I am very sorry for the delay in posting as my schedule had been hectic lately. [Not an excuse I know...]
Anyhow... this is as usual, non-betaed work so...
Usual disclaimers apply [I'm still poor, sadly]
I would also like to use this opportunity to thank these wonderful people for their wonderful insights and inspiring thoughts
argwyn2365
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Sebastian limped to the next class. His injuries were not checked at the infirmary at his insistence as he hated the mollycoddling given to students. Heavens know what poppy could diagnose him with to force him into bed rest for days. He had survived worse on his own no thank you.
The whole morning, worried and curious looks were given in his direction and it did nothing to improve his mood; if any, it made him feel worse. Weak. He placed several numbing spells and a combination of cushioning charm and invisible casts in the area affected and around it. The bone resetting would hurt like a bitch and could wait until later when all his day's agenda was complete. The only thing he could look forward today is potions class as he would give his acceptance to the internship offered by the pretty man. To his chagrin, the man does seem capable of teaching basic and semi-advanced potions and he found it quite soothing to not be watching dunderheads especially Longbottom melt cauldrons and creating dangerous fumes. He gave a mental snort if you want to have a suicide mission to kill all the death eaters, send Longbottom to brew in their midst.
"This is a creation of mine," The professor said in front of the class showing off a vial around his neck held fast by a thin silver chain "An offspring of the happy marriage between veritaserum and babbling potion. I call it salaisuus revelant or the secret revealing potion" he smiled as if telling them about the newest antics of his favorite child. "Taken properly, this would cause a person to tell a secret but unlike the veritaserum, the induced will not be a blabbering mess but instead will have a choice on what he or she will say but it does have a clause of not saying the same or similar thing already said in the vicinity." The man moved along the spaces between the desks to let each one see the potion in its finished form. "Depending on the dose and administration, the effects can last anywhere from five minutes to a whole week; increasing its potency when a person fights it and wrecking mental defenses until a secret is said often in uncomely company. The effect, however, will stop immediately after a secret is told. My experience taught me that it is better to use the shorter route"
"Pair up," he said and waved his hand in the direction of the front of the room "Instructions are on the board"
Hermione immediately set out and copied the necessary ingredients to get in the storage while Sebastian set up the brewing station. The copper cauldron was placed atop a tripod while a magically produced kindling sat under it heating it to the perfect temperature for brewing. Chopping boards and potion knives were arranged as per the nature of ingredient and its interaction.
They started to brew in a quiet synchronized manner of two partners who had worked together for years. Sebastian would measure and cut, dice or peel the ingredients as necessary while she will be stirring the cauldron and putting the ingredients in exact times like clockwork. They worked smoothly for an hour before the cauldron emitted a satisfying green smoke. The blonde professor gave them an unsurprised look before placing their potion in a stasis and moving on to the next cauldron wordlessly. A few paces and some indiscreet instruction from Hermione later, the whole class is ready for the final touch.
"And now for the last ingredient; a drop of veritaserum. You must know that it is a ministry regulated substance as it is subject to abuse and as such only a drop per cauldron is allowed. Now here goes" The potions professor said putting a fat drop on the cauldron beside him. The clear liquid caused the cauldron to fuzz and turned the potion into a reddish hue
"I want to learn how to billow" the professor confessed as he inhaled the completed potion but quickly recovered looking at the whole class who stared at him gobsmacked "what? It's a cool thing to learn like flight without brooms and turning straw into gold"
"I wear red suspenders" The student brewing the potion said
One by one, the drops of the truth potion was added and the students eased at saying their non-incriminating secrets
"I'm bad at potions," Neville said but when it didn't work, the potion forced him to tell another."Herbology class reminds me of my parent's garden" he sighed and looked down finding his shoes suddenly interesting.
