One wish alone have I

Chapter 8
The execution

“You can count on me. I will,” I said, still looking into his eyes.

“Thank you, Antanasia. I knew that I could count on you,” he replied, offering me his hand.

I shook the hand he offered and was struck again by the firmness of his grip and the coldness of his fingers.

“There is one more thing we need to talk about, though. Marilena will ask me about our conversation. Marcela sent me your request by floo powder as Marilena and I were in the same room. What do you want me to tell her?”

“I do not see why we should conceal anything that I am going to talk about during my future interrogation. Having two identical reports four days apart will probably make her more convinced that what we say is the truth.”

“As you wish, then…”

“I guess this is the last time we see each other before your interrogation?” I continued, using my physical voice.

“I guess so.”

In a flash, I felt something like disappointment pass between us. It might have been my own feeling or his… or both of them; there was no way for me to tell, at that moment.

“You must be anxious, all alone in here and unaware of the evolution of things…” I suggested, giving in to a sudden wave of empathy.

“Anxious is a bit exaggerated,” he said, with all the pride I knew he could display. “Concerned would better describe it.”

“In that case, I might have something to suggest. As we seem to be perfectly able to communicate this way, which by the way is still something that amazes me, I could try to contact you by Legilimency, during the next few nights… you know, to keep you posted about Marilena’s reactions and intentions… Niculaie’s reports, that sort of things.”

“The contact will be difficult for me to make if we are separated,” he said.

“Indeed. That is why I will contact you first. I am used to do that with other cainites; it should make things easier. And I could do it mostly during the day, when you are sleeping.”

“That will not work, however. I always clear up my mind and raise my mental barriers before I go to sleep. Let’s say you could contact me around 4:00 every morning. Would that suit you?”

“Perfectly. Most reports should have been communicated to me by that time.”

“Agreed, then.”

I felt awkward. I did not know how to end our conversation, yet did not really want to end it. I wanted him to reassure me, to tell me that he would not betray my trust. Unfortunately, that kind of reassurance was probably not something he was very generous with. Marcela’s steps, as she was pacing up and down the corridor, abruptly brought me back to reason and prompted my departure. I rose to my feet and he did the same.

“Thank you for your honesty, Professor. I hope all of this is going to turn out for the best interest of both our kinds.”

“That is something I wish as well, Antanasia,” he replied, his voice as unctuous as ever.

Again, we discreetly shook hands and I left the room. Fortunately for me, our mutual agreement about me telling most of the truth to Marilena made me report easier to make. She welcomed the news with curiosity, but not surprise, as the wizard merely confirmed what we already knew. Marilena remained very suspicious about Voldemort’s lack of apparent or definite intentions towards her personally and told me she would rely on the Veritaserum to know the truth about that part of the story. Did I feel guilty when she said that? Not at all. I was slowly realising what Horatiu had always said. Truth is something that can be found in many ways; that of the soul will always be the most reliable one. No Veritaserum ever would grant us access to that type of truth.

After my meeting with Marilena, I went to my lab. The whole castle was very calm; dawn was about to break on the horizon. Without my disastrous experimentations with the Counter-Photodermatitis potion, my lab had retrieved its usual smells and cleanliness. I took my time, as I looked around. Something was definitely changing. Not that much around me, but certainly inside. It did not help my worries; they kept increasing with each meeting and report. I looked at my old armchair and remembered the wizard’s second visit to my lab. I smiled. We had been very silly, then, playing teacher and student. I went to the window and looked outside. Ivantie was strolling along the oak alley, chatting with Valeriu, who was on the guard shift with him for that portion of the night. That was such a familiar sight, yet it pained me, that morning. As if I was not able to enjoy the sight anymore. As if that image, like so many other familiar images, were concealing so many things that had never been said. So many things I had never admitted to myself, in a way.

I leaned my forehead against the window. I did not want this peacefulness to end. I wanted to believe that everything was still made of a never-ending succession of nights, peacefully spent next to cainites I cherished. I did not want to see them torn apart by political conflicts, born of human nature’s animalistic crave for power and domination. I so agreed with Horatiu on that one! Those of our kind, and some privileged of other species, were destined to higher purposes than that. But poor Horatiu, like me, had been forced to come to the conclusion that after all, life is made of hunters and hunted, sometimes changing positions every now and then; rare are those who can really stay and survive in-between those two.

I turned back and leaned against the window frame. The Veritaserum cauldron was at its usual place, in the middle of my experiment table. I smiled bitterly. That little cauldron was so representative of what I have just written! Its transparent liquid contained my power to reveal the truth; yet if I did, it would unmask me and show me as a liar. And the only other option was to become a liar right from the beginning. I did not have much choice anyway.

I walked to my cupboard and retrieved some powdered dragon scales. In a very slow motion, I took a spoonful of the greyish powder and let if fall, almost one grain after the other, into the cauldron. As I expected, the potion turned to a bright green, but after a few minutes of stirring, it came back to its apparently normal transparency. It did not make me breathe easier, but at least, I felt better that I had officially taken my side and acted accordingly. With all my heart, I prayed that the upcoming events would not make me become a mutineer, but simply a precious ally for my clan. At the time, however, I felt terribly lonely, in that situation. That is why, even if it had not been planned that way, I contacted the wizard, in the dungeon.

“Professor… may I have a word?”

“Antanasia? This is unexpected. Is there something wrong?” he asked, his thoughts reaching me along with the worry that filled him in that instant.

“Nothing is wrong, on the contrary. I made my report to Marilena, as we had discussed. Everything went well. She is waiting for the interrogation to fully make her opinion about you. I… I just poured some dragon scales powder in the Veritaserum and I thought I would tell you about it.”

“Congratulations! You have just ruined weeks worth of assiduous work!”

“I hope so… and I never believed I would say this one night!” I bitterly taunted.

“Could you alter the taste a little bit? Dragon scales will give it an unbearable bitterness!”

“It’s true… I had not thought about that one… I will try something, but I need to keep it transparent. Marilena would see the alteration if I did not. I will do my best.”

“Well… thank you again, for everything.”

“You’re welcome. Let’s not linger here, Professor. Have a nice day.”

“Have a nice day as well, Antanasia.”

I felt strangely disappointed by our conversation, as I infused some mint in the boiling potion. I do not really know exactly what I was expecting, from him. In those times when you have to make important decisions, you feel an increased need to be reassured; I was probably seeking reassurance, from him. But he could not give me more than what he had already given me. I kept coming back to the same conclusion; it was a leap of faith. I had nothing left to cling to than to trust his word.

It was getting late in the morning. No matter how strong I felt the need to talk to Ivantie, I decided to wait until I could go to his resting room at a more convenient time for us have a proper conversation. Before I left my lab, I hastily prepared a Blood potion in advance, just in case the aforementioned conversation would last longer than I expected. Once all tucked in my coffin, I fell into my usual disturbed sleep.

In the evening, I went right to Ivantie’s resting room. He was in a good mood and in good shape; he always preferred to be on night guard shifts, understandably. He listened to my conversation with the wizard with a mix of fascination and doubt. He did not react much, to my disappointment. He did approve of my decision to alter the Veritaserum, in order to keep a certain control over the information that reached Marilena. But even when he said he supported my decisions, there was that disturbing shadow in his eyes, telling me a lot about his doubts. We talked about our worries once again and, once again, he said he trusted Marilena’s good judgment and wished she would eventually turn to Dumbledore.

Niculaie’s report reached Zaharia early, that evening. I was still in Ivantie’s room when Floarea came to me and asked me to accompany her to the meeting room, where Marilena was waiting for me. Niculaie was not very reassuring. He had managed, at great risk, to sneak into the Moscow castle and had overheard most of the Russian clan meeting, the previous night. McNair had repeated more or less the same things he had told Kerecsen. Pietr, the most powerful clan leader in Russia at that time, had reacted quite strongly, according to Niculaie, to the possibility that he would have to share some European territories with the Clan of Zaharia. He declared quite clearly to McNair that he would have preferred to be asked first. And ideally, that he would rather not have to negotiate any treaty with our clan or our clan’s broods to establish new borders. Niculaie was not sure if Pietr’s statement was expressing his wish to protect our relatively peaceful relationship or the extent of his desire to expand the borders of his clan.

It did not help Marilena’s irritability, as you can imagine. Because she had no formal offer from Voldemort, she could not humiliate herself by writing to Pietr directly and ask his opinion or reach an agreement. The perspective of having one of her broods contact Pietr was even less appealing, obviously. That situation, added to her worries about Niculaie being in a precarious position in Russia, made her desperately look for something or someone to blame. She jumped on the easiest target she could find: the British wizard. With a very worrying intensity, she told me:

“You know what? I find myself hoping that the wizard lied to you, Antanasia. Or at least, that he hid you a part of the truth. Things would be so easier if he carried a message for me from Voldemort! How many nights before the interrogation?”

“We will be able to proceed in three nights, your Ladyship, on September 7th,” I patiently answered. “Believe me, it is awfully long for me too!”

“We cannot do much more for tonight, Antanasia. You may leave, for now. I will call for you if Niculaie sends another report.”

I took leave and, wanting to change my mind, I went to the library. Vlad was there, as usual, sitting in a cushioned armchair that was practically reserved to him. He raised his head from a voluminous book with he saw me.

“Evening, Antanasia,” he greeted, with his usual soft voice.

“Evening, Vlad,” I replied, darkly.

“Something troubling you?”

“Many things… many of them that I cannot discuss, I’m afraid.”

“Are you talking about the unusual visit in Kerecsen’s brood, by any chance?”

“How do you know?” I asked, a bit startled.

“Oh… my parents were told by Iulian, before he left for Countess Valerica’s castle. Naturally, they told me. I do not think it has leaked beyond us, however.”

“Only if Iulian was clever enough to refrain from informing Vasile!” I retorted. “In that eventuality, the whole castle would know.”

“But even then, my friend… would it be that bad?” he soothingly asked.

“I guess not. Only that it would hurt Marilena’s pride even more, and that is never something I wish for.”

I sat next to him, leaned my forehead against the tip of my fingers and sighed.

“If you know, then… you must have an opinion?”

“Not really. You know I have never been a strong militant for the Clan’s expansion. I believe far more in acquiring greater knowledge than about acquiring greater lands. My parents have decided that they would give their full support to Marilena on whatever decision she might take, however.”

