Chapter 30- For Good Measure
Donovan apparated us straight to his estate. As I looked around the marble floors and walls adorned with sconces and portraits, I realized he probably hadn't been here in a long time. The house was big, but it gave me that same empty feeling that I got anytime I stepped foot into these types of places. These places always belonged to someone who was wealthy and probably powerful so I had to always be 'proper Lily' the whole time. But this was different. I'm not Lily at all anymore. I'm Cassandra Mihailov and this is my home where I live with my husband, Donovan.
Three House Elves popped into the foyer with us and Donovan was giving them instructions for arrangements and dinner. Two popped away just as suddenly as they appeared but the third and oldest looking elf stayed behind. Donovan led him up to me, introducing me as his wife Cassandra.
"You need to add Cassandra to the wards so that she may come and go as she pleases." He instructed the elf.
The House Elf hobbled toward me and extended his hand. I stared at him with confusion until Donovan sighed with impatience saying,
"He needs your hand."
I reached my hand toward the elf and it grabbed it quickly with a sharp prick. I yelped and looked down to see the blood in my hand.
The elf, however, gave me a strange look and turned to Donovan.
"Master, this is..." But Donovan cut him off.
"I'm aware. But she is the one I told you about. You will protect her and grant her access." Donovan said.
The elf nodded and bowed to Donovan. Then it came back toward me, reaching for my hand once more. I hesitated, but placed my hand in his expecting another stab of pain. But this time, the elf held my hand tightly and a warm sensation spread over my hand as it glowed blue for only a few seconds before the elf released me. I looked down at my hand and was surprised to see it healed and perfectly normal.
"Will there be anything else Master?" The little elf asked.
"That will be all." Donovan said.
The elf bowed to both of us before disappearing.
"Well, since you're now set up through the wards, I'll show you around so you don't get lost or wander into places you don't need to be." He said.
I rolled my eyes behind his back.
We went to the kitchen, the dining hall, the ballroom, the music room, the drawing-room, the different sitting rooms, the gallery, the huge library, the many bedrooms and bathrooms, the several different offices, one of which was Donovan's private office I was forbidden to enter, the greenhouses, the gardens, and finally my room. I was also warned from entering the attic and basement and a few locked bedrooms. In fact, I got the feeling that the real point of his little tour was just to tell me where I wasn't allowed.
After the 'tour' Donovan walked me to my room and left me at the door. I walked in and threw myself on the bed. I lie there for a moment before I chuckled as I thought, if only my mother could see me now. Cassandra has the life she wanted for me. Married to a rich guy with an old popular family. My room was nice, certainly large and luxurious, but it was just a room. I'm used to large and lavish and luxurious. Unfortunately, I'm also used to the loneliness that usually comes with it. And on that note, I couldn't help thinking about seeing James in Hogsmeade.
The way James looked at me, it's like he knew it was me. And while I knew it was James the second that I saw him, I also knew it wasn't the James I remembered. The guy I saw in Hogsmeade was just a shell of the person that I knew James Potter to be. Sirius and Remus and Peter had all stumbled out of the pub laughing. James, however, looked somber. The James I knew, he was always laughing with his friends especially when they were all together. So I wondered, what had happened? Was there something going on back at home? Or was it simply that I had left him the way that I had? I hated myself for hurting him, and seeing him just made the guilt that much worse. Charlie had sensed me and ran out to the street, the others had no clue what was going on and that was also in part to their obvious consumption of alcohol. But James looked right at me as soon as I spoke, as if he recognized me. Then again, would you really know someone based on their voice alone? But I just couldn't shake that look. It was like he was looking through me, in that way that only James Potter can do.
I sat up and looked at the clock, 30 minutes until dinner. I walked to a set of doors and pulled them open. A large bathroom was inside. I walked over to the next set and found the closet. Beautiful and expensive gowns lined down one side. Expensive robes of all kinds of fabrics and colors lined the other. It was truly set up for someone who lived a glamorous and rich lifestyle. I walked past the ball gowns and saw cocktail dresses and day dresses and further back there were trousers and button down shirts. A knock at the door signaled Donovan was here to escort me downstairs for dinner.
