Chapter Six

The Half Blood Prince

Caelyn hadn't figured out what had happened to her on the day her husband came home so angry. She was in her room reading, as usual, when she heard several crashes and even some angry cries. At first she ignored it, but it kept going. When it stopped, she began to worry. She had hesitantly walked the his office, which she found destroyed. Her husband was sitting in a chair with his head in his hands. She had called out to him and black.

The next time she was conscious, she had awoken in her bed. Now a few days later she couldn't remember anything. Caelyn sighed and ran her hand through her hair in exasperation. He was gone at the moment - or had been gone since yesterday morning. Apparently, the Dark Lord needed him. The silence she was gifted with should have brought her happiness, but instead she was jealous. Why doesn't he need me? I pledge to serve, yet he won't even summon me. She was mentally growling at herself as she flipped the covers over her body.

She decided that she would take the day to snoop around a bit. Her husband was gone and the world was wonderful. Well, she couldn't exactly complain. The man was not at all bad to have around. His presence was comforting. She did wish they could at least speak to each other more, but he never seemed like the conversationalist at Hogwarts, so she shouldn't expect such of him now.

About a week ago, she had seen him enter a door behind the staircase in the foyer. This had her curiosity set in full throttle. She had never seen the door before, but perhaps she was just not attentive enough.

After a quick prance down the stairwell, she snuck around behind the stairs in case one of the house elves were to see her. He might be angry if he caught her. However, he never actually told her she couldn't use whatever was behind the door, so if she was seen, she would have a perfectly good alibi. She stood in front of the door, You can practically feel the wards coming off of this. For a moment, she studied the entrance and tried to decide how to play this.

Slow pit pats of feet hit her ears and she ducked into the dark between the stairs and the wall. A few moments later, Grimm appeared. He placed his small gray hand on the door and it clicked open. Caelyn's eyebrows shot up and the elf entered. She took her opportunity, and ducked into the doorframe before it resealed. To her surprise it worked, and she secretly followed the elf down the stairs.

Once they reached the main floor, she placed herself behind a pillar and watched the house elf. He took out two vials from his pocket and placed them onto what seemed to be a potion supply shelf. Of course, you moron, he's a Potion's Master. He needs a lab somewhere. She silently laughed at her memory lapse and watched the elf return up the stairs.

The door slid back into place and the crystal sounds of the wards layering it followed. She moved from behind the pillar and looked around. It was surprisingly lighter in here. The room was underground, she was positive.

There were two lab tables parallel to each other close to the entrance of the room. They closely resembled those at Hogwarts, but these were of much higher quality. Lab tables were usually made of cement or cheap stone, but these were based of a dark rich wood and the tops were a glistening grey granite. Caelyn ran her fingers over the cool, slick material. She found herself wondering what spell he used to keep them in such mint condition.

Her green eyes moved from the table tops to the supply shelf. She strides towards it and began to survey the contents. There were certainly things she could not find on her own, and many illegal. Well, illegal to the rest of wizarding society. Unicorn blood, that was certainly illegal, even if you didn't kill the beast. There was a couple of Mandrake seeds, which were exceedingly rare if you were not working as the Herbology professor at a school, or perhaps just Hogwarts. There was even Basilisk scales, which Caelyn found ironic, but then she supposed it was easier to find a molted skin than actually come close enough to extract venom from the monster's mouth.

She placed the snake skin back to its place among the many ingredients. Caelyn always wondered what a potions lab would smell like if preservative spells were not placed on the should-be-rotting items that the vials held. She wriggled her nose at her imagination.

Ready to explore the next thing, she spun around and found a desk - or a paper engulfed table at best - there was parchment sprawled everywhere with both printed and handwritten words etched across them. She laughed at the mess and instinctively began to sort out the papers, but then she remembered where she was, and placed the papers back down, but not before she noticed an open book laying on the table. Caelyn turned her head to the side. It was a plain sixth year potions book; a copy of the very one she had owned when she was sixteen. Her own copy was lost in her closet in her parents house. With one hand she slipped it out, and gently put the small stack of papers back to where they had been atop of the book.