“But what about you?” I insisted. “What will you do?”

“Honestly, Antanasia, do you really see me on any battlefield? Whether it is secret or not?”

“Well, you have made a lot of progress in your mastery of magical skills! If you really wanted to, I am sure you could be really useful should we find ourselves in a war,” I suggested, in a friendly tone.

“I disagree. I have not practiced these skills in order to use them to harm other beings. I only learned them to expand the capacities of my mind.”

He lazily uncrossed and re-crossed his legs. Vlad really disappointed me by his lack of engagement in the Clan’s cause. I guess it was his relatively young age (he was 85 years old, at the time) that prevented him from seeing the true interest of political matters. I hoped that, when things would eventually get trickier, when the war would really impose its presence in our minds, then he would have no choice but take sides and act accordingly. His mind, the thing he had put so much energy to enrich over the decades, could indeed be an incredible gift in times like this.

But that night, Vlad’s mind did not plot any conspiracy against anybody. He looked at me, tapping nervously one of my armrests with the tip of my fingers, and said:

“Antanasia… most of the time, when I see you here, you are seeking some intellectual comfort from Horatiu’s personal collection. I am reading one of his books, right now. It relates historical facts about wizards and witches who influenced the 15th century. Would you like to share that book with me?”

“You know… that might just be what I need; a good change of subject. Go ahead, I am all ears,” I answered.

Vlad resumed his reading and I simply let our minds meet together, which made the words he read resound softly in my head. Vlad and I often did that; usually with history books, sometimes when I refreshed my memory about various spells or jinxes. I listened for a long time about how Aletha, a Greek witch, Stupefied a whole group of rebellious Goblins by reverberating her jinx on the Acropolis marble columns, putting an end to a 7 months conflict between their species, or about how Surya, a wizard from India, accidentally colonized the Ganga with Grindylows, when the jar containing the sample embryos he was brining back from England fell in the bottom of the river. It caused a wide panic in India at the time, because Indian Muggles thought that the Gods were punishing them with evil creatures.

I did not realise that I was asleep until what I thought were dreams became really strange. Surya, Aletha and other witches and wizards seemed to whirl strangely in my mind. After a while, these figures were moving so fast that everything became blurred. Eventually, a face appeared in the middle of the coloured mist. It was the very same blurry face that I had seen, during my walk on the Carpathians, in mid-July. That time, however, I recognized it at once. I had stroked these thick locks of heavy black hair and gazed in those dark eyes often enough not to know whom it was.

In a startle, I abruptly woke up, almost falling down my chair in my surprise. It took me a few seconds to emerge from my confusion and hear two distinct voices. One of these voices, the closest to me, was very sweet and languorous. That was Vlad. The second voice spoke to me from even closer… deep, low and felt as soft as fine silk. I chose to focus on the less troubling one first.

“I did not want to wake you up; you seemed so tired when you came here that I thought a good nap would make you feel better.”

“It’s ok, Vlad,” I said, in a hoarse voice on which the remnants of my precarious sleep were still clinging. “I should not have fallen asleep anyway; that was not very polite.”

“No offence taken. That book is getting dreadfully boring anyway,” he added, stretching his thin legs and arms.

“One of my dreams gave me an idea, though. I need to check something, if you will excuse me,” I stated, walking toward the back of the room.

I chose a distant row of shelves, where I knew I would find many ancient Potions books, so Vlad would not be surprised by my presence there, so far from him. I picked one at random, in front of me and, at long last, I turned my attention to a voice that was becoming very insistent.

“Professor Snape! I’m here, no need to scream like that!”

“I was not screaming at all, Antanasia. Your mind is just more sensitive now that you have emerged from sleep.”

“What time is it?”

“According to Valeriu’s pocket watch, it is ten minutes after four.”

“Merlin! Our meeting! I am so sorry!” I replied, in all sincerity.

“Trouble sleeping?” he asked.

“Why do you ask?”

“My dear, this is the second time I caught you in the middle of a nap, forgetting your tasks. The only possible logical deductions are that you either are a very irresponsible and careless woman, or you do not sleep well at night,” he explained, in his own particular creaky empathic tone.

I guess his first conclusion about my sleep not being good was, in fact, to be considered as a sign of respect.

“I did not sleep well last night, it is true. I am not a very good sleeper in general. I tend to have a very light sleep when I am worried,” I replied.

“I am surprised that you do not treat yourself with some Sleeping Draught, during those times when you’re worried.”

“Oh… I guess I could. It has not always been a problem, you see… I prefer to rely on personal strive and growth to solve that kind of problems, and not too much on potions.”

“How strange, coming from a Potion Mistress…” he taunted.

“If you knew that Potions Mistress better, you would not be surprised at all!” I replied, in the same tone.

“But I only ask to…” he added, in the same teasing tone.

“Ok, Professor, that’s enough! We are wasting time! I doubt a man as young as you are can stand such a mental effort for long, with all due respect,” I replied, in a more serious tone.

“So far, my capacities are at their best, on the contrary,” he retorted, with a bit more of his usual sneer in his voice.

I summarised the latest news to him, which, as we agreed, did not change the situation much, but intensified it a little more. We discussed about a couple of questions that I was to ask him, during the interrogation; something we had forgot to do during our physical meeting.

“I think I should ask you a very personal question; something that would convince Marilena that you are telling the truth against your will,” I suggested.

“That is a very clever idea… but given the fact that Marilena and I did not have the pleasure to get to know each other more… personally, I do not see how we could convince her much.”

“Let’s think about it on each other’s side. We still have two nights left before the interrogation will take place, in addition to this morning. Maybe the day will prove to be a good advisor, as the saying goes.”

“I will do that,” he only added.

We broke our mental link and, once more, I felt a strange wave of solitude seize my heart. Professor Snape was the only one, with Ivantie, with whom I could really be open-hearted about our political situation, as strange as this may sound, given the events that had occurred during the previous weeks. I collected a few bits of his presence by looking at our minor problem in every angle. Something personal… I did think of a few so-called shameful things to ask him. His first solitary sexual experiences… the most humiliating situation he faced… his last big mistake. But I concluded that humiliating him on purpose might only make him look weak to Marilena’s eyes. In addition, he would most certainly feel vulnerable, having to confess such embarrassing things to a stranger, and something told me that the feeling Severus Snape dreaded the most was probably vulnerability.

I concluded that my question, though tricky in appearance, had to raise him in Marilena’s esteem. I smiled, flicking the pages of my book distractively. Understanding that, I knew just what my question would be.

Niculaie’s reports kept coming, during the following nights. There was a lot of suspect activity at Pietr’s castle. On the evening of September 4th, a few representatives from the St-Petersburg Clan came for a meeting. Then many others, from various regions all over Russia, joined them. McNair stayed for the first big meeting, but he left on September 5th in the morning. Niculaie did not follow him; Marilena’s worries were totally centred on Russia. We could only assume that McNair had travelled back to England; we did not receive any information that he had made any other stop on the way.

At long last, Snape’s interrogation night came. We were both ready; we had prepared most of the questions that I was going to ask him, including the more delicate ones. A bit to my surprise, Professor Snape’s imagination had been quite useful during our preparation. I had not expected him to possess such a developed sense of creativity. He anticipated my questions quite cleverly and made numerous original suggestions. I assumed that he had received some training, either at Voldemort’s side, at Dumbledore’s side, or both.

I paced my lab during long hours, my eyes constantly travelling from the cauldron containing the Veritaserum to my old clock. I was very nervous. Quite ironically, there was not way for me to test the potion and reassure myself about its inefficaciousness. Ivantie had volunteered, of course, but that Veritaserum formula was meant for humans; its effect on cainites would most probably be smaller anyway. Should the dose be stronger than I thought, not only did we risk Snape telling Marilena about Voldemort’s real intentions, but also he would probably mention my attempt to make a fake Veritaserum.

I walked to the cauldron and checked its content. Right smell… if you do not take the mint I had added in consideration; proper colour. I breathed a bit more easily.

Marilena chose a simple but elegant dress, that night. I was reassured by her apparent desire to look formal or at least, to keep some dignity. I deduced that our chances were still good if she still cared about making a good impression on the wizard. I had done more or less the same. I was dressed in elegant black pants and an adjusted black jacket, under which I wore a golden satin camisole.

We entered the dungeon together. Professor Snape was standing in the middle of the room, with his usual polite coldness and the familiar stiffness in his posture. I smiled, as discreetly as I could, when I saw him. Ivantie had visited him earlier in the evening; he had taken care to give him his shave and fresh clothes. I was supposed to be too busy with my Veritaserum last minute preparations to take care of that myself. Ivantie had given him a nice pair of black trousers, a white shirt and a black frockcoat, pretty similar to the one he was wearing the night of his arrival at Zaharia, only that it was cut in the Romantic period style. Ivantie and I had bought that outfit during one of our trips in Austria, around 1834. Professor Snape discreetly greeted me with a faint sparkle in his dark eyes.

“Good night, Professor,” said Marilena. “It has been a while since last time we met. I wish I could say that I am sorry for that, but you only have your own stubbornness to blame, I am afraid.”

“Indeed, your Ladyship. I guess it is I who should say that I am sorry,” he answered, very courteously.

“You know why we are here, I guess,” she continued, apparently unaffected by his politeness.

“Yes, Antanasia has informed me. I am willing to pass the Veritaserum test, if it can convince you better of my honesty.”

“Good. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. Antanasia, please proceed,” she ordered, as coolly as she could, while sitting in one of the armchairs.

I conjured a wooden table, next to Marilena. Along with it, I conjured a glass pitcher, which filled with fresh water on my command. I poured some water in one of our crystal goblets, and then retrieved a small bottle from my pocket. I let a few drops of Veritaserum fall into the goblet. To my relief, water, as expected, did not alter the compound’s colour and everything remained perfectly transparent.

I handed the goblet to the wizard, who drank slowly. Nobody made the slightest sound, in the room. Marilena was watching his Adam’s apple bounce up and down each time he swallowed. I did not like the greediness I saw in her eyes, as she did. Professor Snape, on the contrary, stared at her without blinking when he noticed, and kept staring until he swallowed the last drop.

“How long will it take to be effective, Antanasia?” she asked impatiently.

“It is effective right now, my Lady. Shall I begin the interrogation or would you like to ask him a few questions first?”