Dinner was a quiet affair. We ate some wonderful food, though Donovan wasn't one for making conversation or small talk. The house elves were pouring us tea when he decided to debrief me on my schedule.
"Tomorrow I'll be taking you to the house where you'll be working. This operation was set up here in Germany, but the Death Eater in charge is British. I can't say I like the guy, but fortunately he doesn't take part in any of the Death Eaters' attacks. At least I don't have to worry about leaving you alone, even you could take him out... most likely. I'll apparate you to the site tomorrow morning."
I nodded.
Just when you think he's paying you a compliment, he follows with an insult.
The house we apparated to wasn't much of a house at all. It was an old house, a couple of floors with windows boarded up and hedges overgrown. The roof was missing in some spots and the front porch looked as if it would collapse any minute. The whole house looked dangerous and I had no clue why anyone would want to go in there, it was basically a death trap. It looked like it had once been a nice house, but now it looked abandoned and forgotten. Not to mention the creepy woods backed up to it a little too closely for my liking. We walked closer through the old iron gates that were missing bars and only hanging on by half the hinges. Once we stepped through, I came to a sudden stop. The house had changed! It must have had a glamor on it to anyone outside of the gates. The house was in pristine condition. Hedges were nicely trimmed, the fountain had lost its green mold and weeds and was running with clear water. The windows were clean and none missing or broken. It's times like this you can appreciate magic.
"It's enchanted so muggles and magical alike won't want to step foot near the place. The only people who can get in are those that have been here before. You can come through on your own now that you've entered with me." He said.
I nodded.
"Who's house is this?" I asked.
"There's a small possibility that someone donated it the Dark Lord's cause. But most likely he had some muggles killed for it." He said.
I decided I should just stop asking questions.
We walked into the house and through the first floor. There was a kitchen and bathroom but it looked like the other rooms were converted to storage and workrooms.
In the back of the house there was a large room with several tables and cauldrons set up. And in the middle of it, a man dressed in black robes turned around to face us.
I tried to mask my features as much as possible to hide my surprise. I never expected the person I was going to be working with to be someone who I knew. But here he was, Severus Snape stood scowling before me.
"Snape, this is my wife Cassandra." Donovan said.
Snape nodded in my direction.
"I have to go meet with my supplier today to restock, we can start tomorrow." He said.
And Snape quickly left the room.
I turned toward Donovan, and being sarcastic I said,
"Well he seems like loads of fun."
"James, will you stop already? I told you, I don't know who she is. It was a total coincidence, I just needed some air." Charlie said with great irritation.
Sirius said nothing but rubbed his chin as if he were deep in thought.
"Charlie, you ran out of that bar like you were on fire. You knew it was her, you sensed her, didn't you? And don't think I didn't catch that wink you gave her. Besides, I'd recognize her voice. It is Lily, isn't it? Come on, it's the only thing that makes sense. Every time I've asked the Ministry about that program they have no idea what I'm talking about. She's doing something undercover. I know Lily! Nothing else makes sense." James said, clearly proud of himself for figuring it out.
Charlie sighed.
"If Lily did happen to be undercover and disguised as a different person, what are the odds that she would just be strolling through Hogsmeade at night with her husband? If Lily went undercover as some spy she would probably be out doing something, not walking through Hogsmeade! Let's face it, you want Lily to be reachable to you. I don't blame you. But I don't know where she is any more than you do." Charlie said.
"Right. I'll believe that load of dung when Merlin appears riding a flying unicorn wearing nothing but his starkers." James said.
"Now you see, this is the creative side of you that I've missed." Sirius finally joined in sarcastically.
He was clearly bored with the entire thing.
"Don't you start. I know you're hiding something Sirius. And if I find out you know where Lily is, it'll be the last thing you've ever lied to me about." James said.
