This story is an accompanying fic of my story "Basilisk-Born". It can be read alone, but it contains spoilers for the main story.

Disclaimer: I'm too young to be Rowling so there is sadly no way Harry Potter is mine…

WARNING: This chapter contains some hints of religion/religious wars. Since I'm using historic events, I guess it had to come up sometimes. I kept it to a minimum and tried to take no side. Please understand that Ana has been raised by Sal who was born way before most of the current religions started, so Ana's and Sal's views reflect that. No disrespect towards any religion was meant.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

… … … …

INTERMISSION

ANATHEMA

… … … …

1996

…

Our world has quite a lot of prejudice against vampires. We wizards and witches often believe them less intelligent than us; we often believe them more dangerous than us, more uncivilized. The question is, what is prejudice and what is the truth?

(Excerpt from 'Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires' by Eldred Worple)

…

Ana was sitting in his father's chair, leaning on the window and looking down towards the grounds. He was in the highest tower of Hogwarts – the former Headmaster's office.

Outside, the sun was setting, painting the green leaves of the trees red and gold.

"Tell me," Ana said, his eyes still on the ground. "If it had been a fair fight… who would have won? You or Dumbledore? You or Riddle?"

His father, leaning against his desk, hummed thoughtfully.

"That's hard to say," Sal answered slowly.

Ana looked up at that and turned a bit to see his father.

"You don't know?" he asked a bit incredulously.

His father sighed.

"If you base your question solely on knowledge," Sal said placidly. "Then I would have won hands down. Neither Riddle nor Dumbledore have enough knowledge to compete with me."

Sal shook his head. "I mean, I'm more than two thousand years older than them. They wouldn't have stood a chance when it came down to knowledge alone."

Ana hummed in agreement.

"Sadly, duels never just come down to knowledge alone," he commented.

"No, they don't," his father agreed. "There's also experience – something that I have in spades as well. If it came down to experience, I would have won, too. But… neither knowledge nor experience is enough to measure a duel."

Ana frowned.

"But… experience and knowledge are important parts," he countered. "They–"

"Are just a part of a duel," his father interrupted Ana.

"So… what else is there?" Ana asked petulantly. "Power? Is that the reason why you aren't sure who would have won in a fair duel?"

"If it would have come down to power, I would have certainly lost," his father agreed unconcerned. "I'm not the most powerful being out there."

Ana raised his eyebrow.

"You're also not fully grown into your magic, Pater," he countered.

"I wasn't," his father agreed. "I am now, though. Taking the throne ensured that I had my last growth spurt when it comes to my magic. I needed that growth to take the throne. A king needs to hold the land with his magic – a child or a teen can't do that. They need full access to their magic to do so, in the end. So, my magic by necessity matured."

His father closed his eyes.

"But… while I might have a chance against them now, before my magic matured, I would have lost when it had come down to power," he said calmly. "But thankfully, a duel doesn't just come down to power. Power is one of the least necessary things when it comes to a fight. It's far more important to have full control over the power you have than how much power you have."

Ana crooked his head.

"I would have won a duel coming down to power," his father elaborated. "Simply because I have greater control. I don't need to have their power when I'm able to do far more with far less power since my control is greater. It's… well… they more or less use a river to sweep away a toothpick instead of a trickle like I do to get the same results."

Ana whistled.

"So… why do you hesitate to say that you would have won the duel against them?" he wanted to know interestedly.

Sal grimaced.

"Because no matter what, it's not just experience, knowledge and power that ensures you win or lose a duel," he said with a sigh. "You forgot the most important part: luck. In the end, even a novice can bring down an experienced swordsman when luck favours him."

Sal looked at his son calmly.

"Luck is the one thing that can't be predicted," he said calmly. "Good or bad – in the end, all your knowledge, all your experience and power might be for naught when your opponent gets lucky. It's something you have always to account for, in every duel, in every war. And the only way to ensure that luck won't hurt you. You need to have more than one path open for you to take."

Ana closed his eyes.

"What would you have done if you had lost?" he asked his father.

"If every path I disbursed would have failed?" his father asked. "The last, extreme measure would have been war. Against Riddle, against Dumbledore."

Ana grimaced; his mien mimed by his father.

They both had been part of war before. They both had been at war. Not one of them wanted to go back there.

"It would have been a massacre," Ana said quietly.

"It wouldn't have been the first we were in the middle of," his father countered just as quietly. Ana winced, his memories conjuring up the past in lively images.

…

1635 A.D.

There were dead bodies everywhere. Ana shuddered, his eyes flitting from one side to the other. Ana knew war. Ana had been part of wars before – but this… it sounded so senseless to Ana.

"Protestants… Catholics… who cares?" he whispered, his eyes searching for the wounded.

"This is the way of life, my son," his father answered. The other man was kneeling on the ground next to Ana, treating a Swedish man. "People will always find a way to fight each other."

"It's still senseless," Ana countered.

His father sighed.

