CHAPTER 38: PEACEFUL AFTERNOON
(Ilya POV)
"How do you do it Ilya?" inquired a fifth year Ravenclaw female named Jane, as they walked out of the Transfiguration classroom.
"What do you mean?" replied the white-haired girl, with her own question. "If you want to use the Replication Curse it is really easy, you know. Would you like me to teach you?"
"No, it's not that…" said Jane, who flushed slightly, having been part of the ¾ of the class who were unable to use the spell. "I mean… just this morning, you told everyone in the Great Hall that McGonagall was a loveless old hag…so I thought…"
Flashback
"Geminio."
"Well done, Ms. Emiya, you are once again the first one to cast the spell properly," said the voice of the Transfiguration Professor, Minerva McGonagall, in her normally stern voice, though with an unconcealed note of being pleased, as she scrutinized the duplicate of the wine glass. "Ten points to Ravenclaw..."
"Thank you Professor," replied the silver-haired girl cordially, lowering her wand, as Professor McGonagall now took both wine glasses, the original and the duplicate, from the female student's desk, and brought it up front for everyone to see.
End of Flashback
"So you thought she would try and get back at us for what we've done?" inquired the silver-haired girl.
The girl named Jane nodded.
The silver-haired girl contemplated in her thoughts for a bit. She could not help but feel her respect for the Deputy Headmistress increase. After the little mind game they played with the Transfiguration Teacher at breakfast, it would not have been surprising if she started treating them harshly and with partiality, yet it wasn't the case. Despite the negative emotion that the silver-haired girl could sense coming from Professor McGonagall, the teacher had continued to treat her fairly and justly in the classroom, although this may also be due to the fact that said teacher was rumored to have a soft spot for students who were obedient, serious, and performing well in her classes, traits which applied to Ilya, who made it a point to behave herself inside the classroom (For now, at least.).
"Ilya did no such thing," Rose cut in, as the blue-haired girl walked beside the silver-haired girl. "She merely asked Professor McGonagall on whether or not it was true, and was left unanswered. In case you've forgotten, Alice was the one who started it, telling McGonagall that she didn't have a love life."
"Talking behind my back now, are we?" mused a familiar female voice, as two hands wrapped itself, one each, on the silver-haired girl and the blue-haired, as they continued walking in the direction of the Great Hall, while Jane bade them goodbye as she went off in the direction of the Transfiguration Courtyard.
"Not really," replied the blue-haired Ravenclaw Prefect nonchalantly. "Since you were right behind us, we were technically talking in front of your back, not behind it."
"Still, from the way McGonagall was acting, it was pretty obvious," said the black-haired girl, as she removed one of her arms from Rose, and wrapped both of them around the silver-haired girl.
"Would you mind letting go of Ilya, Alice?" spoke a raven-haired young man, with a note of irritation in his voice.
"Oh, are you worried I might take your Ilya away?" teased the black-haired former Gryffindor, making the raven-haired young man scowl. "Fine… then I'm taking Rose instead."
To Ilya's amusement, Alice suddenly withdrew from her embrace and then latched herself onto the blue-haired girl instead.
"Whaaa…what're you doing… g-g-g…GET OFF ME!" cried Rose, now red on the face, as the black-haired female was now rubbing her face against her chest, the blue-haired girl struggling to break free…
"So anyway, Sev," began Ilya, as her two female friends continued squabbling. "What are you and Alice doing here? If I remember correctly, according to your schedule, you have Defense Against the Dark Arts around this time?"
"Cancelled," replied the young man, the frown on his face not disappearing. "Professor Flitwick just informed us about it."
Hmmm… now that's odd, thought the white-haired girl, as her boyfriend continued to discuss about how it was likely that the current D.A.D.A, whoever it was, could have gotten cold feet and decided not to teach anymore, seeing as for the past few years, no teacher of said subject lasted more than one year teaching, most of whom died, through various circumstances, which include getting killed by Death Eaters, old age, or simply rotten luck via freak accident(Which included slipping on a slippery floor and breaking one's back, definitely a freak accident for any wizard.), while a couple of fortunate ones decided to resign for fear of suffering the same fate as the others. There is no rational explanation for it though, magical or not. Again it's just a case of most unfortunate inci…
But then, speaking of unfortunate incidents, the white-haired girl froze.
