Renesmee Cullen and the Angel's Domain

Chapter 8: Rise of Insanity

Bella, Edward, Harry and Ron burst into the common room at Renesmee's yell. Ron and Harry had their wands out and were searching for an attack. "What is it?" Bella asked and Renesmee pointed to the metal box on the table. "What's this?" She opened the box and gasped. "Edward, is that what I think it is?" She held up a jagged piece of metal that gave off a faint blue glow. Edward nodded. "Another shard from the Sword?"

"I think so," said Edward, "but I can't be sure. Give me a moment." He raised his voice. "Mr. Giles!" The merrily crackling fire in the fireplace turned emerald green and Giles appeared in seconds. "Can you explain this?"

"Good lord!" Giles gasped and put his glasses on. "That seems to be a genuine shard from the Sword of Angels!" He took the piece of metal and examined it closely. "Yes, this is definitely a shard. But where did it come from?"

Renesmee shook her head. "I don't know, Mr. Giles, but it was sent to me." She handed him the note that came with the box. "There's no name or return address on it." Giles read the note carefully and then pocketed it. "What's going on?"

"There are two options," said Harry sitting down on the sofa near the fireplace. "Someone could be helping us out, or this could be a trap. I'm not sure which to believe, though. What d'you think, Ron?"

Ron shrugged. "I think whoever sent this is trying to help, but I can't help feel that it's a trap. See the glow on the shard?" He pointed at the jagged metal with his wand. "That's probably cursed. Better take it to the Ministry and have the Department of Magical Law Enforcement examine it. We'll bring it back if there's nothing wrong with it. If there is, we'll have to try and break the curse before it hurts anyone." Renesmee nodded. "We'll need the note, too, Mr. Giles." Giles handed over the note. "Thanks. I'll take this to the Ministry straight away." Ron threw some Floo Powder into the fireplace, stepped in, said the words, "Department of Magical Law Enforcement!" and vanished in a roar of green flame.

"I better go with Ron," Harry said hurriedly. "I have a report to fill out for the Minister. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with that shard, Renesmee, but with everything that's going on lately, we can't be too careful." He followed after Ron and vanished seconds later.

Throughout the rest of the day, Renesmee's mind was on the shard from the Sword of Angels and over a hundred questions popped into her mind. Who would send it and why? Is the shard cursed or is it okay? What would happen to her if the shard was cursed and she touched it? These questions buzzed through her mind all that day until she couldn't concentrate on her work. Renesmee was still going through these questions when she literally bumped into Gabe McSaint, her fellow Gryffindor. "Oh, sorry," she said. "My mind was somewhere else."

"It's fine," said Gabe as he picked up his books. "Nothing to worry about. Just be more careful next time, okay?" Renesmee nodded and started to walk away. "Hey, Renesmee?" She turned around. "Have you been hanging out with Lilith Demona lately?"

"I've met her a few times but we haven't really hung out," Renesmee answered. "Why?"

"Just watch yourself around her," said Gabe. "She's definitely someone who could get you into trouble."

"Past experience?" Renesmee asked and Gabe nodded. She grew frustrated at this point and, within seconds was so close to him that their noses were almost touching. "Here's some information for you, Gabe. It's not your job to tell me who I hang out with, okay? I'm thirteen years old and I can be friends with whoever I want." She jabbed a finger into his chest and added, "You and Lilith may have had a rough patch during your time, but she's okay in my book, so don't go telling me who to hang out with."

Gabe didn't look hurt at all. Instead, he looked kind of satisfied. "I know you can hang out with whoever you want, Renesmee, but I'm just asking you to watch your back around her. She's been known to get her friends into trouble or worse. Be careful, that's all I'm asking." Renesmee gave a sigh and turned away. "You have to trust me on this, Renesmee!" he hollered as she walked away from him. "Lilith isn't the type you should be hanging around with!"

"Shove off!" Renesmee hollered back angrily and stormed off toward the Great Hall for lunch. Right after lunch was Care of Magical Creatures with the Slytherins. They were learning about salamanders, fire-dwelling lizards that spawned from flames. Hagrid had a crate of salamanders on a table. "Hi, Hagrid," Renesmee said sullenly. Hagrid didn't notice the tone of her voice as he waved at her and beckoned the rest of the class to the table.

