Unlike every weekday morning at Sunday breakfast time, the Great Hall was sparsely populated. The Griffindors' big table was completely empty, the members of that house apparently feeling that eight in the morning was far too early to begin a Sunday. As for the Slytherin and Ravenclaw, they were present in small numbers of early risers. The Slytherins, taking their reputation very seriously, were in small discussion groups bent over their table, surely plotting some ominous scheme. As for the few Revenclaws present, they were eating their books, reading their plates, or the other way around, it was hard to tell. Hermione couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness at seeing such treatment of those paper wonders, held so close to dirty grease and foul liquids.
The real oddity of this morning, however, was at her table with the Hufflepuffs. A few raised eyebrows at the teacher's table confirmed her suspicions that the sight of the badger table was most unusual for a Sunday morning. The entirety of the first year Hufflepuffs and a sizeable portion of the upper year students had formed a compact group in the middle of the table. Just to her right, Aster was sitting on Susan's lap, animatedly discussing Professor Mcgonagall's latest assignment, punctuating her exchanges with small bites of honeyed toast or scrambled egg. Susan had rested her chin on Aster's shoulder and wrapped her arms around her waist and seemed to be in a world of her own, paying only a distracted ear to the conversation.
Hermione felt a pang in her chest at the sight. For some reason she seemed unable to put into words, a bitter feeling gripping her heart, she hated seeing Aster so close to those Hufflepuffs. She almost wanted to pull Aster out of Susan's arms to keep her close. Those other students had no idea what connected her and Aster. What they had been through together since they met, their secrets and history, the depth of their bond, and they dared to pull her away from her, to monopolise her attention and her time.
The second night, when Aster had told her about her plan to win the loyalty and support of a group of Hufflepuffs, Operation Honey Badger as she had called it, Hermione had not imagined that Aster would achieve such results. It hadn't taken much for the little vampire to work her way into the hearts of her housemates. The way she openly offered to help, the way she defended her own, like the time she had scared off two fat Slytherins trying to steal Leane's things. Hermione also assumed that Aster's good looks helped a lot in her endeavour.
Even though Aster refused to admit it, her looks made her quite adorable as currently evidenced by the fact that Susan showed no signs of wanting to let her go. This combined with her tragic history and what Hermione assumed was uncontrolled vampiric allure, (she would have to ask Aster about it, she had briefly mentioned it at Ulthar but hadn't brought it up since.) had had the effect of making Operation Honey Badger a resounding success. But the worst part was that Aster was utterly oblivious to her effect on the rest of the house, and last night had even confided in her about her fears of not fitting in well at Hufflepuff. Which Hermione thought was a ridiculous fear given that this morning it was obvious that most of the Hufflepuffs at the table were there to be in Aster's company.
Susan had just tightened her embrace around Aster and put her nose in the crook of her neck. Aster, with her usual blindness, only shifted her position a little, muttering something about Susan not knowing how to behave before resuming her debate with Hannah about the absurdity of banning the sale of other means of flying transport than broomsticks and how she would like to see flying chairs marketed...
Her last shred of sanity broke, Susan had just put her hand tenderly on Aster's midriff to pull her even closer to herself. Hermione felt as if she had a monster in her heart, molten lead in her throat, her eyes fixed on the scene. She stood up abruptly, and walked around the table to stop just behind Aster and Susan. "Aster, you promised to show me something." She said as she picked Aster up by the armpits and set her down on the floor before taking her by the hand and leading her towards the large door of the castle, simply waving her hand in apology to the other Hufflepuffs who were all looking at her with surprise. She could feel Susan's gaze burning a hole between her shoulder blades, but she didn't care. This was going too far, and Aster was walking briskly beside her, watching her with wide eyes full of surprise and apprehension. She had to get her away, so that they could be alone, only then could she start thinking normally again and try to quell the burning pyre in her chest.
Once outside, after descending the countless white steps leading down to the sandy shore of the vast lake with its calm grey waters stretching between the rugged rocky peaks of the Scottish mountains. She loosened her grip on Aster's hand, only now realising with a touch of guilt how tightly she had held her friend's. Aster stood silently by her side, watching her critically, the cogs turning in her mind almost visibly. They both began to walk along the bank of the lake, Hermione enjoying the feel of her feet sinking into the grey sand with every step. It was still early, the sun low on the horizon, its first golden rays sparkling on the ripples of the lake like a thousand diamonds. Fresh air filled her lungs, a cloud of mist forming with each exhale. She slowly regained her composure as the fresh air cooled her temper.
They walked like this in silence for a while, hand in hand. Hermione tried to put her thoughts in order, unable to find a way to explain her behaviour to Aster without looking like a fool. After a while, as her eyes were lost on the edge of the forbidden forest, its dark depths, its thick, ancient trunks, the leaves of those ancient trees taking on the first colours of autumn, she felt Aster squeeze her hand a little harder to get her attention. She turned her head towards the little vampire and raised an eyebrow. "Follow me, I spotted a place the other day." she said and Hermione merely nodded.
A few minutes later, they arrived just at the edge of the forest where some trees leaned their long, angular branches over the dark waters of the lake. They followed a small path, obviously not very well used, stepping over dead trees, stones and ditches. Until they arrived to a small creek embedded in the forest, out of sight of the castle. At the end of the small creek was a short beach of pebbles and other larger rocks. Hermione followed Aster along it, hands in the pockets of her robes, as Aster amused herself by jumping from rock to rock before finally reaching a particularly large one and sitting on it and beckoning Hermione to come closer.