The Root be damned, thought Ilya, as a cheerful-looking large bellied teacher was walking down the Grand Staircase, towards their direction.
-BREAK-
(Ilya POV)
"Sev," whispered Ilya urgently. "Please cast a Disillusionment Charm on me." While she was already sufficiently able and knowledgeable when it comes to casting many of the spells of this world, this was one of the Charms she has yet to learn to do properly (While she can actually cast the spell, her boyfriend's variation actually provided far better concealment, already beyond the simple chameleon-like state.).
"What? But wh…OW!" asked the boy, apparently confused, but the white-haired girl gave him a painful nudge with her elbow, and his wincing caught the attention of Rose and Alice, who stopped their little quarrel, having been distracted.
"Just do it, hurry!" hissed Ilya, as a certain person was now walking down the Grand Staircase.
"Alright…alright," said Sev, as he waved his wand and cast the requested spell, just as a certain cheerful teacher caught up with them.
"Good afternoon Professor Slughorn," said Sev, Rose, and Alice together, as a stout, unSlytherinely jolly Head of the House of Serpents stopped in front of them, panting heavily.
"Good afternoon to you too," replied the Potions Masters, who was still panting, but was looking at them intently. "Do you people, by any chance, happen to know where Ms. Emiya went? I think I just saw her with you a few moments ago?"
Ilya was not pleased. Ever since she has shown off a bit of her skill when it comes to making potions, having successfully concocted the Draught of Peace, faster than her classmates, as well as conducted herself and her manners accordingly like a good and obedient student, the Potions Professor, Horace Slughorn, who was originally nervous and fidgety around the silver-haired girl (So unlike a Slytherin.), was now looking at said girl as if he had just found another nice addition to his collection, and was using every end of class as an opportunity to try and recruit Ilya to his little Slug Club.
"No sir," said the three students in chorus, sheepishly.
"Oh, all right then," sighed Professor Slughorn, sounding disappointed. "Well, if you do see her, please tell her to come to my office when she has some time to spare."
"Yes, Professor," said the three once again in unison, with impassive faces, as the teacher headed off for the dungeons…
"You know, it would be better if you just agreed to join his club, Ilya," said Rose, as the raven-haired young man removed the spell he cast on the silver-haired girl. "Alice, Severus and myself are also members, after all."
"No, thank you," said the white-haired girl, with a disgusted look on her face. "There's no way I'm joining a club that is run by a D.O.M…"
"D.O.M?" inquired Sev, but the black-haired former Gryffindor and the blue-haired Prefect, who seemed to understand what it meant, snorted.
"What do you mean Slughorn's a D.O.M?" inquired Alice, who seemed had a curious expression on her face, unconvinced, while the blue-haired girl and raven-haired young man look puzzled. "Look, I know Slughorn's the Head of Slytherin and all, but as you said yourself, being a Slytherin doesn't make a person evil. When it comes right down to it, he's actually quite a nice teacher, nowhere near as strict as McGonagall. He's…"
"Let me ask you a question," the white-haired girl cut off her friend. "Whenever he attends classes, Professor Slughorn always has two cauldrons on his table, am I right?"
The black-haired female nodded. Ilya looked towards the blue-haired girl, and at her boyfriend, who also gave the same response as Alice.
The silver-haired girl continued her inquiry.
"Does he use both cauldrons for his Potions lectures?" she asked.
"No." replied Sev.
"Then, what does he use the other cauldron for?"
"As a container for our submitted essays," said Rose automatically.
"Oh?" voiced Ilya inquiringly. "But if I remember correctly, he has been occasionally throwing some tissue paper into that cauldron as well."
"Ilya, what exactly are you implying?" inquired Alice, although from the expression on her face, the silver-haired girl could tell that she seemed to be starting to put two and two together.
"And I think you also noticed," began Ilya, with a dark look on her face. "That the Potion Master's desk is different from our other teachers'. You may find this fact to have no significance, but I have."
A long moment of silence passed. Then…
"You cannot see the entire lower portion of the person sitting behind it," said Rose quietly, a look of shock and realization on her face, before putting her hand over her mouth, in obvious disgust.
