Summary: Catherine meets up with her former apprentice, Zanna, who has travelled to England and decides to visit her old teacher. Lizzie learns the true bond between witch and apprentice and takes a liking to Zanna. She also orders Catherine to assist her with matchmaking the ex-apprentice with Snake! (P.S. Chapter spam is coming soon due to the trauma of losing my pendrive and then finding it again!)
Elizabeth was walking back to her home, Catherine following her serenely. There had taken the route through the park today. But as they were crossing the small wooden bridge, Lizzie froze. 'No need for alarm, my lady. I am already aware.' Catherine smiled as a young woman flipped out of a nearby tree and onto the bridge, grinning.
'As sharp as always, you must be proud of your new apprentice. She found me quick.' The foreign woman spoke. She was well dressed but in an attire that was far too scandalous to belong to England. She was beautiful though with her sun-kissed skin, sharp violet eyes and dark purple hair.
Lizzie wasn't fazed at all by her sudden appearance, clearly by her words and what Lizzie could sense, she was a witch. 'My name is Elizabeth Middleford. How do you know Catherine?' Lizzie asked politely.
'Zanna, no last name!' The girl grinned. 'I'm her former apprentice.'
'Really? It's nice to meet you, would you like to come over for tea? I'd love to have a chat with you!' Lizzie gushed and so it was. The three travelled the short distance to Lizzie's home, making sure not to speak of anything witchcraft until they were within safe doors. Luckily, Edward and the Marquis were away on a training trip and Frances was having social tea with a friend.
Catherine prepared tea and snacks swiftly before joining her two students in Lizzie's drawing room. 'Catherine is a nicer name than the one I gave you.' Zanna commented as she accepted the cup of tea.
'Thank you. So what brings you to England, Zanna?' Catherine replied, questioning the lovely-looking witch.
'I've decided to move here. Italy chased me out with the pitchforks so I had to stage my death.' The young woman laughed and Lizzie giggled along.
'Again? You never were very careful.' Catherine sighed.
'I thought an apprenticeship was meant to last an eternity though?' Elizabeth wondered, sipping her tea.
Violet eyes showed a flash of sadness. 'My contract was terminated due to… well, a family problem you could say.'
'She murdered my previous apprentice.' Catherine spoke simply, her voice held not a hint of malice.
'How many apprentices did you have?' Lizzie asked in disbelief. Zanna choked back laughter.
'Just the two besides yourself, my lady. My first apprentice turned from my teachings and broke the contract, she tried to kill me. So Zanna being my current apprentice, killed her.' The demon witch said, hiding her expression. Inside however, she had an essence that was not completely demonic and she felt a familiar pang of heartache. Lizzie and Zanna saw it but only one understood.
'The bond between a witch and her apprentice is much more than what you've experienced yet, Lizzie.' Zanna explained and though confused, Lizzie's eyes softened slightly.
'It was much like losing a daughter to another. Ordinarily I would've killed Zanna but I could no more stand accepting her than I could kill her. So I broke the contract. But… she is still my daughter.' Catherine said with a gentle smile on her face.
Lizzie gazed with wide green eyes as Catherine kissed the top of Zanna's head and stroked Lizzie's cheek. Then the demon witch disappeared to go organize the servants and take care of dinner. The two witches smiled and continued their conversation lightly.
PART TWO
'How did it come to this?' Catherine asked Lizzie discreetly as they travelled to the Phantomhive Manor.
'As a witch, the animal which she represents is a snake so I thought of him immediately. Didn't you?' Lizzie questioned back with a beaming smile.
'Of course I did but she was never here before…'
'But she's here now!' Lizzie said, cutting off Catherine's sentence. 'Help me put them together!'
Catherine gave up the protest and placed her hand over her heart in the repetitive action. 'As my lady wishes.' Thank god, Zanna had chosen to ride in the front with the driver.
They pulled into the Manor and the carriage left as the three walked up the steps. The door opened before anyone had a chance to knock. It was Snake who opened the door however. 'I caught your scent, Miss Lizzie, Catherine. Says Emily. Do you have a snake with you?' He asked curiously.
'That would be me.' Zanna spoke sweetly, taking note of his slanted green eyes and the scales on his skin. She blinked once revealing a pointed snake's pupil in her eyes instead. Snake blushed in the same manner Sebastian would when presented with a feline.
'Welcome, please come in. Says Dan. Black and Smile will be down soon.' He spoke.
'Black? Don't tell me…' Zanna asked Catherine, her eyes bright.
'His current name is Sebastian. Snake calls him and Ciel differently.' Lizzie answered for her maid.
'So your name is Snake.' She said in understanding, earning a nod from the serpentine man. 'Mine's Zanna.'
'Fang.' He translated briefly.
'Do you speak Italian?' She asked in pleasant surprise.
'Emily told me. Says myself.' He spoke, trying his best not to step back as Zanna walked to him at a perfectly normal pace and leaned in close to his neck. Ciel paused as he saw this strange sight whilst coming down the stairs.
Zanna hissed by his collar for a moment and Snake blushed brightly with wide eyes as it caused a viper to emerge and curl around her shoulders like a scarf. 'Such a lovely viper.' Zanna cooed, her voice holding a snake-like quality.
'You can speak to snakes! Says Dan.' He hissed, his voice now similar to hers in his surprise.
'Zanna. I didn't think my sister's old apprentice would find her way to England.' Sebastian greeted, coming to join them.
'Another witch?' Ciel asked, inspecting the pretty woman who had made friends with Snake's snakes.
'Another human?' Zanna asked in the exact same tone. But she smiled and extended her hand. 'It's a pleasure to meet my sister's fiancée.'