Hermione had no difficulty in climbing it, before sitting down next to Aster. The two girls remained silent for a moment, Hermione's eyes wandering over the particularly picturesque view before her eyes. From the rock, the tall grey stone fortress with its soaring spires was not visible, hidden behind the thick foliage formed by the edge of the forbidden forest. In front of them lay only the vast expanse of calm water of the lake and the steeply sloping mountains. Only the lapping of the water against the shore and the songs of the forest birds disturbed the quiet of this out of time place.
Aster's voice finally broke the silence. "Hermione, please tell me what's wrong." The concern was easily audible in her voice.
Hermione sighed, how could she answer that, when she could hardly explain it to herself. This cocktail of emotions, both strong and strange, that had caused her to act this way was unknown to her. "Nothing, I'm just a little on edge I guess."
"The red lady is making her move?" joked Aster with a smirk.
"It's not that!" replied Hermione indignantly, blushing, before lightly slapping her shoulder. "And besides, you'd know if it was anyway."
It was Aster's turn to look away in shame as she surely thought back to the first time Hermione had bled. Her panic attack had been legendary, and Hermione had never been treated so carefully and thoughtfully as in those few days. So much so that she had grown exasperated. "I know something's wrong, it's not like you to act impulsively this way. What happened?" Aster asked, trying to steer the subject back to the real problem.
Hermione sighed, she should have known better, Aster wasn't the type to be diverted from a goal by a simple diversion. "I don't know. These days I don't feel like we're spending any time together. You're always with, or about, one of the other girls. This morning, the way Susan had her hands on you, her nose in your neck... I couldn't stand it and took you away. But I can't put my finger on the underlying reason."
"You know, I find it weird too... I feel like the Honey Badger plan is becoming a huge failure. I feel like they're just getting more and more suspicious of something..."
"What?" Hermione gasped in surprise. her friend couldn't be that thick, could she?
"Yes! I try to help, to bond, and all I get is more attention and suspicion. At night when I try to sneak out of the dormitory, I get caught almost every time by one of the girls who drags me under her covers with her to watch me! I'm afraid they might suspect something." Aster concluded thoughtfully and worriedly.
Hermione buried her face in her hands and grunted in despair. "Aster, would you like to cuddle, to... let's say the young, noisy Gryffindor redhead. Or the little blonde boy who looks like a ferret from Slytherin?"
"No! Never in a million years would I go near those two filthy creatures!" Aster declared with outrage and conviction.
"And sleep with them in our bed?" Hermione continued, just to drive the point home.
Aster who was already whiter than normal after not biting her all week turned even more pale. Hermione couldn't help but wonder for a moment how such a thing was possible. "Never!" Aster stated mortified, Hermione could almost feel her friend want to vomit at the thought.
"So do you really think that all the girls in our Hufflepuff year and even some of the higher years would not stop cuddling you and spending time with you if they didn't like you? I think your stupid operation was far too successful." Hermione said, raising an eyebrow sarcastically.
"You really think that... Oh... oh..." Said Aster, looking down at the glistening grey waters of the lake.
"Yes, 'Oh'." sighed Hermione, rolling her eyes. How Aster could be so outgoing in society while being as dense as lead would remain a forever unsolved paradox.
"I see... yay!" exclaimed Aster weakly, raising a fist in the air slowly. "I guess that's on track then..."
"Yes."
"I'm sorry."
"Why?" Hermione hadn't expected this.
"I don't spend as much time with you as I'd like, or even should... it must be hard for you to adjust to yet another drastic change after finally finding some semblance of normality. And I, instead of supporting you and sticking together, am making silly plans... leaving you alone."
"Your plans are not silly, but I admit that yes... it's hard. Especially to see you being passed around and shuffled around by the other Hufflepuffs like a doll..." Hermione felt a hand come to rest on her waist, and Aster snuggled up to her, resting her head on her shoulder. A smile played on Hermione's lips and she put her hand around Aster to pull her closer.
"That's not everything is it?" Aster said after a few minutes of staring at the rising sun reflecting off the waters of the lake.
"Hm?"
"There are other things that bother you... tell me please." whispered Aster into the crook of her neck. Hermione couldn't hold back a shiver, having Aster there, against her, felt so right... The ghost of the sour feeling that had gnawed at her chest earlier in the morning came back, if only she could keep the other Hufflepuffs from putting their little paws on Aster. Finally, she registered what Aster had just said, and was left speechless, the question opening the dam to all that she had been holding back since their arrival.
"Crookshanks, our familiar bond was in full progress, I could begin to feel his presence and communicate with him better..." Hermione let her voice slip, her eyes misting over
"You know he wouldn't be safe here, he's much better off with Nailla. We don't know when something will go wrong, or if our plan will ever fall apart. If that happens and Crookshanks is here... we might not be able to protect him. He's a very smart kneazle, but a kneazle nonetheless." Aster reasoned in a small voice. This wasn't the first time this topic had come up, from what she'd read, separating a witch from her familiar would always be painful under any circumstances.
