Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, alas.

A/N: Thank you to all of you who reviewed! I love you all! It's good to know that at least a few if the people reading this like it. Well, you probably want to get to reading it.

Of Blood and Magic

Chapter 4: A Cauldron Brewing

Tevelle trudged sown to the dungeons reluctantly with her classmates. Potions was the class she had been dreading. Severous Snape had a reputation of being surly to all those but his favorite students. Considering how he treated normal wizards, how would he treat a student he knew to be a vampire? As the class took their seats, Tevelle braced herself for torture.

Luckily, she found herself seated at the same table as Harry, Ron, and Hermione. If she had had to endure Malfoy as well as Snape she didn't know what she would do.

Snape stormed into the room and without even bothering to take roll, began explaining their task.

"You will make a blood-thickening potion," Snape sneered and Tevelle's heart sank. Was he trying to bring out her inner beast? Snape turned his focus from the class as a whole to Tevelle individually. Tevelle stared defiantly back. "It is a potion used to replenish a person's blood after being fed upon by a vampire." He then hit the blackboard sharply with his wand, causing a long list of ingredients and instructions to appear. Smiling wickedly, he retreated to his desk.

"Figures, for my first potions class he would pick that one," Tevelle grumbled as she collected her ingredients.

"Yes," Hermione agreed, apparently misunderstanding Tevelle's true sarcasm, which was just as well. "Terribly difficult. I might even have a few problems with this one."

"What!" Ron gasped with false fear, "You, Hermione Granger, are going to have trouble in Potions! Surely the world is about to end!"

Hermione shot him an exasperated look before returning to her cauldron.

Tevelle followed her example. The potion itself was simple for her; something every vampire knew by heart was any spell or potion concerning blood. What she disliked so much about Snape picking this potion was that if she excelled, suspicion would fall on her. If she purposely slacked off, Snape would know it and give her detention. He wouldn't take away House points, for she belonged to his House, but he would definitely punish her in any other way he could.

Halfway through her potion he made a decision. After all, haw was detention worse than being discovered? Was there ever any choice to make?

It was harder than she thought it would be to mess up on a potion she could do without effort, and still follow the recipe close enough that it would be believable. Tevelle had to concentrate hard to keep her mind from wandering. If she lost focus the potion would be done correctly before she realized it.

The class came to a close. The shimmering potion bubbling in the cauldron set before Tevelle was a slightly lighter shade of red than it should have been, but that was enough. The potion was useless. Snape, instead of collection a vial to grade was walking around, inspecting each person's work.

"Longbottom, that's the sixth cauldron you've melted. Detention!"

Tevelle looked to see the poor boy huddling behind a lump of metal that was unrecognizable as the cauldron it had been.

"Good job, Malfoy." Snape continued around the room, complimenting fewer students than he criticized.

Finally, he reached Tevelle's table.

"Potter, that potion is useless. Abysmal, as usual, Weasley." Snape remained silent as he inspected Hermione's work. Apparently he could find nothing wrong with the potion.

Tevelle swallowed nervously as Snape approached her. He wore a frown, yet a satisfied smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, as if he were happy to give her detention, yet disappointed that her secret could not be revealed, or at the very least, hinted at.

"Nightshade, this potion is a shade too light. Did you stir it enough? Add all the ingredients? Perhaps after sharing detention with Longbottom you will be reluctant to slack off in my class again." Snape sneered.

Tevelle grumbled, but reported to detention along with Neville later that night. Apparently, they were to disembowel a bucketful of horned toads each while Snape graded some sixth years' work.

Neville paled at the sight of the small carcasses, his nose wrinkling at the smell of decay and chemicals, but Tevelle plunged into the gruesome task. Blood spattered her hands and she forced herself not to lick it away. Neville wouldn't notice, so horrified was he at their task, but Snape was watching what she did carefully. Tevelle was tempted to lick off her fingers simply to annoy him, but resisted the urge. It would not do to anger Snape further, considering she was already on his bad side.

The detention passed by quickly, though not quickly enough for Neville whose face was slibhtly green in color. Tevelle could have stood another few hours, but eh bloos on her hands had awakened her hunger and it was becoming...awkward and uncomfortable. Snape finally released them, albeit a bit grudgingly.

Both Neville and Tevelle hurried out. Once Neville was out of sight on his way to the Gryffindor Tower, Tevelle licked the toad blood off her fingers and preformed a wandless scouring charm to clear blood and guts from underneath her fingernails.

Once she was relatively clean of blood and guts, she made her way to the dormitories. It was late and if a teacher caught her, she would be in trouble, but that was something Tevelle wasn't worried about. The dark of the corridors was her friend, her ally. She was half-tempted to go to the forest and see what it was that the Mooncalf had wanted of her the other day, but she was tired. Resting at night wasn't natural. But she did need to sleep and since she was busy during the day, night would have to do.

