Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Bloody Skies	By : TokiMirage Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > Slash - Male/Male Views: 44832 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: JKRowling owns Harry Potter. Everything else is mine. I do not make any money writing this fic.

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
- 10
Bloody Skies
oOo
Chapter Nine:
oOo
He had a headache. A pounding headache. And his body felt like it’d been hit by a truck.
“Ah, good. You’re awake. I was beginning to think the ennervate wouldn’t work.”
His blood turned to ice in his veins at the familiar, grandfatherly tone, but he could hear a note of weariness in the voice that hadn’t been there at the beginning of the year. Painfully pushing his head off his chest, he looked up into twinkling blue eyes. He tried to move and found himself tied to a chair, with his hands cuffed in front of him.
“Who are you, and what were you doing in my office?”
The twinkle continued, and Cyrus wondered if it was a spell or the old man trying to use legilimency. Cyrus could never feel when someone tried to use it on him, so he was glad that he had figured out his alternate method occlumency. Whether it was a spell or natural, however, Cyrus was sure there was no way Dumbledore could be happy after someone had broken into his office. Summoning his magic, he tried to break his binds. When nothing happened, his heart skipped a beat in terror.
When Cyrus’s silence continued, the old man walked toward his desk with a put-upon sigh. “It’s unfortunate that you won’t share this information. I’m afraid the alarms pulled me from a Wizengamot meeting. Otherwise I would be happy to stay here and get my answers.” He pulled something out of a desk and Cyrus paled at the sight of veritaserum. He wouldn’t.
“Three drops of this, my boy, and you’ll tell me everything I need to know. I keep a bottle in my office at all times now that my last Potions Master deserted. It’s too bad, he was quite useful.”
Cyrus struggled against the chair he was tied to, summoning his wandless magic again to help him. Nothing happened. Eyes wide, he tried again.
“I’m afraid even accidental magic won’t help you, my boy. Those are magic-suppressing cuffs on your wrists. A recent acquisition from one of my associates in Egypt.” Blue eyes twinkled.
Before Cyrus could twitch, the old man had him by the nose. He held his breath for as long as he could, but eventually his need for air overpowered his need for silence and he gasped in a breath. Three drops fell into his mouth, and he nearly inhaled one of them. Already he could feel the effects as his mind numbed and a dull haze came over his vision.
Shit!
“What is your full name?”
He bit his tongue as his mouth moved to follow the order, and what came out was a garbled mess.
Dumbledore frowned. “What is your name?”
Cyrus choked as the veritaserum forced him to answer. “Ha-arry James Potter.”
Twinkling blue eyes widened in surprise. “H-Harry? My dear boy, is that you?”
“Y-yes,” he choked out. Revulsion turned his stomach as a hand came to his face and caressed his cheek. He felt his body tingle.
“Ah yes, there we are. That was quite the disguise, Harry. Permanently changing your appearance? Dangerous, that is. Since this disguise is new, however, it was easy for me to undo.” The old wizard smiled at the look of horror on Cyrus’s face.
“Now. What are you doing in my office?”
“Sitting here.” Take that, you old bastard!
“What were you doing in my office?”
He choked. “I-I was s-searching for m-my fe- eather.”
“You’re phoenix feather, my boy?”
“Yes.”
He watched with angry eyes as Dumbledore reached into his robes and produced a long, red feather. “This one?”
His eyes widened. “Y-yes.”
Dumbledore opened his mouth to say something when the fire abruptly turned green. With a wave of the old coot’s wand, Cyrus disappeared from sight and was silenced. He frowned as he noticed for the first time that Dumbledore wielded his wand with his left hand. His eyes jumped to the right and saw nothing but folds of fabric. Had it been cut off or something?
“Albus? What’s going on? You left the meeting so suddenly,” a female head spoke from where she floated in the flames. Cyrus tried to scream help, but no sound escaped.
“Ah, no need to worry, Gertrude. I’ll return in a moment.”
The elderly lady smiled at him. “See that you do. We’re almost finished.” And with that said, she disappeared from the fire.
Dumbledore turned back to Cyrus and removed the spells. “Well, it would seem our time together must be delayed until a more opportune moment. I will get my answers from you, Harry. You are not going anywhere.”
And the last thing Cyrus remembered was the red light of a stupefy.
oOo
When Cyrus woke up, it was to the sight of stone floor and a bone-deep chill. He still wore his basilisk armour, but he couldn’t feel the familiar weight of his pouch, and when he shifted his arms together he couldn’t feel the telltale bump of his new wand, either. Swearing softly under his breath, he pushed his body into a sitting position, wincing the whole way. How long had he been on the floor? His right side was numb, and sore. Rolling his shoulders, he heard multiple cracks.
Looking around himself, he peered through the dark light and thought he could see bars for one wall. Great. Hogwarts had dungeons, didn’t it? It had been built nearly a thousand years ago.
His stomach growled, the sound echoing off the walls encasing him. Swearing under his breath, he reached for his boot, not very hopeful that he would find his nutrient potions.
Nope. Empty. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, trying once again to use his magic. Nothing happened. He tried his rune sight, and nothing happened. Reaching curiously for his death magic, he felt it twitch and stir, but still not move under his will.
He swore louder.
“Did you hear that, Hermione? Do you think it’s him?”
“I didn’t hear anything, Ron.”
Cyrus hit his head against the wall behind him. Fuck. Just what he… he paused. This could work to his advantage, if he could convince them that he was genuine.
“Hermione? Ron?” he called out, making sure his voice was hopeful and confused.
“Harry! See? I told you I heard him! Harry! Where are you?”
Cyrus smiled grimly. “Over hear! Just follow my voice!”
He saw a light shining beyond the bars and tried to push himself to his feet with no success. His right side was still numb from the cold and the stone.
“There you are! We haven’t seen you in forever, Harry. Where have you been?”
Cyrus’s eyebrow twitched. “Where do you think I am? I’m stuck in this cell!”
Ron came around the corner with a wide grin. “I can see that, mate.”
Hermione gasped as she saw him on the floor. “Harry!”
Cyrus grit his teeth. ‘Stop saying my bloody name already!’ “Hey, Hermione.” He smiled. “Do you guys think you can help me out?” He tried to stand again to inspire pity, and did moderately better this time. He limped over to the bars.
“Wow, Harry! You’re in cuffs! Why’s that?”
Cyrus resisted the urge to roll his eyes. ‘I’m in a cage, you idiot. As in, prisoner? How daft can you be?’ He certainly hadn’t missed this side of the redhead.
“Harry?” Hermione asked with a trembling voice when he was silent in thought.