"I know, I understand that, but I still miss him." Hermione sighed sadly. "I miss our house, I miss Nailla, I miss too many people." Aster then sat astride her lap to hug her, and Hermione let herself be pulled into the hug without any resistance, she needed it. "And you, you Aster, are one of the things I worry about the most."
"Me?" Aster gulped, clearly surprised.
"Yes, it's been a week since you bit me, I see the first signs of withdrawal, I know you're up to something, but for some reason you don't confide in me. You're acting like nothing's wrong, while I see you getting worse every day."
Aster remained silent for a moment, as if stunned by these statements. "I think there's too much on my mind, constantly. Too much worry. The prospect of getting my hands on the stone, our possessed professor, Dumbledore, the internal turmoil in the Order of the Asphodel, fitting into a house... All these people, everywhere, wanting to interact with me. It's too much..."
Hermione tightened her grip. "And you think keeping everything to yourself, hiding everything even from me is the right solution? Aster... I thought we were beyond that."
"I know you're having a hard time adjusting, that you're hurting too, I didn't want to add to your burden..."
"And you say that minutes after you offered to share mine? Aster, you selfless idiot. We're in this together. Since our first outing to the back alleys of Ulthar hidden under an invisibility array we've been together against the world. Please swear to me you'll never do that again. We help each other, and we share the burden no matter what it is. That's how it's been and how it's supposed to be from the beginning."
Aster leaned against her, burying his face in her chest, before mumbling something.
"What did you say?"
"Tonight, I'm going to the Forbidden Forest, establish a portal between here and our home just outside the Hogwarts wards."
Hermione sighed, "We're going into the forest tonight. And that's one of the things I wish I'd known earlier."
"Sorry..." murmured Aster, blushing to her ears.
"And there's no other way to get home easily other than to make a portal? It's awfully complicated, isn't it? Wouldn't an array or something be more convenient?"
"Space magic is far too complex and requires far too much magical energy to be done effectively in array form. An array is possible, but doing so would take far too much time and energy, and would be a one-time use without death stone, the energy overload would destroy the array. With a portal, I can more easily base it on a mix of black magic and ley lines. More stable, less risky and reusable." Hermione couldn't help but smile. If Aster was able to talk about magical theory, then her friend wasn't doing as badly as she thought.
"It's okay, it's okay, I get it. You made your point." Hermione said as she stroked Aster's back, enjoying the feel of the little vampire's shoulder blades and ribs under her fingers. "What else haven't you told me yet?" prodded Hermione as she stroked Aster's head.
"I'm going to confront Quirrel soon, see what exactly is going on."
"I..." Hermione didn't have time to finish her sentence.
"No! I'm going alone, you don't have the training yet, or the array, or the amount of magic to survive if things go wrong. This guy is dangerous. Hell! Any guy possessed by a potentially evil spirit falls into that category. Besides, I want him to be unaware of your dangerousness, to underestimate you..."
"Okay, okay, so... Any idea what possesses our esteemed professor?"
"The creature attached to his soul reminds me of something. I think I've seen something like it a long time ago. I have one or two hypotheses, but nothing conclusive.
"Can you tell me about it?"
Aster sighed. "They're just guesses, okay? Nothing concrete. I'd say, a local malevolent entity or deity, but that's unlikely. The relationship between the professor and the thing doesn't look like a black magic contract. Maybe a broken soul attached to this plane of existence, an extremely pernicious poltergeist... the rest is too unlikely."
Something had piqued Hermione's interest. "A broken soul?"
"One way to not be able to really die is to break your soul and hide pieces of it in objects. Some people call them horcruxes. But as long as all the soul fragments retain the same identity, the soul remains an indivisible spiritual entity. This paradox keeps the soul on this plane and prevents it from drifting to the edges. According to Kav-deb, this is an extremely stupid thing to do. He didn't really explain why when I asked him. He just laughed and said it was an easy method for the unambitious.
"I see..." Hermione said. Suddenly a realization hit her. "All your assumptions... would all the things you described be able to make a physical body with the Philosopher's Stone?"
"Yes."
Hermione grunted..." After what you said the first night I had my doubts... but it makes sense... we really do have competition... I can see why you seem to take the Quirrel case so seriously."
"About the stone, Severus passed me a message, he has more information about where the stone might be hidden."
"Didn't we already establish that it had something to do with the infamous corridor of horrific death?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, but I think that if our theory is correct and it is indeed there, Dumbledore has that entrance closely guarded... having Severus' opinion would be the wisest."
"For once, that you don't throw yourself head first into danger, I'm proud of you Aster." Hermione said with a hint of mockery and amusement. In response, Aster simply grabbed Hermione's arm to sink her sharp little fangs into her wrist in revenge, before forgetting that a conversation was taking place to simply drink, eyes closed, relaxed. Hermione let out a small cry of surprise and pain at first, then couldn't help but hold back a light laugh at the reaction of an offended Aster. She sighed with contentment, this feeling of being one with Aster, of sharing blood and magic, was and would remain delightful.
oOOOo
It was past noon, the sun was high in the sky, and Hermione and Aster had definitely missed lunch. They walked along the grey sand and pebble beach, hand in hand towards the castle, Hermione enjoying the coolness of Aster's hand against hers. After a few hours of talking to each other in a long hug, Hermione felt much better than she had in the last few days. The future was much clearer in front of her. She already knew where she and Aster were headed, their goals, but clarifying everything had done her a world of good.