"Yer gonna be learnin' about salamanders today, everyone," he said happily. "They're fire-dwellers an' they feed on pepper. If yeh feed 'em pepper, yer salamander can survive outside of the flames it was birthed from fer six hours. Today, you're going ter learn how to care for salamanders. I need yeh to pair up, boy an' girl, to take care of yer salamander."

Renesmee paired up with Scorpius Malfoy while Lilith Demona paired up with Albus who looked a little nervous. "Okay," said Scorpius, "this should be easy, right? I mean, this salamander doesn't look too bad." The salamander they were taking care of gave a small belch of flame after its third feeding of pepper. "Right...maybe they're a bit harder than I thought." Scorpius muttered while he extinguished the flame on his robes. "You all right, Renesmee? You look upset."

"It's nothing," said Renesmee, but Scorpius didn't believe her, so she decided to tell the truth. "I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but what do you think about Lilith Demona? Is she alright to hang out with?"

Scorpius glanced at Lilith, who was now feeding pepper to her salamander from the palm of her hand. "She's not too bad," he whispered. "Lilith isn't all that, to tell you the truth. She does have an odd personality, but she's alright. Why?"

"While I was coming out of lunch, I literally bumped into Gabe McSaint and he told me to keep an eye on her. Said she's not the type of person I should hang out with." said Renesmee sullenly. "I've only talked to her twice, but she's alright. Yeah, she's part demon, but who cares, right? I'm a vampire-human hybrid! Does that make me a bad person? No! Sure, I drink blood, but that's just my preferred diet. Does that make me a cannibal? No!"

"Don't judge a book by its cover, then?" Scorpius said with a smile and Renesmee nodded. "That's just how the world works. When someone of a different species such as yourself or Lilith comes into the world, most people think they turn out to be monsters, but sometimes they can be wrong. What you think about Lilith is the only thing that matters, Renesmee. Don't listen to what others say about her if you think she's alright."

Renesmee kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks. You're a big help." Scorpius's pale face turned a pale pink and he started to work with the salamander some more. "So, are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend? I thought we could have a date or something."

"Yeah, I'm going," Scorpius said with a smile. "Shall we meet at the Three Broomsticks again? Or do you want to go somewhere else? There's a few Muggle shops that opened up in Hogsmeade last week. They're run by wizards but they sell Muggle items like jewelry and clothes."

"How about we get a drink at the Three Broomsticks first and then we can go to the shops? I heard that George Weasley opened up a Hogsmeade branch of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Do you want to go there, too?" Scorpius nodded. "Great. I'll meet you at the Three Broomsticks, then. Just tell me what time you want to meet and I'll be there." The bell rang and she kissed him on the cheek once more. "I'll see you at dinner." Renesmee made her way down the stairs to the entrance hall from Charms that afternoon for dinner when she saw Lilith talking to Albus and Rose, both of whom were laughing. "Hey, guys," said Renesmee and they waved at her. "Hi, Lilith."

"Hey," said Lilith with a smile. "I heard you and Scorpius talking during Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid earlier. Are you two an item now?"

"More or less," said Renesmee with a shrug. "We tried going out last year but he thought we were too young and we split up for a while. Now we're trying it again. Are you going to Hogsmeade with anyone?"

"As a matter of fact," said Lorcan Scamander from behind Renesmee, "she's going with me. Lysander's a bit jealous, but that's normal." Albus asked how their brother and sister were doing and he smiled. "They're doing well, thanks. Riley is turning out to be like Mum...the blonde hair thing, not the slight insanity..." Renesmee giggled. "...and Reyna is just like Dad. Mum thinks she'll turn out to be in Ravenclaw just like my brother and I but I doubt it. She's got a lot of courage."