Tevelle yawned and made up her mind. It seemed her feet were ahead of her, for as her mind had struggled to decide, they had carried her to the door that lead to the Slytherin common room. Whispering the password, Tevelle slipped into the common room. It was only then that she remembered the charms essay, divination chart, and transfiguration work that she had yet to do. Sighing, she grabbed her bag and plopped down in an overstuffed armchair that was in the darkest corner of the room. She curled up, and balancing her books on her knees, got to work.

Perhaps sleep is no longer an option, Tevelle thought yawning.

"How can you see in this light?" A voice asked. Inwardly groaning, Tevelle looked up to find that Malfoy had pulled on of the stiff backed chaired in front of her.

Tevelle scowled. "I need to do this homework," she said coldly, hoping he would take the hint and leave, while at eh same time avoiding his question.

"Wouldn't it be easier if you could see what you were writing?"

Tevelle sighed and put down her quill. HE was wither stubborn of stupid, she did not know which. Either way, he obviously wasn't leaving until she answered his question. Biting back her anger, she looked directly at Malfoy, aware her eyes had flooded with black to adjust to the low light.

"I have good night vision," Well that was the understatement of the century. Hopefully there had been no sign of the afterthought's irony in her voice. With his question explained, she retrieved her quill and returned to her essay.

After a few minutes she looked up to find that Malfoy had not moved. She looked up at him questioningly.

"Where are your hounds?" She asked nonchalantly, hoping he would take offense and leave.

"What?"
"Crabbe and Goyle. Who else by your loyal fan club?"

"They're asleep."

Tevelle nodded and, finished with her charms essay, started on her Divination homework. She didn't particularly want to let her dreams known, considering they were memories of her death and of Tom, so she merely made it up. If Malfoy noticed her less than studious habits, he didn't comment.

"Are you going to try and enter the tournament?" Malfoy continued.

Tevelle shrugged. "No. I don't really care about it."

Malfoy laughed. He had thought it a joke. After a few moments he noticed she was serious and stared at her with disbelief.

"How could you not care! To win the Triwizard cup would bring you-"

"Eternal glory, I know." Tevelle interrupted him, then, leaning closer and speaking in a conspiratory voice, she added, "I'll tell you a secret. Glory isn't all that special when you find all the strings attached to it."

Malfoy frowned in skepticism.

"If you doubt me, ask Harry Potter, " she challenged him. If that doesn't get him to leave me alone, nothing will. She thought watching the verbal barb sink in.

Malfoy scowled at her, but did not move. With a sigh, she moved onto Transfiguration. Her inner beast, awoken by the frog blood, growled discontentedly and she took out one of her blood flavored candies to pacify it.

"What's that?" Malfoy asked, the subject of the tournament behind them.

"Candy."

"Can I have some?"

"No." She said abruptly, "and I would appreciate it if you would let me finish my homework in peace." It was painfully blunt, but it worked. Frowning, Malfoy wordlessly rose and stalked away.

With him finally gone, Tevelle let herself relax enough to close her eyes. Lulled by the steady crackle of flames in the grate and quiet talk, she slowly lost herself to exhaustion and fell into a deep trance.

"What's this?" She asked him, curling a hand around the small box that Tom had given her just as she cuddled up against his warm side.

Tom smiled and hugged her tight. "A gift, open it."

"Why a gift? Did my birthday sneak up on me unnoticed?" She joked, content in the circle of his arms. His scent filled her and she lapped it up as a kitten would milk.

"Do I need an occasion to give you something nice?" Tom purred. Arms still wrapped around her, he took the small box and opened it so she could see.

A gasp escaped her lips, and she took it from him. In the small box was a necklace. The chain gleamed as if liquid silver, but it was the pendant that made her breath catch. Made of the same silvery substance, the pendant was shaped as a dragon ready for flight with wings outstretched, fore claws raking the air. Though the pendant was small, no bigger than her thumbnail, she could make out every detail. Every scale, every claw, every tooth was clear. The dragon's eyes glittered red with chips of ruby.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, letting him put the necklace around her neck. "Where did you get it?"

"I made it."

She turned around in astonishment. "You made this? How?"

"I am a wizard, love. Remember?" He answered wryly and she laughed, leaning closer.

"So you are." She kissed him passionately t o silence whatever he was going to say next. Her body fitted against his perfectly, and it felt right. She couldn't imagine being with anyone by him.

Reluctantly, she came up for air and curled against him with a satisfied smile.

"I love you, Tom Riddle." She kissed him again. This time when they separated, they stayed close together, her head tucked under his chin.

Tom breathed into her hair, whispered words she could hear clearly.

"I love you, Tevelle Nightshade. I love you, and always will."

Tevelle woke with a start. The fire had burned down to mere glowing coals and the common room was deserted. She sat up completely, and groaned when she realized she had fallen asleep on her essay. Tears smudged the ink, making parts of it unreadable. She would have to rewrite it, but that wasn't a problem.