Suddenly, a thought crossed Hermione's mind. "Do you think your vampiric allure has anything to do with how easily you've integrated into our house?" Hermione blushed unconsciously. "The way the other girls treat you, like they're allowed to touch you like that?"
Aster looked up at her. "Vampiric allure? Wait..." Aster buried her face in her hands with a groan. "I don't know how I forgot that... I never really used it consciously. Except for the time I was in serious withdrawal in Ulthar... It's not something I really pay attention to." Aster seemed to concentrate for a moment and Hermione felt a pleasant tingle down her spine. "Shit..." murmured Aster.
"What?" Hermione questioned suddenly concerned.
"It's possible that I've developed a bad habit of letting a small amount of allure filter around me passively, without realizing it."
"And so?"
"I don't really know, Anna wanted to wait longer before explaining the intricacies of vampiric allure to me. It could, possibly, maybe, have had an effect on Susan, Hannah and the others... but I have no idea in what way or how much."
It was Hermione's turn to groan, Aster could be a walking disaster at times. "Can't you ask Ethan? He seems to be one of the more reasonable vampires in your... organization."
"That would be an admission of weakness. Something I can't afford. Not when the organization is already so unstable."
Hermione nodded... unfortunately, Aster's reasoning made sense.
A few minutes and dozens of stairs later, they arrived at the main gate of the castle. To their surprise, next to the massive wooden doors encircled in bronze, Susan and Hannah were sitting on the steps, the former bent over a book on her lap, the latter enjoying braiding the former's hair. As they approached Susan looked up and gave them a bright smile. "Ah well, at last! What took you two so long?"
"Sorry." Aster said beside her, her hand still in hers.
Susan frowned slightly, concern evident on her face. "So? Ready to tell me what's gotten into you this morning, Hermione? It's not like you to kidnap Aster like that." Hannah said mischievously.
Hermione blushed and before she could begin to explain herself, Aster beat her to it with a particularly sly smirk. "My dear Hermione was jealous of me sitting in Susan's lap and felt neglected. She needed reassurance," at this Hermione turned as red as a tomato as Susan and Hannah burst out laughing.
"Relax Hermione." Susan said playfully. "I'm not going to steal your Aster.
The small group (of perhaps friends) then headed down the halls chatting happily. Hermione a little behind, her cheeks still pink with embarrassment, one word echoing over and over in her mind. Jealous... it was jealousy... she had been jealous. She would think about it later, for the moment she was unable to realise the full implications of this revelation.
oOOOo
The trees were tall and thick. Their ancient trunks with thick bark surrounded them on all sides. The powerful smell of humus and rotting wood gave the forest a disturbing aura of decay. Here and there, around the path, touches of light, in the thick darkness of the undergrowth whose canopy of trees almost entirely masked the last rays of daylight. Strange phosphorescent mushrooms faintly illuminated the dead leaves, trunks and brambles with diaphanous colours. Thick carpets of unusually coloured moss were visible in patches. Their progress was difficult. The thorns bit her legs far too often, and if she had not been restrained earlier by Aster's strong golemic arm, she would have ended up in a stinging nettle bush.
At times, Hermione was sure that she saw a furtive movement on the periphery of her field of vision, only to turn her head to peer into the darkness and see nothing... Ominous noises echoed between the trees. From the distant hooting of an owl, to the grunting, hissing or snarling of some invisible creature, lurking or crawling in the darkness, out of the golden halo of light emanating from the end of Aster's battle staff.
As she followed, fearful, one hand firmly clasped around her wand, the other holding the void shield array resting at the bottom of her pocket, Aster walked quietly, pushing aside brambles and other vicious plants as she hummed a cheerful tune. More than once now she had seen long dark green vines try to approach their duo before disappearing back into the darkness, fleeing the golden light of Aster's staff.
Earlier in the day, Hermione had suggested that they not set up their portal in the Forbidden Forest, but rather on one of the other mountains surrounding the valley, but Aster had reasoned that from what she had seen, only the Forbidden Forest contained large enough ley lines and that outside of the forest, the portal wouldn't be discreet enough. At this moment, Hermione bitterly regretted not insisting. The Forbidden Forest was aptly named... it had only been half an hour since they had entered the woods, and already Hermione was terrified.
Luckily, Aster had taken her advice and brought with her all the arrays she had made in the few months before they arrived in Howgarts. Hermione hoped that Aster wouldn't have to use them, but the forbidden forest had to be forbidden for a reason. And to her great satisfaction, Aster had admitted that it was better to be heavily armed in case she was unlucky enough to discover the exact reason for the name of this forest.
How Aster managed to give the impression of only a pleasant forest walk would remain a mystery to Hermione. Hermione was watching a large white mushroom emitting a purplish light when she bumped into Aster's back, who seemed to have stopped dead in her tracks. She was about to express her displeasure to her friend, when she saw the reason for the sudden stop. A few meters ahead of them stood a creature with a humanoid form, but with unusually thin and long limbs. In the light of Aster's staff she could see that the thing was made entirely of gnarled wood and bark. Two blacker-than-night holes opened in its head instead of eyes, and its arms ended in several sharp wooden protrusions. A shiver of terror ran down Hermione's spine. The creature stared at them, unmoving. Aster had stopped humming and was staring back at it. The tension in the air was palpable. Suddenly, Aster bowed her head respectfully, and immediately, Hermione did the same. To her surprise, the creature bowed its head slightly in return before continuing on its way, gliding through the brambles, leaves and dead branches without a sound.