“You may begin. If I have questions, you can be sure that I will ask them eventually.”

I invited him to sit in the second armchair and conjured an additional one, in front of him. As I did, however, I made a discreet check on his state of mind.

“How do you feel?”

“Everything is normal so far. You seemingly have not fallen asleep on that one…. It feels like an acceptable fake to me.”

“Good! Tell me if you feel any effect whatsoever at any point during the process,” I answered, repressing a giggle.

“I will.”

“Professor Snape, I will begin by asking you general questions, then I will become more specific. Please answer my questions as briefly and precisely as you can,” I began, in the most professional tone I could find.

“I will,” he answered, in a very confident tone.

“Please state your name and profession.”

“My name is Severus Snape, and I work as a Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”

“Do you have any other occupation?”

“Yes. I am a member of the Order of the Phoenix.”

“Please describe the nature of that Order to us.”

“The Order has been formed during the seventies, by Albus Dumbledore and several Aurors working for the Ministry of Magic. Right now, the Order is still active and engages in numerous spying missions to monitor the Death Eaters’ activities. The Order has also given itself the mandate to guard some magical items located in the Ministry of Magic.”

“Such as?”

“I cannot give you that information.”

“Why?”

“I have not been revealed the details of the guarded room’s content, in case I would unfortunately find myself in a situation similar to this one.”

“Is that one true or not?”

“Are you kidding me? I am the one who informed them about the Dark Lord’s views on the content of that room!”

“Now, that was some quick thinking, Professor...” I teased.

“You’re wasting time…” he sternly replied.

“What is your role in the Order?” I asked.

“My role there is principally focused on information. I act as a double agent during Death Eaters meetings.”

“Were you a Death Eater before or did you enroll at Voldemort’s side after you joined the Order?”

“My first allegiance went to the Dark Lord.”

“When did you change sides?”

“In my early twenties. At the beginning of 1980.”

“Why did you change sides?”

“The main reason… would probably be that I disapproved of the unjustifiable amount of violence the Death Eaters used on our enemies, especially on informants that they captured.”

The stonewall rose yet one more time, and so abruptly that I was almost shook by its feel. Marilena stirred on her chair, which added to my nervousness.

“Careful, Professor! You were hiding information and I could feel it!”

“That question had not been planned, I answered the first plausible thing I could think of,” he snapped defensively, still keeping an impenetrable expression. “The lie was only about it being the main reason, if you must know.”

“Fine, sorry… I just don’t want Marilena to feel that you have raised your mental barriers.”

“Surprisingly, you are the only person I have ever met who can feel them with such acuity, so please go on and try sticking to the plan!” he urged.

“Did you start working as a double agent right away?” I asked, swallowing my irritation and embarrassment.

“Yes. I first only served as an informant, then started to spy more actively for the Order’s interests during the Death Eaters’ meetings.”

“Now, let’s become more specific, Professor. Who sent you here?”

“Albus Dumbledore, the leader of the Order.”

“What was your mission?”

“Re-establish contact with the Clan of Zaharia, inform them of the Dark Lord’s growing threat, verify their openness about the Order and ask their tactical and military help in prevision of an eventual war.”

“Did Dumbledore have any other intention concerning the Clan, or Marilena personally?”

“No, he did not.”

“Did Lord Voldemort give you any mission concerning our Clan?”

“No, he did not.”

“Does he have any intention concerning the Clan, or Marilena personally?”

“Probably,” he said, in an enigmatic tone.

“Please elaborate,” I demanded.

“From what you told me, McNair’s presence in Kerecsen’s brood with a clear request does tell something about the Dark Lord’s interest for your clan. He did not tell me personally anything about specific intentions towards your Ladyship,” he added, turning to Marilena. “However, from what Antanasia told me, his gesture was very impolite, if not bluntly unfriendly.”

“Indeed,” she only murmured, in a dangerous voice.

“What is your interpretation of McNair’s presence in Kerecsen’s brood?”

“I think that the Dark Lord did have a serious proposition to make. But I think that he might have also created an occasion to sow discord in your clan, in the intention to weaken it.”

Marilena looked at me, for a long minute. From what I saw, he had succeeded to insinuate a little doubt in her mind. But our impression of victory did not last for long. She finally told me, in the same dangerous voice:

“Go ahead, Antanasia. Test him further, as we discussed.”

“As you wish, my Lady.”

I rose from my seat and went to the table. Once again, I poured some water in the crystal goblet and added a few drops of Veritaserum. The wizard started drinking without a word. Without any audible word, at least.

“What test is she talking about? I do not remember us talking about that,” he gravely asked.

“Oh, she simply wanted me to question you both verbally and mentally. If possible, in an intimidating way…”

“I understand. I am waiting to see that!” he concluded, slightly amused.

“Come on, hurry up, Professor. We haven’t got all night, you know!” I roughly urged.

“What, you think you will intimidate me with that kind of look in your eyes?” he sarcastically commented, while taking his last sips of water.

“What kind of look?” I asked, quite taken aback.

“That kind of look,” he repeated, calmly.

“What kind of look?” I insisted.

“That tension, there… it shows how nervous and vulnerable you are.”

“You know what? It might be because that is exactly the way I feel at the moment! How can you be so calm in a situation like this?” I replied, very quickly.

“I am everything but calm, on the contrary.”

“But you look so calm!” I exclaimed.

“Exactly. And you should do just the same, because Marilena is observing you right now.”

“I think we should proceed, now,” she stated, crossing her legs and arms.

“Certainly, my Lady,” I replied, my voice betraying a bit of my nervousness.

I repeated the same questions, simulating a simultaneous Legilimency probe while I did. Professor Snape gave the very same answers to my questions. He even simulated an increased Veritaserum effect by answering my questions in a more monotonous and automatic tone.

“I neither see nor feel any indication that he is not telling the truth, your Ladyship,” I said, at the end of the second interrogation.

“Very well. Proceed with the final questions,” she retorted, seemingly very unhappy with his answers.

“Professor, I am going to ask you more personal questions. Do you remember that night when we had the poetry recital?”

“The one we shared together or the one in the garden?” he teased.

“Please be serious! It’s not a good time to tease me!” I replied, trying not to blush.

“Sorry… it must be your intimidation techniques that got me all confused.”

“Yes, I do remember,” he answered, as calmly as ever.

“The ritual made you choose a very particular love poem. Why?”

“Because the ritual did not work for me!”

“Please, answer! We have prepared this!”

“Because, I guess, my blood betrayed the feelings I had for someone at that moment.”

“Elaborate, please.”

“I had feelings for Lady Marilena, at the time,” he declared, with a touch of embarrassment.

“What kind of feelings?” she asked, uncrossing her arms and stretching to her full height.

“I found her splendid that night and felt a strong desire to shag her,” he said very quickly and looking away, as if the words had slipped out of his mouth without his consent.

“Bravo for the intensity and the choice of words, you vulgar little Brit,” I teased.

“I thought honesty would give it a nice sound, after all.”

“…”

“You will admit that she did outdo herself, that night,” he argued.

“She did.”

I turned to Marilena. She was smiling and her eyes glittered victoriously. I had reached my goal; she was buying the wizard’s statements. I decided to put a quick end to the interrogation before anything could change her feelings.

“What will you do if we release you?”

“I do not wish to be released.”

“What?”

“I do not.”

“What?” I repeated.

“I do not.”

“Why not?” I exclaimed, astonished in front of his unexpected answer.

“I came here with the mission to seek your help for the Order. We do need it. At this point, I do not want to leave from here without a definite answer from your Ladyship.”

I turned to Marilena, a bit speechless. She was thoughtfully looking at the wizard, probably debating about the best course of action. Inside my mind, the baritone voice resounded once more, mellower than ever:

“I have not yet found what I came for, Antanasia.”

“What is it?”

“If I knew, I would not need to tell you…”

I was about to reply with more questions when Marilena slowly rose from her seat. She walked to Professor Snape, waving her hips in a seductively feline manner. Without saying a word, she stopped right in front of the wizard’s knees and riveted her eyes to his. I felt that his mental barriers were stronger than ever, as he gravely returned her glance. At long last, she slid one of her legs forward, brushing her knee against his inner thigh and bent her face towards his. She delicately pulled his chin towards her and pressed her lips against his. She seemed to enjoy the kiss, as she let out a faint moan, closed her eyes and grabbed his lower lip between hers a bit more passionately.

He, on the contrary, was quite tense and on his guard. He kept his eyes wide open and his hands ready to react, on each of his knees. After a few seconds, though, understanding that she meant to give him no harm, he returned her kiss, his eyes still open but with less sharpness in his glance. Personally, I did not know where to put myself. I preferred not to think too much of the mixed emotions I felt at the moment. Vigilance, however, was easily identifiable among them. I did not look away, in case she would decide to bite on his lips a bit more hungrily.

When she broke their kiss, she kept her fingertips on his cheeks, chin and neck. In her own sensually dangerous voice, she declared:

“My friend, that was for the poem you read for me. Next time I kiss you, you shall have the answer you came for.”

“Thank you, your Ladyship.”

“In the meantime,” she continued, “I will give orders to have more suitable apartments prepared for your needs. I still cannot consider you as a guest, but I do not see why you should spend your nights and days in that dreadful place before I give you my definite answer.”

“Your Ladyship is very generous. Thank you.”

“Floarea will come for you when your apartments are ready,” she added, walking away from him. “I think we may consider the interrogation to be over.”

He bowed his head slightly, thanking her once more. As I vanished the table, the pitcher and the goblet, he took his chance to talk to me before I left.

“I think it went pretty well.”

“Oh, she does seem to believe you, no doubt. But I am not sure I would be too happy of her intentions, if I were you.”

“For what reason?” he asked suspiciously.

“You do know what a Kiss is, do you?”

“I believe I may have just received one…”

“Indeed,” I coldly conceded, “but that was only one of the two kisses she was talking about. By “Kiss” we also mean a bite and subsequent drinking of blood, Professor.”

“So she was warning me,” he concluded, suddenly as serious as I was.

“She was. In a word, she told you that she would let you know her decision with a kiss… or a Kiss. I will let you guess which answer means which side.”

“I think that is pretty clear.”

“Think of the bright side,” I added, trying to sound convincingly positive. “If she does give her help to the Order, prepare yourself for a memorable morning. In any case, her change of mind concerning your imprisonment conditions does please me. You must be eager to see daylight again! And live in more comfortable apartments.”