“It doesn’t matter, just get me out of here,” he pleaded, putting the most honest expression he could on his face.
And then, Ron smiled. “Dumbledore said you’d try and convince us to let you out.”
Cyrus froze, eyes shooting between Ron’s smug expression and Hermione’s worrying lip. He was silent for a few moments before finally asking, “Where is Dumbledore? I’m surprised he’d send you down here on your own.”
Ron grinned. “Why would you be? You’re trapped in magic sealing cuffs and the wards on these bars. You’re not leaving us again, Harry.”
Cyrus stared at him. “You don’t care that I’m being held here against my will?”
Ron shrugged. “Dumbledore knows what he’s talking about. He says that we need you in order for Voldemort to be defeated.” Suddenly, he glared. “Where have you been, anyway? Voldemort’s been raiding and killing people since school started, and you haven’t been here!”
Cyrus looked at Hermione. She was silent, staring at the two of them with a worried expression. Since when had Ron done all the talking?
“Hey!” Ron shouted. “I asked you a question, Harry! Why did you run away?!”
Cyrus glared at him. “Where’s Dumbledore?” he asked. The Weasley still hadn’t answered his question from earlier.
“He’s out there helping people, like you should be! Voldemort attacked ten wizarding families last night. We still don’t know if there were any survivors. Dumbledore and the rest of the Order are out there trying to find them!”
Cyrus looked at Hermione, who was silently crying. What was her problem?
“So you answer my question, where have you been?!”
Sick of Ron’s shouting, he turned around and walked back to the far wall. This was a pointless conversation. Dumbledore had probably sent them as familiar faces to try and get information while the old coot was otherwise occupied. But Cyrus wasn’t going to share anything. While he had been away, learning new things and becoming a fighter, these two had been sitting on their arses in their perfect little worlds wondering where their ‘savior’ was. It was pathetic. It was unfair. Why was he expected to do all the work? Stupid prophecy.
With a grunt, he slid down the wall and closed his eyes, tuning out the redhead ranting in front of him. He let out a soft sigh, trying to ignore the disappointment that twisted his stomach into knots. They weren’t his friends anymore. Real friends would have tried to break him out instead of gloating or crying outside the bars with stupid expressions on their faces. And Hermione. Since when had Ron been the brains of the outfit? He would have expected her to either lecture him out of concern or for ‘the greater good’.
What a load of crock.
“C’mon, Hermione. He obviously doesn’t have a good excuse for abandoning us. Let’s go.” While Ron turned and walked away, Hermione stood behind, watching Cyrus with wet eyes.
“I-it’s okay, Ron. I’ll meet up with you in a few minutes.”
He shrugged. “Suit yourself.” And walked away.
Cyrus and Hermione watched each other until Ron’s footfalls fell to silence. She opened her mouth to speak, but didn’t seem to know what she wanted to say. Finally, she spoke.
“We worried, you know.” When Cyrus snorted, she frowned. “I worried. When Dumbledore told us you went missing-“ Her throat choked off with tears. She bit her lip and swallowed. “Well, I didn’t know what to think. I thought… why would Harry run away? You’ve always been so courageous, running into dangerous obstacles in order to help others. Where did you go?” She wiped tears from her eyes. “Where did our Harry go?”
Cyrus looked away, chewing on his cheek. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, ‘Mione. As Ron is stuck in his own little world of denial, so are you.” She sniffled. “Dumbledore isn’t some saint, Hermione. Don’t you remember anything you’ve learned in the muggle world? It’s like the Americans and World War II. Just because they won the war doesn’t mean that they were righteous. Or good. It just means that they won. And winners are the ones who write the history books.”
She wiped all traces of tears, and Cyrus felt a bud of affection grow as he saw the familiar look of books and books of knowledge in her eyes. “Are you saying that Dumbledore is a bad person?”
Cyrus sighed. “I’m trying to tell you to start thinking for yourself, ‘Mione. Just because Dumbledore leads the side of the ‘Light’ doesn’t mean that he’s right. And just because Voldemort went insane looking for immortality doesn’t mean that some of the things he used to fight for aren’t good. I’m not saying that I support the maniac in any way, but the wizarding world is incredibly prejudiced against anyone who is different from what they deem acceptable. Werewolves, vampires, those who learn dark magic… Just because it’s Dark doesn’t mean that it’s evil Hermione.”
She frowned at him. “But what does this have to do with you running away?”
Cyrus tried to run an impatient hand through his hair, but the cuffs impeded the familiar motion. He scowled down at them. “I left because I know without a doubtthat Dumbledore is not a good person. He would sacrifice any one of us if it meant he could win this little war of his, Hermione. He put compulsions in my mind to keep me from thinking for myself. So you wonder why I’ve changed? It’s because I no longer have a choke chain wrapped around my neck!”
A hand flew to her mouth. “C-compulsions? I’ve never read anything about those before.”
Cyrus rolled his eyes. “Not everything is written in books, Hermione.”
She remained silent, biting her lip and staring at him thoughtfully. “And how do I know that you’re telling me the truth, Harry?” she whispered quietly, her voice sounding as broken as the expression on her face.
He stared at her, not believing that she had just asked him that question. “You have known me for five years, Hermione. If you believe some senile old headmaster over your own experience of our friendship, then I don’t want to talk to you any more.”
She stared at him, uncomprehending. “B-but, Harry, I just-“
“No! You know what? I'm sick of this world. I’m sick of this school, and I’m sick of my so-called ‘friends’ calling me liars and turning their backs on me! When I told you I wasn’t the heir of Slytherin, Ron turned his back on me. When I told you I hadn’t put my name in the hat, Ron thought I was looking for attention! Have you noticed a trend, Hermione? Is this it for you, too? Are you going to turn away from me now, like Ron has? When I need you most?” When she said nothing, he couldn’t stand to look at her. With that lost expression on her face. “If our friendship still meant anything to you, you’d be helping me escape right now. But instead, here we are.” He glared at the wall.
She was silent for a few minutes, and Cyrus could hear her sniffling and wiping tears from her eyes. She asked him where he had gone, but where the hell was she?
“E-even i-if I kn-new how to g-get you out of h-here, Harry, w-which I d-don’t, then what would y-you do? Leave?” she asked through her tears.
He scowled. “Yes.”
She was silent for a moment. “We used to f-follow you everywhere, Harry.” He turned to look her in the eyes. “But I’m not s-sure I can follow you to this place you’re going.”
He glared at her. “Then leave. And don’t expect me to come running to your aid when you finally figure out what’s really going on in this world.”