As if nothing had happened, Aster started walking again, humming softly. "What was that?" Hermione couldn't help but ask, a few minutes later, once she was sure she could speak again without stammering.
"A dryad. A being, a spirit protector of the forest. All the old magical forests have them."
"And she didn't attack us?" asked Hermione, surprised, after all, weren't they going to...
"No, we're not a danger to the forest."
"Aren't we just going to absorb the life energy from the trees to maintain the portal?" Had she misunderstood?
"No, we're going to connect our system to the ley lines by black magic. Not the forest system."
"I see... Wait! How do the wizards here connect their wards or rituals to the ley lines without black magic? For Hogwarts?"
"Most wards and enchantments are based and maintained either, on regular replenishment by a wizard's magic, by a power stone, or in the case of old artefacts and wards, by generational blood magic taking a tribute in magic from all members of a family."
Hermione nodded, that made sense. "So for example, the bag in the extended interior that we bought at knockturn will stop being magical after a while?"
"Yes, but this one just needs to be recharged once every ten years. So it's gonna..."
"Wait, you didn't answer about Hogwart."
Aster groaned, she obviously didn't want to bring up the subject, but before Hermione could retract her question, Aster spoke up. "In the case of national wards, fortresses, or manors that need to be connected to one or more ley lines in order to function, there is a solution without black magic. It is necessary to make a ritual human sacrifice. Adding soul magic to capture the souls of the sacrificed in the ward system is also necessary if you want to give them some intelligence and autonomy."
Hermione grinned." Remind me again why they call it white magic?"
At that, Aster chuckled. "Because white mages don't make deals with entities from other planes and they don't basically devour the life energy of what's around us to cast spells. After that, it doesn't mean much. The last English dark lord, Voldemort, was a white mage."
Hermione almost regretted asking the question. She really didn't want to know that the Hogwarts wards were based on human sacrifice. Deep in thought, her morality once again tested as to what she should think about such wards, she remained silent for the rest of the journey. More busy thinking than being afraid.
After a while, Aster stopped in the middle of a clearing covered with tall grass. She scanned the ground for a moment before nodding. "Here will do, two ley lines cross below. That will be enough."
From her staff came a long spray of purplish flames burning a wide circle of vegetation to the ground, leaving a space of smooth, charred earth. Aster nodded with satisfaction before turning to her with a toothy grin on his face. "Hermione, come here," she said in a suave tone that made her shiver. "You wanted to do your first array? Well, it's about time. Here." She said, handing her a sheaf of paper covered with notes and symbols.
Hermione tried to stammer out a refusal, that it was too big for a first real array, but the pride and confidence in her friend's eyes made the words die in her throat. She merely nodded, before rereading the documents that Aster had already presented to her earlier today with a flash of mischief in her eyes... Hermione should have known that Aster was up to something like this.
Under the watchful eye of her friend she set to work. Tracing the intricate figures of the array in the charred earth, Aster checking after her before pouring iron ink into the grooves of the array. "Better than blood..." she heard Aster mutter.
Hermione was really starting to enjoy working on this array. The plan was in front of her eyes, but building the figure step by step, figure by figure, the overall mechanics that would guide the shape of the magic was slowly taking shape before her eyes. At that moment, she understood Aster, wielding the wand, for an analytical mind like hers was a thousand times less satisfying than tracing and understanding every detail and function that the magic that would be infused into the array would take. The wizardry seemed to her to be akin to going in blind, replacing the lack of information about the true nature of the magic being produced with belief and conviction.
They had been working for a few hours, the array slowly taking shape in the blackened earth, the iron ink giving a mystical aspect to their creation by reflecting the silver light of the moon and stars. Its entire structure had been inscribed and Hermione was now tracing one of the last sections. She looked up when she felt Aster's hand tighten on her shoulder. "What's wrong?" She asked, but by way of reply Aster motioned for her to remain silent, placing a finger on her lip before indicating the tree line with a nod of her head.
Hermione stood up slowly and scanned the darkness of the forest. Just blackness, not a movement, not a breath of wind, just silence... It was then that the realisation hit her. For all the previous hours, the sounds of nocturnal fauna had accompanied them. Screeching, a boar's growl, the sound of an animal making its way through the grass, the songs of the night birds... But at this moment, a deathly silence reigned over the clearing. She approached Aster to whisper in his ear. "What's going on?
Aster's face was frozen. Her magical eye glowed in the dark with a greenish aura, scanning the surrounding undergrowth. "We're surrounded, they're coming, get ready," she whispered in an icy voice. Aster reached into one of her pockets, and pulled out a short black staff engraved with a silver array. "No need to bother with your wand. Take this, hold the array up to the things, and release your magic into it, the array will do the rest. Only use it if you have no choice. Concentrate on managing the void shield," Aster explained quickly. "Now, back to back. And we wait in silence." she whispered.
Hermione nodded, and put her back against Aster's before looking around. She heard the sound of Aster drawing a blade and swallowed. The fear she had felt earlier in the forest, and forgotten in her concentration on the array, returned in force.