“The thought did cross my mind a couple of times, I admit.”

“Well… I guess we will meet again soon, Professor. In the meantime, do not hesitate to contact me if you want to talk to me. You will be closer from me, then, it should be easier.”

“Same for you, Antanasia,” he purred.

On these last words, Marilena and I left the dungeon. An owl was waiting for us, in the meeting room. The same dark owl that had caused so much trouble last time it had flown in the castle by one of the dining room windows. That time, it carried two letters and a package. The first roll of parchment was for Marilena, not surprisingly. But to my astonishment, the second roll and the package were addressed to me. While Marilena read her letter, I opened mine.

Dearest Antanasia,

I know you and I have lived separate lives for several decades. Nevertheless, one of the great advantages of our kind has always been our longevity, which allows us to correct past mistakes, even if it takes us a long time to acknowledge them. I have been waiting during numerous years to tell you this, by respect for your mourning, but I think that, given the recent events that will affect the whole Clan, the time has come for me to talk to you with an open heart.

I miss you, my love, and have been missing you since the last few nights (and mornings) you spent in my castle. Things are changing at a very fast rate, here, and I see no other woman than you who could possibly find her place at my side. And believe me, I have been looking for that cainite during numerous years, only to come to the conclusion that you are irreplaceable. I would be very much obliged to you if you could come and visit the Debrecen castle so we can discuss things in person, allowing me to gaze in your mesmerizing eyes as we do.

Please, dearest Antanasia, take the time to consider my offer. I have done a lot of thinking on my side and you can rest assured that my feelings, for you, have only evolved in a more passionate and deeper way over the years. In the meantime, please accept that little token; it cannot possibly represent a decent rival to most of the beauties that can be found in Zaharia’s garden, but it comes from my heart.

Waiting for your answer, my sweet, I will remember the enticing scent of your hair that completely intoxicated me, the night we danced together, already ages ago.

With love,

Kerecsen

I quickly took the package, which was still tied to the owl’s leg. It was long, but quite narrow; the wrapping was of a deep blue, and shining with tiny silver threads. While unwrapping the token, I realized that the wrapping was in fact a long scarf, made of pure silk. Inside of it was a delicate rose, as blue as the scarf, with a tiny strip of paper attached to it. On the strip, I read:

Like you, that type of flower does not need the sun to blossom; like me, all it needs is to meet your lips.

I smiled, feeling intrigued, and pressed my lips against the soft and cool velvet of the rose’s petals, giving it a light kiss. It instantly started to move; the petals opened one after the other, revealing a small shiny object in the rose’s heart. I was about to take it between my fingers when it started to move up. I removed my fingers, gasping softly. The shiny object began to twirl on itself at increasing speed until it became bigger and completely stopped turning. Above the rose’s petals, I saw a wonderful golden bracelet. It was made of numerous delicate golden vines that wrapped around a large emerald stone. I was putting it on when Marilena reminded me of her presence next to me.

“Is that letter from Kerecsen?” she asked, with some tension in her voice.

“Yes, it is, my Lady,” I answered, still smiling.

“Give it to me,” she ordered.

“Certainly, Lady Marilena. Though its content is quite personal and will probably not represent any interest to you,” I patiently replied, handing her the letter.

She read it, very attentively, and frowned.

“What will your answer be?”

“I do not see why I should not accept his invitation. That does not oblige me to anything.”

“Good. I want you to accept that invitation. You are to leave at once for Debrecen.”

“Is it that urgent, my Lady?” I asked, a bit surprised by the emergency of her request.

“It is. Kerecsen wrote me a letter too, though far less charming than the one you received,” she dryly explained. “He informs me that nothing too alarming seems to be taking place in Pietr’s clan so far. Either his informant is totally blind, or totally stupid, either he is trying to fool me. And given what Professor Snape told us tonight, I strongly believe the latter to be the truth.”

“Is there something you want me to do in particular, once I am there?” I prudently asked.

“No, I just want you to observe, listen and use your judgement. I know you will not have the freedom to send me owls every night, but I do want you to inform me as often as you can, by any means you can find.”

She stared at me for some time, like she often did. I let her do as she pleased, knowing it was in my best interest to remain calm and keep looking in her eyes. She slowly walked towards me and declared, in a voice that was far too sweet and low:

“What I do not want you to do, Antanasia is to betray my trust. That trust is fragile, as I have explained you hundreds of times already. So far, you have proved to be worthy of that trust; should I learn, by anybody in the clan, that your behaviour did not correspond to what I expect from you, the consequences should feel quite uncomfortable, for you, and for the other people involved. If Kerecsen is foolish enough to fall in love with you and offer you a place at the head of his brood, fine. But mark my words; I will not hesitate a second to use the full extent of my power should he push his foolishness a bit too far.”

“I think you make yourself very clear, Lady Marilena. You know I have always had the Clan’s best interests deeply at heart.”

She did not reply anything, but simply walked back to her desk, sat behind it and grabbed a roll of parchment and a quill to write a reply for Kerecsen. I understood that our meeting was over and I silently left the room. I looked at my watch. It was nearly three in the morning. If I wanted to leave reasonably early and reach Kerescen’s castle before the sun would be too high in the sky, I had to hurry.

I tumbled down the stairs leading to the second floor and rushed in my resting room. I first scribbled a quick reply to Kerecsen’s letter and sent it with my personal owl. I felt very nervous. First of all, I had not ever considered Kerecsen as a potentially serious mate. I had even less considered the possibility to be at his side at the head of his brood. The perspective had its appeals. It represented greater power, greater freedom, and nicer apartments… It represented a serious engagement too and that frightened me more than anything. Ivantie and Cami had awakened a part of me that had been trapped in the past… Professor Snape had done it too, in his own way. That did not mean that I was ready to accept a new man in my life yet.

Ivantie… I did not like the perspective of living away from him, not at all. Even if I was to remain a part of the Clan, we would be miles and miles apart. I had grown quite used and happy with the fact that I could see him every day. I did not want it to end. Not yet.

Pieces of clothing were flying everywhere in the room, as I packed. I summoned them from my closet and drawers, but my hands were trembling because of the feverishness of my thoughts and most of them ended piling up unfolded in my luggage. I hesitated for a second, when I got a glimpse of a few items of lingerie, emerging from one of my drawers. I finally decided to take them with me, just in case.

“Nobody said that the discussions would not involve some physical talk, after all!” I told myself, blushing in anticipation.

As I closed my luggage, I thought of the mean of transportation I would use to get to Kerecsen’s castle. Apparating there was an option, but I felt far too nervous and excited to talk to anybody there that soon. I looked at my clock; it was 3:20am. If I hurried, I might be able to travel with the wizard’s hippogriff… I took a chance and asked him:

“Professor Snape, I have a favor to ask you.”

“Go ahead.”

“Marilena assigned me to Kerecsen’s castle; it is urgent and she wants me to leave now. I could Apparate there or use a Portkey, but I would prefer to take my time, in order to organize my thoughts and emotions better before I get to the castle. Do you think you would let me use your hippogriff? Ivantie and I have taken him regularly in the mountains to feed, and he has been accustomed to us. That would make him do some exercise.”

“Do you plan to be gone for long?” he simply asked.

“A few nights only. I will try to make my visit as short but as productive as I can.”

“Why have you been sent there? Has it something to do with McNair’s visit?”

“Yes… and no. Kerecsen might have started to conceal information from Marilena. He wrote her a letter telling her that nothing disturbing is happening on the Russian side, but Niculaie’s reports told us the complete opposite. Marilena wants me to observe Kerecsen’s behaviour at his castle for a few nights.”

“And the part that has nothing to do with McNair?”

“Kerecsen sent me a letter with what you could consider as a wedding proposal.”

“I see. I guess I should congratulate you, then,” he answered, as neutrally as he was capable of.

“To be honest with you, Professor… I am very surprised by his proposal.”

“How so?”

“We did share some intimacy in the past… but it was a long time ago; even by our standards.”

“Are you in a relationship with him at the moment?”

“Absolutely not. But he said that he has done a lot of thinking and realised that he really wants me at his side, even more now that important changes are coming.”

“I do not like the sound of this at all, Antanasia. I warn you; be very careful during your stay,” he said ominously.

“Why should I be that careful?”

“It might be a trap; he might also simply want you to join him on the Dark Lord’s side.”

“I will be careful, I promise.”

“You may definitely take the hippogriff. It will enable you to come back here quickly should you find yourself in any danger.”

“Thank you, Professor. Your help is greatly appreciated,” I said, magically locking my resting room’s door. “I will contact you when I come back.”

“Good luck,” he only replied.

On my way out, I stopped at the front door. Luckily, Ivantie was on night shifts, so he was on duty at that moment. I informed him of the situation. Like me, he was greatly surprised at Kerecsen’s unexpected proposal. Seeing him looking at me with his usual warmth and tenderness when we kissed goodbye, I became even more convinced that my place was not at Kerecsen’s side.

It was only as I was flying over the Romano-Hungarian border that Professor Snape’s words really started to sink in, plunging my heart in doubt. I had been so flattered by Kerecsen’s proposal that I had not stopped a second to really consider the possibility that it might indeed be a trap. Kerecsen had sent Marilena’s letter and my own letter by the same owl. Was it on purpose? Did he want Marilena to know about his proposal? In a situation like the one we were facing, there was no doubt that Marilena would send me to him as soon as she knew the letter’s content.

I started to get nervous, but tried to think rationally. Kerecsen would gain nothing neither with my death nor my imprisonment. We started to have doubts about his allegiance to Marilena; maybe his mention of him wanting me at his side rather meant wanting me on his side. But then sending his letter in such an indiscreet way made no sense at all. Or it was a strategy similar to Voldemort’s; sow discord…. I concluded that the only way to be sure was to meet Kerecsen and hear what he wanted to tell me.

Luckily for me, Debrecen is completely on the Eastern part of Hungary; less than an hour later, Kerecsen’s castle was in sight. It looks far more conventional than Zaharia, with its white stone towers, very well maintained through the centuries. Its design is a bit more modern than Zaharia’s, too, as it was built during the Renaissance period. It looked splendid and peaceful, most of all, in the morning light. I started to feel my powers weaken, however; it was time for me to find a shelter and protect myself against the sunlight.