"Resorting to threatening the innocent? Is it really that hard for you to take a hit to that ego of yours?" Sirius asked.
"What? Are you actually insinuating I'm upset because Lily left me and how it would make me look? You aren't really that daft are you?" James said.
Sirius shrugged.
"Well you're acting like a buffoon, I'll have you know. She left you and she very obviously doesn't want to be found. Why do you insist on going around like a kicked puppy trailing after her? It almost makes me ashamed to be associated with you." Sirius said.
James looked shocked. He had never seen Sirius act with such malice! Sirius was his best friend, he was supposed to be the most understanding at least. The most sympathetic had always been Remus, but Sirius had always been his silent support.
"When did you become so much of a-" James started.
"Oh do finish what I'm sure is going to be a witty insult." Sirius said.
James shook his head.
"I was going to say, when did you become such a Black?!" James said.
Sirius looked as if he wanted to snarl before he composed his features into a blank mask.
"I've always been a Black. Maybe you would do well to remember that." He said.
"So this is what Harpor was talking about. What has gotten into you, Sirius?" James asked.
"Running around gossiping with my exes now?" Sirius asked with distaste.
"She came to me and said it was like you were a completely different person. She was worried about you." James said.
"I should apologize for not meeting everyone's standard then?" Sirius asked.
"You're a fool, Sirius. And once you've pushed away everyone that ever cared about you maybe then you'll see it." James said.
And then James was gone, slamming the door behind him.
Charlie shook his head and slumped onto Sirius' couch.
"He's never going to give up until he finds her." Charlie said.
Sirius pulled out a bottle of Firewhiskey and poured two small glasses, handing Charlie one.
"I hate having to do this to him. When he finds out, he'll never forgive me." Sirius muttered, swallowing the contents of his glass in one go.
"And what about when he finds out about the other thing?" Charlie asked.
"What other thing?" Sirius asked.
"Sirius, you quit the Auror academy just a couple of weeks away from finishing. And coincidentally, right when a string of Knockturn alley dealers we were watching go missing. One wonders who would go through the trouble of taking them all out." Charlie said.
"You're accusing me? You think me a Martyr?" Sirius said.
"Moody thinks whoever did it wants to be the only trader in those parts. So now all the Death Eaters have to go through him, seeing as everyone else is in jail now. A lucrative business person or an idiot fancying he'll have a go as spy." Charlie said.
Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Not to mention you've apparently broken up with your girlfriend and have now got your best friend pissed at you. Looks like someone's trying to cut connections." Charlie said.
Sirius huffed.
"I admit to nothing." He said.
Charlie shook his head.
"I just hope you know what you're getting into, mate." Charlie said.
"Oh haven't you heard? I'm a Black. I was bred for this." Sirius said with disdain.
And with that I woke up, looking up at my ceiling in Donovan's house. Now my subconscious was just slipping into Charlie's mind without me even trying. It was very strange.
"I expect everything to be kept in order here. All ingredients need to be put up when you're finished. I expect you to clean all of your cauldrons and utensils when you are finished as well."He said.
"Of course, Master Snape. I worked with Master Donohough, he wouldn't accept anything less than perfection." I said.
"Good. Then maybe you won't turn out to be too much of a disappointment." He said with snide as he walked to the cupboard he kept ingredients in.
"Make the list of potions on the table." He called.
I looked down and rolled my eyes. Seriously? Healing droughts, burn salves, abrasion lotions... Oh and look, ambrosia, Drought of the Living Death, and then a few I had never heard of.
I walked to the closet where the cauldrons were kept and started pulling out a bunch of different ones.
This was going to be miserable here, I could already tell. I decided to brew two at a time just to show him I'm better then he thinks.
And I don't know why I expected anything more, but every time he walked by he was making some comment.
'It says slice not hack!' and then there was, 'Mihailov! Don't be pompous, two potions at once is just asking to be improperly brewed!"