"Crowds drain my energy"
"I hate cats"
"I take some time fixing my hair," Malfoy said "an hour; every day" he blurts out in potion induced honestly
Sebastian sighed as it came to their turn "I am a frustrated writer" he paused then turned to his partner "Hermione say yours and be done with it"
"I... I like... your hair" she said turning pink starting from the tips of her ears spreading to her neck
"I want Sebastian to go on a date with me" one bold Gryffindor suddenly said puffing her chest.
"I have already promised my weekend but a later date may be amenable" he replied instinctively without a thought but was surprised by choruses of 'no fair' and 'I should have said that first' were muttered quietly among the female crowd
"I wish I was just Harry," Potter said silently in the back of the class where Ron gave him a pitiful look
The professor congratulated everyone in their work and bid them to bottle and labels their potion before passing it in front of the class. Sebastian volunteered to pass their finished work as his partner tidied up their table. As expected, the news of his acceptance was received in graceful mirth from the older man but something in his eyes told Sebastian that something was amiss in how the docile, gentle-mannered man was also the same confident, almost domineering one he had met in the castle gardens a few nights earlier.
He sketched up the difference to the environment on was in for he himself, after all, felt and acted a lot different when in Hogwarts and in Malfoy Manor and left it at that. He had bigger things to do with his time than snoop around unlike Potter and his friends.
Sebastian ran after the group of Gryffindors heading to the direction of great hall not wanting to be left as Slytherin chow had he been spotted alone. There is power in crowds as he had learned fast enough back when he was a target to James Potter and his minions. Even for the greasy snivellus, the swarm of sticky bodies serves as a good human shield; and an interesting and advanced book will keep the pathetic small talks at bay.
He entered the group, pushed to reach the center where he knew the golden trio would be and pulled Hermione over when they reached a safe corridor.
"Hey I have some ideas in the research and would like to run it through," he said a bit winded by the effort and not bothering to hide it. These are Gryffindors who prized themselves to be as ungenteel as they can be and calling it as just being themselves
"I have some notes here too," she said patting her bag that he knew was charmed with undetectable extension charms just like he had on his teaching robes. She thought she was being sneaky but a regular student did not just carry the items she would pull out at the exact time it was needed. She could fool a student, heck she could fool Minerva and even Filius on a good day but not him.
"Great meet you at the library later?" He asked distractedly as the ghost of the bloody baron flew overhead
He barely heard her cheery reply of Sure before he disappeared in a branching corridor that has a secret staircase to the library where he would pull down some books and pretend to research as he review his notes mentally
"So it seems that chronos, created time as a built-in mechanism in creatures to ensure continued evolution and keep the traits from being stagnant." She said conversationally after she set her bag and pulled out some parchment filled with her loopy handwriting and sat down referencing only her work.
"Yes, it also states here that many witches and wizards have aimed to be impervious to time and in turn, death but most of them have failed largely due to the human body's shortcomings and its soul's incapacity" He replied lightly clasping his hands on the table
Like Voldemort
"Yes, the creatures that are naturally immune to it were hunted down to extinction by such to use on experiments most of which caused death or worse, excruciating pain" She hands him a parchment with a list of magical creatures "The list of creatures I have found is quite extensive in different cultures but it seems that their common denominator is that they have become legendary and is protected by most of the wizarding community"
He nodded "but as it was stated, we have no formal test to check the facts as we have no sample and test subjects. Time travel charms and devices are allowed only for a maximum of five hours as it could create a time loop or in the worst case, a vortex that will mess with reality as was the case with a woman who was found hysterical after unintentionally preventing a whole family line to exist."
"So why the interest in the subject?" she asks boldly and straight to the point dropping all the sublime options to know the answer as was the Gryffindor tendency
"I once wished to go back in time to right all my wrongs but that's wistful thinking it's just that when your loved ones leave, everything around seems empty and dark and you reach out to something; anything and latch onto it like a lifeline."
He wanted to placate her with some sorry excuse but astonished himself when he gave her the truth or at least a version of it instead. Silence ensued the unintended revelation and they both looked into their books and read. He wanted to get out before she tries to dig deeper but proper manners drilled to him by his grandfather prevented him.
