Finally, chapter 3 is up!

I know it has been a while, but this was a tricky chapter to write. I hope that the next chapter won't be taking as long as this one, but one can never be sure.

Anyway, I would like to thank those who have read, reviewed, followed and added this story as a favourite. For you, I'm going to try to update sooner than this time.

I don't own anything about Harry Potter and his world, JK Rowling does. I only own my own characters.

Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Breaking the law, breaking the law, breaking the law, breaking the law!

End of October, 1993

Alexander was brushing Ylvanna's hair. He did it gently, afraid of hurting her, while humming a foreign song Ylvanna did not know. He seemed the least worried and tense of the four of them. Brandon was sitting on a chair, pale and sweating, looking as if he was going to be sick. Varushka was pacing the room in vampire speed, looking nothing more than a blur of black while hissing curses in Russian under her breath.

Ylvanna's face was as if it was set in marble. Her hands were in her lap and her skin seemed to glow in contrast to her light blue dress. When Alexander was done with her hair, it hung in loose curls down her back. Her hair reached her bum, but Alexander didn't have the heart to cut it. And also, because every time they got closer to Ylvanna with something pointy and sharp, like a scissor or a knife, she acted more like an animal, growling and getting vicious.

"There", said Alexander, admiring his work. "You look beautiful, even more so than usual."

He sounded casual, not like this was the most important of nights in their lives. When the meeting was over, the Minister and the Heads of the Departments would've made their decision. Good or bad.

The door opened and Brandon jumped of his chair in fright. Varushka fought not to bare her teeth. They needed to make a good impression.

There were two wizards on the other side of the door. Both were dressed in Auror uniforms and had their wands ready. Just in case.

"They're ready for you", the oldest of them said in a voice void of any emotions.

Alexander rubbed his hands together.

"Excellent."

He called on Twyne to get him his papers and then he was out of the door, whistling to himself. The Aurors ignored him, knowing that this was normal for Alexander Flamel and knowing that he didn't have a wand. He wasn't a threat.

Brandon was next out of the room, breathing heavily. They had already confiscated his wand and without it, he didn't know what to do with his hands. He let his arms hang aside his body and clenched his hands.

Varushka walked with elegance, not seeming bothered by the hidden disgust in the Aurors eyes. She was proud of being a vampire.

Ylvanna came last and the Aurors immediately closed up around her, their expressions guarded and wands threateningly out. She didn't act as if it bothered her. It didn't. She was as cold and empty as an ice cube as she followed the Aurors.

They seemed to be walking in circles through a labyrinth. Ylvanna found it fascinating. After all, she had only been inside one room for a long time. They walked through a corridor with bright blue walls and silver doors shaped like different moons; a corridor with dark walls without no doors, but the walls seemed to be talking; then there was a corridor with doors that moved which they had to stun to get through the right one; and then there was a corridor that looked as if they had stepped out in space with stars and planets all around them.

Eventually, after walking in what seemed like hours, they eventually reached a door that opened up for a grand corridor in white, polished and fancy. The Aurors opened another door, a red one, and politely asked Alexander and his two assistants to go in first. They did – all with different expressions – and Ylvanna and the two Aurors bought up the rear. The short moment when Ylvanna couldn't see Alexander, Varushka and Brandon made her queasy and she moved restlessly. The Aurors still had their wands pointed at her.

The new room was large and in the shape of a circle. The walls were light blue, matching Ylvanna's dress, and it seemed to have been cleaned quickly before their arrival. It had some benches and tiny stalls in different colors. A few odd items were lying in a heap in a non-existent corner, puffing and whizzing.

The room was also full of people.

At least six of them were Aurors, Ylvanna could tell from their uniforms, emotionless faces and watchful eyes. Then there were five other people, looking more important than the pack of Aurors.

One of these people – a tall, older man with a stern face and hair like a lion mane – immediately came to Ylvanna's side with a tighter grip around his wand.

"Good", he said curtly to the Aurors, but his eyes never leaving Ylvanna. "I'll take her from here."

He said the word 'her' as if he wanted to insult her. She could feel her power rush through her scars and her black eye gleamed suspiciously at the man.

"Now, let's get this started then", spoke a short man with a bowler hat nervously, looking almost as green as his robes.

"Of course, Minister", said the lion man and gestured that Ylvanna should go first.

She did so, moving gracefully, feeling everyone's eyes on her. The man led her to one of the booth, ordering her to sit down. She did, though she clenched her jaws as she sat down. Immediately, she was chained to the chair. Not with chains, but with thin, slithering ropes, reminding her of worms. She looked up, panic written all over her face.