She nodded and slowly walked away.
oOo
He couldn’t tell the passage of time down in the dungeon, but it was around what he would guess to be suppertime that he finally heard something. He couldn’t hear footsteps, per say, but he swore that he could hear the quiet swish of robes.
“There you are. I was wondering how deep into the dungeons Dumbledore put you. Spectacular job getting yourself caught, Obsidian.”
Cyrus wanted to glare at the insult to his intelligence, but he was far too happy that Snape was here. Slowly pushing himself to his feet, his body lethargic from lack of food, he grinned. “Good to see you too, Snape. Call me Potter while I look like this, though. Don’t want Dumbles getting any ideas.”
The vampire snorted. “Too true.” Then a more serious expression overtook his face as he did some wand waving over the bars. “This ward is complicated. I’m not sure I’ll be able to remove it. Why haven’t you broken it yourself, as you did with the wards at the Dursleys?”
Cyrus held up his chained hands and the vampire nodded.
“I’ll see what I can-“ He stopped talking and looked down the hallway. “I thought I heard something,” he said a moment later when he saw the confused look on Cyrus’s face. “I’ll do my best to remove the wards, but I am unsure wheth-“ Suddenly, he collapsed to the ground. Cyrus ran to the bars in concern.
“Snape? Snape! What the he-“
“Why Harry, I do believe I now understand how you were able to escape from Grimmauld place. I never suspected Severus would help you. Very clever.”
Cyrus backed away from the bars as Dumbledore’s floating head came into view. He stared in disbelief.
Dumbledore smiled jovially as he opened the cell across from Cyrus’s and moved Snape’s still body inside. He cast a few spells on the man and the bars before he closed the door and locked it. When Dumbledore turned around, Cyrus was still staring at the bobbing head.
“Ah! Are you admiring your invisibility cloak? I have to admit, Harry, I was rather reluctant to let it go all those Christmases back. It’s a terribly useful tool when one wishes to be unseen.”
Cyrus stared. “B-but, that burned with all my other belongings!”
Dumbledore nodded. “Yes, your belongings burned, but the blanket under the ashes was in fact your cloak, Harry. Like the phoenix feather, it holds properties that prevent it from being destroyed so easily.”
Cyrus glared. “What did you do with my other belongings?”
Dumbledore ‘tutted’. “Now Harry, don’t be so unreasonable. I had to take them to prevent your escape.” He smiled, pulling a wand out of his robes. “It’s quite the interesting wand you have, Harry. Though it won’t help you fight Tom.” He cracked it in half.
Pure rage exploded inside Cyrus, and the magical cuffs binding his wrists began to grow hot on his skin as he fought against their hold. “How dare you! It took me ages to find that wand, and it cost me 114 galleons!”
Dumbledore gave him a disappointed look. “Really, Harry. You are fussing too much over a wand that is not suited for you. When you have returned to Hogwarts, I will take the feather to Ollivander and have him make a new one for you.”
Cyrus couldn’t believe the audacity of the man in front of him. “You can’t control me, Dumbledore! You may break my wand, you may lock me in this cage, but I will never return to being you blind little lap dog!”
Dumbledore smiled. “Now see, that’s where you wrong, my dear boy.” He raised his wand and cast a gold spell through the bars. Cyrus sluggishly dodged. He was still weak from not eating all day. “Stop moving, Harry, it will only make this process more trying than it needs to be.”
It was the fifth spell that hit Cyrus after Dumbledore tricked him with a fake cast and caught him mid-roll. He hit the ground with a thud and felt like his brain was on fire. He screamed.
Pain.
His mind felt like it was liquefying. Terrified, Cyrus sank into his magic and looked for the floating ball that was his mind. The pain numbed slightly under the warmth of his magic, but just enough so he could think. When he finally found the ball, he dragged it back to his core and opened it up. The web was being attacked by vines of gold in every direction. There was no end to it! Mentally slapping himself, he tried to remember before, when Snape had helped him burn out the infestation the first time. Sinking into the depths of his mind, he searched for the seeds from which the brambles were growing, tracing the vines of gold as they thickened.
As he went deeper he felt the vines begin to eat away at his logic. While his mind fought the intrusion, he flashed between knowing where he was and having no fucking clue. Finally, he found the source of his pain and let his magic pour into his mind and burn out the infection, heading straight for the seed. Soon he felt himself drowning in the power as it went to work on healing damage and burning out the bramble. He didn’t know when the pain ended, but when he finally returned to awareness he was wrapped around a knot of webs floating in magic.
If he had eyes, he would have blinked at the sight of his mind drowned in magic. Instead, he mentally slapped himself into focus and started draining the webs. When the structure was magic free once again, and he could sense no evidence of brambles, he pulled it together into the ball again and locked it up tight.
Satisfied that it was secure and safe, he let himself fall out of his magic.
oOo
“Potter? Potter! Wake up, you blundering, stupid, flesh-bag with maggots for a brain! What the hell were you thinking coming here damnit Potter WAKE UP!”
Cyrus rolled over with a groan. Ugh. Déjà vu.
“Finally! I have been trying to get you out of that trance for hours now. Dumbledore left a while ago, called away by the Order of the Phoenix. Are you hearing me, Potter?”
“Yes, yes. Stop yelling you overgrown bat.” Groaning some more, he pulled himself over to the bars and looked at the angry face of Snape.
“Don’t you take that tone with me, you ungrateful brat,” he sneered. “I didn’t have to come out here and save you, you sorry excuse for a human!”
Cyrus didn’t think he’d ever seen Snape that angry before, but it didn’t stop him from scowling at the vampire. “Oh really? Well, I looks to me like you got yourself caught too, your sorry excuse for a vampire!”
Snape hissed at him, and Cyrus couldn’t help but laugh. He’d never thought he’d see Snape do something so undignified. He must be incensed. “I will flay you alive when I get out of here, Potter. See if I ever try to save your worthless skin again.”
Cyrus grinned half-heartedly. “Well, I’m glad that I can still piss you off. Some familiarity is nice when you’re stuck god knows how many feet underground with a psycho stalker bent on turning you to the ‘Light’,” he said mockingly.
To his surprise, Snape smirked. “And I’m glad that you aren’t bending yourself into a pretzel trying to kiss the old man’s ass.”
Cyrus’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Why Snape, I never knew you had it in you.” They shared amused looks before sobering at the situation. “Where is the bastard, anyway? After he tried to melt my brain into a pile of goo you’d think he’d stick around long enough to see if it worked.”
Snape shook his head. “He would believe he succeeded. But aside from his superiority complex, that is not actually the reason he left.”
Cyrus blinked. “Really? What happened, exactly?”
