Beyond the Shadows of the Night

Chapter Three: Discoveries

On Tuesday, at three minutes past five o'clock, there was a knock upon the door. Severus looked up from the essays he had been marking.

"Come in," he snapped. Harry's cheek the day before had pretty much brought him back down to earth. Harry might genetically be his son, but sadly that didn't stop him from being pretentious, troublesome, and insolent. In one word: James. The truth had never yet changed the facts.

Slowly, the door creaked open, revealing a moody Harry. Moody because Severus probably wasn't the company he enjoyed and because he had a feeling that this wasn't going to be much fun.

Just the embodiment of stubbornness! Severus thought grimly, studying Harry. I'll cure you of that!

"Mr Potter," he sneered. "How nice of you to show up. Though, sadly, you don't seem to think much of punctuality. We´ll have to change that. I am not going to waste any of my precious time waiting for you. You are three minutes late, so I think we'll make it three points from Gryffindor." He smiled nastily. "Next time it will be two points off Gryffindor for each tardy minute."

Harry remained silent, his lips tight. He had stuffed his hands in the pockets of his robe and was staring furiously at the ground.

Severus gave him an appraising look and folded his hands on the dark wooden desk. "I believe the headmaster has thoroughly acquainted you with what we are going to do?"

Harry grunted something through his clenched teeth that could have passed as a 'yes'.

"Good." Severusleaned closer. "We are going to the library now. We will not enter together. You will follow me five minutes later and keep away from me as far as possible. Understand?"

Severus saw Harry bite his lip as if he wanted to hold back a remark.

"Have you lost your speech?" Severus said, a threatening tone creeping into his voice. "I believe I asked you if you understand that?"

"I understand perfectly well," Harry said with suppressed anger.

Severus gave him a piercing stare. "Good. Needless to say that if anyone finds out, you and I will be in very deep trouble. Especially you-- that I'll make sure of."

No reaction came from Harry-- he remained motionless. Severus had to force himself to calm down. The boy that stood before him certainly wasn't the son he'd wished for. He'd gladly taken anyone but Harry. It was a shame that it had to be Potter of all people!

Severus got up abruptly. "You know what you're supposed to do-- you search in the section of historical documents for anything from Slytherin's time -- that is, everything from a thousand years ago to the present -- and don't forget anything!" he hissed. "You will precede systematically."

"I am not stupid!" Harry shouted angrily.

Severus sneered. "I've had reason to believe the contrary."

Apparently, Harry didn't know what to say to that, so Severus swept past him, giving him a contemptuous look and snarling, "In precisely five minutes you will follow. Wait in one of the corridors." He opened the door and with an impatient gesture he motioned Harry to leave the office. Harry did so with obvious resentment. He shuffled away in the other direction while Severus made for the library.

Severus snorted in disgust. If it went on like this, a truly nice time lay ahead of him-- a time occupied by a cheeky, stubborn, disgruntled Harry Potter wasting all his energy and driving him mad. What a prospect! And all the inconvenience just because dear Mr Potter needed his help.

~*~

It all began rather well. Harry hid in a deserted corridor, counted five minutes, and entered the library punctually, not wanting to set Snape against him even more. As it were, he would probably have to endure Snape's company for a fair while yet and he didn't want to push it too far. Snapewas nasty enough.

He spotted Snape at a table in the corner, leafing through books and wearing a scowl. Harry sneaked into the historical section, snatched a pile of books that stood on a shelf labelled 11^th century, and chose a table at the opposite end of the room from where Snapesat. He was glad he could stay away from him. Snapehad even ordered him to do so. Well, Harry certainly didn't have any objections.

Scanning the pages of book after book, Harry thought about Snape. Sadly, nothing of Snape'smysterious behaviour from the last Potions lesson had been left. It had been a relief not to have Snape making nasty remarks to him but leaving him alone, for once. But the relief had lasted only one day. Snape was no longer absent-minded, and he saw each tiny flaw again, his look of loathing firmly back in place. It appeared whenever Snape's black eyes secretly flickered towards Harry. What a shame!

All of a sudden, Harry felt robes brushing him and with a bang the books stacked up on the edge of his table tumbled down. He started and looked up. A black-haired girl was bending down to pick them up again.

"So sorry," she said apologetically, putting the books back on Harry's table. "I must have knocked them down when I went by." She gave him a fleeting smile.

"Oh..." Harry said a bit awkwardly. "That's quite all right." The books piled back on the table, the girl walked away. Harry stared after her, a bit baffled, and watched her join another student at a table. Harry put the incident out of his mind and went on skimming through his books.

