Contract Creature

Chapter Twelve - Class Blunder

It was tiring. Even more tiring because she was pregnant and lugging around a huge weight that everyone considered public property, after emerging from the Valentine dance all women within the Hogwarts castle came down with a viral infection that urged them to pat Talm's belly. There were dozens of women from the ministry to those in Hogsmeade making excuses to visit her each day to touch Snape's unborn, many with great reluctance resulting from light infatuation or deep-seated obsessions over her husband, especially that Skeeter woman who couldn't decide between interviewing and trying to murder the Elderdragon. Now with the whole wizarding world knowing of her as Sev's wife, the trinkets that she had made especially for their close-knit circle were distributed. Being an Elderdragon and the hooded figure were still secret, with their marriage the suspicion would be present until the time was right to expose all.

On the plus side, Narcissa had signed Draco's custody over to Severus and Talm, not that it made much of a difference with him being of age but it did wonders for comfort. Or discomfort, depending on whether he was alternating between taking up questionable hobbies, or being the devoted smothering nephew he was. Talm woke up to Severus watching her protectively from his propped elbow above her, it was still too early, there still wasn't enough chocolate, and Sev was cramming in dictator experience over the kicking protuberance to make up for the past six months pretending to not know her. Today was sure to be peachy keen.

Talm wanted to glide through the walls of Hogwarts with the same ease as the dearly departed, wanted to but wasn't allowed due to her husband's adamant refusal and the headmaster's concern of frightening the students. And so Talm had to settle for gliding through the halls of Hogwarts amongst the teeming (and annoyingly inquisitive) crowds of the boarding school, from the dungeons to Hagrid's hut for Care of Magical Creatures was a long trek, it would've been extremely tedious if she wasn't discussing Arithmancy formulas compared to 3-d computer imaging programming with the Head girl Hermione Granger. The conversation caused several trailing Ravenclaws to perk up and disappointingly turn away when jostled by their peers to the next class; her nephew, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley followed closely in the two girls' wake discussing future Quidditch events. Hermione gushed out happily.

"I'm so glad that I've finally found someone to talk to!" Talm lent a small smile.

"I can't exactly discuss this topic with Draco without the exchange being one-sided." The female Gryffindor nodded empathetically.

"I didn't know that you were so knowledgeable about muggles, with the Slytherin pureblood thing and all." Talm shook her head sadly.

"I wish such a thing was not necessary. I still do not understand the 'mudblood' term - being compared to earth golems are not insulting at all, some are quite fascinating if the creators are good enough. I know about... muggles because I was required to live with them as a disciplinary lesson on survival without the use of magic." Talm murmured under her breath to not be heard by Hermione. "And I didn't have to have a worthless twig to channel."

"I like you best among the Slytherins, the younger years look up to you and you promote house unity." The chained girl shifted her book bag around her abdominal bulge and shrugged.

"Perhaps it's because I'm not used to the houses." Granger looked about and demurely whispered.

"So, are you okay with your... husband?" Talm grinned, evilly on the inside, and slyly winked.

"You want details?" Hermione's face paled and her blush spread from her cheekbones to the tips of her ears, she almost stumbled.

"Dear God, no! Forget I asked!" Talm chuckled and gave the girl's shoulder a light pat. A quick glare warded off the more than eager Gryffindor girls leaning in for any juicy comments.

"It's nice of you though." She paused and volunteered. "He's entertaining. Quite an excellent wit to banter with." The Gryffindor's blush turned a dark crimson. Talm chortled. "You said you didn't want details and here you are, thinking such unbefitting things. Of course, he's entertaining in other areas besides his intellect. But shall we talk of what Hagrid's planning on showing us this class?" Her fellow year-mate visibly relaxed from the puce shade.

"Abraxans, it might be Madame Maxine's team, the one from the Tri-wizard tournament. Oh, I keep forgetting that you weren't here for that. Madame Maxine's a half-Giant like Hagrid and she has this bunch of gigantic winged horses." Sure enough, a herd of Abraxan's and their stallion were penned up behind Hagrid's hut.

Unfortunately, disregarding his earlier warning not to make sudden movements or loud noises, Pansy Parkinson aimed a kick at Fang who had wandered deeper into the crowd into her range. The ensuing yelps and barking caused Pansy to scream. The stallion reared and screamed back, which caused Pansy to scream and others to gasp. The other Abraxans screamed along with their leader who aimed a strong kick to Hagrid's forehead causing Pansy and the others to scream again, the equines stampeded, it didn't help that they screamed more. Most of the students tried to paralyse, calm or freeze the panicked horses to stop the winged creatures from trampling their fallen professor and themselves. Talm sighed and shrugged her black robe and chains off before yelling out to the Head girl.