Rose grinned. "That's good to hear. Um, is Lysander doing anything Hogsmeade weekend? I thought we could hang out at the Three Broomsticks or maybe go and see Honeydukes." Lorcan said he'd ask Lysander what he'd be doing and get back to her with an answer. "Thanks. Well, we better get some dinner." She, Renesmee and Albus sat down next to James and Lily at the Gryffindor table where Lily was talking about her Potions lesson. "Just wait until you hit second year, Lily. It's going to be amazing."

"Too right," said Albus. "Last year was pretty cool for us, wasn't it? I mean, sure we had loads of homework, but we managed to have fun."

"I'm not worried about second year right now. So far, my first year is going very well. Loads of homework, but that's normal." Lily said with a shrug. "I can't wait to spend Christmas at the Burrow this year. We haven't really done that for a long time...since I was six."

"Yeah," said James from beside Albus, "Grandma Molly really outdoes herself with the cooking, doesn't she?" Albus, Rose and Lily nodded. "I hope Uncle George comes this year. He's really fun when it comes to celebrations. Always gets us a product from the shop or from Zonko's. The last time he was at the Burrow for Christmas, he got Mom a new Pygmy Puff for a pet and gave Dad one of their fake wands." He looked at Renesmee and smiled. "You've met Uncle George, Nessie. Quite the character, isn't he?"

Renesmee nodded. "He's really comical," she agreed. "How's your grandfather? I hear he's still working for the Ministry as Head of the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective objects. Is he still working there?"

"Yeah, he's still doing that," said Albus, "but Granddad misses his old job at the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office." He gave a small grimace. "Granddad thinks that I'd be a shoe-in for his old job when I get out of Hogwarts, but I told him I don't think I'd do well in that department. I'm more like Dad, wanting to get into some action as an Auror. Speaking of, I should really talk to him about the Duelling Club again. That was a lot of fun last year."

"It was," said Rose, "but Dad says we don't need it this year." She glanced at the staff table at Professor Rosenberg and lowered her voice. "When Dawn spoke about Professor Rosenberg the other night...I think she might be right. I did notice a minor change in her behavior lately. Nothing to where she'd go all evil or anything, but her stress levels have been pretty high as of late. Any ideas?"

Something came up in Renesmee's mind and she gasped. "Oh! That girl she dated for a while...what's her name...Tara! She died around this time, didn't she?" Rose gasped and clapped a hand to her mouth. "From what I heard, Tara was killed by a man named Warren. He shot Buffy with a gun and accidentally shot another bullet through Professor Rosenberg's bedroom window and hit Tara. After that, Willow's grief and rage fuelled her magic and she became evil."

"That's right," said James. "What changes did you notice lately, Rose? I haven't noticed anything."

"Mostly minor anxiety, irritation, agitation...stuff like that. She hasn't just cursed anyone because she could...yet...but I wouldn't put it past her to do something like that." Rose whispered, then raised her voice to her normal tone. "If you'll excuse me, I'm heading to bed. Good night."

Renesmee stayed up for a while longer to get more of her homework done. She still had her Divination homework to do along with her planetary charts for Astronomy with Professor Sinistra and the essay Professor Lehane set them due on Friday. After two hours, she finally got the work done and went to bed herself.

The next week was not as hard as the first two because the students' work load steadily dropped. Renesmee found herself enjoying her classes much more than she normally did, and she kept an eye on Willow during Charms lessons. Today in Charms, the third years were getting a break from their original lessons and started learning about spells used without wands. A small bag of ingredients were on the table along with a mortar and pestle and a book of spells that required the ingredients. "I know this is a bit of a stretch from our normal lessons," Willow said from her desk, "but I did say we would be learning about magic used without wands, so that's what we'll be doing for the whole week and the subject will be in your end-of-the-year exams. The first spell I'm going to teach you is a basic spell called the Light-My-Way spell. It comes in handy when you're lost or finding yourself in dark places. The spell is in your book. There are no ingredients need, but the Light-My-Way spell does require some concentration, so please work as hard as you can. I don't expect any of you to master it on your first try, but do your best."