The vampire looked supremely annoyed. “It seems the Ministry and Order are far more incompetent than I calculated.” His thin lips twitched. “I had arranged for there to be an additional Death Eater raid on a town some distance away from here, but apparently the incompetents didn’t find out until an hour after it happened.” He scowled. “That was why Dumbledore caught me.” He muttered to himself, “Never will I give these idiots any amount of credit ever again.”
Cyrus smiled half-heartedly and rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and wished that he would be back in his room when he opened them. He peaked. Stone ceiling. Damnit.
“Snape?”
“What?”
“What’s Dumbledore going to-“
“Quiet! Someone’s coming.”
Cyrus blinked and listened. He couldn’t hear it for a few moments, but eventually he could hear a set of footsteps making their way towards them. He frowned. The steps were light and close together, but it didn’t sound like they were in a hurry. When Ron of all people came into view, his eyes widened. What the heck was he doing here?
“Hey Harry!”
Cyrus stared at the happy face incredulously.
“And wow, Snape! When did you get here? Musta been some time today.” He grinned and walked over to the bars. Snape gave him the glare of death. “You don’t scare me. Professor Dumbledore probably has wards on these, like with Harry. What I wanna know is whether spells can be cast into them…” Pulling out his wand, he cast an expelliarmus on the vampire that sent him careening into the back wall. Cyrus pushed himself onto his feet in alarm. What the hell?! Frantically peering through the bars, he sighed in relief when it seemed Snape was okay.
Ron grinned. “Wow, they do. That’s cool.” He turned around and saw Cyrus. “So, Harry. I came to have a little chat with you.” The redhead conjured a chair.
“Wow, Ron. I didn’t know you could conjure. You must have been practicing since I left.” He grinned when Ron looked annoyed.
“Ha ha, really funny.” He sat down with a glare, his face turning red. “Dumbledore hasn’t been here to pry the information from you, but I want to know where you’ve been. So start talking.”
Cyrus stared at him incredulously. The redhead didn’t actually believe that Cyrus would just roll over and spill his secrets, did he? “If you think I’m going to talk just because you told me to, Weasley, then you’re more mentally challenged than I thought.”
Before Cyrus could react, a spell hit him right in the face, and his skin started prickling and itching like he had a rash. Stumbling back from the bars, he raised his hands to feel his skin, resisting the urge to scratch. Red bumps had grown all over his face. Ron had hexed him? He fumed. “When I get out of here your ass is going to purple for months, Weasley.”
Ron grinned. “You’re not getting out, Harry, so that’s never going to happen. Now, if you answer one of my questions, I’ll take the hex off.”
Cyrus scowled and remained silent.
The redhead shrugged. “Alright, I’ll just ask. Where have you been?”
Cyrus bit his lip and looked away. “I’m not saying.”
Another hex hit him in the chest, and now he found himself with tits. He stared down at himself in shock at the sight of the slight bulge pressing against the tight basilisk skin. “Did you just turn me into a girl? Geez, Weasley. You of all people would actually look for a hex that gave you breasts. What have you been doing, feeling up your own tits and jacking off because no chick would be caught dead having sex with you?” His armour had deflected most of the power in the spell, so he didn’t have jugs the size of implants, but they still hurt.
The next spell wasn’t nearly as kind, but the skin protected him from too much damage. He could feel blood dripping down his leg, but it hadn’t been severed or anything. He scowled at the redhead.
“Tell me what I want to know, Harry.”
“Suck my dick.” He was ready to dodge this time, though the pain in his leg slowed him down. The spell splashed harmlessly on to the wall behind him. “Is that the best you can do, Weasley? Lousy spellmanship, that.” He dodged another curse as the redhead stood up, face purple with anger.
“Well, if you’re going to play it that way,” the redhead trailed off and spun around to send a curse flying at Snape. The vampire, who was currently nursing a sore back, couldn’t dodge. Cyrus watched in concern as a deep cut sliced into his shoulder. Why the hell hadn’t Snape gotten out of the way? He was a vampire! Dodging something like that should have been easier than breathing! Unless… he looked at the bars, wishing he could use his rune sight to see what kinds of spells Dumbledore had put on them. Unless the old coot had cast some vampire-specific wards.
Snape looked decidedly unimpressed. He sneered. “Your aim hasn’t improved much, Mr. Weasley.”
The redhead flushed. “I was aiming for your shoulder!”
The vampire raised an eyebrow. “Your eyes were on my chest, you incompetent. You’re not fooling anybody.”
Cyrus couldn’t see Ron’s expression, but he did see the wary twitch of Snape’s mouth.
“Really, Professor? You won’t be laughing for long.” And then the redhead cast crucio.
Cyrus watched with wide eyes as Snape started twitching on the ground. When the hell had Ron learned how to cast the cruciatus curse?! Wasn’t he pro-Light?! He stayed away form the bars even though he wanted to move closer to help the vampire, but he knew putting himself closer to their new enemy wasn’t going to help. Ron held the curse for a minute before removing it.
Snape actually chuckled when the spell was over, “You need more practice, Weasley. We’ll turn you into a Dark wizard yet.” but Cyrus could see that he was shaking slightly where he lay on the floor.
“Seems to me like I’m doing pretty well, Professor,” the redhead gloated. He turned around and Cyrus flinched at the look of sick pleasure on his face. “Come one, Harry. You can’t tell me you’ve never wanted to do that.” Cyrus said nothing. “Unless, of course, he’s down here because he came to help you.” Ron wandered closer to the bars, a grin on his face. “How about we make a deal. You answer one of my questions, and I won’t turn Snape into a dead man. Deal?”
Cyrus bit his lip. “Remove the hexes, and I’ll talk.”
Ron shook his head. “Nope. If you tell me where you were, I’ll take off the boils.”
Cyrus licked his lips and looked down at the floor in thought. Making his decision, he met Ron’s eyes square on. “I… I was in New York,” he said through grit teeth.
Because Ron was looking at Cyrus, he didn’t see Snape’s worried expression change to a smug smirk.
The Weasley watched him for a few moments. “You’re lying.”
Cyrus’s mouth dropped open. “What?! I am not lying! I answered your stupid question so take off this hex!”
Ron seemed to contemplate it for a moment before he cast the counter spell. Cyrus sighed in relief and rubbed at the smooth skin of his face. “Alright, what were you doing in New York?”
Cyrus scowled at him. “What do you think I was doing, picking daisies?” When Ron raised his wand threateningly at Snape, he blathered on, “Fine fine! Just stop it, alright?” He looked away and clenched his fists. “I was training, alright?!” He scowled and stared stubbornly at the wall.
“Training where?”
