping onto her own cheeks.
"I told her that we have not, and that we both made a promise not to do so until we were married, whether to each other or... someone else," the Slytherin responded, a sound of dread in his voice at the thought of Lily not being his wife.
Hearing it, Lily placed a calming hand on the hand that held the package, and said in a soothing voice full of affection, "We'll see. Then what did she say?"
Comforted he continued, "Then she said that our relationship can't really be legitimate, because we have not shown our 'proper affections to each other'."
With that Lily giggled and commented, "Is that what you're worried about? What the biggest slut in all of Hogwarts thinks a 'legitimate relationship' is? C'mon, Sev, don't pay attention to her. She's probably just jealous because we have the decency to wait whereas she just rushed into it without thinking properly."
Brightened up by her words Severus said, "I know, Lily, and thanks."
With that he gave her a kiss and they went back into the main room, hand-in-hand. Severus snuck a quick peek at her neck and saw that another petal had turned black, almost completing the second layer.
When he saw them Slughorn came over to the Silver and Gold couple and showed them to their table, which was the main one that looked like the staff table. Lily was placed in the thrown-like chair, with Severus on her right and Vlad Detmoore on her left.
"I had asked Professor Slughorn to place me next to you so we could know each other better as dinner progresses," the man replied in answer to Lily's unspoken question. "You seem to be an interesting young witch, Ms. Evans, and I make it my business to know about such people in case I am in need of an apprentice."
Before Lily could ask Detmoore about what profession he was in that would require an apprenticeship Slughorn, who was between Severus and Lucius, waved his wand, and the sound of chimes mixed with harpstrings resounded through the dining room, bringing everybody to attention.
Standing up from his seat Slughorn called out, "Welcome, dear students and acquaintances, to my humble quarters at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on this aspecious occassion. Not only is this another gathering of some of my finest students, both now and former, and their friends, but it is also a very special celebration. Today is the sixteenth birthday of one of my best potioneers and school Prefect, Ms. Lily Evans!"
At the teacher's gesture Lily stood up to the clapping of the guests that have arrived, an acknowledging smile and peach blush on her face, and sat back down when Slughorn restarted his speech.
"I also wish to give credit to another fine student of mine, Ms. Bellatrix Black, for organizing this little get-together," he said as Bellatrix stood and waved at the clapping crowd before resuming her seat. "Now, without furtherado, let us enjoy our meal."
With another wave of his wand the golden plates filled with delicious portabello steaks, baked potatoes, and long-cut green beans, while the goblets filled themselves with oak-matured meade.
"Happy Sixteenth, Lily," Severus said to her as they toasted each other.
After taking a small sip from her drink, which turned out to taste like a mature version of butterbeer, Lily began to cut into her plate.
Five minutes later the room filled with bits of conversation at the other tables and Detmoore began to talk with Lily.
"Professor Slughorn mentioned in his little speech that you are one of his best potioneers. I must congradulate you, because very few can properly master the fine of potion-making," the Albanian commented casually.
"Thank you Mr. Detmoore, but, despite what Professor Slughorn may, I am not as good as the one who first taught me, so it is to him I should give proper credit to," Lily answered modestly.
Seeming intrigued by her words Detmoore asked, "And to whom would that be, Ms. Evans?"
"My boyfriend, Severus Snape," she said, nodding slightly to the other Prefect beside her who nodded to the other man beside her in reply, though in modesty.
Smiling a little at the couple Detmoore continued, "I take it that you two have known each other before coming here?"
"Yes, since we were nine years old," Lily replied. Then a sudden thought flashed through her mind before she added, "He was quite an accomplished wizard, even at that age, and so he taught me what he already knew."
"I can't let this man know about mine or Sev's background. What if he no longer sees any interest in us because of Sev's poor social status and of my Muggle heritage? Professor Slughorn only invites the best people to these kinds of gatherings and I don't want to jeoparodize mine or Sev's chances at something big."
"Naturally you are being too modest Lily," Severus said. Then he looked at the other man and commented, "Lily was already gifted in the ways of magic, and she was quite the fast learner, so the only thing I had to do was guide her skills in the right direction."
"Indeed," the man said, another smile playing on his face.
After a brief moment of silence and consuming more of their dinner Lily said, "If you do not mind my asking, Mr. Detmoore, what exactly is your career?"
"I do not mind you asking at all, Ms. Evans," he replied after taking another sip of his drink. "I am, shall we say, an archeologist. I specialize in finding artifacts that pertain to wizarding history, mostly those that are not mentioned in any books you may have read, and so that requires me to travel from time to time. I also invest in many business opportunities, and I have recently began a small project to find some interesting items that are closely related to this very school.
"So far, I have not found what I seek, and I am hoping that, by my short visit here, I will find some clues as to where the items are and start afresh," he continued, with Lily and Severus hanging on to his every word. "Unfortunatly, I am growing older and soon I will need some assistance with my search. Therefore I will need a capable witch or wizard to help me in my quest. Someone who is adept in defense, potion-making, rune translations, quick spellwork and, most importantly, very loyal and obediant to whatever task is set before them.
"Naturally, I have many in my employ to gather information and perform small errands, but I also need someone who can see that my instructions are carried out, or to take charge while I am gone for brief periods of time. A sort of second-in-command as it were," he concluded.