That's when she saw them. Eight small yellow dots in the darkness between two ancient trees. Ominous clanking noises from all directions as dozens more yellowish orbs looming in the darkness.
The first of the things stepped forward, crossing the tree line into the clearing, exposing its monstrous body to the golden light of Aster's staff. A huge creature covered in chitin armour bristling with long black hairs and spikes, its eight long hideous legs digging into the ground as its nefarious mandibles left a clear, slimy liquid trail on the ground. Its eight bulbous yellow eyes, protruding from the surface of its skull, glowed with a hungry, disgusting gleam. Hermione froze in place, the thing was easily the height of a horse at the shoulder. The terror she had felt at the trolls in Ulthar was nothing compared to the fright that was now chilling her blood.
No sooner had the thing entered the clearing, than an arrow of purple light struck it in the face, leaving a gaping hole in its wake, the creature's flesh liquefied in its path. The sound of the heavy, inert body collapsing to the ground pulled Hermione from her trance. Enough to see the slightly smoking tip of Aster's staff next to her head.
The dead body of what Hermione finally recognised as an acromantula collapsing to the ground broke the tension that had built up in the air. The dozens of acromantula apparently chose this as their signal to pounce on them. They crossed the tree line at breakneck speed, running on their eight agile legs. Hermione activated the void shield just in time, sending four of them flying into the air as they chose to lunge at her simultaneously. By her side she could see that Aster had launched four more arrows of purple light tearing and annihilating chitin and flesh in their path, before giving way to a whip of purple flames turning one of the creatures to ash on impact. For her part, Hermione was forced to back away, activating and deactivating the void shield strategically to push things back and try to protect their array.
She screamed, to her right one of the vile monsters had bypassed her barrier, she had just enough time to point the short black staff at it and let her magic take the shape of the array before she saw a shockwave of white light fracture the face of the thing, sending it flying into two of her sisters with a horrendous crunch.
Distracted by her action, she saw another of the creatures coming all too late, this one close to ripping her arm off, when she maneuvered the void shield so that it materialized into the creature, slicing it in half. Aster's purple inferno raged, the crackling of her infernal flames accompanied by the high-pitched screams of the charring creatures. Aster appeared in her field of vision, blood was visible on her forehead, she had obviously lost her blade and was using her staff to send salvo after salvo of purple arrows tearing and disintegrating the creatures' flesh. One of them tried to approach her from behind, and Hermione began to yell a warning, but Aster had apparently realised this, for with a thunderous blow of her golemic arm, she struck the thing's skull, and it crashed to the ground with a sickening crack.
After several minutes of fierce fighting, Hermione couldn't take it anymore, the acromantula were too numerous, strong and irrepressible. She and Aster were back to back again, surrounded on all sides, the acromantula visibly in a state of absolute rage. Was she going to end up like this? Torn apart by spiders in the middle of a field of death that smelled disgustingly of melted and charred flesh? Aster grinned at her, planted her staff on the ground and to her surprise extracted the bluish power stone retrieved from the khrè imperial golem from her golemic arm." Take it, use it to cast the void shield at maximum power."
She didn't argue and did so immediately, sticking the stone to the void shield array. A sphere of translucent grey static immediately surrounded them. The enraged acromantula circled around it, trying to scale it. "What now?" she asked. Aster pulled a roll of parchment from an inner pocket of her dress and broke the ribbon holding it closed with her teeth. Then, as soon as she unrolled it, the countless figures of the array inscribed on it lit up. All the acromantulas froze in place, looking around in a daze, as the ground was covered with a frost that gave off an intense white light. Then, a flash. Hermione closed her eyes for several seconds.
When she opened them again the landscape around her had completely changed. Everything was covered in ice and frost glittering under the stars. Fine particles of glittering ice were slowly falling to the ground like crystal snow. All the acromantula were frozen, entirely white. The sound of the fury of battle had again given way to silence. She heard a noise at her side. Aster had just fallen to the ground. She was sitting, leaning back slightly on her hands. She let out a long sigh as she looked around.
Hermione knew that Aster had killed before, she had told her about the attack on her and Anna, she had seen her fight the black mage in Ulthar. But none of these experiences were as significant as the one she had just had. There was a world of difference between knowing that Aster could be ruthless and seeing it with her own eyes. What she had just witnessed was more like a massacre than a fight. A part of her was in admiration and felt reassured by the simple presence of Aster, but another smaller part whispered to her that one day, perhaps, she would be the one to face this cold look and this terrifying magic. She pushed this idea from her mind, fearing Aster would be the first step to weaken their friendship. She sat down next to her friend, shivering, letting her eyes drift over the battlefield frozen in ice all around them. "We survived," she murmured.
"It was only a few big spiders," Aster scoffed in a small voice.
"A lot of big spiders." retorted Hermione with a small laugh, the terror and adrenaline evaporating from her system, leaving her a little dizzy.
"Yes. I didn't expect to run into an acromantula hunting party."
"Why didn't you freeze them all in the first place?" asked Hermione, a hint of accusation in her voice. It was clear to her that Aster could have gotten them out of there right away.
"My magic channels are still too narrow for me to use that kind of magic safely. In the case of the fight against the other black mage, I had no choice. But in this case, the acromantula were not dangerous enough for me to use it. I took the time to drain them of their energy with black magic. Until I could crack this array. By the way, can you give me back my power stone? I need a working arm."