Cyrus turned to look at him with an incredulous expression. “At a school, obviously.”
“What’s the name?”
He scowled. “NYAAM.”
“Nyam? What’s that stand for?”
“The New York Academy of Advanced Magic.”
The redhead was watching him suspiciously, but Cyrus didn’t even twitch. “What kinds of classes did you take?”
“The same ones as here, just harder.”
“Why didn’t you just stay at Hogwarts, then?”
Cyrus scowled. “I’ll tell you if you take off the tits.”
Ron absently waved his wand and Cyrus sighed in relief as the pain in his chest eased. “Now tell my why you left Hogwarts.”
Cyrus crossed his arms over his chest. “Didn’t like the scenery.”
Ron stared at him for a moment before glaring. “You’re lying, aren’t you? You think this is funny? You mocking me?”
Cyrus kept a straight expression. “I think your intelligence leaves something to be desired, yes.” He widened his eyes innocently. “What are you going to do, Ron? Give me a chick’s plumbing too?”
The redhead was puce, and Cyrus had to admit the colour looked good on him. In an ugly sort of way. “Let’s see if you find this funny!” He cast crucio at Snape again, and Cyrus tried to keep the concern off of his face. Snape could handle it, right? He’d been tortured by Voldemort for longer than this, right? Cyrus hoped so.
The spell cut out after a minute and a half, and Cyrus could tell that Ron was winded. He felt a slow smirk spread across his face. “Wow, Weasley. You never did have much stamina, did you?” He smiled. “Must be why you don’t get laid much, huh.” Cyrus could almost see steam coming out of the redhead’s ears.
“Do stop taunting the fool, Potter. I tire of the tingling sensation,” the Potions Master drawled, and Cyrus grinned as he saw that the vampire was okay.
“But Snape, it’s oh so fun!”
The vampire snorted and pushed himself into a sitting position. “While I admit it’s amusing, I’d rather not bleed out today if it’s all the same to you.”
Ron exploded and rounded on Cyrus. He cast crucio, but Cyrus dodged easily. He wasn’t falling for the same tricks. “You’re nothing but a selfish idiot, Harry! While you were running and hiding, people were dying over here! Just like that stupid mutt godfather of yours.” He grinned when Cyrus flinched, obviously hitting a nerve. “It was all your fault, you know. If you hadn’t been so stupid, you wouldn’t have dragged us to Department of Mysteries in the first place. I wouldn’t have been attacked by those stupid brains! The others wouldn’t have gotten hurt! And Sirius wouldn’t have-“
“SHUT UP!”
Ron smirked as Cyrus’s chest heaved with his anger. When he got out of there he was going to flay Ron alive.
“No, I won’t! Are you still sad about the mutt? Do you cry yourself to sleep at night?” Ron grinned. “Aaw, poor lil Harry sad his doggy left him?” The childish voice, reminiscent of Bellatrix Lestrange, made Cyrus sick to his stomach. “Sirius probably blamed you too, you know. I bet, when he fell through the veil, the last thing on his mind was how it was all your fault. It was your fault that he got stuck in Azkaban. It was your fault he had to hide in caves after he escaped. And, you know what? It was your fault your parents died too, now that I think about it. It’s all about you, Ha-“
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!!” Cyrus screamed, feeling the cuffs on his hands heat and start to glow under the pressure of his magic. “YOU DON’T KNOW A FUCKING THING!”
Ron just smirked. “And now it’s going to be your fault that another person you care about dies.” He turned his wand on Snape. Cyrus’s eyes widened. “I found this neat little potions book one day, when I forgot my own copy in the dorms. Slughorn gave it to me. Along with getting me an O in that class, there’s also been some interesting curses written in the margins. I’ve always wanted to try this one. Sectumsempra.”
Cyrus’s vision turned red when the Spell collided with Snape’s chest and ripped him open in a spray of blood. With an angry scream, he reached for his power, for anything that would kill the sunofabitch in front of him!!
His death magic exploded from where it was suppressed under his core, flooding his body with a bone-deep chill as it sucked the life out of the air around him. In an uncontrolled burst of power, it sank into the walls in search of something. Riding the wave of power, Cyrus was led to the body of the basilisk just beneath him. Of course, the Chamber of Secrets was under the school, so- His thought process froze as he felt his death magic surge into the dead body of the basilisk and all other dead creatures in the area. He ‘watched’ as the basilisk slithered into the pipes in search of its ‘master’.
He came to himself on the floor of his cell, feeling drained but still impossibly angry. He could hear Ron’s voice, but nothing that was said registered in his mind. No, his mind was focused on all the creatures he could feel his death magic in, from the basilisk sliding through the pipes towards them to the dead rats, from the dead pets in unused classrooms to the carcasses of rodents in the owlrey. He grinned as he sensed the basilisk close by, finally tuning in to what Ron was saying.
“-ver did like how you were always leading us around, the hero. It wasn’t like you knew much more than us, but you got special treatment? Got to participate in the Tournament, had all this money from your dead parents… All the cool stuff happened to you.”
Cyrus couldn’t see Ron’s face, but he could imagine the stupid look on it. Pushing himself to his feet, he watched through his anger-tinted vision as Ron continued to blather on, unaware of exactly how far he had pushed.
“-n’t see what Dumbledore saw in you. Always struttin’ around like you ow-“ The redhead cut off as he heard a sound down the hallway. “What the hell is th-“
He never knew what hit him.
The basilisk came flying down the hall, mouth open and its remaining fangs glinting in the pale firelight of the torches. Before Ron could even scream, the rotting jaws had closed around him with a crunch. Cyrus watched with anger burning away every other emotion as the redhead’s upper body disappeared from sight. With a flick of the basilisk’s head, the legs too soon disappeared. The only evidence of Ron’s existence was the shoe that had fallen onto the ground, and the Gryffindor-red sock that had caught on a sharp fang.
Cyrus could feel it. Could feel the dead basilisk as if it were an extension of himself. Sinking into that connection, he ordered the basilisk to break down their bars. The snake coiled itself in the hallway, curling and curling, leaving bits of dead flesh caught on the bars and the floor around them. As its skin had been harvested, he could hear sizzling as the basilisk venom soaking its flesh began to melt the metal even as the pressure of that coiled body started pushing them inwards and breaking them from the wall. Moving to stand against the back of the cell, he held his arms in front of him in case the bars came flying at him.