"You remind me of someone," she said out of the blue startling him from the companionable silence
"Who?" he asked still continuing his reading. He have been compared to his older self by some students dubbing him as the 'mini-Snape' if they only knew how right they are
"You'll find it funny... he's fictional" she laughed at her stupidity turning a bit red starting from the tips of her ears
"Try me" he challenged lifting a brow, putting his book down, adjusting his seat and giving her his sole attention
"The phantom from the Phantom of the opera" she admitted turning into a live tomato
His forehead scrunched remembering a play with a singing kidnapper "Are you insinuating that I am some mysterious opera house fanatic with a disfigured face who takes up music composition as a hobby, hides underground and has a creepy unrequited love?"
"He's a genius, monsieur. He's an architect and designer; he's a composer and magician. He's a genius!" she exclaimed dramatically before looking around for the librarian who would be sure to ban her from the library after her outburst.
"Yes, but it seems genius has turned to madness. You madam are comparing me to a madman"
"No! It's just you're like him brilliant yet guarded and he's not that bad really. He had the heart that could have held the entire empire of the world; and in the end, he had to content himself with the cellar."
"Miss Granger, Perception can be a delusion. Because deep down some people know that they are ugly from within and that… is what scares them" He said in his silky voice that never failed to entrance even the dark lord
"Besides, I see myself more like the count of Monte Cristo who laid in wait for years to exact the perfect revenge on the man who took everything from him. burnt down his house, squandered his money, murdered his fiancée, and sent him to a dungeon as a prisoner but he escaped that dungeon, Rebuilt his fortune piece by piece and emerged victorious against all odds." he paused with a faraway look and odd grin "There's something tragically romantic you know about a man who would fight for the honor of the dead. Gryffindors love that drama I presume" He leaned back, crossed his arms and cocked up a brow challenging her to react louder
She leans toward him and whisper huskily in his right ear "Nah he's too brash for you. Too obvious, too… Gryffindor" he gulped audibly causing her to grin darkly before grabbing her books and running out like hellhounds are chasing after her which was in fact only a fraction better to the real reason why for as he turned, there in her full terrifying glory is Madam Pierce looking at him and at the books spread around him in a disorderly manner menacingly.
His mouth opened to tell an excuse but words have suddenly failed him leaving him gaping like a fish out of water
"You, young man is in trouble," the librarian said darkly threat dripping into him and in an instant, he was a young teenager again caught in the restricted section of the library
Sebastian was musing with all the information given to him. If he is correct, a blood sample must be obtained from at less three subjects in the list of magical creatures Miss Granger had given him to be analyzed in his lab now that he had a legitimate access to the dungeons. The forbidden forest is a good place to start due to its proximity and the obvious number of magical creatures residing in it.
He was stopped in his tracks when a certain redhead blocked his way and refused to move aside.
"Miss Weasley, how may I help you? I trust you are feeling fine after the... unfortunate event" he asked raising a hyperactive brow to ascertain the girl's intent.
She did not reply but kissed him instead. Taking him aback and causing his dark obsidian eyes to enlarge into saucers. It was by no means a slobbering one young upstarts share in the dark corners or the oxygen-depriving one he had used on female death eaters; the one Bellatrix was really fond of. It was a peck! Merlin's gracious beard how infantile. As soon as it happened, it was gone as if it was only a figment of his imagination or gentle breeze and so was she with an unapologetic grin leaving him a speechless mess in the middle of the hallway.
He shook his head not used to such actions directed towards him. He would have laughed if it happened to Lucius who was a looker even then with his adolescent barely there freckles but he was no Lucius Malfoy who had the cockiness and confidence to pull it off. He lengthened his stride as much as his injured limb allowed trying to remove the event from his memory to ponder later continuing to the doorway leading to the forbidden forest. The sun was in the position of retreat bathing the ground in a soft orange glow.