"But what does that mean?" inquired Ilya's boyfriend, who still looked confused. "And what does D.O.M. stand for, anyway?"
It was not pleasant, but she knew that Sev had a right to know exactly what they were talking about.
If rhetorics won't work, then I'll just tell him directly, sighed Ilya. She preferred implying things to avoid saying it literally, but as her boyfriend was unable to comprehend...
"Ugh… I'm never attending any of those meetings again..." moped Alice, as the blue-haired girl shared the same horrified and disgusted look she was wearing. "That particular cauldron… last time it was used as the pumpkin juice container for the Slug Club's party…"
-BREAK-
(Severus POV)
At first he was confused. He did not know what his girlfriend and their other two companions meant. He was curious. He needed to know. Severus asked for enlightenment, and was thus enlightened…
"That bastard…" muttered Severus between gritted teeth, finding it difficult, despite all his training in controlling his emotions, to control his fury.
Which is why it took a while for the raven-haired young man to ease his rage. Yes, Horace Slughorn, overall, was not such a bad teacher, and from Severus Snape's perspective, even if he had not been the Head of Slytherin, he was his favorite teacher. He was cheerful, a bit goofy, rather over eccentric, and was fond of students who excelled at Potions. Indeed, his little Slug Club was actually exclusive for those who were good at Potions (which, unfortunately, presently included three out of four of the Marauders, as well as…Lily…). Now, however…
The raven-haired young man's view of said Professor has completely changed, and with good reason. Severus Snape's brain was actually currently processing a number of different simulations for the best way to end the life of the D.O.M, Horace Slughorn, slowly and painfully (He now knew what those three letters stand for.).
If Ilya hadn't held him in a tight grip at the time, Severus was sure that he would have rushed down to the dungeons and shoved the most toxic substance in his arsenal down the large-bellied man's throat.
"Shouldn't we at least try and report this… to Dumbledore perhaps?" said Rose, who was wearing a displeased expression on her face, trying to be rational.
"No," said Ilya firmly. "We would just be wasting our time."
"But," began Severus in an almost snarl, his rage hardly kept under controlled.
"Look, Sev," began Ilya. "Even if we tried and report what Slughorn's doing it will get us nowhere. It was simply in his imagination. Technically, he hasn't done anything wrong."
"And you think that wasn't wrong, fantasizing about his students?" scowled Severus, as his temper rose again.
"By students, you mean 'Ilya', right Severus?" inquired a black-haired girl suddenly, trying to sound innocent.
"Even just thinking of those things is already a grave offense, especially for a teacher!" snarled Severus Snape, trying to get his point across, which, from his angle, he thought should be obvious.
"Then, I suppose we should also report you," Rose joined in.
"And what do you mean by that, Rose?"
"Well for starters," said Alice, with a malicious smirk. "You're probably also thinking of the same kind of things Professor Slughorn was thinking about, am I right?"
Severus had had enough.
How dare they accuse of me of being like that D.O.M! thought the raven-haired young man furiously, and has begun roaring out in retort when…
"I'M NOTHING LIKE SL…MMMM?!" Severus found his voice funnel blocked, as a soft pair of lips locked on his own…
"Feeling better?" inquired the silver-haired girl, as she withdrew from her attack.
Severus nodded sheepishly, blushing, completely forgetting about the rage he was feeling just a few seconds back, not even minding the teasing comments and look of annoyance that he was being given by Alice and Rose. He was at peace with himself…
What would I do without you? thought Severus, thankful that he had someone by his side to keep him in check whenever he got out of line, and the fact that that someone was the one he loved made it even… much, much better…
"Like I said," began Ilya, who was also red in the face. "Technically, Slughorn has not done anything wrong. In fact, you should actually pity him. All he can do is fantasize and imagine about whatever it is he is fantasizing and imagining about, for he will never be able to have the real thing." And before Severus could utter a word of response, the white-haired girl locked lips with him once again.
The raven-haired young man knew that the black-haired girl and the blue-haired Prefect were watching, but being in the bliss he was in at that moment, he couldn't care any less…
-BREAK-
(Severus POV)
"So, where exactly are we going?" inquired Alice. After taking a quick detour through the Great Hall for some snacks, the group of four people was once again on the move.