They did. A couple came loose from the floor and came careening towards the back of the cell, but Cyrus was ready. He rolled to the side in a controlled fall. The creaking of breaking stone and metal stopped, and Cyrus looked up to see that enough bars had broken for him to escape. Careful of the rotting flesh coated in basilisk venom, but mostly protected by the armour he wore, Cyrus ordered the basilisk out of the way as he picked his way out of the cell. The wards and the metal hadn’t stood a chance. Rushing into Snape’s cell, he reached out a hand to feel for a pulse. A hand came up and grabbed his wrist, startling him into letting out a squeak.
“Snape? Are you alright?!”
The vampire let out a groan, the front of his robes literally soaked in blood. “I need to feed.”
Making a split-second decision, Cyrus pulled his wrist out of Snape’s weak grip and rolled up the basilisk skin. “Here. Drink.”
Dark eyes watched him carefully. “Are you sure, Cy-“
“Just drink, damnit! Before you die!” He held the chained wrist to Snape’s mouth and winced at the pain of fangs sinking into it. Either the vampire was too weak to use aphrodisiac, or Snape usually fed this way. He wasn’t sure which worried him more. “Just be careful not to suck me dry, okay?” He smiled when Snape looked at him like he was stupid. “You’ll be back to being your usual cranky self in no time.” The vampire actually snorted.
Just when Cyrus was beginning to feel dizzy, Snape released his wrist and healed it. Cyrus didn’t know whether it was vampiric magic that did the healing, or just normal magic, but he was grateful that Snape was still capable of doing it in his state, because Cyrus couldn’t heal a paper cut in his condition.
“I can imagine you’re quite the commodity at Shikaan,” the vampire said before licking away the blood that coated his lips. Cyrus blinked in confusion. Snape frowned as he took in a breath. “You’re bleeding.” When Cyrus looked down at his wrist in confusion, the vampire rolled his eyes. “No, you idiot. Somewhere else. The Weasley cut you, didn’t he?”
Cyrus blinked and looked down at his left leg. Pulling up the tight basilisk skin, he winced as the blood started flowing freely. The tightness of the skin had stopped most of the bleeding, but when he’d pulled it back it had ripped the scabbing. Snape put his hand on the wound and it sealed as if it had never existed. Cyrus raised an eyebrow. Seeing the look, Snape smirked. “When you work for a mentally unstable Dark Lord, you perfect wandless healing spells.”
Cyrus raised both eyebrows. “How come you never healed that wound in first year, then?” When Snape stared at him uncomprehendingly, he grinned. “You know, when Fluffy bit you?”
The vampire rolled his eyes. “Cerebrus have an agent in their blood that prevents magical healing and impedes vampiric healing.” The vampire pushed himself to his feet. “Now, let’s be gone from this horrid-“
“What about my stuff?” The vampire stared at him, uncomprehending. “I mean, Dumbledore snapped my wand, but he still has all my notes on his wards as well as my rune references. I don’t know if he’s already looked through my stuff, but I need it all back!”
Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. “Very well. Do you know where it is?” Cyrus just bit his lip. “Well, today’s your lucky day. Dumbledore and I had a very nice chat while you were unconscious. You’re fortunate the old coot likes to gloat. Let’s go.” The vampire walked out of his cell and froze at the sight of the dead basilisk, waiting for orders. “Obsidian.” He turned to the human, his eyes demanding an explanation.
Cyrus shrugged. “I got mad.”
Snape raised an eyebrow. “Am I to assume by the red sock adorning one of its fangs and this empty shoe that Mr. Weasley is otherwise occupied at the moment?”
Cyrus grinned. “You could say that.”
Snape just nodded and started walking down the hallway. “Tell your snake friend to go create a distraction. Dumbledore probably felt the wards fall, so he should be back to Hogwarts any minute now if he’s not already here.”
Cyrus nodded and told the basilisk to go create havoc on the main floor, and to kill Dumbledore if it, er, ‘saw’ him. The basilisk seemed to understand, and even though it had no eyes it slithered in the opposite direction and towards the Great Hall. He sent a quick order not to harm any of the students or other teachers before running off after Snape. How did the vampire manage to billow so fast?
Jogging to keep up, they led each other through the castle and up to the seventh floor. With their combined knowledge of secret passageways, and with the basilisk drawing attention away, they were able to make it to the seventh floor by carefully dodging frantic students and teachers left and right.
When they reached the gargoyle, Cyrus got them passed it with the candy he remembered from earlier. Unable to use his rune-sight, Cyrus watched as Snape stripped off the wards one by one. His eyebrows rose. “How do you know how to get past these?”
The vampire gave him ‘the look’. “I am a vampire well-versed in dark arts and the madness of Dumbledore. It’s not difficult to remove the wards when you’ve seen him cast them multiple times.” Cyrus just made a thoughtful noise. “It would be faster if I were a ward or runes master, but as I never took those courses at Shikaan, I have to use the dark arts curses that dissolve wards.” With a soft ‘click’, the door unlocked. The vampire smirked and opened it.
“So, where are my things?”
“They should be behind the desk in one of the cupboards under the hat.”
Cyrus ran around the desk and pulled the doors open. He saw his pouch and pulled it out, attaching it to his waist after checking to see that everything was inside. From what he could tell, nothing had been shifted around, so it was unlikely that it had been opened. He let out a sigh. “What about my feather and invisibility cloak? Do you know where those are?”
Snape frowned. “On his person.”
Cyrus slammed his fist into the desk, upsetting bottles of ink and quills. “Fuck! The whole reason I came to Hogwarts in the first place was for that fucking feather! I’m not leaving without it!”
The vampire gave him an annoyed look. “Haven’t you caused enough problems today? If we take the floo, we can leave Hogwarts in moments.”
Cyrus shook his head. “I’m not leaving without my feather. I need it.”
“Perhaps I can help you with that,” a voice said from behind him. Cyrus blinked and turned around. The sorting hat bobbed its tip at him in greeting. “Hello, Harry Potter. Are you enjoying the new school you’re going to?” Cyrus stared. “Of course you are. I see you’ve learned a lot, with how you got past those wards yesterday evening. I told you that you belonged in Slytherin.”
Cyrus scowled. “Yes, I know you said that. I was Dumbledore’s man, even back then, however. Now, you said something about being able to help me?”
The hat chuckled. “Yes, yes. The Headmaster, before leaving to deal with the Death Eater attacks, put your feather and invisibility cloak in that trunk over there for safe keeping. He was quite concerned that Voldemort not get his hands on them, should the Headmaster be defeated in battle.”
Cyrus turned around and saw a small trunk in the corner of the office, hidden behind some trinkets. It hadn’t been there yesterday. Making his way over to the trunk, he pushed the trinkets off the side without caring that he broke some. It was locked, but nothing happened when he touched it. “How come it’s not warded?”