Harry must have sat in the library for hours and skimmed through a thousand books, judging by the way he felt, but suddenly his stinging eyes read the word Ayrin on a page full of letters that had become blurred due to all the exhaustion of reading. He jerked awake, seeing a shimmer of hope that he would finally be dismissed for the day.

Harry thought for a moment. Yes, Snapehad said that he should stay as far from him as possible, but somehow he had to let Snape know that he had found something. Waving and making sign language across the room certainly wouldn't be to Snape's taste. So what choice did he have but to walk over? He looked around the room. There were only three other tables occupied. At the one at the back of the library sat three first years; another was occupied by a lone student, probably a seventh year; and the one at the front was taken by the black-haired girl and a boy-- fourth years, Harry guessed. None of them looked as if they were particularly dangerous, and none of them even knew him personally. So why was Snape making such a fuss? He had probably just made it up to put some extra pressure on Harry. That would be just like him! Determinedly, Harry got up, the heavy tome in hand, and made his way towards Snape.

Snape, immersed in a book, didn't even notice Harry standing behind him. Quietly, Harry cleared his throat.

"Ahem... Professor?"

Snape's head jerked upwards. He turned around and seeing Harry, his face contorted in anger. "What did I tell you?!" he hissed furiously. Even though he was speaking in a mere whisper, his voice was more threatening than ever. "You are NOT to come here!"

"But I have fou--" Harry began, but Snape cut him off instantly.

"Get out of here!" he commanded. "Take the book with you and wait outside. Away with you!"

Deeply enraged, Harry left the library. Who did Snape think he was! Harry was helping him and all Snape did was bully him! The ungrateful git! If Dumbledore hadn't made the request, Harry would have refused to help Snape.

In the corridor, Harry slipped behind a column from which he could observe the entrance to the library, and waited for Snape to appear.

~*~

Inside the library, the black-haired girl nudged her companion. "Do you think that's what he meant?" she whispered.

"Yeah, I think so," the boy replied, scratching his head.

"Shall I go?"

"Okay. But be careful he doesn't see you," the boy said. "I'll stay here. We´ll meet later to report."

The girl nodded curtly and strolled out of the library, pretending to be occupied with her bag.

~*~

Seething with rage about Harry's carelessness and stupidity, Severus shot out of the library a few minutes later. He could see a corner of Harry's cloak protruding from behind a column before the library door. Pathetic! he thought contemptuously. He can't even hide properly. Severus approached Harry -- who didn't pay any attention, as he was occupied with an open seam on the sleeve of his robes -- from behind and put a hand on his shoulder. With a gasp, Harry wheeled around, clutching at his heart.

"P-professor!" he stuttered.

"Sshhh!" Severus silenced him and gave him a venomous look. He jerked his head in the direction of the dungeons, grabbed Harry by the arm, and dragged him along.

Harry could hardly keep up with Snape, so quickly he marched along the deserted corridors. His grip on Harry's arm was painful. Harry was sure it would leave bruises. But all he could do was stumble after him, trying not to trip. He didn't have a clue why Snapewas so overly careful. There wasn't a soul there but Snapekept acting as if a hundred Death Eaters were after them. It was rather ridiculous, Harry thought.

Neither Harry nor Snape took any notice of the black-haired girl that followed them as silently as a shadow...

~*~

Severus headed straight for his office. Once they were inside, they would be able to talk loudly. It wasn't safe outside in the corridors. Anyone could listen to them there and he couldn't take any more risks. He should have known that Potter would muck it all up. That typical Gryffindor "cunning" was coming right through. Not only couldn't Potter have made it more obvious by coming to him and showing him the book -- he could just as well have shouted it out for the whole library to hear -- but the brat could neither hide without being seen (which is actually the purpose of hiding!), nor pay attention. Voldemort himself could have appeared with his whole Death Eater clan and carefree Potter wouldn't have realised it until he had been tied up and thrown into a dungeon. Did the boy ever use his wits?

Severus had watched the people in the library carefully and he had noticed at once that two of them were from Slytherin. He didn't trust them at all. Thanks to Potter, it had been plain to see that he and his Gryffindor student weren't in the library at the same time by chance. And even someone like Crabbe or Goyle wouldn't have missed that. So any possible eavesdropping had to be avoided at all costs.

As soon as they had reached his office, Severus pushed Harry inside and slammed the door shut. Then he rounded on Harry, his face livid.

"What the devil were you thinking of, coming up to me in the library!" he demanded in a deadly whisper. Harry, finally released from Snape's squeezing grip, massaged his numb arm.

"Tell me, why do you think I told you not to contact me?" Severus went on, his eyes boring into Harry's.

Harry, who felt that Snapewas expecting an answer, shrugged. "I don't know."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "You don't know. Pitiful, Potter! Do you ever use your mind?" he said, his voice all dangerous softness.

