"Charlie, Karl, have you seen Annick? I can't find her anywhere!" Alejandro peeked into the Common room.
"Annick? Last I saw her she was taking off this morning," remarked Karl. "What d'you want her for?"
"I found a way to adjust the thermometer. We can get the temperature of her flame!"
"Rotten luck. I guess she's rolling down some hill at the moment. You'll have to wait," grinned Charlie.
"Why's she always gone? I almost never see her here anymore," complained the Spanish tamer.
"Annick has an advantage in her form. Compared to us, she can manage her daily work in a while. She'll do what she's supposed to do and then she's officially free to do whatever she wants. And whatever she wants is always somewhere in the reservation I guess. I don't believe I've seen her here for more than one meal a day. Must be her dragon self. Dragons don't need to eat that often, too," shrugged Karl dryly.
"Hey, Elwin! Do you know where's Annick clawing around every day? We almost never see her any more and Alejandro wanted to measure temperate of her flame," yelled Charlie over the room.
Two heads rose on the opposite side of the room. Elwin was analysing a number of photographs from the reservation for the past three hours with Matt.
"I don't know. She'll show up eventually. Collect your questions for her and you'll get the answers when she returns," shrugged Elwin.
"Do you know when she'll come back?"
"By evening. She knows your family is coming, Charlie," Elwin returned to his pictures.
"Elwin?" ventured Matt after a while of silent working.
"Mmm?" the old man mumbled.
"What's Annick's name?" the question came in a precisely measured, casual tone.
Elwin took a breath to answer, but then he stiffened. He raised his eyes to Matt.
"If she didn't tell you, I won't."
"Thought so. I just realized she only ever said that nickname of hers, even at introductions. And don't you know why's she always leaving here? She never did before."
"I rather think you could answer that one for me. I don't know everything about her, Matt, regardless of whatever it is you seem to think. I know of her life before she came here, but she's way too closed for me to know why she's doing half the things she does, never mind what she feels. I only know that she started disappearing around the same time you two began keeping your distance. Since then, she's more closed off than she was ever before. If you were inclined to tell me what the hell happened between the two of you, I would be very grateful."
Elwin kept his eyes trained on the pictures during the whole talk and Matt's mouth curled unhappily. He was right, again. He thought Elwin had a hard time trying not to tell him something ever since that night. He was sure he'd notice that something happened, anyway. Annick had really changed since the night he encountered her at the lake. She joked less, behaved more-or-less inconspicuously all the time, and avoided him if she could do so and not cause undue attention. He didn't know if she suspected he'd say something to others, but she no longer played the role of a light-hearted person. Sometimes he felt her eyes on himself, but never caught her staring. He rather felt she was doing what he told her to do - make herself scarce if she didn't want to tell them. It wasn't the best move she could have made. She should have told them of the feud and who it aimed at and be done with it.
When Matt stayed silent, Elwin continued in a quieter voice.
"Whatever happened, you should solve it. I've never seen Annick behave as she does now and I don't like it. Ever since I've known her, she was happy and joking half the time."
"That's a mask. You've got to know that," snapped Matt. His voice sounded with a slight condemning tone and Elwin's eyes darted up to meet his.
"It is," he agreed. "However, I am much happier when she's playing a game of a life she wants to live rather than see her fumbling in her reality. She's had enough sadness for two lifetimes. I don't want to see it trailing behind her if I don't have to. It's more than enough, knowing it's there."
"It's not only sadness she has lurking around her. Do try to tell me a person who swore a blood feud isn't dangerous," Matt challenged him, staring at him sharply.
"She's not dangerous to you! Not to anyone, unless they have-" Elwin cut himself off, took a couple of deep breaths and continued in a calmer voice. "Is that it? You realized she isn't what she seems to be and that she swore, and you told her? Is that why you're avoiding each other?"
"I've no idea why she's avoiding me," retorted Matt. "However, I am not about to trust someone, who's got such anger and hatred boiling inside, and who didn't cope with his past."
"Have you told her that?" countered Elwin.
"Of course!"
Elwin stared at him for a minute, then he bristled again, even more so than before.
"She's had enough pain for a whole lifetime! Don't you dare hurting her again! Swear to me you'll never leak it and I'll tell you who she is!"
Matt wasted no time in drawing his wand and giving the wow. He got what he wanted, even though not as painlessly as he maybe could. But that didn't matter. He needed to know what that bloody feud was about and why the hell Elwin obviously didn't think it endangered anybody in the reservation. Of course it endangered those in the reservation! Blood feuds weren't so specific in their targeting as to remove any chance of interference.
It seemed Elwin spoke without thought, when he made him that promise. And Matt wasted no time in taking his word, thus taking away the possibility of Elwin taking his word back. He had to tell him what he promised, now. He closed his eyes and rubbed them with his hands.
"Christ, that girl'll kill me," he opened them and looked into Matt's face tiredly. He sighed. "OK then, follow me."