The hat seemed to shrug. “Perhaps he’s keyed you into the wards, Mr. Potter, in case you were to need them in the event of his death.”
Cyrus frowned. “Why do you seem so set on Dumbledore dying?”
The hat frowned. “Why, because his right hand is cursed, Mr. Potter. He will be lucky to last the year.”
Cyrus’s eyes widened, and he almost dropped the trunk in surprise. “W-what? He’s dying? How?”
The hat seemed grave. “I’m not entirely sure, but it may have something to do with that box in his desk. He checks on it almost every day. I’m not sure what you did in that drawer earlier, but the box seems very important to the Headmaster.”
Cyrus’s eyes widened. “You didn’t see? Did the portraits see?” The hat shook its tip and he let out a sigh of relief.
“As much as I enjoy our current situation, if you have your things Potter we really must go.”
Cyrus nodded and joined Snape at the fireplace. “Where to?”
“Spinner’s End. We won’t be there for long, so don’t get comfortable.”
Cyrus nodded and sunk his hand into the bowl of floo powder that Snape held out to him. Before tossing it into the fire, he turned around and smiled at the hat. “Thanks for all your help, friend!”
The hat nodded, and Cyrus tossed the powder into the fire. “Visit sometime, Mr. Potter. Hogwarts has missed you.”
The human grinned. “Probably won’t but thanks for the offer.” He jumped into the green flame. “Spinner’s End!”
oOo
Cyrus came out the other end with as much grace as ever, nearly toppling over an armchair as he went. The trunk in his hand fell to the ground with a thud. Wiping soot from his face, he moved out of the way just as Snape came through himself.
“How do you do that?” The vampire stared at him uncomprehendingly. “You know, come through the fire without it giving you the boot?”
Snape smirked, amused. “You have to figure it out yourself.”
The human scowled at him and sank into a nearby chair, ignoring the look Snape gave him as soot fell off his armour. “So, how long are we staying here?”
“Not long. We need to get those cuffs off your wrists. Do you know anybody specializing in enchantments, wards, or cursed objects?”
Cyrus frowned in thought. “Well, I mean, Rivehn’s the Runes teacher at Shikaan. Surely he could do something about it?”
Snape nodded thoughtfully. “Possibly. In the meantime, I will have to transport you until you can apparate again.” He motioned for Cyrus to get out of the chair and the human did with a groan, grabbing his mini-trunk as he stood. He watched as Snape walked towards the mantlepiece and waved his hand over it. A small box appeared where there had been nothing but empty space. He pulled off the lid and removed a wand.
Cyrus’s eyebrows rose. “How many wands do you have?”
Snape smirked. “Always keep a spare, Obsidian. You never know when a barmy old owl might snatch it from you.” He waved his wand over Cyrus and the human felt his skin and scalp tingle. “There. I have changed your appearance back to Cyrus Obsidian’s.”
The human grinned as Snape walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. They disapparated.
oOo
They appeared outside in Shikaan’s main courtyard. Cyrus led Snape through the large double doors and headed for Rivehn’s classroom. It was late, but Cyrus hoped he could find the teacher in the adjoining office. He passed a few students on the way there, some staring curiously while others ignored them entirely.
Slipping into the classroom, he made his way to the door at the back. When he heard raised voices, he frowned. Shrugging, he knocked softly on the door, hoping he wouldn’t piss anybody off by interrupting.
The door flew open. “WHAT?!” Cyrus stared up in shock at a furious Yankovich.
“Don’t yell at my visitors, you overgrown bat! Now move aside and let them in. I’ve heard enough of your bitching for one night.”
Yankovich smiled a smile that Cyrus never wanted to see on his face ever again. “Of cooourse. Come in, Mr. Obsidian, we were just discussing you.” The demon stepped aside, and Cyrus got a good look at Rivehn’s surprised face.
The vampire inside smiled in greeting. “Good evening, Mr. Obsidian. What can I do for you?” When Yankovich opened his mouth, the vampire threw a curse at him without moving a muscle. The demon dodged. “Not a word out of you, Yankovich. You can ream into him after he’s done here.”
Cyrus nervously shifted his grip on the trunk he held in his cuffed arms. “I was wondering if you could get me out of these?”
The vampire stood up as he caught sight of the silver around Cyrus’s wrists. He pulled the box out of his arms and placed it on the floor before taking Cyrus’s wrists in his hands and examining the markings scratched into the metal that Cyrus was now noticing for the first time, as he hadn’t had decent lighting on the dungeon floor. “Where did you get these?” the vampire asked, not looking up from the cuffs as he waved his hand over them with a curious expression on his face.
“I was… um… detained. By an old… associate. He said he found them in Egypt, if that helps any.”
Rivehn shook his head. “Hmm. He may have found them in Egypt, but these aren’t Egyptian design. No, they look Babylonian. Nasty associate you’ve got.” For the first time, violet eyes met his own. Cyrus felt his face warm. “They’re very old and powerful. Been kept in pretty good condition, too.”
Cyrus swallowed. The violet eyes still hadn’t left his own green. He licked his lips, and they jotted downwards to follow the motion. ‘Shit. Bad Cyrus, baaad Cyrus. Why’s he looking at my mouth for, anyway? He’s probably thousands of years old!’ Kicking his brain into gear, he finally answered, “R-right. Umm, is there anything you can do?”
Rivehn smirked. “Just whom do you think you’re speaking to?” Cyrus watched curiously as the vampire appeared to focus. He let out a soft gasp when the violet eyes began to glow, the pupil disappearing. Rivehn had rune sight?
“Stop showing off, Rivehn. I wish you’d be with me like you are in your classroom. Nice and soft-spoken. Instead I’m stuck with this-“ He cut off, his voice strangled. Cyrus’s eyes widened when he saw that the vampire had literally taken the demon by the balls.
“Another word out of you, bat, and I will crush these. Then you’ll never get laid again.” The vampire’s lips twitched upwards in amusement. “I do so love human vernacular.”
The demon choked. “Alright, alright. Shutting up.” He sighed in relief when Rivehn let go and returned his attention to the cuffs. Taking a few steps away, Yankovich crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against a wall with a furious expression on his face.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, the cuffs opened with a click. Cyrus grinned as he felt his magic return to him. Rivehn pulled off the cuffs and slipped them into a pocket, but the human didn’t care if the vampire wanted to keep them. He was free! Feeling his cheeks getting sore from grinning so much, he let his face relax into a smile. Glancing behind him, he saw Snape watching him with a small upward twitch of his lips.
“Perhaps now that you are free from your confines, you could open the box, Obsidian? I’d like to ensure the fruits of our labour are inside. I don’t trust the hat.”
