Disclaimer: Don't Own
A/N: I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while. College classes ran away with me and I haven't had any time till now to write anything other than class stuffs. Many thanks and much love to Sugar-high Pixie for reviewing the last chapter. Happy Holidays!
Of Blood and Magic
Chapter 19: Unrest
Uneasy dreams brought her sleeping mind back to reality. Tevelle blinked as her thoughts scrambled after the trailing edge of the tangled web her unconscious mind had created. She had a feeling the dream had been important, and judging by the echo of danger that remained it was a warning of some sort. She shook her head. She was no Seer. Odds were the dream had been some fantasy her mind conjured up as a reaction to the strange quality of tension that had laced the air all year.
The pressure had not been strong enough to be noticed until recently, but when Tevelle thought about it, she realized it had slowly been building in intensity since the World Cup.
Well that's one more thing to add to my list of 'Odd things to tell Xeven that he probably already knows about'. Tevelle smiled self-indulgently at the title.
She looked over at the clock and groaned. She had overslept. It was still quite early to be up, but now she no longer had time to go for a morning swim and still be able to shower before breakfast.
At least I can still get a shower. I'm still early enough that I don't have to worry about fighting anyone for the hot water.
Plan in mind, Tevelle rolled to the side, her feet meeting the floor and catching her before she fell completely out of bed.
Oh if the Coven could see me now. How incredibly graceful I am, falling on my face before I'm even out of bed for the day. It was good that no one was around to observe her clumsiness.
Nearly half an hour later when Tevelle was freshly showered and she had set to fighting her tangled hair with a wide-toothed comb, she wondered why she even bothered. Her first class of the day was Herbology, not the cleanest of classes. And in the afternoon she had Potions. While not nearly as dirty as working with plants and soil, the often less than pleasant potions ingredients tended to make a mess; not to mention the smell of the Potions classroom began to seep into clothing and hair. Without a doubt she would be showering once again once her classes for the day were over.
After several particularly painful yanks of her comb, Tevelle admitted defeat. Her hair was passable, and if she pulled it back into a bun no one would notice a few snarls.
"Work gloves, check. Encyclopedia of Magical Plants, check. Ballpoint pen, check. Notebook and extra parchment check. Hopefully I didn't forget something." She shrugged, utilizing the motion to help swing the book-bag's strap up onto her shoulder. If she forgot something she would think of a solution when she needed. If trying to remember something that one forgot ever helped as a reminder, well then that wouldn't be considered forgetting something, now would it.
The practical lesson of the day in Herbology turned out to be more work with the bobotuber plants. One the rest of the class would pay to not be distracted in. Unfortunately enough for them, they were more preoccupied with a magazine article that was being passed around. Tevelle kept herself separate. She did not particularly care what current scandal Pansy was ridiculing with great fervor. Tevelle was far more interesting in preventing her current bobotuber from squirming out of the larger pot she was trying to replace it in. Apparently the plant was not appreciating the different soil.
The girl across from Tevelle should have been paying less attention to Pansy and the article and more to her plant. Tevelle watched with morbid fascination as the girl grasped the bobotuber wrongly and ended up getting a large gob of puss on the crack of skin showing between her glove and sleeve. The girl shrieked, clawing at the area with her other hand, forgetting in her haste that the other hand was still wearing a pus-coated glove.
Professor Sprout responded quickly, magicking away the yellow ooze and rushing the girl off to the Hospital Wing.
Tevelle sighed. The flurry of gossip intensified in the absence of authority. What had previously been whispers were now full-spoken comments flung across the table. Typical, Tevelle rolled her eyes as she packed up her belongings, As soon as a teacher's back is turned. At least this class is almost over.
If she had been hoping Pansy's fervor over whatever article had captured her attention would have died down by lunch, Tevelle would have been sorely disappointed. If anything, the girl's inane chatter and excitement over the article had grown in proportion to the size of her audience. Furthermore, one Draco Malfoy had joined in, fanning the flame.