The hippogriff and I landed in the middle of the castle’s sumptuous garden. As I walked towards the castle along one of the garden paths, a majestic eagle flew from the top of a gigantic beech and, after an impressive plunge, stopped right in front of me and Transfigured itself. Kerecsen was there smiling, standing a few feet away from me, his eyes as green as ever, glittering intensely. A lock of hair fell in front of his face; that sight was so familiar. I could not help but smile back.

“I have been waiting for you, my love,” he said, holding me his long and graceful hand, “since your owl brought me your note.”

“I left so quickly that I thought I would even arrive before it!”

“Then I am pleased to see that my eagerness is completely shared, Antanasia.”

“It is,” I replied, letting him wrap his arm around my waist as we walked together. “I am very eager indeed to know more about all those things you said you have been thinking about.”

“Everything will come in time, dearest. For now, you must be tired after such a long flight at the end of the night.”

“To tell you the truth, I am. I have not taken extra Sun-blocking potion before I left, so the light is starting to affect me more than I thought. I tend to forget that the sun still rises quite early at this time of the year.”

“Then the only thing I am going to plan with you for this morning, after you have refreshed yourself with some Sun-blocking potion, is to give you a nice…”

His hand travelled from my hip to my back, as he put his lips against my ear and murmured:

“…long…”

Leaving my back, he pressed his agile fingers on each side of the base of my neck. My exhausted body instantly shivered in anticipation, answering the touch of an old, but not forgotten, lover.

“…massage. And I will tolerate no other attitude than a complete surrender to my attentions.”

I only sighed and let my head rest on his shoulder.

“I do not like the sound of this at all,” said Professor Snape’s voice in my head.

************

“And what was your answer?” hissed Marilena, pacing the room like she always did when something irritated her.

“I said that I would think about it, obviously!” I answered. “I still do not know about your Ladyship’s decisions, so I preferred to wait until I would meet with you and left all possibilities open.”

“Good. You did the right thing,” she snapped, in her nervousness. “Now if there is nothing else, please leave me; I need to be alone.”

“Certainly, my Lady.”

Ivantie was waiting in front of my resting room, when I reached the second floor. I had mentally asked him to meet me there and was delighted to see him again. He sat by my fireplace and raptly listened to my report on the last week’s events.

Kerecsen, to my astonishment, did have a genuine engagement proposal for me. The feelings I felt emanating from his mind each time we were together left no place for me to doubt about his heart’s honesty. He had been very disappointed that I could not give him any definite answer at the moment, but seemed to understand that I needed, just like him, a period of thinking. As you can guess, my only intention was to buy some precious time.

Two nights after my arrival, Kerecsen started to ask me discreet questions about my feelings towards Marilena. He remembered how much I had openly criticized her, on numerous occasions when we had spent time together in the past. That night, I allowed myself to be honest enough with him to be objective about Marilena’s decisions, which meant that I did criticize her again rationally. Kerecsen jumped on the occasion.

He started telling me about the disadvantages of such a large united clan. He reminded me of the numerous bloodlines that were comprised in it; a thing I had always personally considered as an advantage. But he did not share my point of view. McNair had only offered him an alliance with Voldemort, but Kerecsen had seen a golden opportunity to reorganize the whole Clan. He started to regret having taken the blood oath with Marilena. He was becoming more and more confident in his role as a brood leader and wished to free himself from Marilena’s mystical and political power over him. I had just spent hours exposing how Marilena’s crave for domination would put her reign in jeopardy one day; I had no choice but agree with Kerecsen, at least in part.

The main problem, you see, was not that Kerecsen wanted to gain more individual power and reorganize the hierarchy in the Clan. It was that doing so, in his view, meant that power would be given according to one’s affiliation with a bloodline or another. Kerecsen and I were made by the same Sire; that is why our Transfiguration preference usually go to eagle breeds (and it is what has given Kerecsen his name). We were orphans, in a manner of speaking; Sebestyen was killed in battle, while fighting at Horatiu’s side during the Russian invasion in 1756.

Despite his Hungarian origins, Sebestyen had become very attached to Horatiu and the Clan of Zaharia, which was much smaller at the time. That is why I was given a Romanian name; I was created a couple of decades only before his last battle. However, during the period when I was reborn, Horatiu and Sebestyen built a very strong friendship; that attachment was transmitted to me, along with all of my Sire’s powers. The Great Dragon probably felt it, inside of me, which explains why he always responded so well when I summoned him back to life. In turn, I felt a great respect and affection for the Great Dragon, because Horatiu’s soul had left a little bit of itself in him each time he had consulted his wisdom in the past. Horatiu felt a little bit like my adoptive Sire, in that regard.

Kerecsen offered me to rebuild Sebestyen’s clan, using an eventual alliance with Voldemort. He planned to conquer as many clans as he could from Western Europe and impose his bloodline’s authority on them. I pointed out that Countess Valerica’s authority was outstanding his in that manner, as she herself was a Sire of far greater age and experience. To my unpleasant surprise, he suggested that I could gain her support to our cause, increasing the power Kerecsen and I would have over an eventual clan, without representing a menace to our reign.

I did not like the sound of that idea, at all. I agreed with Kerecsen that Marilena’s domination over the broods of her clan went a little too far, at times. But I reminded him that nobody had forced any leader of these broods and former clans to take the blood oath with her. And there was the tiny detail that his cunning plan meant fighting at the side of a wizard who had totally disrupted my afterlife, along with the life of thousands of others, for a cause that I did not believe in. Kerecsen did have an argument against that, even if it is not something I directly expressed him during our conversations. He dared to suggest that my former support to the Order of the Phoenix, which had resulted in the death of my husband, should have served me as a warning about the Dark Lord’s power and influence. He thought I would have come to the conclusion, by then, that it was in my best interest to stop fighting on the less powerful side and join Voldemort. I never thought that “stupid” might have described Kerecsen, whom I respect, but in that occasion, it fit him like a glove. Needless to say, Marilena fully shared my opinion on this one.

September passed in a heartbeat. I visited Professor Snape as often as I was allowed to. We both tried to distract ourselves from the anxiety of waiting for Marilena’s decisions by chatting about all kinds of subjects. I told him about the countries I had visited, the cultures I had discovered, with all kinds of species. He proved to be a very attentive listener and he surprised me on many occasions by reminding me of conversations we had had several nights previously. At times, we simply sat by the window, which was facing east. As the temperature was still rather warm, we left the window open and enjoyed the various smells that came to us from the mountains, the castle’s garden and the pastures nearby. When we were lucky, Catalina rehearsed on the floor below and her music reached us as if we had been in the room with her. We listened for hours in complete silence. During these times, he and I did not feel that we needed to speak, neither physically nor mentally. Our souls did find their own way to share each other’s presence through Catalina’s music.

I often Transfigured and flew to some isolated valleys where I could find a discreet river. There, I listened to the last news from England and transmitted them to him. Nothing much happened there at the time. The Ministry of Magic campaigned a lot against the Death Eaters and spent a lot of energy claiming that it did everything in its power to make sure that the Azkaban prisoners would not escape twice, which had not happened indeed. The rivers whispered dozens of rumours about some Aurors’ supposed activities, but I knew that half of them were not true. Nevertheless, I reported everything to the wizard; it had even become some kind of routine between us. Every evening, after the common meal in the dining room, I stopped by his apartments and spent an hour or two with him. We discussed the news, official and non-official, we elaborated some scientific theories about some potions projects I had in mind; he told me about the lessons he was supposed to give at this time of the school year. These hours usually went by quite quickly. Strangely, I used the wizard’s apartments as some kind of refuge; what was happening outside of it was rather unpleasant to witness.

Slowly but steadily, the broods and former clans started to organize secret meetings. Niculaie’s spying skills became almost indispensable, keeping Marilena informed of almost everything that went on. At the end of September, the meetings were happening at so many places on the Clan’s territory that Ivantie, Valeriu, Marcela and even Marian were dispatched in separate locations for some eavesdropping sessions. The rivers I cherished started to babble more and more about the recent events that were affecting the Clan and the news were not good. Some broods seemed to be willing to turn to Dumbledore, but most of them voted for Voldemort. They shared Kerecsen’s views about a new kind of Clan, based on bloodlines and ranks (as if people could be valued on their ascendance!). They especially hoped to form a new hierarchy, where they would be allowed to govern their respective broods and clans with more freedom of choice.

Marilena was the worst person to be close to, at the time. She became more nervous and irascible than I had seen her in centuries. The number of cainites she trusted grew smaller with each passing night and, after September was over, the only ones she could stand in her meeting room were Niculaie, Marcela, Floarea and I. During weeks, I tried to make her see the advantages of joining Dumbledore, trying to convince her that the internal problems we had were caused by one of Voldemort’s ruses. I argued that if we fell into his trap, we would become vulnerable and unable to help either of them. She listened to me and argued along, at first, then only listened and stopped replying.

Professor Snape and I finally ran out of arguments and our meetings together started to take a darker side again. By the end of the first week of October, I began trying to convince him to ask Marilena for his freedom. He stubbornly refused to have any discussion on that subject and rudely interrupted me each time I began my plea. It was during one of these trying conversations that Marilena’s voice echoed in the fireplace, asking me to come to her meeting room. To my surprise, she was alone when I entered; the others had not been convoked. Marilena invited me to sit, then said, in an authoritarian tone:

“Antanasia, I have asked you to come here because I want you to know that I have made my decision. Your advice has been very helpful, as were the numerous reports of most cainites in the Clan who spied in other broods for me. I let things go for a few weeks because I wanted to see how things would evolve. Quite frankly, I hoped that Kerecsen’s ideas would not be welcomed that well in the long run. Apparently, I was wrong.”

She leaned her elbows on the table in front of her, over many rolls of parchment and what I believed to be several maps of the clan’s territory. Closing her eyes, joining her hands and intertwining her fingers, she extended her two indexes and leaned her mouth against them. When she opened her eyes, I saw a sombre glow that sent a long shudder down my spine.

“I have met with the others, before I called for you. We have reached an agreement. I know this is going to be difficult for you to hear, but I have decided not to help the Order of the Phoenix this time.”

“My Lady,” I began, but she interrupted me.