Cyrus rolled his eyes. “And what reason would it have to lie?” he asked, kneeling on the floor in the middle of the office and running his hands over the trunk’s surface. Closing his eyes and activating his rune sight, as he didn’t want his teachers to see that he had it, he examined the runes orbiting around the box. He frowned. It was a very complicated ward, almost packed so tightly he couldn’t read it.
Fingers grasped his chin and turned his head upwards. He caught a brief glimpse of the bright light of runes in Rivehn’s office and the spells orbiting around an empty space in front of him. A tremor went through the hand holding his face. Turning off his rune sight, he opened his eyes and stared into violet eyes in surprise. Now that he had a closer look, he could see multiple shades of purple glinting like a faceted gem in the light. A tingle raced up his spine. “You have been keeping secrets, Mr. Obsidian.”
Cyrus blinked. “I’m sorry?”
Rivehn looked amused. “You possess the same gift as I, mortal. Rune sight, I believe the English name is.”
“H-how could you tell?”
Rivehn raised an elegant eyebrow. “I am thousands of years older than you. It is not difficult to see the changes it makes in your aura.”
“Huh.” The human couldn’t stop staring into the expressive eyes. He blinked and came back into focus as the vampire stood and stepped away.
“It’s a rather convoluted ward, Mr. Obsidian. It seems to require a pass code.”
Cyrus’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You got all that in a few seconds?”
The vampire leaned against the edge of his desk with an amused expression. “Yes.”
Cyrus frowned. What the hell would Dumbledore use as a- “Oh no, you didn’t,” he muttered under his breath. “If you used that, I’m going to burn your socks the next chance I get.” Licking his lips, he looked up at Rivehn nervously. “If I can’t figure out the password, could you open it for me?”
The vampire nodded. “It would cost you, but yes, I could do so.”
Nodding, Cyrus cleared his throat. Feeling like an idiot, he said the first thing that came to mind when he thought of Dumbledore. “For the greater good.”
It clicked open. Cyrus gaped. “I can’t believe the audacity of that-“ he growled under his breath. At least now he didn’t have to worry about paying Rivehn anything. He opened the lid and pulled out the bundle of cloth inside. He frowned at the sight of a book underneath. What was it doing there? Mentally shrugging, deciding to check it out later, he turned his attention to the cloth in front of him. It wasn’t his invisibility cloak. Frowning, he cut the thread holding the bundle together and unraveled it. He smiled when he caught sight of familiar silky fabric. Shaking it out, a single, 12-inch feather floated to the ground. Cyrus caught it before it could touch the marble floor, grinning when familiar warmth brushed through him and made all the objects in the room vibrate with magic. He caught sight of surprised looks from both his teachers before his eyes fell closed in content. He felt his stretched connection to the basilisk and all the other dead creatures at Hogwarts dwindle and then disappear, the cold leaving his limbs and curling back into a ball under his core. He smiled.
Yankovich was watching him carefully. “Interesting,” he drawled, eyes sliding over the contents of the trunk. “I see you’ve found the feather, Mr. Obsidian.” Cyrus peaked his eyes open to look at the demon, who was now looking far less furious than he had before. “Don’t think that this means I won’t be railing your ass for the next three months as you catch up in my class. What were you thinking letting your death magic run loose in Scotland?! I had half a mind to find you and drag your ass back here myself!”
Rivehn was watching them with an amused look on his face. “I believe he would have, if you hadn’t show up in the next few hours. We were both wondering where you were during our classes.”
Cyrus, who really couldn’t bring himself to be angry or upset, smiled blithely and shrugged. “Sorry for getting trapped in a dungeon and tortured. Next time I’ll get them to send a note.” He grinned when their faces blanked. Turning to Snape, he smiled. “Thanks for your help. I’d still be rotting down there if… well, you know.”
Snape put a hand on his shoulder. “Despite what these two may say, I don’t believe it could have transpired any other way.” Cyrus smiled. “But if you ever pull a stunt like that again, as your guardian I will lock you in my own dungeon and force-feed you experimental potions, understood?”
The human grinned. “Yes, ‘Professor’.” Snape gave him a look. “I’ll come visit you guys during Christmas, okay?”
The vampire nodded. “See that you do. Good day, professors.” He bowed to both and blinked when Rivehn stepped forward.
“You are Mr. Obsidian’s guardian?”
Snape nodded. “One of them.” His eyes were trained solely on the other vampire. They stared at one another for half a minute before the older vampire smiled and tilted his head in greeting. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you again, Severus Snape.”
Cyrus watched curiously as Snape bowed again. “Likewise, Lord Rivehn.” He disapparated with a crack.
Cyrus turned away from the empty space and looked at his two teachers. “You know Snape?” he asked curiously.
Rivehn’s lips quirked. “I know every vampire who passes through these walls, Mr. Obsidian.”
“I see…” His stomach chose that moment to growl, and Cyrus winced when he remembered what he had done with that ring 24 hours prior. It was probably too late to throw it up… He scratched the back of his head nervously. “Er, sorry about missing class, Professors, but I’d really like to go eat and crash. I’m totally knackered. May I go?” Rivehn and Yankovich traded ‘looks’.
The demon’s tail twitched. “I expect to see you in Necromancy on Wednesday, Obsidian.”
The human nodded. “Thanks for your help, Professor.” Rivehn inclined his head watched as he left the office. He couldn’t wait to get a decent night’s sleep. Food first, though.
Being tortured really took it out of a guy.
-Toki Mirage-
Thank you all for reading! I hope you liked this chapter as much as I did. Phew, it was epic. O.o’ I’m sure you’re all happy that you didn’t have to wait too long after chapter eight for this sequel. Eheh. I knew it would be a cliffie, but I also knew that this chapter would be too long to put the two together. (shrugs) The muse thought it was okay. But maybe that was because she already knew what was going to happen… oh well. Sorry for those of you who thought chp 8 was filler, but I believe that Cyrus would try all other possible routes before returning to Hogwarts.
The red sock is dedicated to Xander, a good friend of mine. He helped me and Roos come up with a solution for killing Ron! The sock was aaall him. Bow down to his greatness! He also drew me a basilisk in like one day and (whistles) it was awesome I tell you! If he lets me, I think I may use it as my display pic. :)
I’d also like to give credit where it is due to my muse, the awesome and brilliant: Roos! She and I chatted on skype, me in a bloody library, for two hours pounding out the plot for this chapter and filling the holes. We hope this version is as plot hole-less as it can be. Pot holes, plot holes… heheh.
Thanks for reading!
- 8
- 9
- 10
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Bloody Skies