"Keep the students together and down." The Elderdragon formed an opaque shield with a miniscule flick of her fingers, a bent finger pulled the students and Hagrid away from the Abraxan and behind the shield, a sphere of light from her left hand followed Hagrid for healing. The herd had seen the wall and swerved to the side but still were running without any sign of stopping, spreading wings warned of flight. Talm plunged through the wall, ignoring the frightened gasps behind her and Draco's mutter.

"Keeping a low profile, she says." Despite the baby, she sprinted in inhuman blur and leaped up onto the giant stallion's back in front of spread wings as it took off.

Hagrid groaned and sat up to see Talm call up a large cage of stone from the ground around the pen, trapping the spooked herd within granite claws. The dome was made of overlaying curved square spikes of beige, an aviary. She was calming the Abraxan in mid-air, the snorting stallion was pulling against the arm clamped around his muzzle, she was on the stallion's back with her knees clamped and half-sitting seeming to talk softly into its flicking ear, slowly the creature tentatively landed and the rest of the herd imitated its leader. Recognizing the end of the haze of fear the Slytherin girl slid off, the horses now received the scent that was blown upwind earlier and sank to the ground. Talm sighed in resignation and patted the equine on the nose, summoned her discarded robe and metal adornments before strolling between stone bars and taking back the shield.

Talm sat down beside the stone aviary and patted the grass affectionately. Draco rushed over to his aunt and knelt down beside her.

"Are you alright?" Talm wrinkled her nose.

"If I wasn't then I probably wouldn't have the strength to say: Draco you're an idiot. Honestly, you don't aim a paralysing spell to the flank unless you want it to bounce back." Her nephew took a seat bending a knee upwards and the other knee bent outwards, watching the white orb of light flitting from body to body to heal bruises and sprained ankles in the stampede. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, amazingly unhurt and defying their proneness to injury, made their way over.

"How the hell are you going to explain the cage? Or get the Abraxans out?"

"More importantly, how you can sprint without waddling carrying that about." Talm sighed and dark lines appeared, to outline double doors large enough to lead two Abraxans out at the same time.

"Another work by Eralis who happened to tell me that the cage would be handy with the password, I knew the password. My female ancestors have passed on the ability for carrying children higher up so running isn't as difficult, the weight is awkward but I'm not without athletic ability. The ball heals and confuses them so Hagrid will get them to the Hospital wing and they'll remember fuzzy."

"Fuzzy." Talm slapped her godson's leg.

"My description is perfectly acceptable. Fuzzy." To the grinning boys. "Honestly, that's my story and I'm sticking with it. You don't argue with a girl when she's preggers, especially when she controls your guardian or potions teacher." Ron shuddered then grinned as he teasingly answered.

"Yes, Auntie Talm." Earning a scathing frown from Malfoy. Harry smiled.

"And the huge amount of power that you somehow managed to whip up, wandlessly might I add?" Talm tapped her chin thoughtfully then shrugged.

"Life threatening experience that caused me to focus my powers and borrow some of my baby's? I hate having to carry around that useless piece of bark, anyways. Probably why Flitwick didn't bother taking me on, wouldn't have been practical in the least." Shaking her head amusedly she proceeded to drown the world out with a pair of magic headphones and a thick German text from a robe pocket, basking lazily in the sun memorizing the information as she read it. The rest of the class were shepherded off, the Head girl to report to the Headmaster and a heated Quidditch debate beside the Elderdragon heir. The Madame Snape chose to deliberately not to notice the way the young men had triangulated around her and were casting periodic warning shots at creeping photographers.

Chapter Thirteen - Plotting

Pansy Parkinson was plotting. Scheming as she was born to do. Actually, no, she was born to drain her family and future husband's fortunes through trivial shopping but that was beside any point. If Talm Dragonveille was buttered up then she would push Draco into making Pansy an honest woman, being his aunt and legal guardian for a total of two days must have counted for something, Narcissa was being clever and probably gallivanting with some gigolo like the smart woman she was. Getting marked by an uncle-in-law for potions class would guarantee a good mark. The pug-faced girl conveniently forgot the welcome she had given to Snape's wife.

It was such a pity that another dark siege would be laid upon Hogwarts, the last residues of deatheaters were gathering slowly like molasses ready to strangle the victim by stopping up the windpipe. There should have been more time, but if she could marry Draco before the last battle then Pansy would be left a rich widow, one that was considered good in the eyes of society even with her husband dead. What was left of the dark knew indefinitely that their era had ended, so they would take down the worst enemies to the grave. That left Pansy and other true pure-bloods to provide a new generation for the cause.

Only, who was the cloaked figure the prisoners of Azkaban raved about in their sleep? The hunt was so infuriating, there was no trace of who the person might have been, there was no weakness observable in the new statues - yet who had ever really seen the Guardians move? The plans were slow coming, timing was everything yet they needed the world to get grandiloquent before striking, allies were difficult to find after the survival instinct had kicked in. Though the Dark Lord had been vanquished the throne was left for the last commander for the last stand, the last commander would come.

Perhaps Draco would consider it?