"What are you doing?!" shouted Alexander wildly from his seat.

He tried to move, but two Aurors held him down. Varushka let out a growl and Brandon moved nervously in his seat.

"There, there, Mr Flamel", spoke the Minister, nervously moving his bowler in his hands. "It's just a precaution. . . ."

"She's not an animal", spat Varushka furiously.

"We cannot be sure of that", said an elderly man with short, grey hair and grave face.

"Let's just begin, shall we?" interrupted an older lady with a monocle shielding one of her dark blue eyes.

"You're absolutely right, Madam Bones", said the youngest of the five, a man dressed in white and black robe, nodding at Madam Bones.

The five of them sat down on a row, facing the rest of the room. The Aurors stood on their guard; expressionless faces that made it seem as if they weren't really present.

The woman, Madam Bones, started to read from a heap of well-organized papers, her voice echoing around the round room:

"We are here today to decide if The Creature, also known as Ylvanna Puzzle, is a danger and need to be put down or locked away. Also to decide what the charged – Alexander Augustus Flamel, Varushka Orlova and Brandon James Fulcher – will receive for punishment as they have broken the law and experimented on their own."

Madam Bones continued with reading up the names of the judges of the case and the witnesses. Ylvanna soon forgot all the witnesses' names, but she laid the names of the judges on her mind. If this ended badly, she wanted to remember whose fault that was.

"Mr Flamel", said Madam Bones briskly. "Would you please step forwards and explain the reason for this experiment as you was the one who started it, that's correct?"

"Yes, Amelia", said Alexander as if this was just a normal day's conversation. "I'm the one responsible for Ylvanna as she came to be."

"But you did know that it was illegal?" asked the Minister whose name was Cornelius Fudge, Ylvanna remembered. "You had lost your license and position here at the Ministry. . . ."

"When I started to work on Ylvanna, I still was hired by the Ministry. I vaguely started my work in November 1978, as I found Ylvanna then."

"Found?" exclaimed the elderly man with the grave face, Herbert Cunningham, Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, looking puzzled.

"Yes, Herbert", said Alexander gravely, his eyes lightening up. "I found her. Pieces of her."

Ylvanna didn't move an inch in her seat, feeling that every scar on her body proved Alexander right. It didn't stop the Ministry workers to look in her direction, wearing different expressions.

"Please, Mr Flamel", said Rufus Scrimgeour, the lion man and Head over the Auror Office, in a patient voice with his eyes narrowed. "Do tell us the whole story."

Alexander smiled slightly and bowed his head and it was impossible to say if he was mocking them or not.

He told them how he had found parts of her in an old ruin of a muggle manor near his house. It was said to be a haunted place because no one dared to get close to it, not even the animals. Ylvanna had been butchered it had seemed. When he told them how he had gathered the body parts and brought them to his home, a lot of the people in the room looked disgusted. Brandon looked a bit nauseous.

"Why would you do such a thing?" cried Fudge, his voice increased an octave higher.

"He's mad", Scrimgeour muttered to Otto Bellman, the Head of the Department of Mysteries. "Should've had him locked up a long time ago. And I must say that the security down here. . . ."

Bellman nodded absently and Varushka, having heard the exchange, snarled.

"Well, I couldn't leave a corpse there, could I?" Alexander asked conversationally, shaking his head at Fudge. "It was something that drew me to that place, some strong magic. Do you believe in fate, Minister?"

"I. . . .", stuttered Fudge, looking uncomfortable. "That's not important for the investigation."

"I do", Alexander continued as if Fudge hadn't spoken. "And I think that was my fate to find Ylvanna that day."

"Still, Mr Flamel", Madam Bones said in a crisp voice. "You should have reported to the Ministry when you found the corpse. It was your duty."

Alexander turned to her with a smile on his face that didn't match the expression in his eyes.

"You wouldn't have cared. It was war times, Madam, people died every day. To be honest, I think that the Ministry was relieved that I didn't report the murder. Much less work for them."

Nobody said anything after he had spoken. Ylvanna could feel in the air that whatever Alexander had said had shaken the Ministry employers. She glanced around the room, swallowing, and hoped that it would be over soon.

"That was years ago", said Madam Bones eventually, her voice steady. "And it can't be investigated further since the evidence of murder is long gone. . . ."

"I hardly think that butchering seems like the way Death Eaters would've done a murder", Scrimgeour said coldly.

"What I am curious about", spoke Bellman, not being able to hide the interest in his eyes, "is how you got her to become like this."