The class started to work immediately and only a few of the students managed to conjure a ball of green light out of thin air. Renesmee was having some trouble with it at first, but she realized that she managed to get a few words in the incantation wrong. After the third try, she finally conjured a ball of green light. "Very good, Renesmee," said Willow happily, "and well done all of you. I'm surprised that you did so well on your first try. Keep practicing this spell and we'll get working on other ones." The bell rang and they headed for their next class.

The first half of the day was not too bad in Renesmee's eyes, but it seemed that the last half of the day was going to be much harder because she not only had Divination to go to but also her uncle Jasper's Mythology class. Jasper was standing behind his desk once everyone got into their seats. Most of the class were anxious or irritated about their day so Jasper's emotion manipulation ability worked like a charm and everyone was calm. "In last week's class, you learned about the Greek gods like Zeus, Hades, Athena and many others. What do we know about the gods?" Renesmee raised her hand before anyone else could and he nodded at her.

"The gods had special abilities and ruled their own part of the world. Poseidon was God of the Seas and ruled the oceans and other bodies of water; Zeus was King of the Gods and stayed on Mount Olympus; Hades was condemned to the Underworld and rules the dead." Renesmee said proudly.

"Very good," said Jasper. "We all know this by now, and I must say that your essays were very well-written, but today we're going to be learning about something totally different. Mythology isn't just about the Romans or the Greeks. It's about a lot of other myths that crop up such as the Loch-Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and other things like that. Today, we'll be learning about one myth that has been talked about in recent years called the Sword of Angels. Please go to chapter three in your copies of Mastering the Myths: Mythology for Beginners. The class did as told and he began to lecture. "The Sword of Angels is a highly mythical weapon said to destroy any evil. There was a huge war in the Christian myths. What happened in that war?" Scorpius raised his hand and told about the Archangel Michael and his two helpers Raphael and Gabriel who fought against the three Fallen Angels, Moloch, Belial and Ba'al. "That's right, Mr. Malfoy, that is what happened. The Sword of Angels was destroyed in that same battle and four shards of the blade were scattered to the four corners of the Earth.

"It is said, 'Whoever finds the shards and puts them together will wield incredible power and will be able to kill the ones humans now call Vampires.' Now, you learned about the different types of vampires in Defense Against the Dark Arts last year, right?" Everyone nodded. "Good. The vampires this book is talking about are the Fallen Angels' descendants. Most vampires like Angel and Spike still have their human parts to switch to when they want to blend in, and my kind are almost invincible and very hard to kill, but the descendants of the Three are the most powerful vampires of all time." Jasper walked around his desk and sat down on the edge. "To the other two types of vampires, they are called the Old Ones or the Ancient Clans. Why is that?"

"Because of how old and powerful they are," said Rose and Jasper nodded, encouraging her to elaborate more on her beliefs. "The Three were the first vampires to ever walk this Earth and they killed or turned their victims only three at a time so the vampires don't wipe out their food supply."

"Very good," Jasper said again. "One other thing that I want to mention before class is over is that there were people fighting the vampires back in the days of the first Three and they are called Protectors." The bell rang and the class started to leave. "For homework..." he said over the scraping of chairs and chatter, "...I want you all to write an essay on the Fallen and the Protectors. If you have any questions, I suggest you talk to Mr. Giles in the library or Buffy. Either one will have the answers you need. Next week's lesson will be on the Vampire Slayers, how they are chosen and what they do. See you all next week." The class left but Renesmee stayed behind. "Hi, Nessie," Jasper said smiling. "For a while, I thought you weren't going to visit."

"Sorry, Uncle Jasper," said Renesmee grinning. "I was really busy with homework and other stuff." Jasper nodded and sat down at his desk. "We found another shard to the Sword of Angels. That's two down and two to go." Jasper looked at her in surprise and stood up. "It was sent to me by someone, but I'm not sure who. Ron and Harry took the shard to the Ministry in case it was cursed or something. I'm actually glad I didn't touch it." Jasper agreed to that and asked if there was anything else she wanted to talk about. "Not really. I was going to ask if you were busy Hogsmeade weekend because Scorpius and I are going on a date and we need a chaperone. I would ask Mom or Dad, but you know how they are with boys."