“My reign is in jeopardy, Antanasia! You said it yourself; we must avoid being weakened by internal conflicts if we want to be able to collaborate with whoever it is. The Russians have already begun to call their soldiers back to training camps! Zaharia could crush them, but not in the state we are at the moment! I just cannot afford to loose any brood I have; surely you can understand that?”

“I understand that fighting for a just cause sometimes requires sacrifices,” I answered, with a lump in my throat.

“I knew it would be difficult for you to hear my decision. But it is irreversible, at this point. I have already sent an owl to Pietr to invite him at a formal meeting next month. I am waiting for his answer, but I am sure he will be willing to collaborate with me, if we fight on the same side. Our relationship has been very good since the last one hundred and fifty years.”

I did not reply, but kept looking at her, knowing that my disappointment pierced through my glance in a most obvious manner.

“I have also sent other owls, Antanasia. I have called all the elders of the Clan for an emergency military meeting, in two nights from now. As Niculaie has wisely suggested, I must reaffirm my authority as the Clan and Army leader. They must know what would be the consequences of their treason and they need me to set an example. It is regrettable, but necessary. Professor Snape has indubitably chosen his side; I cannot give him shelter; I cannot release him either. I will personally execute him during the meeting. It will show the elders what happens when you choose to fight against me,” she declared, in her coldest voice, looking right into my eyes.

I knew that the message was meant for me, too. I barely dared to breathe; I did not want to be invaded by all the intense emotions that rushed through my whole being, in that instant. I had to be strong, just a little longer, until that infernal conversation would be over. After a meaningful pause, she continued:

“So I have convoked you here to inform you of my decision, and to give you the painful task of informing the wizard about it. Whatever his kind’s habits are in a situation like this, he might have some things to think through before his last moment comes. I am not cruel enough not to grant him the time to do it and put his things in order. I think it is appropriate for you to be the one breaking the news to him; I heard that you have been spending quite a lot of time with him recently.”

“I will not deny it. Will he be allowed to go out of his apartments until the meeting takes place?” I asked, trying to keep my composure.

“Absolutely not. I cannot take the risk to give him a chance to escape. He is to remain in his apartments at all times and the guard will be doubled during the next two nights. Other than you and the guards, nobody will be allowed in there. Do I make myself clear?” she concluded aggressively.

“Yes, my Lady. Perfectly clear.”

“By the way… just in case he would, indeed, find a way to escape…. Anybody who helps him in the process will take his place, on the execution chair. Spread the message around, will you?”

I left the meeting room without saying a word. I was far too distressed for that. I had done many things, in my life and afterlife, but what Marilena asked me to do was beyond my forces. As always when things overwhelmed me and I needed strength and wisdom, I went to the Great Dragon.

Like all the other times the Dragon had offered me his orb, the same scenario appeared once more in front of me. That time, however, as the fight between the snake and the phoenix reached the point where the orb usually filled again with white fog, I gasped with surprise. Something new was happening. The fog did not fill the orb completely; it stayed in its upper part and slowly took the shape of what looked like large clouds. Shortly after, a majestic eagle emerged from them and flew in large circles above the two animals that were still fighting. In a flash, it suddenly plunged. I watched eagerly, expecting the eagle to attack one of the two animals and put an end to the fight, indicating me what to do. Instead, it flew right between them and gripped the white lily, which had been freed from the snake’s grip during the fight. It did not even take the time to land anywhere and flew back up, while the phoenix spread its magnificent wings and opened its beak in what seemed like its characteristic song, which I obviously could not hear.

The vision ended there, but the Dragon did not withdraw the orb from my hands. To my astonishment, Horatiu’s face appeared in the fog and grew larger and larger, until his head emerged from the orb, followed by his whole body. One of his hands reached for my face and caressed my cheek softly, as he always did when we said goodbye. I bowed my head in deep respect.

“Antanasia, my dearest child,” said his voice in my heart, “some paths are difficult to follow, I know. But you, along with so many others in Zaharia, have always preserved, in the depths of their heart, the true soul of Zaharia. I thought, like you did, that Marilena would finally listen to it, as she would grow in age and wisdom, but from what I have read in your soul during our encounters here, it has not been the case. Do not let her soil Zaharia’s soul any further, my child; things were not meant to evolve this way. You have the power to plant a seed that has been in need to grow since too long, now. I know the path I am asking you to follow seems to be a lonely one. Believe me, you are not as lonely as you think. Plant that seed, Antanasia, my memory will do the rest for it to grow and fully mature.”

What appeared unclear at the beginning of his speech became totally obvious with his last words. I gazed in his sweet hazelnut eyes and knew what I had to do.

“I will do it, my Lord.”

“Then you will feel me at your side all along, Antanasia,” said his voice, as his image slowly faded in front of me, until it disappeared completely against the Dragon’s chest.

I stayed for several more minutes in front of the Dragon after it resumed its usual position on the pedestal. Horatiu’s memory vibrated intensely inside of me. Initially, it made me feel helpless, like the childe I was when he was alive, but eventually, I found the courage I needed and headed for Ivantie’s resting room. He was lazily reading a book when I came in.

“Ivantie, we have been friends since, what, almost two hundred and fifty years now?” I began.

“I stopped counting a long time ago, Tasia!” he replied, in his usual cheerful tone.

“Well, the reason that brought me here is very serious and it is in the name of that precious friendship that I have come to you.”

“Is there something wrong?”

“Yes, something is terribly wrong indeed. This clan is terribly wrong, Ivantie! Marilena talked to me earlier tonight and she told me her intentions about the clan and the wizard.”

“I know… he is to be executed in two nights,” he gravely said.

“How come you knew before I did?” I asked alarmingly.

“Not much earlier before you did. Marilena asked me to supervise the guards at his door, in case he might want to escape. Or be helped doing so.”

“Oh, now she gives you her complete trust?” I exclaimed in my astonishment.

“I take it as a test rather than as a proof of her trust, Antanasia.”

“Anyway… I came here to ask you to help me make the wizard escape, Ivantie.”

“What? Have you lost your mind?” he cried, incredulously.

“I am dead serious, here. He does not deserve to die, not like this!”

“Didn’t you think quite the opposite two months ago?” he replied.

“That was ages ago, Ivantie! Things have changed, since then!”

“Things have changed, indeed. And we must go along with these changes in order to survive, if you ask me.”

“Don’t tell me that you agree with Marilena about giving our help to Voldemort!”

“I did not say that,” he said uncomfortably. “I prefer to remain neutral.”

“Your actions do not reflect that,” I retorted.

“On the contrary! My actions remain low profile and I feel perfectly fine like that!” he answered, in the same uneasy tone.

“You don’t want to understand or what? It’s like Snape said, Ivan! We will not be able to remain neutral for long, because the murmur of war will enter by our doors and windows. That murmur is definitely growing; you and I both know it.”

“That choice is not ours to make! It is meant for the whole Clan to decide,” he exclaimed.

“Not anymore! What was brought to us as a collective request became a choice that each and every one of us has to make. I will not, I cannot just sit here waiting for that man’s execution, whether he is in fact innocent or not. I just cannot let that happen!”

“That will make you a mutineer and a traitor to Marilena’s eyes,” he argued, in a disapproving tone.

“Better look that way to her eyes than betray what I believe in, Ivantie. I prefer to keep some dignity in my own opinion about myself. Don’t you?” I asked, a bit sharply.

“That is where you make a mistake, Antanasia! You’re the one who is wrong!” he passionately retorted, getting up and pacing the room. “As a group, as a clan, we detain enormous power and influence, probably even more than Voldemort himself should he gain power in England. What good could do one cainite like me, one cainite like you, against the whole Clan?”

“We would not be alone, Ivan! Do you think that everybody here, even in this one castle, share Marilena’s views about the future?”

“Probably not. That changes nothing! As a group, we can accomplish many things. As a united group, following their leader.”

“As a group, we stop thinking by ourselves and that’s precisely what you’re doing!” I growled. “You act and think like a dumb sheep in a flock! I cannot believe that you would be foolish enough to follow Marilena’s orders at any price!”

“Not at any price, Tasia. How many times have I stood up in front of her to cover for your disregard for the Clan’s rules?” he said, his disappointment and growing anger piercing through his voice.

“It’s true, you did and I will be eternally grateful, for that,” I admitted, in a softer tone. “But this time, my friend, my beloved friend, it’s time to stand up for more than one person! Have you thought of all these poor cainites in France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Belgium and so on, who have never asked to be invaded and will be traded like common livestock, for military help and territory? Is it me or would it make us make a major leap backward in our evolution?”

“Of course, I did think of them… but my answer is still the same. Alone, I cannot change much. I prefer to believe that Marilena’s decisions will prove to be the best for the Clan,” he replied, uneasily.

“Even if that means declaring useless wars against formerly allied clans and broods?” I questioned.

“Antanasia… don’t ask me to make a decision about whole clans… if I had the choice, I would not take any decision at all and leave things just as they were before that damn wizard passed our doorstep,” he growled.

“If you do that, Ivan, you will become like the heartless animals every other species think we are! And I will fully share their opinion, no matter how deeply I love you! Striving to use our advantages to help others is what keeps our humanity alive inside of us!” I fervently replied.

“Who said that?”

“Horatiu!” I cried, on the merge of tears. “Horatiu said that! The one you swore allegiance to, centuries ago! The one whose blood still flows in your veins! The one who would have never let things evolve the way they have if he had still been in command of the Clan! The one who, as the wisest and oldest elder of the Clan, would have never let anybody else take the place that was reserved to him at the head of Zaharia!”

“What are you suggesting?” he retorted, defensively.

“That it is about time that you grow up and take your responsibilities! I thought that one thousand and twenty two years of wisdom would have sufficed for you to realise that you deserve better than being assigned to guard shifts at Zaharia’s front door!”

“I like the afterlife I have, Antanasia! I do it by choice!” he angrily replied.

“Then you made the wrong choice, Ivan!” I roared.

“Why don’t you take care of your own business and get off my back? Huh? Haven’t you asked me often enough to do just that? Couldn’t you do me that favor once, just once?” he screamed.

I stood in front of him for a while, unable to speak and wanting to catch my breath. Seeing that he would stubbornly keep his position, the last bits of hope that had survived in my heart until then simply vanished.

“Fine. That’s exactly what I will do,” I coldly answered through clenched teeth.