As soon as he entered the outskirts of the forest, he sensed that something was definitely off with the unusual stillness of the air and silence of the inhabitants; whatever it is he cannot ascertain the exact source but part of the staff or not, he would be damned if he allowed a dark entity to stay in close proximity to the students especially idiotic freshmen.
Upon entering the forest, his nose caught a trace of a sickly sweet liquid that he had come to associate with death eater meetings and the entertainments provided afterward.
He followed the cloying smell despite all the warning bells that rang inside his occlumancy shield only to find a bloody arm sprawled on the forest floor. The body it was attached to belongs to his godson who was at the moment being sucked dry by what looks like a rogue vampire if the dirty rags that replaced clothes are an indication. Draco's wand lay at least ten feet from his body explaining his form
Uttering some well-placed cutting curses on the attacker, he had prevented the creature to finish its meal thus making it more rabid. The blood feeder lunged at Sebastian dropping the young Malfoy like a limp rag. It slashed with its elongated extremities moving at a speed barely caught by human eyes. He dodged and fought like never before as the creature seemed to fix itself before his eyes he cast an Incendio to drive away the creature but it angered the vampire much more releasing an unearthly screech to call reinforcements. Sebastian took this as an opportunity to fling a bottle of magical fire to the creature that caused it to melt before his eyes in a show of writhing and screaming that now resembled a struggling human.
He ignored the dying monster and kneeled beside the unconscious body of his godson to look for a pulse.
"Merlins can't I have a day in silence without any troublesome teen to look after?" he grumbled withdrawing a bottle of blood replenishing potion and his last bottle of vampire anti-venom from his pockets and spelling it in the boy's stomach.
He hissed as he removed a blackened nail embedded on his right wrist from the scuffle earlier. It seems that the monster did know his stuff after all
"You!" His godson exclaimed pointing at him as the adrenaline allowed his body to suddenly snap and jump away.
"Yes me" Sebastian fought the urge to roll his eyes at the accusing tone
"You saved me"
"Obviously" he drawled knowing the child to be smart enough to not parrot the facts
"Why?" Draco said disbelief clear in his eyes
"Because I am a Gryffindor with Gryffindor tendencies"
"I now owe you a life debt"
"I know," he said before standing up and walking out of the forest "Coming Mr. Malfoy?" he sneered to the blonde boy who suddenly realized the situation and tried to pick up his discarded wand "Come along don't tarry"
When the child did not follow immediately, he released a tired sigh. The damage may have been greater than he anticipated and a stay at the infirmary may be unfortunately needed.
"Mobilicorpus" he chanted as the body rose and followed him to safety out of the forest.
He billowed his way past the front door and through the corridors while students recoiled in instinct. It seems that the stories of dangerous black billowing robes that haunted nightmares have caught up even with the younger charges that have not have the privilege of his teaching.
"Madame Pomfrey, I assure you that I am perfectly healthy and am in no need for such... Ministrations" he sneered as the witch all but bound him to the infirmary bed after fussing with the now unconscious Draco.
"Hush child, I can see that you are limping but being stubborn. It will not hurt to be checked you know. If I remember correctly, your friends might envy you for having an excuse to skive classes. Now sit!" The madam ordered putting her hands on her waist in a fashion, not unlike her approach with a petulant child.
He only rolled his eyes before laying down "get on with it then woman" he muttered under his breath
"I will just run a few diagnostic spells while you lay down. Ready?"
"If you must"
"You really are a mini Severus" she teased as she muttered the diagnosis spells waving her wand about.
"Madam, I digress but if I may appeal to your better nature please do stop with name calling." he sneered as the witch took the parchment that shows his diagnosis report
"Alright. I will stop but you need to stay here until I say so. You have some injuries that need to be addressed and no fighting me either or you'll find your stay prolonged." She said not looking at his face and continuing with the report "Tssk child, You have aggravated your injuries further by not seeing me immediately and doing strenuous activities today did not help either
Kill me now he groaned internally