He led him upstairs into his office, locking the door and making sure no one could eavesdrop before sitting down. He took a deep breath and looked over at Matt.
"Tell me, how much do you know about the war against You-Know-Who?"
"The first or the second?"
"The second."
Matt frowned. "I know that You-Know-Who rose somehow and gradually started the second war. It lasted only two years before Harry Potter defeated him in the Battle at Hogwarts. Until it happened, it was much the same is before, during the first war. People were disappearing and dying."
"Do you know which families were killed off?"
Matt shook his head. "I only know a couple of names."
"Does the name Kinnon ring a bell?"
Matt shook his head again.
"It was a Half-Blood family. He didn't manage to kill them during the first war, but everyone knew they were probably next on the list. He killed off an Irish branch of that family - McKinnons. They weren't simply related, there were many similarities between the two branches. Both were first generation Half-Blood for example. During the second war, he sent out a group of his Death Eaters to take care of them. The whole group was found dead the very next day, lying in the same room as their victims. Artur, Marlen and their children Anabel and Mick were dead. They were tortured extensively and killed with Avada Kedavra, women raped and beaten before that. The dead Death Eaters looked like they were attacked by some sort of animal. No one knew Kinnons had a family pet and it was never found. There were large claw marks found on the bodies, as well as traces of some unknown type of venom. Only one member of the whole family survived, but disappeared. From time to time Death Eaters were found in various places, killed in much the same manner as those in the Kinnon house. You-Know-Who kept sending out his followers to finish the job. Not one of them ever returned and no one heard of the last Kinnon. The name of the last member is Anna Isabella Crista Kinnon."
The silence reigned for a few seconds, but Matt got it together quickly. "Annick and her Animagus."
"Indeed. I thought she used to have some familiar that did all those things. I only realised the truth when she told us she was an animagus," Elwin looked as if he thought he told him everything he promised. Matt didn't think so.
"Who did she swear the blood feud to? You know it's a terribly unstable, violent old magics, Elwin, anyone unknowingly interefering with it could set it off. You should have told us she swore so we knew we needed to be careful. But you both kept it quiet."
"I know the magic itself is dangerous as hell, of course I know, Matt. But I also know there is no way it'll be set off unknowingly. It's too specialized."
"You cannot specialize targeting of a Blood feud, Elwin!" Matt was frustrated.
"You can if the target itself is specialized already. She swore a Blood feud to the Dark Lord Voldemort, and his loyal Death Eaters, followed by people loyal to their case if they intentionally threaten her life. That was the most she could narrow it down and it is enough. It won't be set off by anyone who doesn't deserve it."
Well, that was true. She actually managed to narrow it sufficiently. But there was still the question of collateral damage.
"What about collateral damage if she finds a Death Eater here?"
"There are no Death Eaters or people agreeing with those opinions here, Matt. I am in the position to know this and I made sure of it before I told Annick she could come here. I knew the feud would lay passive here, until she's found. And if a stranger comes here to meet his lord's wishes, the feud will not join us with him."
"Oh. That's fine, then. But those targets are all in hiding," said Matt, already satisfied with his questioning. He would have to apologize to Annick, he surmised. He couldn't know she managed to specify and unspecifiable oath or that they would go to such depths to ensure it was so completely safe. It was a rather atypical feuding wow. "Or dead or in Azkaban. The feud should have disappeared as met, but it's still active."
"As it should be. Think about it, Matt. There are still some loyal Death Eaters out there, free, trying to meet their Lord's wishes. He wanted all the Kinnons dead. He was furious when she escaped, costing him four of his stronger followers. He left his order standing. They are searching for her, just as they were before, so the feud remains active. If any of them find her, they die. If they die before finding her, and there are no Death Eaters willing to see it to the end, the feud will disappear on its own. Old magic is rather intuitive in this."
"Old magic is connected to every living magical being and creature at all times, of course it has a way of knowing these things."
They paused.
"Is that why she doesn't mention her name? So they have a harder time finding her?" it was more of a statement than a question.
"Yes. Now would you be so kind and leave her alone? I want her to feel as comfortable as she can before they find her again. And don't tell anyone about her, because if she is found because of you, you'll wish you never found out."
"I already swore to it," remarked Matt. "I can't say I want to become a squib now. I've only got a hundred years left before retirement if I take you as a role model."
"Will you try to talk it out with Annick? I don't really know why she's so upset; she usually doesn't really care about anyone at all. It seems as if the conflict with you threw her off a bit, though."
"I'll talk to her. Can I tell her I know about her? Will she really kill you?"
"No," Elwin laughed. "But she won't be happy with me, going around blabbing about her most treasured secrets. But she shouldn't be very angry, she's already told four other people since she's here after all."
"Who?" asked Matt, surprised. He thought she didn't tel anyone that was why he was so put out with her.
"Not dragon tamers. People from Hogwarts. Albus and the three Professors who accompanied him."
"Mmm," Matt got up and looked at Elwin. "Well, that being done, can we get back to work, before the visitors get here?"
AN: Edited.