And for a long, very long time, these were the last words Ivantie and I exchanged. Even if I know what led us to have that trying conversation that night, and what were the consequences of it later, not a night passed without me wishing we had parted on better feelings. When my anger subsided, all that was left was a strange impression of emptiness in my heart. Curiously, it made it incredibly heavier than it had been in decades. And I still had to break the news to the wizard.

When I entered his apartments, he welcomed me, as courteously as he was capable of. I saw, in his eyes, that he was happy to see me. That sight broke my heart even more. Fortunately, if I can even write that, I did not need to speak for him to understand the reason of my visit. He read it in my mind seconds after I closed the door behind me.

“So the game is over, it seems,” he sternly declared, looking at the ground.

“I did try everything I could to convince Ivantie to help me make you escape. But the coward wouldn’t listen! And now I guess he will keep an ever closer watch on my activities, knowing that I made plans to get you out of here,” I said, falling in my usual chair, next to the window.

Silence abruptly fell between us. I did not know what to tell him and I was completely unable to look at him as well. He stood in the middle of the room for several minutes, like he usually did when he needed time to regain his composure and regroup his thoughts. As silently as ever, he slowly walked to his chair and sat in front of me. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw his shoulders, usually so square and deign, lower under the weight of the news he had just learned. His head was still proudly up, however, and he looked at the crescent moon that shed a soft light on the mountains and valleys in front of us.

“I’m so sorry, Severus!” I cried, turning to the window and biting my lower lip to stop my tears.

“Don’t be sorry, Antanasia,” he said, in his low and composed baritone.

“Not now that I have heard you say my name,” whispered his voice, in my head.

Whether or not his message had been intentionally transmitted to me, he quickly continued what he was saying out loud:

“I expected this to happen, one day or the other. But I have spent quite enjoyable moments, here. I leave this life with no regrets.”

That last statement was a lie and he did not even bother to hide it from me. Neither of us said anything about that.

“All of this is happening by my fault!” I exclaimed, letting tears flow freely on my cheeks, at long last. “I would understand if you hate me. You would be in England if it had not been of me.”

He took my hand, very delicately. His fingers were dead cold, as they had always been.

“I did hate you at first, Antanasia. I have spent so many months hating you that for a long time, I did not think there would ever be a place for another type of feeling. Until something changed my mind.”

“What was it?”

“Time went by. And realised that what I was fighting for was in fact a profound respect, for you. We had agreed that we would not dwell on guilty feelings. We are both responsible for what happened that night. I have accepted my part of responsibility long ago. Just do the same, will you?”

I looked up. His eyes were grave and sad, but did not glitter with anger or loathing. He was being sincere. I pressed my fingers against his.

“I guess I should,” I sadly replied.

“I know that you did your best to change things. It did not turn out the way we wanted. No matter how long we feel sorry for that, things will remain the same. My faith in Dumbledore’s capacities does not change because of that. I still believe that the Order will come out victorious one way or the other, with or without Marilena’s help. I wish I could have witnessed it with my own eyes, but things did not turn out that way. Too bad.”

His mental barriers rose once again and his hand left mine as he spoke. It brought me back to a more collected and practical attitude.

“Professor Snape, is there anything I could do for you? Do you wish to write letters or some kind of will? I will arrange for you to have some parchment, quills and ink.”

“Thank you. I do not have much to write, but it has to be done all the same,” he replied in a dead voice.

“Anything else you might wish for?”

“Yes. If possible, I would like to be left alone. With this,” he said, putting his hand on a book that had been left on the window frame.

“My poetry book? You still have it? I thought I had completely lost it!” I exclaimed, surprised.

“If you don’t mind, I would like to keep it here a little longer. I will return it to you very soon, say, in two nights?” he bitterly suggested.

“Keep it, it is my pleasure to lease it to you as long as you need it.”

“Thank you,” he replied, turning his face back to the moonlight.

************

“Antanasia! Will you wake up? I cannot stay here for ages, you know!” said Marcela’s impatient voice, from the other side of my resting room door.

“Sorry, Marcela,” I said in a hoarse voice, opening the door. “I usually sleep with my coffin’s closed, strangely enough. What is it?”

“The wizard has requested to see you right now. What are you, his father confessor?”

“Don’t be silly, Marcela. He probably just needs some company. His execution will take place in only six hours, after all,” I replied, not even looking at the clock.

Truth is, I had been lying completely awake in my coffin, counting down the hours before the dreaded moment would come. The previous night had been filled with horrible nightmares in which Ivantie pushed me from the top of the Great Fall; I kept falling for ages without being able to Transfigure myself until I woke up, covered with sweat.

I quickly got dressed, while Marcela went back to the wizard’s apartments. He had remained silent since my last visit and had refused to eat, which was obviously understandable, but really not a good sign about his mental state. To my relief, Ivantie was not on guard during that afternoon. That one had not spoken to me either since our last conversation.

When I entered the room, Professor Snape was sitting at a table, reading a piece of parchment. He quickly rose up when he heard me and motioned me to sit in my usual armchair. He took the few pieces of parchment that were on the table and rolled them in a single package. He handed them to me, and then sat in front of me.

“I wrote a few letters, as you suggested. They are all for Dumbledore. I put him in charge of dispatching my possessions after my death. Most of my material belongings will go to the school; most of my money will go to the Order.”

“Doesn’t he have any friend, family member or ex-lover to write to? Is that really all?” I thought.

“There is one last thing on my mind that I would like to share with you, before the execution,” he continued.

The way he pronounced that horrible word, as calmly as if he was naming a potion ingredient, pained me beyond words, but I let him go on.

“I have not told you everything about my presence here, Antanasia. Nor about my presence at your side the morning of your husband’s burial.”

I raised my eyebrows in astonishment. I really did not expect that one.

“What about that?” I questioned.

“Where to begin?” he said. “Well, first of all, I came here because I specifically asked to be assigned with this mission. I did not have to insist much with Dumbledore. He knew about my reasons and encouraged me to leave. He even said he would have expected me to do it far sooner. The Dark Lord, on the contrary, was far more reluctant and I had to work hard to convince him. But the perspective of having the whole Clan of Zaharia fighting at his side seduced him enough and he agreed to send me on what you could call a diplomatic mission, as I have already explained.”

“But why did you insist that much?” I asked, listening to each of his words with eagerness.

“Truth is… I wanted to find you, to see you again. You do not realise it, but you have been at the back of my mind since the last seventeen years. I did not always listen to you, I almost completely forgot about you at times, but you were always there somewhere. You and I have some unfinished business together.”

“What kind of unfinished business?”

“The morning we met, I was there for a reason. I had been sent by the Dark Lord to murder you.”

“What?” I exclaimed.

“I had officially become a Death Eater not too long before that morning. Every new Death Eater has to go through a specific ritual, in order to prove his or her allegiance to the Dark Lord. Some parts of that ritual include doing dirty business that nobody wants to take care of. Another part includes performing an Unforgivable Curse on someone else. That morning, I was sent to bring your husband to your door, wait for you to show up and assassinate you.”

“Why did Voldemort want to kill me?”

“Believe it or not, he saw and even respected the powers you possess. Your activities in the Order had been quite noticed by the Death Eaters and they were beginning to fear you. The Dark Lord knew that he would not be able to bring you on his side, so he decided that disposing of you, along with your husband, was the best solution.”

“And why didn’t you kill me if your Master had specifically trusted you with the task? Had you changed sides already at the time?”

“No, changing sides came later… I did not kill you because… that morning, I was told the first true words of wisdom that could really get to me. By the loveliest mouth I had seen in ages, in addition.”

“And who told you these words of wisdom?” I asked, puzzled.

“You did. From what you told me, you do not remember the events that happened after I talked to you, but I certainly do. When I saw you retrieve your husband’s body from behind the door, I just waited and let you find out what the content of the bag was. The Dark Lord had instructed me to do so and, as foolish as I was at the time, I believed that it would please me to see the impact of his power on you, to see the feared and powerful Antanasia rendered helpless, at last. I thought it would give me the courage and superiority to coldly throw the killing spell on you as soon as you would come out of the door again. You see, I had done many reproachable things by that time, and was about to do many additional ones. But I had never gone as far as killing someone for the Dark Lord. When you came out, I froze. The things I saw on your face, what your whole being was expressing to me did not give me courage; it took it all away from me.”

He looked away, as if he was expecting me to make him some kind of reproach. Instead, I helped him resume his confession:

“So you decided to follow me instead,” I suggested.

“Yes. I watched you dig that grave, hidden from your view by a Concealing charm. I stood so close that I could smell your perfume… which is the one you still occasionally wear, on great occasions, like on the 25th of August. I felt your emotions, too, though not as accurately as I can feel them today, as my Legilimency skills were still requiring some work at the time. But I felt enough to understand the great sadness and sense of loss that submerged you, at the moment. All I could do was to stand there helplessly and observe what was really hidden behind the kind of actions the other Death Eaters were bragging and laughing about so much, during our meetings. I guess you can say that it touched me, though I did not want to admit it at the time. That is why, when I saw you loiter there while the sun was rising, I broke the Concealing charm and told you what you remember, walking towards you. But when you heard me next to you, you turned to me and looked at me in a way that made me stop dead in my steps and kept me away from you.”

“I must not have been in the best of moods…” I said.

“No, understand me. It was not hostility that kept me away. On the contrary, there was such warmth in your eyes that I… I was lost for words for a minute, there. I did not know what to do.”

“Had I hypnotised you?” I asked, fearing that I might have been desperate enough to feed on him.

“I don’t think so. I was still free to move and my mind was clear. Yet… you looked right through me, in that moment. I felt as if I could see the reflection of my essence flaming right into your eyes,” he said, his voice vibrating with enticing warmth. “I know it sounds strange, but it is the way it felt,” he added, in a cooler tone.

“What happened next?” I asked eagerly.

“You walked towards me. I was clutching my wand and pointed it at you, ready to kill you or to protect myself, but you did not do anything to defend yourself. You just kept walking on. I… I thought you knew my intentions and wanted to quicken your death,” he explained, as I drank every of his words.

“That is very unlike me, though…” I said, frowning.

“It seems so, because you eventually stopped, a couple of feet in front of me. My wand was pointing at your chest, but again, you did not seem to care. You just tilted your head to the side and kept looking at me. You seemed fascinated by something…. You smiled, at first. Then I saw tears starting to fill your eyes. That is the thing that made me panic the most, ironically,” he said, raising an eyebrow in a critical manner. “But before I could walk back and do anything, you started to speak.”