Snatching her goblet, Tevelle retreated to the far end of the table, soon to be joined by a good number of Durmstrang students.
"What great misfortune of another are Malfoy and his lot extolling this time?" Viktor Krum asked as he reached for a bread roll.
Tevelle leaned forward, looking down the table at where Pansy was leaning dramatically against Malfoy's shoulder brandishing the magazine like a fan. Malfoy's expression was a strange cross between smug and snide resulting in a rather odd looking sneer.
"I'm not sure. I've been doing my best to ignore them."
Krum shrugged, accepting her answer before being pulled into a conversation with his classmates regarding Quidditch. Tevelle was content to keep to herself for the rest of the meal. After downing the last of her blood and snatching a small pastry to eat on the way to class, Tevelle stood, sparing a brief moment to nudge Krum's shoulder to let him know she was leaving. Potions was next and she had to run to the dormitory to switch out her school books before class started.
Regrettably, her detour resulted in Pansy and her entourage arriving outside the Potions classroom first. The group was huddled around the magazine again, sniggering with abandon. Pansy looked up, eyes alight with malicious glee as Tevelle approached.
Why is she excited to see me? A brief wave of confusion washed over Tevelle before she realized the Slytherin girl had noticed the approach of Harry, Ron, and Hermione several yards behind Tevelle. Tevelle quashed the surge of embarrassment for the mistake. Had she been human, no doubt her face would have been flushed red. Good thing I'm not human anymore. Was I always this awkward?
"There they are, there they are!" Pansy giggled gratingly, tossing the Witch Weekly magazine towards Hermione. "You might find something to interest you in there, Granger!"
A startled Hermione caught it, but before she could turn any pages, Snape opened the dungeon door, ushering everyone inside for the start of class.
Tevelle took her usual seat near the middle of the classroom and began setting up her supplies. That done she began copying down the ingredients list and instructions as Snape wrote them on the blackboard. Once finished, she titled the piece of Parchment "Wit-Sharpening Potion" with bold letters, underlining the words with several quick strokes. Her tablemate shot her an odd look and Tevelle just shook her head. Tevelle was in no mood to explain how easily mistakes were made when it became necessary to squint through cauldron fumes across the classroom, especially when the time between tasks required precise timing.
A snort of laughter from the back caught Tevelle's attention. She turned to see Hermione wave and smile sarcastically at the Slytherins who had no doubt been waiting for a rather different response. Now Tevelle's curiosity was pricked. She didn't have very long to wait. Her attention was not the only to have been caught. Snape had noticed the whispering as well, now that his attention was no longer focused on the blackboard. The class fell silent as the Potions Professor glided behind the still quite oblivious trio in the back.
"Fascinating though your social life undoubtedly is, Miss Granger, I must ask you not to discuss it in my class. Ten points from Gryffindor." Something by the table caught his attention. "Ah, reading magazines under the table as well? A further ten points from Gryffindor…." His voice became sly. "Oh but of course… Potter has to keep up with his press cuttings…"
The tense silence was suddenly filled with uproarious laughter. Tevelle frowned slightly, though it seemed she would get to learn what was in the article sooner rather than later. Snape, smiling thinly, had begun to speak again. "'Harry Potter's Secret Heartache'… dear, dear, Potter, what's ailing you now? 'A boy like no other, perhaps… yet a boy suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter. Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his parents, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter thought he had found solace in his steady girlfriend at Hogwarts, Muggle-born Hermione Granger. Little did he know that he would shortly by suffering yet another emotional blow in a life already littered with personal loss." Snape continued to read, pausing dramatically after every sentence to indulge the laughter of the Slytherins.
Scarlet covered Hermione's cheeks, and Tevelle sent her what she hoped was a supportive or comforting look. Hermione didn't seem to notice.