A flash of images suddenly appeared in Lily's mind as she began to contemplate an alternative to being the new Potions Mistress of Howarts. She saw herself travelling to different places, running errands for the man beside her, and then working her way up in the ranks to being the second-in-command Detmoore was looking for.
Then she made a quick glance Severus's way, and Lily saw herself with him as they both worked their way up from whatever profession they had taken. She saw herself standing with him at an alter, holding hands and exchanging vows. Later, they were holding the hands of a young, dark-haired, green-eyed child between them.
"Stop it Lily! You're not thinking straight! You don't know if you'll wind up marrying him or not so just-"
The shattering of a glass could be heard from a table not far from where Lily was sitting, and it shook her from her thoughts. Looking up from her nearly finished plate her green eyes saw the source of the disturbance and she tried to hold in a giggle.
There was Bellatrix with her back pressed against the wall and a fearful look in her eyes at something at her feet. Her chair had toppled over and her glass laid shattered on the ground, with the contents spilled all over a dripping Rudolphus and his father on either side of her vacant spot.
Getting up to see what the commotion was about Slughorn and the guest of honor went over to the table. When they got there Lily had to stifle another laugh at what scared her rival so badly.
At Bellatrix's feet was Mrs. Norris, who had gotten into the room by the slightly ajar door, and she was looking at the girl with big eyes, as though trying to see why her presence frightened the poor thing so much.
Walking calmly to the cat, while Professor Slughorn tried to help the Lestranges clean up, Lily picked her up and held her gently in her hands, stroking it all the while.
"Are you alright Bella?" the sixteen year old asked while the dark-haired girl composed herself.
"Y-yes, I'm just fine, Lily," Black replied. "I guess I was just startled by the little thing."
She said the last part with the kind of fearful disgust Petunia usually reserved for a spider or some form of magic that Lily demonstrated when they were children.
"As long as you are fine," Lily stated as she made her way out the door to find the cat's owner.
She found him outside of the Potion teacher's quarters and handed Mrs. Norris to him.
Receiving a debt of gratitude from Filch, which she dismissed, and gaining another congradulations for her sixteenth birthday Lily made her way back to the party, passing a somber and red-faced Bellatrix on her way. The future Lestrange was shortly followed by Rudolphus, who kept trying to talk reassuringly to her.
Returning to her table she saw that Severus and Detmoore were having a silent discussion before the latter looked up at her approaching figure. He then stood up and made his way over to her with fluid grace.
"I deeply apologize for what had just taken place, Mr. Detmoore. I never saw Ms. Black act like that before," Lily told him when he stopped in front of her.
Holding a hand up Detmoore said, "Think nothing more of it, Ms. Evans. I am just glad no further incidents have occurred that could disrupt the celebrations. However, I am afraid I will have to depart. I have brought my pet along with me, and I will have rush home to see that it is properly fed."
"I understand, sir. Thank you for coming," she said, though disappointed because she wanted to know more about the apprenticeship he had mentioned earlier.
"Not at all, Ms. Evans, I was happy to come, and I am glad I got the chance to properly meet you. In fact, I think you would do very well in my business," he commented before giving her a silver-colored card that had an address on it in green ink. "If you have any further questions about wanting to join my organization, please feel free to write to me at this address. Have a happy birthday, Ms. Evans, and I hope to speak with you further at the next get-together."
Shaking hands the two parted company and Lily continued her walk to the table to tell Severus the good news.
"Sev," Lily said in an excited voice, "did you-"
"Yes, I saw what happened between you two," Severus interrupted lightly. "I'm very happy for you, Lily, and it seems I have gotten the same offer."
He held up a similar card that held the same address and smiled when she did.
Hugging him Lily commented, "I'm just glad Bellatrix's little scene didn't ruin our chances with him, or I really would've broken our truce and hexed her the first time I saw her again."
"Well then, I'm relieved for her," Severus replied with a chuckle. "Speaking of dear Bellatrix, where did she and Rudolphus head off to?"
Shrugging Lily answered, "I don't know. After I gave Filtch his cat back I passed her on the way and Rudolphus was following after her. He kept trying to calm her down because she looked distraught after that little fiasco with Mrs. Norris."
"He was trying to calm her?" Severus repeated before he sat back down in his chair and heaving a sigh. "Looks like I'm sleeping in the common room again."
That night, after the birthday cake was served, Severus took Lily back to Gryffindor Tower and the two parted ways with a good night kiss as Lily went back throught the portrait hole.
Getting into her bed Lily recounted the events that unfolded that day. She got woken up by her roommates; received presents from her family and fellow Gryffindors; went to Hogsmeade with Severus where she convinced him to pick her up at the Tower entrance; went to Slughorn's get-together; was introduced to Detmoore, and nearly broke into a laughing fit when she remembered Bellatrix's look of...
Sitting up in bed Lily came to an ephinany as she thought over what took place at that moment. How the other girl's violet eyes widen when she saw Mrs. Norris. How her back was pressed against the wall as though trying to go through it. How she replied and sneered when Lily held the feline in her arms.
"Poor, pitiful, slutty Trixie," Lily smirked. "She's afraid of cats."
A.N. Ten points for the first person who can guess who Mr. Vlad Detmoore really is. Hint: (Except for the "mister" part) Say his name three to five times fast.
Good luck and thanks for the reviews!