"This is about more than just religion," he said and looked around with tired eyes. "This is about politics, misery and greed. People want to gain land; people want more power. It's always something like that – religion might be a reason, but it's just one of many."

Ana grimaced, his eyes travelling towards the dead.

"I still think this war is worse than the others I was a part of," he replied and then looked at the sky. "It might have something to do that they included firearms, unlike the other wars I was part of."

He shuddered.

"Or it has something to do with the victims of this war," he added quietly.

His father grimaced.

"I know what you mean," Sal said darkly. "I saw the dead, too. Children starved to death. "The plague and other epidemics going around. The dead on the battlefields. It's bad. Really, really bad. But… there's nothing we can do, my childe."

Ana clenched his hands.

"I wish there was," he said bitterly. "I wish I had the power to do something. To stop them."

"You're not the only one who wishes things like that in times like these," his father agreed with a sigh. "Sadly, it will only get worse from now on."

Ana frowned.

"Worse than this?" he asked with a shudder.

His father threw him a bitter look. "The moment a weapon exists, it will be used in war. And with every weapon invented the wars will get worse. This – even if this war will be over some time in the future – is just the beginning."

It was a horrible prediction – and one that would show itself as truth with every war that came after… up until it led to the First and Second World War in the muggle world and Grindelwald's War in the magical one.

…

1979 A.D.

Ana was sitting quietly in the corner of the room, watching the activities with tired, grieving eyes.

It took a moment or two, but in the end, his father noticed him curled up where he was and stepped up to him to kneel in front of him.

"Are you alright, Ana, my childe?" he asked, his face full of concern.

"You knew, didn't you?" Ana asked, his voice nearly without a sound. "You knew it would get worse."

His father frowned.

"The wars," Ana elaborated. "They've been getting worse and worse ever since back then."

"Since the Thirty Years' War?" his father asked.

"Yes," Ana agreed and shuddered at just being reminded of that war. "That war was bad… but Grindelwald was worse – not to mention the world wars."

Sal hummed in agreement.

"This war right now… it seems to shape up into being worse than Grindelwald if it continues like that," Ana whispered. "What… what if it really gets worse than Grindelwald's?"

"It won't," Sal countered calmly and when Ana looked at him searchingly, he smiled softly. "I know it."

"But at what price?" Ana asked.

Sal grimaced, but didn't reply which Ana took for an answer anyway.

"A big one, then," he concluded and closed his eyes.

"Mayhap," Sal said and reached out towards his son.

Ana slumped forward into his father's arms. "So… losing Charlus and Dorea, losing Alphard and the others… it's not the end? We will lose more?"

"You shouldn't concentrate on those we might lose," Sal countered calmly. "You should concentrate on the fact that in the end, people like Grindelwald or Riddle won't be forever. They will fall – and no matter what, in the end, every sacrifice is worth it if that means that the children can grow up safe and happy."

Ana hummed.

"I did, too," he said and closed his arms.

"You did what?"

"I grew up safe and happy," Ana elaborated. "I grew up without worries, always sure that I had someone to look out for me." For a moment, he hesitated. "Even now… if I need it, I know I can come to you. You're my Pater. You've never rejected me or told me to grow up and stop bothering you."

"You're my son," Sal countered. "No matter what, no matter how old you are, no matter when – I will always care for you and love you. You're my child, my son – and age has nothing to do with it. If you need me, I will be there for you."

"And I for you," Ana immediately replied. "You're my father, my family."

Sal kissed his head.

"I know," he agreed. "Just like I know that we will get through this. We will survive this war – and we will win. Don't despair."

Ana hugged his father close. His father returned the hug, pressing his face into Ana's hair.

"Scream, cry and grieve for those we lost – just like I do, but don't despair," his father whispered in his ear. "Sometimes in the future, this war will end just like any other before ended. And if luck wills it, we will be there to see its end."

Ana buried his head in Sal's chest, the first tears starting to soak his father's shirt.

His father kissed Ana's hair.

"Don't despair, my son," his father whispered. "Don't despair. It will get better again sometime."

And like before, Sal would be right, at the end of it…

… … … … … … … … … … … …

Vampires and us magicals have a long history of confrontation. There was more than one interaction between a vampire and a wizard or witch that ended in bloodshed. There was more than one dark lord who promised the vampires freedom from being suppressed by the magicals in exchange for their help. Maybe I will be able to help to lessen the prejudice that exists towards vampires with this book.

(Excerpt from 'Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires' by Eldred Worple)

… … … … … … … … … … … …

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

…

… … …

Well, a bit shorter and darker than normal, but I hope you liked it anyway.

'till next time.

Ebenbild

… … … …. … … … …

Remarks:

1635 A.D.: Historical event. The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) was a conflict fought largely within the Holy Roman Empire. It's considered one of the most destructive wars in European history. While there were other reasons, it's often known as the war between Catholics and Protestants. It was one of the first wars fought with firearms.

1979 A.D.: Fictional event. The first war with Voldemort (officially 1970-1981). Often referenced in HP-canon.