"'…Harry Potter's well-wishers must hope'," Snape continued, his voice dripping with condescension, "'that, next time, he bestows his heart upon a worthier candidate.' How very touching." Snape rolled up the magazine. "Well, I think I had better separate the three of you, so you can keep your minds on your potions rather than on your tangled love lives. Weasley, you stay here. Miss Granger, over there, beside Miss Parkinson. Potter – that table in front of my desk. Move. Now."
Tevelle pushed aside her freshly crushed scarab beetles and reached for the ginger root. As she sliced, a sudden movement near the front of the class caught her eye. Keeping part of her mind focused on mincing the roots in front of her with careful cuts, Tevelle turned her gaze so that the periphery of her vision included Snape and Harry at the front of the room.
The movement that caught her attention turned out to be Snape reaching into his robe to extract a small bottle. He held the crystal vessel out towards Harry, the liquid inside was completely clear, and were it not for a bubble of air near the stopper, the bottle could have easily been empty.
Now that's odd. Through the haze of scents consisting of ginger, beetles, armadillo bile, parchment, ink, and human sweat, there was one spot curiously absent of odor. The potion in the bottle had absolutely no scent whatsoever. The surrounding scents were clear. Snape's robes, while apparently recently washed, had absorbed a myriad of scents from potion making that no number of washes would remove. Even the crystal bottle and stopper had picked up the faintest traces of surrounding scents. It was very uncommon for something to have no scent whatsoever. Even objects that gave off no scent of their own, while apparently odorless to less sensitive noses, revealed traces of scents from their surroundings. Almost nothing had no smell, especially to a vampire's senses. In context that meant this colorless and odorless potion could be only one thing. Veritaserum. Curiosity once again aroused, Tevelle tuned her ear towards the two, hoping to pick up their conversation.
"Do you know what this is, Potter?"
"No."
"It is Veritaserum – a Truth Potion so powerful that three drops would have you spilling your innermost secrets for the entire class to hear," Snape's voice was no doubt barely audible to a human ear, but to Tevelle the viciousness in his tone was clear. "Now, the use of this potion is controlled by very strict Ministry guidelines. But unless you watch your step, you might just find that my hand slips right over your evening pumpkin juice." Snape shook the bottle slightly to emphasize his point and the carefully controlled anxiety in Harry's scent spiked. Snape continued after a moment, "And then, Potter… then we'll find out whether you've been in my office or not."
To Harry's credit he did not react beyond turning his attention studiously back to his ginger roots. Snape, satisfied his point had been made, swept his eyes over the classroom to ensure everyone was working.
Tevelle returned her full attention back to her cauldron, stirring carefully before measuring out the specific amount of armadillo bile necessary for each of the next few steps. The timing for this next portion was crucial, and she decided to save contemplating the conversation she had overheard for later. No doubt there was more to Snape's reasoning than his dislike for Harry. Veritaserum was complicated and time consuming to make, even just that small of a portion. Snape would not utilize even the few drops necessary for such an inconsequential matter as a student pilfering supplies or sneaking about after hours.
Stupid, pay attention, Tevelle berated herself. She had nearly poured in the wrong amount of bile and had lost count of how many times she had stirred the concoction in the cauldron in front of her.
A knock on the door echoed unnaturally loudly through the quiet classroom.
"Enter," said Snape with casual sternness.
"We need to talk." The voice of the new arrival surprised Tevelle and she lost count once again.
Cursing at the odd shade of orange her potion had taken, she decided that the potion was hopeless and her time would be better spent eavesdropping.
Tevelle turned her attention back to the front where Snape and Karkaroff were talking. Something had spooked Karkaroff, and even without the sharp scent of fear in his scent, Tevelle could not have missed the nervous way he twisted a finger through his goatee or the shifty way he tried to speak without moving his lips.
"I'll talk to you after my lesson, Karkaroff," Snape muttered, but was interrupted by Karkaroff.