And of course after all of them were finished he merely looked at them and walked away.
I bottled them just so they weren't wasted. At least my time felt somewhat productive. He spent his time over cauldrons and notes making sure I couldn't see what he was doing.
Though I could have sworn I saw him grab Mandrake and Datura. I definitely am not drinking anything from him. Those will have you out of your mind or dead in seconds depending how you prepare them. But maybe that's what the Death Eaters were slipping people these days? I knew I needed to find out. But I'll have to get on Snape's good side, or at least have him trust me.
I left when Donovan arrived that evening and couldn't be more happier to. Snape was just as snarky as I remembered him to be from Hogwarts. But I hadn't forgotten his warnings to me either. A Death Eater trying to keep a muggleborn safe? There was more to Severus Snape than meets the eye. And I intended to find out.
"How would you have me help you today?" I asked, though I was already looking for a list of beginners potions he wanted me to brew today.
We had been on the same routine for weeks now. Every day I do useless brewing while he secretively pours over cauldrons and making notes.
I had also learned to just ignore his rude and snide remarks. Those too had become routine.
"Well, I suppose since you've actually proved adept at potions I can actually trust you to do something other than a basic healing drought." He said.
I grinned at the prospect of doing something exciting. All I've been doing are healing droughts and occasionally he asks me to make some of the most complex potions I've ever seen and then as soon as they're done he looks at them and vanishes them. Just like that, no commentary whatsoever, no explanation. Of course I realized they were all tests, but how many times was he going to test me on caldron thickness, brass or aluminum stirrer, making me check my scales a million times, and then treating me like I'm just a first year potions student. It's like training with Donovan. Except I haven't even seen Donovan in over a week. Donovan wants me to tell him every single detail of my day, but like always, he tells me nothing of what he's up to. I'm just stuck living in his manor all by myself with the exception of a few house elves. Even when he isn't away, he's always in his study or shut up in his bedroom. And that's fine with me, it's annoying enough to play Donovan's docile wife every day.
"Mihailov! Are you listening?" Snape asked.
Jeez he can sure startle someone right out of their day dreams. He ought to be a professor.
"I'm sorry, what did you ask?" I said nicely.
He frowned.
"I asked if you knew anything about
Monkshood?" He said.
"It's highly poisonous." I said.
He stared at me for a second longer.
"So what would you say to drinking a potion with Monkshood in it?" He asked.
"I wouldn't. It would kill me almost instantly. What kind of test it this? This is basic potions knowledge." I said.
He sighed.
"I've experimented with it. And I suppose I might accept your opinions on its uses." He said.
"So you don't know what else to do?" I translated.
He shot me a dirty look.
"I mean, exactly why are you experimenting? Are you trying to produce a potion with a specific effect?" I asked.
"Yes. A controlling effect." He said.
So this is what Voldemort wants to make? A potion to control people? It's like a potion form of the Imperious curse. My mind started jumping to all conclusions.
"Why are you using Monkshood then? It's a poison, at the very least a strong hallucinogenic." I said.
He hesitated.
"The Dark Lord wishes to posses control of the werewolves." He said.
"What?!" I said.
He raised an eyebrow at me.
"I mean, that would certainly be difficult." I said.
More like impossible.
"Are you being deliberately infuriating or does it come natural?" He asked.
"My apologies, Severus. Do you have notes I could perhaps look over? Otherwise I won't really know how to help much." I said.
He nodded.
"Of course. I'm very thorough when documenting my experiments." He said.
He waved his wand and several scrolls came flying toward him.
"Read these. We'll meet here again at 8am on Thursday. A few days should be plenty of time for you." Snape said.
I nodded.
"I'll read them and make notes of my own, if you'd like." I said.
He gave a short nod.
The basement door creaked open and Donovan strolled in.
"Snape, I hope you're finished. I've just gotten back from some very important and very secret business of the Dark Lords and you see, I've dreadfully missed my lovely wife. I'll be taking her home now." He said.