"Ilya?" said the raven-haired young man inquiringly.
His silver-haired girlfriend, however, merely smiled instead of answering, which Severus understood as an implied 'you'll see when we get there.'
Knowing there was no point asking if he was just going to find out anyway, the raven-haired young man, along with Rose and Alice, followed Ilya, who skipping and humming to herself as they went…
Finally, after walking for a little while, they were finally in front of a brick door (which was pretending to be a wall), on the fourth floor.
Wait… this is… don't tell me… thought Severus, as he realized exactly where they were headed to.
"We're nearly there," declared Ilya.
"I never knew there was a hidden passage and corridor around these parts," commented a blue-haired girl, as she inspected the surroundings.
Severus could not agree more, for even he only managed to learn of it because of Ilya. In all his years at Hogwarts, he had never noticed it. But then again, with the countless secret passages, as well as the fact that everything in Hogwarts seemed to be moving, it would only be normal to spend seven years at the school without knowing about its every nook and cranny…
Hmmm?! Severus felt a spurt of energy, noticing that Ilya placed more energy into her magic circuits than the usual constant amount.
"Sev," whispered Ilya to the raven-haired young man's left ear, as she hastened their pace slightly, to get out of earshot of Alice and Rose, who were following behind them. "I plan on telling them about it. Will it be okay with you?"
"About what?" inquired the raven-haired boy.
"You know what I mean..."
"Of course," replied Severus automatically, knowing instinctively that Ilya was probably talking about something magecraft-related, as she had asked him this about this issue a few times already, and this time, she seemed to have finally decided to act upon it.
"Do you think it will be okay?" whispered his silver-haired girlfriend, her voice with a hint of nervousness in it.
Severus raised his eyebrows, seeing the hesitant expression on Ilya's face…
Ever since they started hanging out with Alice and Rose, he had predicted that things could probably eventually come to this. He had known, from the start, that Ilya was a secretive individual. Even up to this moment, he knew that there were still a lot of things that his girlfriend was not telling him. Still…
He could also tell that the silver-haired girl did not particularly like hiding things from her friends. She can be painfully honest at times, and only ever concealed information which she found too crucial or essential, or else when it is not necessary to talk about it. And also…
It's her choice, thought the raven-haired young man to himself. In the past he would have reacted differently, but that was the old him, not his current self.
Yes, it was up to her as to who she wants to share her secrets with, and Severus Snape has accepted this fact, although he was really happy that Ilya had opted to consult him first. In their time together, both of them have developed a mutual trust for each other, and therefore, when one of them was unsure with what to do, they would turn to the other for advice.
The silver-haired girl seemed rather nervous about revealing this particular aspect, and Severus knew why. While she does not show it openly, Severus was sure that Ilya was afraid of the possibility that their two other companions might not react positively upon finding out more about them…
"It will be fine, Ilya, don't worry," said Severus, as he stroke the silver-haired girl's hair.
When Ilya first asked him on the issue of telling Alice and Rose about magecraft, it actually took a while for Severus to respond, contemplating on stating that he was against it, with good reason, for he was also unsure of how things would turn out.
However, in the past few weeks, he had learned something very important. To trust, to have faith in people, especially your friends. It was a great feeling to live with the knowledge that there are people who will accept you for you are…
And if his gut feeling was telling him the truth, then, Severus Snape knew, that there was absolutely nothing to worry about. Everything will be fine…
"Rose, Alice," said the silver-haired girl, as they stopped in front of a wall, no, a door pretending to be a wall, as there was a doorknob in the middle.
"Hmmm?" voiced Alice, curiosity in her voice.
"Yes, Ilya?" said Rose.
"There is something I would like to show you," began the silver-haired girl, as she turned to face her friends, giving one glance at Severus, who nodded encouragingly, as Ilya Traced a small knife-key out of thin air and inserted it into the keyhole…
-BREAK-
(Crouch Sr. POV)
"Very well, you may go," said a curt voice. "Please keep me updated on any new developments."
The woman, who was carrying a bundle of parchments containing complicated equations made by her students, bowed, then took her leave, using the Floo Network.
"Is there any problem sir?" asked another witch, who was wearing a formal attire, like a secretary's, as she finished writing down the details of the conversation.