'Likewise.' Ciel replied, looking at Lizzie as he heard the word 'sister'. Ciel had Zanna introduced to the rest of the servants so they'd know not to kill her and Finny and Bard had complimented her beauty cheerily.
As it turned out, Lizzie and Catherine didn't have to do much to push the two snake-related people together. They merely mentioned it to Sebastian and Ciel. Ciel sighed in exasperation but proposed to have lunch with the servants out in the gardens, the most romantic place in the Phantomhive Manor. Sebastian went into more elaborate plans though.
Zanna simply attracted snakes to her, the serpents that were scattered throughout the compound flocked to Snake and Zanna. Except one. 'Is something wrong, Snake?' Zanna asked.
'Wordsworth is missing. Says Keats.' Snake muttered, his brows drawing together in concern.
He looked at her surprised when she stood up abruptly. 'What are you waiting for? I'll help you look!' She said simply, pulling him to his feet when he didn't move fast enough for her liking.
'You kidnapped his snake?' Ciel questioned his butler.
'Catherine killed it.' Sebastian redirected. The two contract bearers stared at the demon witch who shot a dirty look at her brother.
'I did not! I just put a spell on it.' She corrected.
'That stopped its heartbeat.' Sebastian added.
'Yes. Wait, no. Damn it, Sebastian! It's not dead permanently!' she growled at the smirking butler for messing up her speech.
'What was the point of that?!' Lizzie demanded frantically, knowing how Snake saw his slippery friends like family.
'Zanna uses a flute in much of her magic. She'll charm the snake back to life. That should get Snake's attention.' Catherine explained smugly. Ciel shook his head as Sebastian struggled not to laugh.
'Snake charmer's music… makes him faint.' Ciel muttered but his mouth twitched.
'It doesn't matter, Zanna seems to think everyone faints for the same reason human women do. She'll take the necessary action.' Catherine said wryly.
'Human women faint usually because of a tight corset.' Lizzie said suspiciously. Ciel already worked out what was coming.
'Necessary action would mean loosening clothes.' Sebastian chuckled, amused.
PART THREE
'Is that blood?' Zanna wondered, sniffing the air. Snake did the same and froze before taking off and following its scent. He didn't even realize it wasn't snake's blood. Zanna ran after him and bumped into his back as he stared up, a horrified look on his face.
Wordsworth lay limp amongst the branches, there was blood on the tree. Zanna didn't fall for it though. 'I smell magic.' She muttered to herself. She pulled out a silver flute that caught Snake's eye. He looked at her and she smiled. 'A witch can do many things.'
Then she began to play. It was a warm lilting melody that carried an entrancing magic. It coaxed Wordsworth's body out of its spell of momentary death and as if it woke from its sleep, slithered by the branches to her. Snake watched with wide eyes that began to close quickly, his head spinning. When his eyes closed the music had stopped but he dropped to the ground anyway and Zanna heard the quiet panic hissing of Dan and the louder sounds of nervousness from his other snakes.
It did nothing to help her own panic. 'Snake?!' She exclaimed, falling to her knees and ripping open his blazer and vest, revealing the pale skin that gleamed with scales here and there. 'Snake, wake up!' she urged, shaking him as worry made her eyes shift to their slit pupils.
Snake didn't stay down for long and he made a small sound as he blinked his eyes open slowly. He saw a closer than appropriate Zanna and Wordsworth, healthy and alive. He broke into a smile that revealed his sharp canines, it shocked Zanna, making her eyes widen. 'You saved him!' Snake hissed happily. Pushing himself up on instinct, he pressed his lips to hers as one hand caressed her cheek.
Zanna stayed still for a split second before she returned his kiss eagerly. That's when she noticed it, the delectable taste that assaulted her mouth, attempting to destroy her as it would've with a normal human. She sighed as her eyes fluttered and closed. She slumped and Snake caught her in confusion before seeing her unconscious face and realizing… just what he had done… 'Zanna!' He called frantically, her name sounding like 'tsanna' in his emotional hissing voice.
He picked her up and ran, yelling for help. He ran right back to where they had lunch and Sebastian rushed to take Zanna from him. Catherine gestured to a stone bench, her eyes wide. She had not expected this. Sebastian ripped open the dress carefully and listened to the strange heartbeat. 'Catherine.' Sebastian called to his sister.
The demon witch rushed to Zanna sensing whatever she could as fast as possible. She leaned back in relief. 'It's just poison.' She laughed lightly, turning to Snake. 'I didn't even know you were poisonous!'
All eyes turned to Snake causing him to blush crimson. 'Why… why aren't you…?' He struggled to say. The other servants left at Sebastian's discreet orders. Couldn't have them hearing supernatural things…
'Worried? Poison won't kill her. But a foreign one that she likes will knock her out until her system takes it in.' Catherine explained, fishing out Sebastian's pocket watch. 'She's never been unconscious for more than ten seconds though. You must be toxic.'
'Sorry.' He hissed softly, bowing his head in shame. He had killed a girl a long time ago and he had sworn he'd be more careful…
'Don't worry about it, she won't die. But… she'll wake up in a certain… mood.' Catherine said with a perverted smile, standing as she scooped up Lizzie. Sebastian understood and smirked at Snake before picking up a protesting Ciel.
'What are you doing?!' The young Middleford demanded, squirming.
'Saving your innocence.' Sebastian answered for them both, rushing away.
Zanna moaned as she filtered back into consciousness. Snake leaned over her with a soft expression, not realizing his state of clothing or hers for that matter. When she opened her sharp violet eyes, they were hungry and glazed over.
'Delicious…' she murmured, wrapping her arms around Snake's neck and pulling him down forcefully for a kiss. It quickly turned into a mutual seduction. Everyone inside the Phantomhive Manor politely pretended nothing indecent was happening outside.