“What did I say?”

“You said, in a very calm and soothing voice: “Today, as I look into your eyes, I know that my time has not come yet. Those hands of yours were not meant to kill, there were meant to bring soothing and deliverance. You may believe what you want, but the coming of age will soon teach you that what sounds like indubitable truth today might turn out to be the biggest lie you can tell yourself, tomorrow.” You pointed your finger to my left arm and continued: “You let them soil your skin in search for power and recognition. I do not want to judge you, for that. I see exactly what created that kind of hunger in you, and whether it justifies your decisions or not is left for you to decide. Nevertheless, I also feel a great power of mind, in you, which has not been given to you by any other force than your own. Use it… think, for one minute, about the kind of recognition and power you want. Is that really the trace you want to leave behind you after your ephemeral existence subsides? Is it really worth it to let them soil your soul, too? These things that I see in you are far, far more worthy of my deepest respect. They are waiting to blossom and find their own unique place in the unravelling of the next eras to come. And curiously, you and I both have a common place to share in there…. Cerridwen will reunite us one night and when she does, we shall both meet our fate.””

I remained silent for a long time, repeating each and every word in my head.

“I really said all that?” I finally asked.

“Each and every word,” he declared.

“But that was a long speech, how can you remember everything?”

“I am as puzzled as you. These words made their way into my mind and absolutely refused to leave. I can hear your voice in there just like I heard you on that morning.”

I smiled and looked down. Horatiu’s words came back into my memory and brought a slight flush over my cheeks.

“I guess it is like Horatiu, the Sire who built this castle, said one night to Ivantie, while they sweat over a particularly reluctant vine. “There are some seeds whose roots, once they find the proper soil for them to grow, feel so much at home that they refuse to leave.””

“I guess you could say that. These roots did find their place and grew, in my mind. Enough to make me let you Disapparate to your house right after you spoke these words. I thought of following you, in a last attempt to complete my mission, but I decided that it was best not to. That was the first of a series of wise decisions…. As I said earlier, I changed sides during the year that followed.”

“How come I do not remember any of this?”

“Dumbledore and I gave it some thoughts. We did not find any valuable hypothesis, other than the possibility that you said a Prophecy or were simply too distressed to remember these events.”

“And why do you say that I stayed at the back of your mind since then?” I asked.

“Well, first of all, I must precise that I was not complaining, in a way. Dumbledore was already giving me his trust when I came to him, the night I finally decided to change sides. But he gave it to me even more when I told him about these things you said. He looked at me in a strange way, his eyes twinkling with mischief, and only said that it would probably prove to have fascinating consequences later on.” His lips curled in a bitter smile. “Since then, I have been trying to figure out what these consequences might be, but obviously, I was unable to make any potent conclusion. I came here to seek that answer and I believe I have my answer, now.”

I did not say anything. Everything I thought of seemed futile at this point.

“I guess I should thank you, Antanasia,” he continued, after a while. “What you told me that morning changed my life for the best.”

“I guess I should thank you too, for sparing mine, Severus,” I replied, deeply moved by his honesty. “I bet the consequences of your gesture were very painful.”

“Do not worry about that; it was certainly not the first time I was hit by the Cruciatus curse, believe me,” he commented bitterly. “There is not much more left for me to say, now. I wanted you to know all this in order to protect yourself. The Dark Lord will remember you if you choose to work for the Order again. I have no doubt that he will be after you; be careful.”

“I will, I promise,” I swore, putting my hand over his, as my eyes filled with tears. Then, giving in to my most intense emotions, I added: “I will mentally stay with you all the time until the end, I promise you that, too. It will be painless; if Marilena does not take the care to block the pain from the bite, I will. It is the least I can do…”

“Spare me your pity, will you?” he retorted, a sneer curling at the corner of his lips.

************

All the elders were gathered in the meeting room. Kerecsen had insisted to sit with me on the front row. He was smiling. He had dared to come right to me after his arrival, and had asked me if I had given his proposal some serious thoughts. With teary eyes, I had asked him to delay that discussion until the meeting would be over. He had taken it as a good sign. I wanted to kill him.

Marilena entered the room once everybody had seated. She began her speech by communicating the main points of our reports, insisting on the ones that proved the broods’ disloyalty to her. She rambled on about all the reasons that had led her to decide that giving her support to Voldemort was the best option for the Clan, assuming that the Clan would give that support as a whole, and not as a group of quarrelling broods. I barely listened to what she had to say, it all sounded like pedantic rubbish, to me. My full attention came back on her when she finally declared:

“…and to give you a concrete example of what I mean by unpleasant consequences… bring me the prisoner!”

I turned to the door and eagerly watched Niculaie and Valeriu escort Professor Snape into the room. She watched him walk towards her with a superior and cruel smile on her face, unravelling her sharp and deadly canines to him. He did not even wince, kept walking steadily and looked at her with a set face, looking as composed as I had expected him to be. They made him sit on a chair, right in front of us. He did not look at me, but kept his eyes resolutely fixed on a point slightly above our heads, at the back of the room. Valerica, who was sitting next to me, gently pressed my hand into hers.

Marilena resumed her speech:

“That wizard came to us under Albus Dumbledore’s orders. He made it quite clear that his allegiance goes to the Order of the Phoenix, despite his former allegiance to Lord Voldemort. Therefore, given our common decision to give our military help to the latter, he is to be considered as our enemy.”

The crowd applauded. I started to feel sick.

“And here is what happens when someone becomes my enemy…” she darkly declared, bending towards him.

I held my breath. But she did not swoop down on him at once. Instead, she tilted her head to the side and, snorting, brutally pulled his right arm up.

“What have we there? A… book! Did you really think you could fight me with that, Snape?” she mocked.

Many cainites around me, including Kerecsen of course, started to laugh. Though my heart did not pound anymore, my rage pounded in my mind, in quick and painful beats. It was enough to kill him for the only sake of expressing and imposing Marilena’s authority; they did not need to make fun of him in addition! Marilena carelessly threw the book on the floor, which landed right in front of me. I discreetly picked it and immediately recognized my poetry book. I looked up. Professor Snape plunged his eyes in mine, for a few seconds. His dilated pupils made his eyes look even darker than usual, but I did not see any sign of panic, in them. He was keeping his composure until the very end.

“Goodbye,” was all that I could hear from his mind before Marilena brutally ripped his shirt open.

I sent countless soothing thoughts to him as intensely as I could, keeping true to my word. Marilena did not seem disposed to block any pain from her bite. I quickly set my senses on his vital signs and used my powers to block his pain neurotransmitters. His heart was beating fast and his blood was flooded with adrenaline, but he held on, looking straight into Marilena’s eyes as they reddened.

“Do you have anything to say, human, before I proceed?” she asked.

“You are making a big mistake… and you will feel sorry for that soon enough,” he murmured, maintaining his eye contact with her without even blinking.

“You will not be there to witness it, I am afraid,” she said, grabbing him by the hair and pulling his head back, offering his throat most disgracefully to her mouth.

“I am here, Severus, I will not leave you! Be brave! It will soon be over,” I repeated, while frantically clutching the book in both of my hands.

It took all my self-control not to rise from my chair and put an end to the horrific scene that took place in front of me. Marilena swooped down on his offered throat and I soon heard the familiar gurgling sound of blood flowing from the wound. Professor Snape arched his back and gripped the sides of his seat as she eagerly drank his blood, in long and sonorous gulps. Trying to keep a cool head, I counted his heartbeats and tried to estimate how much blood she was taking from him. One litre… two… three…. She stopped, to my surprise. Rising to her full height, she turned to the crowd, her mouth most dishonourably covered with the wizard’s fresh blood.

“As I mentioned earlier, my dear friends, I want to make a point, tonight. Should any of you betray my trust and threaten my reign, in any way whatsoever, you will meet your end. And I can guarantee you that it will not be a quick one; I will manage for you to fully witness death as it takes hold of you. I have never had the reputation to be merciful, in that kind of situation, haven’t I?”

Her smile totally disgusted me. I saw her for who she really was, in that precise instant. She was an animal. And all of those around me who shared her opinion and cruel pleasure were no better than she was. My fingers met something strange, on the cover of the book. I looked down. I saw a tiny drop of dried blood and remembered the night when I had impulsively mixed our bloods to make them choose a poem from the book. And he had kept it with him, until the very end. He did not want to be separated from it. Thoughts started rushing madly through my head.

“This is not right… none of this is right! He does not deserve to die!”

“What could one cainite like you do against the whole clan? You’re the one who is wrong!” resounded Ivantie’s voice, into my mind.

“Do not let her soil Zaharia’s soul any further, my child. Believe me, you are not as lonely as you think,” whispered Horatiu’s voice right after, before my own voice came back to me.

“This time, nobody would be waiting for me at the end of the road.”

“Blood never lies, Professor Snape, no matter what is its provenance,” said Marilena\'s voice.

“I will not let it happen!” concluded my voice, putting an end to the chaos in my mind.

I looked up and saw Marilena as she turned her deadly glance back to the wizard, who was horribly pale, panting and covered with sweat. I rose slowly from my seat, almost without noticing. Similarly, I did not feel the book falling at my feet.

“Let’s see if you remain that brave when you hear the sound of your bones crushing on the ground,” Marilena murmured in his ear. “And I want you to remain completely conscious until you do,” she added, using her hypnotic skills to fully awake his mind.

The rest happened so fast that I do not even remember feeling any thought crossing my mind. In one powerful move, Marilena grabbed Professor Snape by his sides and threw him against the large stained-glass window that decorated the room. His body easily broke the glass given the force of the impact and he disappeared from our view. The sight of his body flying towards the window made a few things brutally snap in place inside of me.

“May Cerridwen guide your way, my friend,” whispered Valerica’s voice in my mind as I ran to the window and threw myself, head first, in the black emptiness in front of me.

************

AUTHOR’S NOTE
I hope you are enjoying the story so far! I would really appreciate some reviews. It does not take much of your time and it tells me if you like where the story is going or not! It’s in your best interest, in a way! Writing 25-30 pages every week (over 40 pages in this chapter\'s case) represents a *lot* of work (because I do have a life!); your comments are a valuable reward! :o)