"I think we all want to know that", said Cunningham, his old face as grave as before.

"Oh, it wasn't difficult, not with the right help", Alexander said gracefully. "I admit that it took a long time, but I can't say it was difficult. It was all about the details."

"Yes, Mr Flamel, but how?" inquired Madam Bones.

"Simple, Madam. Vampire blood, unicorn blood, tears of a phoenix, the elixir of life and magic."

He held up a new finger for every new thing he said. The five Ministry workers looked at him with mouths agape, but neither Varushka nor Brandon looked as if this was news to them.

"Unicorn blood. . . ."

"You used her blood. . . ."

"Tears of a phoenix. . . ."

"Magic, Mr Flamel. . . ."

"The elixir of life. . . !"

Ylvanna stared at her hands. She gently moved her fingers, but couldn't seem to grasp what was wrong with the things that had given her life.

Scrimgeour and Madam Bones were the first ones to recover, masking their faces to look indifferent. Fudge was the last one, looking completely jumpy. Alexander was smiling as the Aurors guarding him started to look a bit nervous. They all thought he was mad.

"Explain, Mr Flamel", demanded Madam Bones, putting back her monocle that had fallen out.

"You do realize that it is a crime to work with such liquids", said Cunningham seriously before Alexander had a chance to answer. "And you, Miss Orlova, have broken one of the most important laws of vampirism."

Varushka snorted.

"I was a young vampire with no place to go. Alexander found me and offered me a place as his assistant. To me, it wasn't a crime. To me, it was a chance to do something good despite my nature."

"In science, Herbert", said Alexander. "You don't have any boundaries. The point is to make your experiment work, to find something new. It's not about what's right and what's wrong."

"I agree", said Bellman smoothly, grey eyes shining. "But I would like to know how, Mr Flamel. One scientist to another."

Alexander was still smiling, but something dark crept into his eyes.

"It's easier if I show you." He turned around and gestured to Ylvanna. "Would you mind assisting me, Ylvanna? So they can see how valuable and unique you are."

Ylvanna nodded. She tried to move, but her ropes were still holding her down. She looked over to the Ministry workers with a look that resembled a predator's. Alexander didn't seem to find anything wrong with the situation.

"I promise that she's not dangerous", was all that he said, his voice thick with amusement.

They let Ylvanna loose after some quiet discussion that only Varushka could hear properly. Ylvanna could hear it as well, but to her, it was more of a buzzing noise. She could feel her heart speed up.

She went to stand next to Alexander. He was smiling warmly at her and his eyes promised that everything would be okay. Ylvanna believed him.

Alexander told her to take of her dress so he could tell them all about her scars. She did so, much to the discomfort of the gathered. She, however, didn't mind. It was much freer this way, like she had just stepped out if her second skin.

Ylvanna stood completely still as Alexander circled around her, explaining about the scars. The golden scars were a mixture of phoenix tears and the elixir of life. Apparently Alexander had managed to get some from an old relative of his, Nicholas Flamel. Ylvanna had never heard of him, but the Ministry workers had and they looked very offended when Alexander hinted that they didn't. The silver scars, those that were almost blue, contained unicorn blood. The red scars were of Varushka's blood and Ylvanna could almost feel it surge through her body.

When Alexander was done, he gave Ylvanna a proud smile. He turned to the five judges, almost as if he expected them to give him a pat on the back. They did no such thing.

"I still don't understand how", said Bellman, furrowing his brows. "It's obvious that the mixture of it all keeps her alive, but how and what are the side effects?"

"She can do a lot of things. She's strong, her senses are sharper. . . ."

"Can she do any magic?"

Alexander smiled at the question as if it was the funniest thing he had heard. He took out the papers he had brought, waving with them in the air. Everyone's eyes followed the movement.

"This is my notes for my research, my experiment", he spoke clearly and loudly. He ignored the Ministry workers eager and apprehensive looks and gave the papers to Ylvanna. "Let's show them what you can do."

Ylvanna stared at him, looking confused. Scrimgeour stood up with eyes wild as a lion's. The Aurors all held their wands in a tighter grip. Brandon breathed heavily and was sweaty. Varushka looked calm.

"Go on", nodded Alexander encouragingly. "Show them your favorite trick."

Ylvanna looked down at the papers, tracing the ink letters with a pale finger as if to remember every word. Then she looked up at the judges and the papers burst into flames.

Chaos erupted.