Snape simply turned away.
I looked at Donovan like he was crazy as his hand went around my wrist pulling me along.
We left the manor grounds and he apparated us to the countryside. Out in the middle of nowhere.
"What are we doing h-"
"What did he give you?" Donovan demanded.
"Huh? Oh, scrolls. On potions experiments." I said.
"Hand them over." He said.
I pulled them from my robes pockets.
"Why are we out in the middle of nowhere?" I asked.
Donovan waved his wand and one of the scrolls burst into bright blue flames.
"Hey! I have to read those!" I said.
"Not that one, you don't. It was a fake with a tracking charm on it." He said.
"A what?" I asked
"Come on, let's go." He grabbed my hand and we apparated to 5 other random locations before we finally were back at Donovan's manor.
"What are you doing? What's going on?" I asked.
"Someone slipped you a tracking charm. Probably wanting to know where I live. Foolish of them, really. But anyways, from now on, you apparate at least 5 different random places before you come here. Understood?" he said.
"But why are they trying to find where you live?" I asked.
"Cassandra, do you understand me?" He repeated.
I huffed and rolled my eyes.
"Yes! Ok! I will!" I said.
"Good." He said.
And he walked out of the room.
Well, who says I'm finished talking yet? I made to follow him when a house elf popped in front of me.
"Would Mistress like tea?" It squeaked.
"Oh, um, not now." I said.
It looked so sad not to be able to do something for me.
"Actually, tea would be nice. Thank you." I said.
With a 'pop' it was gone and I continued my way upstairs to find Donovan.
I followed Donovan up to his office and swung open the door, ready to have a row if that's what it took for him to actually tell me something.
He was standing shirtless looking into a full length mirror. His back was covered in bruises, some old and some new. I gasped at the horrific scene.
Donovan must have heard me but he didn't turn around to acknowledge me. I pulled out my wand and did a summoning spell. A silver canister appeared in seconds and I walked forward towards Donovan. I opened the lid and looked at the salve inside, sticking my hand in to scoop some out. I could see Donovan watching me in the mirror, but he didn't say anything or move to stop me. I walked up behind him and gently rubbed the salve on his back. He sighed in relief as the cooling sensation took effect.
"You're lucky Snape made me prove my worthiness and make all kinds of random potions as a test, this being one of them." I said.
He chuckled.
"Right. I'll be sure to thank him." But we both knew that wouldn't happen.
"What was with that little show today?" I asked.
I really wanted to ask where he got these bruises, but that was bound to make him just clam up again.
"I don't like the way he looks at you." He said.
"What, like I'm a blithering idiot who has no idea what she's doing? You're right, those looks are reserved for you to give me." I said.
He very suddenly grabbed my wrist and turned me to stand in front of him.
"That's not true. I don't look at you that way. Well, I suppose in training maybe. But only because it seems to motivate you." He said.
"Hmm. Motivation. Right." I mumbled a reply.
I felt a little embarrassed now.
"You're doing amazing Cassandra." He whispered.
I looked up.
"Amazing? I'm doing nothing! I sit and try to convince a Death Eater that I know how to brew! How helpful is that to The Order? I only just found out what we are really working on!" I said.
"Are you still there? Yes. Did you convince him you know what you're doing? Yes. Are you still successfully fooling him from your true identity and the fact that you're a spy? Yes. So I call that a very good accomplishment." He said.
I sighed.
"Any chance you're going to tell me where you got these bruises?" I asked.
"What bruises?" He asked.
He turned to look at them in the mirror and they had all faded to barely visible.
"How about I start telling you what you tell me. Nothing." I said.
I slammed the lid on the canister and turned to the door.
"Vampires." He said.
I turned around. Donovan gestured to a chair by the fireplace and I sat down as he walked over buttoning up his shirt. It was then I noticed the tea-tray. Oh, those elves are good.