"I want to talk now, while you can't slip off, Severus. You've been avoiding me." He was slipping close to the edge of panic and trying to cover it up with affront. Neither Tevelle nor Snape were deceived.
"After the lesson," Snape snapped angrily.
Karkaroff, aware that he could not win, hovered near Snape's desk for the remainder of the class, grudgingly holding his peace. As the rest of the class filed out, Tevelle shrunk into the shadows by the door and carefully slunk her way into an out of the way corner at the back of the classroom. From here she had a clear view of Snape and Karkaroff, but she would not be in the direct eyesight of either. With luck and a bit of skill, they wouldn't catch her snooping.
The door slammed shut and the noise of the students died almost instantly.
"What's so urgent?" Snape demanded in a hiss.
"This." Karkaroff pulled up his left sleeve, baring his inner forearm and shoving it towards Snape. The dark outline of a skull stood out starkly to Tevelle's eyes.
"Well?" said Karkaroff insistently. "Do you see? It's never been this clear, never since –"
Tevelle swallowed sharply, she had an inkling what Karkaroff had been about to say. The Dark Mark never heralded good tidings.
"Put it away!" snarled Snape, suddenly peering around the classroom, having finally noticed they were not alone.
"But you must have noticed- " The agitation in Karkaroff's voice made the pitch heighten sharply with panic.
"We can talk later, Karkaroff! Potter! What are you doing?"
"Clearing up my armadillo bile, Professor," said Harry innocently, straightening up with a rag in his hand as evidence.
Karkaroff, as if finally realizing his blunder, wheeled and fled the dungeon. Harry, no doubt picking up on the murderous intent roiling off of the Potions Professor was not far behind.
With the final bang of the heavy door, Snape wilted slightly. Tevelle relaxed as well, allowing a small movement of hers to catch Snape's eye.
"I suppose you heard all of that, Nightshade." Snape growled angrily, but the tiredness behind the tone was clear.
"Of course. I saw the mark on Karkaroff's arm as well," Tevelle supplied, seeing no reason to hide. She shoved down on her own anger and discomfort. "It is of no matter to me, however," she continued with a carefully controlled nonchalance.
This surprised Snape. He looked at her intently, his dark eyes boring into hers. Tevelle did not break eye contact. There was no need as Legilimency was not effective on vampire kind. Snape was the first to avert his eyes.
In an odd, exhausted and nearly plaintive voice, Snape said one word. "Why?" A hand clutched convulsively at his left forearm, knuckles white with pain. His scent revealed no small amount of anxiety and anger at allowing his own weakness to show.
"It is of human concern. Vampire kind does not interfere with Human matters unless such matters directly affect Vampire concerns." She explained flatly. With that statement, Tevelle left, allowing Snape to gather his dignity and rebuild his usual shield of a facade.
As she walked, she contemplated what to tell Xeven of this incident. Somewhere deep her inner beast growled and she fought down the sick feeling she always felt when faced with something to do with Voldemort, the monstrous man Tom had become.
It would be best just to give Xeven the straight facts and let the older more experienced vampire make of them what he will. She and Xeven had planned to meet up in Hogsmede the next day anyway, and this was simply one more thing to add to her list of things to bring to his attention.
She would keep her emotions in check and prevent her own personal feelings from interfering with what would soon be Coven business. As a fledgling, she still had a good number of years until she would be included in important Coven matters, and even longer before she was included in Vampire politics, especially policy concerning humans.
The politics where Wizard-kind and Vampire-kind intermingled was usually under the jurisdiction of the Coven Heads and occasionally the Seconds. Very rarely did it filter down to the level of the Coven members and never to the Fledglings.
Tevelle nodded firmly to herself, gripping the strap of her bag tightly. Yes, that was how it would happen.
The next day, as she waited anxiously at a corner booth in the Hog's Head, Tevelle found it much more difficult to box away her tangled emotions.
"You alright there, Tevelle? You look a tad peaky." Aberforth commented as he came by to deliver a mug of blood-wine.