Jasper grinned and nodded. "Parents can be like that sometimes," he said knowingly. "Back when I was human, I had a girlfriend and her parents were very protective. They wouldn't let us do anything without them around. But that was in the seventeenth century, so things have changed since then." Renesmee gave a giggle and sat down on the edge of one of the front desks. "Anyway, I plan on going hunting in the mountains this weekend if you want to join me. There are some really good elk, mountain lions and deer up there."

"Yeah, I'll go," Renesmee said. "Just tell me what time you want to go and I'll be ready." She kissed him on the cheek and grabbed her bag. "See you later, Uncle Jasper. I've got other classes to get to."

The end of September came quick and the cool air of October started blowing through. The winds were powerful enough to knock a normal person down but Renesmee, as everyone knew, was not a normal person no matter how much she wanted to be. Renesmee tied her hair into a tight ponytail and wore a headband to keep her hair out of her eyes before she got outside for Herbology. Professor Longbottom taught them about some of the most dangerous plants this time especially phosphorous plants which sprouted little beans that held a great amount of juice for Potions. They were to get the beans, which also acted as seeds to plant more phosphorous plants, and plant them in their own pots. Renesmee thought she did well during this lesson and then went to Hagrid's hut for Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid was teaching them about unicorns this time.

"Unicorns are very special creatures," Hagrid explained. "Their blood is a sort of potion for those who are on the brink of death, but the drinker has to drink it almost every day. Too much trouble if yeh ask me." He showed them baby unicorns and talked about them. "The foals are more trusting so they don' mind men much," he told them. "As yeh can see, this unicorn is gold. Tha's because he's young. When they reach two, their hair turns silver, their horns grow in at four years and they become full-grown at seven years old." He patted the small unicorn on the back which whinnied happily. "The hair of a unicorn is mostly used in wands but they, along with horns, are used also in potions. The tail hair can be used to bind bandages and other things and are on high demand in trading. All of yeh can come and see this little guy if yeh want."

"He's beautiful, Hagrid," Rose said as the unicorn nudged her hand with his nose. "Aren't we supposed to be learning about unicorns in fourth year?"

"Ar, yer supposed ter, but I since unicorns are less dangerous, I thought I'd teach yeh this year." Hagrid said with a shrug. "Yeh'll be learning what to feed unicorns and other things as well as recapping on flobberworms and hippogriffs." The end of the lesson came and the Gryffindor third years went to Potions next which they were being lectured on undetectable posions and recapped on the Confusion Draught and Shrinking Solution, then they were off to Defense Against the Dark Arts on the third floor.

Buffy was standing next to a large wardrobe in the middle of the classroom. The desks were all put away. "I know this is a last-minute thing, but Professor McGonagall told me I should get started on the normal lesson plans, so we're starting Boggarts today." The wardrobe wobbled. "Now, who here, besides Rose, can tell me what a boggart looks like?" Albus raised his hand and Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Well, Mr. Potter, go on and tell us."

"Nobody knows what a boggart looks like because it's a shape-shifter." Albus explained. "They take the form of what we fear most."

"That's right," Buffy agreed, "and there's a simple charm to repel a boggart. Harry taught you this charm last year during the Duelling Club but it's about time you remembered it. Without wands, repeat after me. Ridikulus." The class repeated the incantation and she smiled. "Good. Who wants to go first?" Albus crossed the room and stood next to Buffy. "Thank you, Albus. Now, what are you afraid of most?"

Albus took some time to think, then finally said, "A vampire." Buffy's smile vanished and her eyes narrowed slightly. She whispered a question to him and he nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure."

"Okay, then you're scared of a vampire." she said with a shrug. "All you have to do is find a way to make a vampire amusing. Can you do that?" Albus nodded. "All right then. I'm going to open that wardrobe and you will repel that boggart. On three. One...two...three!" She flicked her wand at the wardrobe which opened and Spike, in full vampire form, stepped out. "Remember the spell, Albus."