"The Dark Lord wants the Vampires on his side. Only, the Vampires don't very well like having anyone tell them what to do and give them commands. They're very aristocratic that way. Anyways, I've met with a few trying to discover the clan leaders. They also happen to like their privacy and get very upset at being followed." He said gesturing to his back.
I nodded.
"So Vampires and Werewolves?" I asked.
"Werewolves?" He questioned.
" I thought maybe you heard us talking earlier since you knew about the scrolls, but that's why Voldemort wants potions masters. He wants a potion to control the werewolves." I said.
Donovan ran a hand through his hair.
"So that's what Barnabas was talking about..." He muttered.
"Barnabas?" I asked.
What an odd name.
"Yes, he's one of my Vampire contacts. He's pretty connected to all the different clans, I guess he's a drifter of sorts. He said the clans weren't interested in being commanded like dogs." He said.
"How do they know?" I asked.
Donovan shrugged.
"Vampires don't live so long by being stupid. They know things and they know people who tell them things." Donovan said.
I nodded.
"And what about the tracking charm?" I asked.
"I really don't know. I don't think that Snape would be that foolish, but someone could have slipped it in his possessions. But were they trying to track him or hoping he would give them to you? And whoever did it now knows the vague vicinity of your lab. It is unplottable, but that doesn't mean they don't have a better clue." He said.
"But who would want to find out about it? You think that it's the vampires as well?" I asked.
"It's my first guess. I don't think any of the Death Eaters would be foolish enough to try that knowing the Dark Lord would retaliate. It could be Order members, Dumbledore knows you're stationed there but I doubt he's told anyone about it. We only just found out what you're working on, he wouldn't really have a reason to. So that leaves the vampires. Or, someone else entirely. And that I hate to think about." He said.
I just nodded.
"Just be careful." He said.
Someone should take their own advice.
That night my subconscious once again took me to Charlie's mind.
"I hate stinking patrols! Why do we have to walk around Diagon Alley all night anyways? Nobody is out here!" The girl next to Charlie complained loudly.
"Shhh. Alice, keep it down alright? And you know why we have to be here." Charlie said.
"This is so stupid though. Why would anyone want to partake in any exciting and illegal activities with us walking around dressed in our Auror robes? Like any D.E. would be here." She said.
"Moody said it wasn't about that at all. It's to boost the morale of the people so that they feel safer and so they won't go through with that stupid movement Crouch is trying to push on the Ministry." Charlie said.
The girl, Alice, shook her head.
"I don't know where in the world the M.L.E get off thinking they need to use the unforgiveables. The Aurors don't use them and we are against it! Besides, the Aurors are the front line of the war anyways so you'd think the Ministry would take us into consideration. What arrests have the M.L.E. made lately anyways? Yet they are the first to take credit for our work! Oh, that pompous Barty Crouch better hope I never come across him." She said.
Charlie shook his head.
"Yea, you and me both. The guys just as bad as the D.E. stooping to that level. " Charlie said.
Alice looked at him appraisingly.
"I like you. I think we'll make great partners." She said matter of fact.
"Yea, Alice, as long as those two older brothers of yours don't kill me for speaking to you." He said.
"Gideon and Fabian are harmless!" she said.
"Yeah, say that to the six D.E. they arrested a couple of days ago." He said.
She laughed.
Charlie grinned as she walked ahead with her hands in her pockets whistling loudly.
I woke up in my dark bedroom, staring up at the ceiling and blinking away sleep.
So, the Ministry of Magic is considering using the Unforgiveables?
"So, I read your work and based off what you've tried I thought we could go a slightly different route. I have scrolls here of several different potions we could try. Of course, they all include Monkshood as well and you can only harvest on full moons." I said.
"I have plenty already harvested. Did you make notes on mine?" Snape asked.
I nodded, handing over all the scrolls after returning them from their pocket-size form.
He took his and looked through them.
"Silver utensils?" He asked.
"Well, yes. And a silver cauldron. Silver is bad for werewolves, maybe it will make the Monkshood drinkable."