"I see... and, sorry." said Hermione blushing before handing her the stone, letting the void shield dissipate. Aster slid the stone into her arm before moving it again with a sigh.
"I think it's screwed up, to open our portal here..." sighed Aster.
"Yeah, with all the ruckus we've been making, I wouldn't be surprised if people were coming to take a look around soon."
"I'll leave you to clear the array, I'll take care of the acromantula," Aster declared before standing up, leaning on her staff.
When they finally crawled into bed, just hours before daybreak, Hermione clutched at Aster. The terror of earlier was still fresh in her mind, and she had no doubt that sleeping alone would give her nightmares.
"It was a great failure," Aster sighed sadly.
"Maybe," Hermione murmured. "The plan failed, but I'm sure the knowledge that there is a colony of Acromantula in the forest will come in handy at some point.
"You're probably right, as usual." Aster said before falling asleep.
Hermione hugged Aster's small form, before she too let sleep take her.
oOOOo
The potion class had just come to an end. Aster was both excited and exhausted. Last night she and Hermione had only had a little over an hour's sleep to recuperate after their bad encounter in the woods. That night had been an abject failure. They had gone out to initiate Hermione into her first array in grand style and open a portal to their homes, but it had involved an acromantula hunting party. She had considered using the absolute freeze array directly to end the battle before it started, but to risk oversaturating her power stone without preparation would have been far too risky, as would going in with her own reserves and risking fracturing her veins of magic. The only solution had been to stall until she had drained enough life energy from the acromantula to have enough magic to crack the array. Perhaps she could consider another contract with Lagaelis. Her draining rate and length were just not enough...
Throughout breakfast in the Great Hall, spent on Tonks' lap, trying not to fall asleep against her warm chest, she had tried to keep an eye on the headmaster, looking for any sign of whether or not he was aware of their nocturnal escapade. Fortunately, he didn't seem to know much about it, as he had spent all of breakfast discussing a witchweekly article with Professor Sinistra.
They had done this outside the wards and deep in the forest after all, it would have taken someone particularly observant AND insomniac to notice anything. A bit like her godfather who had been giving her looks promising death and suffering all morning.
The quick green potion that she and Hermione had enjoyed making this morning, (thank goodness they hadn't had to suffer the history teacher, his monotone voice would have simply finished them off), was a popular potion for sleep-deprived people in need of a pick-me-up. Severus had made it clear at the beginning of the class that students whose potion he found acceptable would be allowed to consume it. Aster was beginning to think that the professor was clearly trying to send a message...
After receiving a quick nod and an O for their potions, as all the other students began to flee the dark and ominous potions room with its shelves lined with jars of formaldehyde containing monsters and other natural oddities, Aster and Hermione took their time packing up their things before waiting quietly behind their benches. That done, while waiting for Severus to finish filing the papers on his desk, Aster began a staring match with a dozen eyes in a jar all fixed in her direction. Their teacher having deemed their potion adequate, Aster took a sip, hoping to fight off fatigue. The liquid was fresh, sweet, bubbly and lemony. She took another sip, shivering with pleasure as the potion made her feel little sparks behind her eyes. Hermione had imitated her and seemed equally charmed by the taste of the result of their work.
Aster had just finished her vial of potion and frowned. The bright green liquid was far too delicious... Fortunately, their cauldron had been enough to fill six vials. She was about to grab a second one to sip, when a hand came to rest on her wrist just before she could close her fingers on the vial. She turned her head to see who had dared to come between her and her due, only to find Severus glaring at her with a dark and exasperated look. "An overdose of quick green will keep you awake next night, Miss Potter. I do not recommend that you proceed further in your action." He said in a low voice before releasing her wrist. Aster reluctantly withdrew her hand. Her face apparently discomfited enough at the thought of being deprived of a second vial to make Hermione giggle. "Yes Professor," she grumbled.
"Professor, Aster told me that you had information." Hermione said.
"Not here. Come on." He said before heading to the back of the room. He tapped his wand on five bricks in a precise order before the wall seemed to break apart in front of him, opening up into a long dark corridor. Hermione and Aster looked at each other for a moment before shrugging and following their professor's lead. By the light of a lumo the little group walked about fifty meters before Severus stopped and whispered something against one of the walls, a door materializing. They entered a small, dusty, windowless sitting room lit by two large candelabras. The only other furniture was five old armchairs and a coffee table.
Once the door was closed, Aster focused her Lagaelis eye on the walls and the door and was quite impressed. The walls of the room were covered with wards and other protective magic. Nothing that happened here could be heard. Satisfied, Aster nodded and turned to the Potions Master. "So, Severus, any news on the stone?"
The latter sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, but before that... Aster Karrasinqi, Hermione Snow. Would you mind explaining to me why Albus Dumbledore in person came to wake me up in the middle of the night to look at, and I quote, "A strange commotion in the Forbidden Forest. To discover a real battlefield?"
"What are you talking about?" Aster asked with the most innocent look she could muster.
Severus rolled his eyes, before giving her a look that promised death and retribution. "I'm talking about the fifty or so acromantula corpses, burned, disemboweled, frozen, hastly hidden nearby a clearing saturated with the residue of magic so intense that it was visible to the naked eye!