"No, there's nothing wrong," replied the man calmly.
"Would you like me to get you some coffee, sir? Some tea perh…" but the secretary paused as the curt-voiced individual raised his hand, in a silent gesture. "…Okay then sir."
The problem is, there is no problem, thought Crouch, as he placed some tobacco into his pipe and igniting it, before sitting on his chair.
Any normal person would have been glad. It has been two weeks since the Hogwarts Express incident, and so far, nothing else has happened after that.
There had been no Death Eater activity since the 31stof August. No unexplained disappearances, no dead bodies suddenly turning up, no families massacred, no attacks on Muggle communities… there was none, nothing at all, and it bothered Crouch greatly. It was an eerie silence, worryingly eerie, and the dark grey-haired man knew that it was just another calm before a brewing storm. Lord Voldemort and his followers were undoubtedly biding their time. They were probably discreetly recruiting more people to the Dark Side, slowly gathering forces, until the time was right to strike again.
The Magical Law Enforcer knew that he should be happy about the turn of events. The Dark Lord and his minions, after all, have suffered a major setback, their plans delayed and thus forced them into their current predicament… but it was the cause of this setback that added greatly to Crouch's worries.
That girl, thought the Magical Law Enforcement Head, as he took another smoke from his pipe. Who exactly is she?
Yes, the girl was an enigma… an unstable and unknown factor. From the report he received from one of his trusted people, the girl was… from her words… dangerous… probably just as dangerous or even more so than Lord Voldemort himself.
Crouch's subordinate was actually trembling slightly when she told him her story, about how the silver-haired girl humiliated and made a fool out of the Dark Lord, defeating him and his entire army in one swift, calculated move. There was no doubt about it. The girl who went by the name Ilyasveil von Einzbern-Emiya was a force to be reckoned with…
And the fact that she had been keeping a low profile as well… for Crouch, it was unnerving.
He had tried. The moment that word reached him about what happened, Crouch, along with some of his men, immediately went into action, to place the silver-haired girl under his custody…
And failed...
CRACK
"Sir, are you all right?" inquired the female secretary nervously, as the smoking pipe the head of office had just been using was now lying in two halves, the ashes scattered on the floor, leaving burning marks on it.
"I'm fine," replied Crouch in his usually curt and calm voice, although he was actually seething on the inside. "Please take care of this mess… I'm going out for a walk."
"Yes, sir," replied his office assistant, who pulled out her wand, as Crouch closed the office door behind him.
Crouch knew that it would be impossible to get to her now directly. For some reason or another, the girl, like the Dark Lord, had connections inside the Ministry, and there was no doubt in his mind that some of the Aurors, (especially one ambitious novice named Rufus Scrimgeour, who Crouch was not in good terms with), and also probably included the Head Auror himself, were allies of the silver-haired girl. Unfortunately, Richard Parker, while lower in rank to him, was an old acquaintance and friend of the Minister of Magic, Ronald Dreamweaver, and thus was able to manipulate things in such a way that rendered the girl's case nearly untouchable… from a direct assault at least. Still…
It was not as if the Head of Magical Law Enforcement was helpless on the matter. While he will not be able to do things out on the open, he does have a spy in Hogwarts, in the form of one of the teachers, who was secretly working for him, giving him every little detail she could on the school and its occupants, but was currently tasked to focus on the silver-haired girl, her friends, her habits, her strengths, her weaknesses. And also…
"Father, did you call for me?" asked a fourteen year old boy, who had just stepped out of one of the Ministry's fireplaces.
He has another card to play…
I guess I'll just have to wait and see, thought Crouch, a displeased expression on his face, which made his son cringe...
For while he was gifted in magic and politics, he was not blessed with naturally long patience, yet will have to endure due to the current circumstances…
After all, patience is a virtue…
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Alright, another chapter out! It's been a really busy for week at school and at work, so it took a while to finish this one.
Anyway, one important thing is that I finished it. And another important thing is that there at least some people who enjoy reading my fics… Gotta go, though… since I have a lot more work piling up on me.
It's still a long way to go... but once this fic is completed, I'll definitely do some massive editing and rewrite... hopefully I'll have some free time then, once I finish my degrees...
I'll at least try and keep my promise to update once a week…
Later then, people…