He nodded.
"Interesting theory." He looked through some of mine.
"We'll set up cauldrons. Starting today." He said.
He showed me into a locked room where the gold and silver and bronze and platinum cauldrons were. And I wondered how they got all of these because they sure aren't cheap to come by. Who was supplying this? And how did he have so much harvested Monkshood on hand? Any ingredient I named, he had. And some of these were quite rare and pricy. I just hope nobody died for this.
We went through the potions and he debated me on several quantities for some of them, but eventually we worked out the most effective amounts of ingredients to use and set up.
"We have enough Monkshood for all of these, but I'll have to visit my supplier before we can have any other trials. So don't botch them up." He said.
I rolled my eyes behind his back.
"Some of these need to be checked over night." I said.
He nodded.
I left a list of which potions that needed to be checked, wrote down exact times, and which way to stir with which utensil. I handed them to Snape silently as I left at the end of our usual work time.
"Donovan?! Are you here?" I yelled into the manor.
I wasn't surprised when their was no response. Donovan was always gone doing something. I walked up the stairs to my room to shower. I didn't matter how great you were at freshening charms, nothing beat that clean filling like hot water and soap. Especially when you've stood over brews all day while vapors soak into your hair and clothes. It had become a part of my routine. I stopped, however, when I noticed the house elves had collected some owls today. The usual newspapers were there but also some letters.. One specifically caught my eye. It looked like an invitation. It was addressed to Mr. & Mrs. Donovan Mihailov. That means I could open it.. But I'd better not. Besides, it was probably some social function Donovan had been invited to based on his family's money. And Donovan did not seem like the type to go to these sorts of things.
"So it came then."
I jumped and turned to see Donovan standing behind me looking at the envelope. I handed it to him and he opened it.
"What is it?" I asked.
"A party we're going to." Donovan said.
He handed it to me.
It was written in the fanciest calligraphy I'd ever seen. Extremely formal, probably going to be really awkward.
"We're going to this?" I asked.
"Unfortunately. It's a Pureblood gathering. A lot of Death Eaters will be there. Don't expect any hoods though, they'll be flaunting about like the rich fools they are. " He said.
"So why do we have to go?" I asked.
"To make appearances. The host invited me personally. And seeing as I need him, I can't very well turn him down. He especially wants to meet you." Donovan didn't look happy about it though.
I looked back at the letter.
"Barnabas is hosting it? I thought you said he was a vampire drifter? How is he hosting this?" I asked.
"How indeed. He spends half his time being the most elusive man I know and the other half flaunting around with the best of the best. I'm not quite sure what game he's playing." Donovan said.
"But he's a vampire." I said.
"Yes. But you wouldn't know if I hadn't of told you. So don't let on to anything different. I'm guessing you've never been aware of meeting a vampire before?" He asked.
"I haven't!" I said.
"I'm sure you have and didn't even know it. Most of them blend right in with other people." Donovan said.
"But why does he want to meet me?" I asked.
"That part I'm not too sure about. I can only imagine that he knows about the manor and wants to size you up. He is not so socialite as to simply want to see my new pretty wife. There is always an ulterior motive with him." Donovan said.
"Is the operation in danger?" I asked.
He shook his head.
"The Dark Lord has many protection charms on the place. Nobody would be stupid enough to step foot there. But that doesn't mean they wouldn't try to get the brewers to talk." He said.
I nodded.
"When is it?" I asked.
"We have a few days yet. It's Friday night." He said.
I nodded.
"I suppose we'll need to go have a dress made for you." He said.
"Why? There are tons upstairs." I complained.
"You know as well as I do it's more about being seen and picking up the gossip at those shops then anything else. Nobody has really met you. Might as well make a show of it. I'll chaperone you and get them all talking. You'll be swept into their circle in no time." He said.
"Oh how wonderful." I said sarcastically.
He gave me one of those, 'don't even start with me' looks.
I stomped up the stairs as loudly as possible, just for good measure.