She was just reaching for her quill and ink when the memory or dream she has washed through her mind's eye. With a shaky hand she withdrew a small, silvery necklace from underneath her school robes. The silver dragon looked exactly as it had that night Tom had given it to her, a token of his love, of what they shared. It was the only thing of value that she owned, her only link with her past before Xeven had turned her. She never took it off, even while bathing, but to her surprise it never tarnished with time, nor did it's shine fade. A truly remarkable gift. For neither the last, nor the first time, Tevelle wondered why Tom had killed her. There had to be a reason.

Tears made her eyes dry and scratchy and she let them come. Her essay was already ruined. More tears would make no difference. Soon the parchment was splattered with moisture, the ink smudged beyond repair.

The next day right after dinner, Tevelle wandered off to the library. She was mildly curious what books they has on vampires. It would be interesting to see what they got right. Obviously, many would get the fact that vampires could indeed walk in daylight wrong. True, vampires were overly sensitive to light and daylight bordered on painful at times, but with a simple potion that was remedies. Vampires did not die from the sun as many believed them to; instead the sun gave them a nasty sunburn on any uncovered skin and a slight migraine. Tevelle had always found it funny that world renowned researchers, and wizards no less, could get that simple detail wrong.

Tevelle ran her fingers along the Defense Against the Dark Arts section shelves, the leather and parchment smell of the huge tomes a balm to her senses. One of the volumes caught her eye, it's title picked out in gold against the nearly black leather binding. Dark Creatures, Fact or Myth: A Complete Guide. Maybe that would have vampires in it, though Tevelle was slightly offended at being grouped in with the "Dark Creatures". Vampires were only dark if they chose to be, just like wizards.

The book was heavy when she pulled it from the shelf, but she managed to carry it over to a nearby table easily. Hermione was already there, but didn't seem offended when Tevelle sat down across from her. Rather, the bushy-haired girl seemed engrossed in what she was researching. A parchment next to her had bold words at the top. Despite herself, Tevelle couldn't help but read them.

"Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare." Tevelle read aloud. "What's that?"

Hermione looked up, startled, but then smiled. "It's a group I'm starting for the promotion of House Elf rights, as well as to end Elf enslavement. It goes back centuries, but no one has ever tried to change it because they assume the House Elves like slavery."

Tevelle suddenly remembered something Xeven told her once about House Elves. Something about being tricked to think they wanted it, or maybe it was something else. To be honest, Tevelle thought this S.P.E.W thing was a great idea. IF slavery of humans was illegal, so should the slaver of other creatures.

"Can I join?"

Hermione seemed genuinely surprised that she would want to join. "Really?"

"Yeah, Tevelle assured her, "I think it's a good idea."

"Oh, okay. Um, two sickles for a badge and the proceeds will fund our leaflet campaign. That is, if you still want to."

"Of course." Tevelle handed over the coins and retrieved a badge from the boxy that contained about fifty of them, all various colors. The color she got was a deep blood red, kind of ironic really.

"I can start working on leaflets. Just tell me what to put on them. Maybe a picture of a House Elf on the front?" Tevelle suggested hopefully. She wouldn't be any good at the administrative stuff, but she could draw.

"Yeah, that would be good." Hermione smiled in gratitude.

Tevelle smiled back and grabbed a loose piece of parchment, starting to sketch a rough drawing of a House Elf. "What do you think?"

The two soon became absorbed in their work, discussing the best layouts for the leaflets and what to put on them to grab people's attention. Tevelle completely forgot about the reason she came to the library and the book she had picked out until Hermione asked about it.

"What's that?" She said, pointing to the huge tome that Tevelle was leaning on.

"What? Oh," Tevelle was confused for a second. "Dark Creatures, Fact or Myth: A Complete Guide."

"But we aren't studying Dark creatures in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"This isn't for class. Just some light reading. I was curious what I could find on vampires."

"Why vampires?" Hermione's voice gained a suspicious edge and Tevelle realized maybe that hadn't been the smartest thing to say.

Hoping Hermione didn't catch her second of worried silence, she shrugged nonchalantly. "No reason," she lied easily, "I was simply curious."

Hermione nodded, apparently convinced, and Tevelle allowed herself to relax slightly. That had been close, and if she didn't guard her tongue better, her secret might not be a secret any longer.

Resolving to satisfy her curiosity another day, Tevelle pushed the huge copy of Dark Creatures, Fact or Myth: A Complete Guide away from her and put her attention to the leaflets she had volunteered to make.

A/N: Another chapter done. Hope you liked it. I know this Tom Riddle isn't the Voldemort you're used to, but he has got to have a human side to him, or at least he did when he was in school. I decided to delve a bit into that part of his psyche in this chapter. Please review! It's probably not going to change the plot at all, but I need to know what you think. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Gasp REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW ...you get the picture. Reviews will get me to update faster.