Wands were drawn, shooting spells to try and repair the papers. Fudge was jumping up and down, shouting 'Arrest them, arrest them!' Scrimgeour almost launched himself at Alexander, shooting hexes at him which Alexander only could duck. Cunningham and a couple of Aurors tried to keep Varushka down; she was growling and baring her teeth, a menacing look in her now red eyes. Brandon ducked hexes with reflexes Alexander could only wish to have. Madam Bones was trying to get everything to calm down, but without succeeding. Bellman was watching Ylvanna while rather unenthusiastically trying to get the Minister to sit down again.

At first, Ylvanna didn't know what to do. She managed to avoid any hexes thrown her way, but it was when Alexander was hit with three well-aimed spells at the same time that something snapped inside of her.

She could feel her blood boil and she let out a growl. Like a cat, she jumped gracefully over the fighting wizards and landed at Alexander's side. She pushed an Auror away with such force that he flew into a wall and stayed there, unconscious. The rest of the Aurors let out surprised shouts mixed with the names of spells and hexes. They advanced on her, but the same bright fire as before rose from her hands and made them weary of getting any closer.

"Fix him", Ylvanna said through clenched teeth, meaning Alexander. "Fix him now."

She stared at Scrimgeour, knowing that he was the leader. He stared back through narrowed eyes.

"Now look here", he begun but stopped when a ball of fire came flying towards him.

He threw himself onto the ground, knocking down one of the Aurors as he did so. Ylvanna glared at them all, though she looked desperate as she did so.

"Ylvanna!" cried Brandon as he pushed his way through the circle of Aurors. "Calm down!"

She turned to glare at him as well, but her face softened as she took him in.

"Step away from Alexander", Brandon said slowly and tried to sound reassuring. "They can fix him if you just step away. . . ."

Ylvanna looked torn. She looked around the room and registered that everyone was looking at her with fear and determination. Everyone except Varushka and Brandon, though they looked shocked. It was as if the fire she had evoked spread through her body and she felt unsure.

'Is this really me?' she thought, twisting and turning like a caged animal.

A part of her didn't like what she was doing, but a bigger part loved it. She loved being in control, being able to rule over herself. She felt like she deserved it. Her memories consisted of red, but her future looked bright as the fire.

Madam Bones pointed her wand at Alexander when Ylvanna had her back turned.

"Rennervate!"

Ylvanna turned around and watched as Alexander's eyes flickered open. She knelt down next to him and he smiled at her. He then looked at the ashes from the papers and then he looked at the others that were watching him.

"Phoenix fire. . . . quite extraordinary, don't you think?"

. . . .

The mood was a bit strained as Ylvanna and her three creators were allowed back in the room where Ylvanna lived. Brandon immediately sunk down on a chair, burying his face in his hands and muttering under his breath, thanking God that they had escaped prison.

It was Ylvanna who had saved them. When the Ministry saw how uncontrolled and violent she became when something happened to her creators, not even Scrimgeour could bring himself to send them to prison, though he would've loved to do so.

Bellman had wanted to study Ylvanna closer and they had come to an agreement that it was best if Ylvanna stayed in the Department of Mysteries for further notice. They had all agreed that it was best if she was locked up.

So even if Alexander and his two assistants had avoided prison, Ylvanna didn't feel like she had.

"Well, that went well", said Alexander rather cheerfully, sitting down next to Brandon and started fiddling with some loose threads from his robes.

Varushka let out a harsh laugh. Her eyes were no longer red, but their usual black. She stood with her back against the door, looking outraged.

"Well? You truly are mad, Alexander. That went anything but well. The notes. . . . All our research. . . .", she trailed off, being so angry that she couldn't speak.

Ylvanna stared at her feet, though they were now hidden by her dress which she had put on again.

'So much for doing a good impression', she thought bitterly, feeling her fingertips still tingle from where she had let out the fire.

"You think that was the only copy of the notes?" Alexander shook his white head, seeming disappointed. "Of course I have a copy, Varushka. I've got more than one copy. I just didn't want Bellman to get his hands on them. Ylvanna is my – our – project." He paused and then smiled a bit. "Plus, it was a good opportunity to show them what you can really do, Ylvanna."

She looked up and met his gaze. He didn't seem bothered by the trial or her powers. She tried to smile back.

Varushka dropped to the floor, looking flabbergasted. Brandon looked up from his hands. Alexander beamed at them all. He clapped his hands together.

"Well, shall we continue with breaking the law, though the Ministry now approve of it?"

So, that was that. I hope it was worth the wait.

I know that things might seem a bit unclear about how Ylvanna came to be, but it will come up later in the story. Though if you have any questions, just ask.

Well, reviews are always appreciated!

Happy (early) New Year!