"It's curious, indeed... I wonder who could have done such a thing..." Hermione buried her face in her hands and muttered something about the thickness of Aster's skull.
Severus clutched the bridge of his nose again, closing his eyes tightly, before turning and rummaging in his bag. He pulled out a long object wrapped in a white cloth and slammed it on the coffee table. "Aster Karrasinqi, can you take a look at what's in that cloth?"
Aster opened it and winced. There lay her sword bearing alchemical runes of flesh, the blade which had broken during the fight. "It's a sword." she merely said.
"A sword I've seen on your belt before, and which I found in a bush not far from the scene of the carnage. Stop denying, and explain to me immediately what led you to decide to start a genocide of accromantula not even supposed to live in the forest." He said, giving her a look that was as desperate as it was exasperated. Hermione sat in one of the seats and seemed to completely ignore Aster, her cheeks tinged crimson.
"I... well, all right. We wanted to set up a space portal in the Forbidden Forest so that we could have a means of escape and quick communication with the Order of the Asphodel. We had found a junction of ley lines and had begun to install the portal when a group of acromantula fell upon us."
Severus sank into a chair and let out a long, painful sigh. "Aster Karrasinqi, if I were not certain of the futility of the process I would immediately inflict detention on you every night until your time at Hogwarts is up."
Aster looked down. "What did you tell Dumbledore?"
"That it was a wild magic event, as they sometimes happen in the area. I have seen and appreciated your attempt to erase the evidence, but I must say that it is far from sufficient. I would urge you to be more careful the next time you indulge in this kind of nonsense."
Despite her pride, Aster knew when to admit defeat, especially when her godfather had seemingly saved them from a difficult situation by not having to deal with a suspicious Dumbledore. Hermione saved her from the long, awkward silence by saying that she wouldn't be so easily sucked into Aster's plans again and would try to reason with her further. As humiliating as her friend's statement was for her, Aster did not have the arguments to defend herself and simply made herself small. Severus nodded, apparently satisfied with Hermione's statement. Aster felt slightly betrayed... Hermione and Severus had apparently formed an alliance of convenience. The discussion between Hermione and Severus about how to ensure that Hogwarts and the surrounding lands would not end up in ruins by the end of the year continued for several minutes during which Aster remained silent, accepting this unusual but effective form of punishment.
"Aster, I know you don't trust me yet, but please give me the chance to prove myself. You could have come to me and I would have pointed you to a safe place to place your portal." Said Severus in a calm voice, as usual pointing to the underlying problem.
"To tell you the truth, I didn't even think about that possibility... I've long since gotten used to dealing with my problems alone or with Hermione. Asking for help often doesn't cross my mind." Aster finally said, no sooner had she finished than she winced. What she had just said sounded too much like a confession to her own ears.
"I have the same problem." Hermione said as she took Aster's hand in hers. "My parents and I were never really close until they... Even with the people I have strong ties to back home... Asking for help isn't something we think about when we're facing a difficulty. For years now, me and Aster have been almost alone in the world." Aster's eyes widened in surprise. Hermione had never confided in anyone like that except herself, Nailla and her pseudo family in the village. Aster had not realised that Severus had made such a strong impression on her friend. Or was it a test of Severus' character? Hold out a branch and see what the man does with it? Yes, it seemed more Hermione like than simply opening up like that.
Severus did not react visibly to this admission. No comment, no unwelcome advice or sickening pity. He merely nodded. "I see. Just know that I know of a rather well-hidden and easily accessible place just outside the wards that should do the trick."
Aster nodded, it seemed better than repeating their unpleasant forest experience of the day before. "The day after tomorrow, can you lead us there?" Hermione asked, excitement audible in her voice.
Severus pulled a small notebook out of his pocket and consulted it for a moment. "It seems feasible. After dinner, nine o'clock, down the stairs along the cliff by the lake. Don't get spotted."
"Very well. Now, what about the stone?" Said Aster, desirous to change the subject.
"As you know, Dumbledore made an announcement at the opening banquet of the year about a forbidden corridor at the risk of painful death?"
Hermione nodded. "Yes we remember."
"It turns out that in that corridor there is a sort of series of tests made to slow down anyone who tries to steal the stone."
Aster grunted. "Do we really have to participate in this farce?"
"Not necessarily." Severus said with a faintly toothy grin on his face. "It turns out that our esteemed headmaster has set up another hidden door leading directly to the final room of the ordeal. I think he's hoping to capture anyone who tries to steal the stone by going directly to where the stone is through that door. Only me and Minerva know about this passage."
Hermione, who had remained impassive throughout the explanation, spoke up. "I suppose there is a but."
"Yes, the door is heavily warded and Dumbledore will realise that someone is trying to force this passage before the door can be opened, and neither I nor Minerva have the key. We just know about it so we have to keep an eye on it. However, in the event that Dumbledore is adequately distracted long enough, forcing the door open is a possibility."
As Aster racked her brain for a solution, Hermione's eyes lit up. "Professor, am I right in thinking that creatures as dangerous as acromantulas have no business being near a school, and that therefore, apart from you, the rest of the staff are unaware of their presence?"
"It's exact... what are you getting at, Miss Snow? Severus said with a raised eyebrow.
Hermione's eyes glowed with a haunting light as she described one of the most daring plans Aster had ever heard.