Albus stepped back a few inches as Boggart-Spike bared his fangs and snarled. "Ridikulus!" Corks appeared on Boggart-Spike's fangs and everyone laughed. Buffy called for the next person, which was Scorpius, and the boggart changed into Renesmee's father.

"Ridikulus!" Scorpius muttered and the Boggart-Edward started dancing wildly causing a burst of laughter from the students. Renesmee's turn was next and the boggart changed into Jane from the Volturi.

"Ridikulus!" Renesmee said and Jane fell into a puddle of mud, looked up and grew angry. The rest of the class started laughing so hard that the boggart was starting to get angrier. Renesmee let out one last "Ha!" and the boggart disintegrated into black smoke.

"Very good, guys!" Buffy said clapping her hands. "You really got the hang of it. No homework for tonight and if you ever come across a boggart, you know what to do." The class got ready to leave and as most of the class left the classroom Giles walked in. "Hi, Giles. Renesmee, I'll see you later." Renesmee nodded and went off to take a walk around the castle.

As Renesmee walked through the corridors, she saw a lot of students chatting and laughing. Lilith Demona was coming out of History of Magic and waved. "Hi, Lilith," said Renesmee happily and walked up to her. "How was History of Magic?"

"It wasn't that interesting," said Lilith with a shrug. "Just talking about the goblin rebellions and stuff like that." Renesmee remembered her last History of Magic lesson and remembered how bored she was just listening to lectures about the goblin rebellions. "I mean, it's cool how goblins can make weapons and armor, but when they start rebelling against wizards because they want some of their stuff...it's insane, isn't it?"

"Very," Renesmee agreed, "but that's what we have to learn, I guess. Where are you heading now?" Lilith shrugged again and they walked along the corridors. "I'm going down to see Angel and Spike in their dungeon room. You want to join me?"

"I guess I could," said Lilith. "I never got a chance to meet Angel and Spike yet, though you told me a lot about them." Renesmee smiled and they went down to the dungeons together and stopped at the door to Angel's bedroom. Angel opened the door when Renesmee knocked and let them in. "Hi, I'm..."

"Lilith," Angel said suddenly tense, "I know who you are." He sat down on a leather armchair by the fireplace in the room and gestured for the girls to sit down as well. "I'd offer you something to drink, but all I have is blood."

"That's okay," said Lilith grinning. "I had a lot to drink all day." She sat down in a chair and crossed her legs. "So, Angel, Renesmee tells me that you're a vampire with a soul? What's that like?"

Angel looked at her coldly and said with the same coldness as his eyes, "Like you'd know about a soul?" She smiled wider as if she were expecting this. Renesmee was very puzzled at this exchange of words. "Let me ask you something, Lilith. What's it like being on Earth again?"

"What are you talking about?" Renesmee demanded before Lilith could reply. "Why are you doing this?"

Angel didn't look at Renesmee as he said, "Lilith isn't normal, Renesmee. She's the queen of demons in Hell. In Christian mythology, she's the archnemesis of the archangel Michael, the locket's original owner...the one that is made from a shard of the Sword of Angels." Renesmee stared at Lilith and finally realized what Gabe McSaint meant when he told her not to hang around with her. "Trust me, not all demons are bad, but Lilith is as bad as they come."

"Oh, come on, Angel," said Lilith still smiling, "I'm not that bad, aren't I?" Angel glared at her. "Okay, so I caused some trouble throughout the past, but does that really matter right now? What do you think I'm here for?"

"To turn Renesmee into the same thing she's trying to kill," Angel growled and vamped out. "Do you really think I don't know what you're up to, Lilith?" Lilith laughed and stood up. "Where are you going now?"

"Back to my common room, silly," Lilith said sweetly. "I'm not here for what you think. If you keep acting like this, it'll get you into trouble, my friend. Good night." She closed the door behind her. That was close, Lilith thought to herself. I'm going to have to find another approach...but first I have to throw Angel and Spike off my trail. I don't need Renesmee against me now... She walked back to the common room but she didn't know that Edward was hiding nearby listening to her thoughts. Edward stared after her, his eyes were coal-black but he wore a triumphant smile on his face.