"I'm fine, just a lot on my mind."
Aberforth nodded his understanding, and in an uncharacteristic move, slid into the seat opposite her.
"Is it classes? I'm sure the schedule is still difficult for you, and it must be strange to be sleeping in the hours completely opposite what is natural." Aberforth's clear blue eyes were focused solely on her.
Tevelle smiled at his concern. "The schedule is strange, but the classes aren't that bad as the curriculum hasn't changed all that much since the last time I was here."
"Ah, so it is ghosts and memories then," The clarity of the statement struck a chord uncomfortably close to the heart of the matter and Tevelle found herself taking of a sip of the blood-wine to gather her words.
"I suppose you could say that," Tevelle forced out a wry laugh that she did not feel.
There was a short moment of silence laced thickly with understanding. A small chime on the door rang, heralding the arrival of Xeven and Aberforth gave the hand Tevelle still had wrapped around the mug an understanding pat before standing to greet Xeven. Couched in the simple gesture was the unspoken promise of an empathetic ear.
"What'll it be, old friend?" Aberforth asked loudly in greeting.
"Surprise me, if you would, I am sure a skilled barkeep such as yourself knows what drink I desire far more than I." Xeven answered with a small smile.
Aberforth made a show of contemplation before declaring. "I have recently acquired a plum-wine with more than just a dash of AB positive blood that I believe will be to your liking."
"That will do splendidly, thank you, Aberforth"
With that Xeven took the seat that Aberforth had so recently vacated. Folding his hands and placing them patiently on the table, he turned his attention to Tevelle.
"You're late," Tevelle accused playfully.
"My apologies, Fledgling. I can only hope you have been suitably entertained in my absence." Xeven's tone was flat with mock severity.
"The wait has been a long one," Tevelle continued in the same tone, unable to keep a teasing note out of her voice, "But Aberforth was kind enough to keep me occupied with the task of sampling several of his fine blood-wines."
"Very well then," Xeven said, turning briefly to accept a fluted glass filled with a deep red liquid. "Thank you, Aberforth."
Aberforth nodded before returning to his post behind the bar.
Tevelle eyed the smooth clay mug she had been given and looked at the fine glass that held Xeven's drink. "Why do you get the fancy glass?" She blurted.
"It is a matter of elegance and culture." Xeven answered dryly, swirling the contents of his glass once, giving it a cursory sniff, and a small sampling sip. After a moment of contemplation he nodded and raised his glass towards Aberforth with approval.
"Are you saying you have more class than me?" Tevelle asked, trying to cover her almost false affront with a hasty overlarge sip from her own drink.
"Yes, and I believe you have just proved my point." The teasing would not have been noticeable to anyone who knew Xeven less than Tevelle.
With a spluttering laugh, Tevelle put her mug down and eyed her mentor wryly, "Fair enough," she conceded.
"What has been eating at you, little bat?" Xeven spoke silently, not quite breaking the comfortable silence that had filled the air between them for several minutes.
"Lots of things. The air has been so tense lately and I can't pin down why."
"That is true. The air is like that before a storm. Something has been brewing, but the nature of that storm whether it be natural or magical, elemental or mortal is difficult to discern."
Tevelle relaxed slightly, glad that she had not been imagining it.
"There is something else, yes?" Xeven prodded.
"Yeah, it happened in Potions yesterday." Tevelle proceeded to explain as thoroughly and concisely as possible what she had witnessed. "It probably doesn't concern us, but I thought you would want to be made aware."
"You thought correctly. The behavior or Severus Snape and Igor Karkaroff is unusual, and the observation about the Dark Mark is of note. However, as things stand at the moment, events have not reached a point at which we should become involved. We will watch and wait. Be wary, but do not draw any conclusions and we will see how things develop."
Tevelle nodded, feeling some of the tenseness leave her now that the matter was solidly in Xeven's more capable hands.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed. Please review so I know if people still like this story.