Curiosity eating at her, she flipped open the first page, Property of the Half Blood Prince. Her eyebrows furrowed, she wondering if this indeed was her husband's book. She studied the handwriting and that of a near by bit of parchment. They were indeed the same. How strange.

Every potion, literally every potion, had been edited. Things were crossed out and rewritten in her husband's small fine cursive handwriting. She was utterly blown away. A sixteen year old boy, could correct all of these potions, which were composed by licensed Potion's Masters. It made her feel silly since she was not the best potion's mistress. In fact, had it not been for her fellow Slytherins she would have failed her NEWTS if she had not had their marvelous help.

There was no way of knowing what amount of time had passed. Caelyn couldn't seem to put the book down. It was completely engrossing. All of the potions she learned had been wrong. As she got further back, she began to see scribbles to the side. Spells, she supposed.

Acripatha - causes a sharp pain in the abdomen.

Prehendre - seizes objects from desired witch or wizard.

Sectrum Sempra- creates sword like gashes on victim.

Volversus - increases caster's influence over a person.

She was sitting against the wall, her knees drawn up, and she was chewing on her nail idly while she was engaged in the words of the book. The sun was setting making the laboratory darker. Caelyn knew it would be dark soon, but couldn't bring herself to stop. Her eyes were squinted as she absorbed the information. Small sounds of her stomach could be heard echoing off the walls.

About ten minutes later, Caelyn was sitting in darkness, and the words on the page had completely mixed into the darkness. She growled in frustration and put the book under her jacket, and was thankful for it's small size. Without thinking, she stood up swiftly feeling her joints pop.

A familiar loud groaning of the door raced through the air and Caelyn held her breath. She frantically tried to search for somewhere to hide, but there was simply nothing to get under or to block her from view. Her eyes locked onto where the sounds of footsteps starting erupting. Well, it can't be an elf. She tried to laugh, but was to nervous for the endorphins to do their job.

The torches that lined the wall ignited with passion and the entire laboratory once again came into view and there stood her husband in his robes. She felt like a fish out of water or maybe a robber caught with a bag of money, her mouth opened and closed a few times. He leaned to one side and crossed his arms. His right eyebrow raised in demand of an answer. Caelyn did not know what to do. She swallowed hard and decided she might as well try to get something out, but as she started he cut her off.

"I should have figured out you would be down here," he stated looking stern, but then a smirk formed on his lips, "I thought the Slytherin would never come out of you."

The breath she had been holding came out and she laughed along with him. She put her hand behind her head and rubbed her neck self-consciously. There was nervous tension, at least on her end, she had so much to ask, but had no idea where to begin. The man in front of her just stared in silence. He wasn't ogling her, he was just looking at her, silently. Which, of course, unnerved Caelyn.

He came towards her, "I have been rude these past few weeks. Please forgive me, but I was just as jolted as you by this marriage," he chuckled looking right into Caelyn's eyes, making her even more nervous, and he continued, "So, I propose we start over." He smiled and held out his hand, "I'm Severus Snape."

At first she suspected a trick, he was a Slytherin after all, but then quickly decided good company was well worth the try. She took his outstretched and shook it. Incredibly, it was actually warmer than she would have suspected.

"Caelyn Lockney," she smiled broadly, as their hands moved slightly for a brief moment. She felt relief rush to her as they parted. The man - or Severus - ran his hand through his shoulder length hair. She had never had the chance to fully look at him, and here she was completely lost in his features.

"So," he moved away from her as he was talking, and went to his paper littered table, "find anything interesting?"

Her blush deepened. He was looking over a certain roll of parchment and seemed to notice her embarrassment, "No need to worry," he chuckled, "what's mine is yours right?" He smiled, "Or something like that. Anyway, I do not believe you'll infringe upon my inventions."

A small smile came to her lips, "Are you doubting my Slytherin again?"

To her surprise, he laughed, not sarcastically, "Not at all." She smiled back, swinging her torso back and forth lightly, it help with nerves. He looked back at his papers as he began to roll each of them up, "Besides if you were to make any money, it would go into my Gringotts account."

Caelyn snapped her fingers, "Darn, you discovered my secret." The two laughed for several seconds and then she began to help him roll and organized his notes.