Silence. Severus folded his arms and approached Harry, coming to a halt a foot away from him. "I had the impression that your encounter with Lord Voldemort at the end of the last term gave you an idea of how strong he has grown. And as you have told us all you have also seen the Death Eaters. Isn't that so?" He stared down his hooked nose at Harry. "Well, I can tell you that the number of the Dark Lord´s followers has grown extraordinarily since the last time you saw them. Many of the people who denied having been in his service after his fall have returned now. The number of his servants is tremendous. They are everywhere. And you know that you are one of Voldemort's priorities, don't you? So if you care to stay alive, you might want to be more careful."

Harry didn't say a word. He stared at the stone floor, seeming actually a bit remorseful.

"Well? You wanted to show me something?" Severus said impatiently after a short while. Wordlessly,

Harry handed him the thick leather-bound book. Severus snatched it, sat down at his desk and began to search for the relevant page. Finally, he found a rather short entry.

The Ayrin are said to be two emeralds of the strongest magical power, created by Salazar Slytherin. According to the tale, they are only useful to one of Slytherin's heirs. Allegedly, while one of them was lost during the centuries, the other is still hidden at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Wizards have searched for them without success for centuries and it is commonly assumed that the Ayrin are a mere legend.

Severus snapped the book shut, and in his eyes was a glint of fury. "That is everything?" he said in a dangerous whisper. "Because of that you blew our cover and brought us into danger? Because of a few lines that don't tell us anything more than what we already know?" His voice had risen to a shout. He got up again and walked around the desk to where Harry stood.

Harry shrank back. "Well, I didn't know what you were expecting," he said defensively.

"Did you even bother to read it?" Snape asked, his eyes narrowed.

Harry hummed and hawed, neither daring to lie nor to tell the truth. It was true that, in his delight at finally having found something about the Ayrin, he hadn't quite thought about reading the whole article. The mere word Ayrinhad brought all his hopes back and he hadn't deliberated much. But it was no use pretending anything. Snape would find out anyway. So he finally said in a very small voice: "No..."

"I thought as much," Severussaid dryly, his lips curling into a sneer. "Typical Gryffindor thoughtlessness. Tell a Gryffindor to use his wits and be sure he'll fail miserably." He gave a contemptuous snort and turned away.

Harry clenched his fists. He was having a hard time not punching Snape on his over-large nose. His teeth were gritted so as not to let slip a nasty remark that would only make the work with Snape more difficult.

"You may go now," Severussnapped and waved an impatient hand at the door. "I will let you know about any further steps we must take. Until then: keep a low profile!"

Harry didn't have to be told that twice. He almost ran to the door, heaving an audible sigh of relief, and he had slammed it shut in less than a second.

Severus stared after him angrily. Couldn't the brat leave the room like a normal person? Gryffindors were all the same! No manners at all! He picked up the book Harry had brought and threw it onto a vacant wooden chair where it landed with a thud. Over a week in the library, and that was all that had come of it. It didn't get them anywhere. He glared at the book as if it had insulted him personally. How could they ever accomplish their task if they didn't even know where to start?

He began to pace the office, hands on his back. The light that fell through the tiny open window was slowly fading and the candle he had lit on his desk was casting ghostly shadows on the dark stone walls.

He went on pacing, lost in his thoughts, until all at once he heard the beating of wings and sharp talons squeezed into his shoulder.

"Severrrrus!" a croaking voice said.

Severus turned his head to look at the crow that had settled on his shoulder. "Oh, Cara, you're back." He gently stroked the crow´s smooth, black feathers.

"Did you miss me, Severrrrus?" Cara cawed in what could be called a coaxing voice, nibbling at his ear affectionately.

"You know I always miss you when you're away, but who should run my errands if not you? Did you deliver the letter to Great Aunt Esmeralda?"

"Of course I did," Carareplied indignantly, puffing herself up. "You know that I am rrrreliable."

Severus smiled. "I have never doubted that."

Cara took on a smug look, if that was possible for a crow. "Much more rrrreliable than those foolish school owls. And much morrrre intelligent," she bragged. "They can't even talk."

"Yes, you're the smartest bird I've ever seen," Severus said, fondling the soft feathers of her head which she seemed to enjoy thoroughly.

"I should think so!" she said, pecking at his finger as if to say: just don't you forget!

Severus fell silent, staring off into space and continuing to stroke Cara absent-mindedly while she perched on his shoulder, eyes half-closed. At length, she spoke again.

"What is worrrryingyou?" she asked, eyeing him closely with her head cocked.

"Oh... you don't know yet, do you? It's been happening while you were away." Severus sighed and sank into a chair.

"All the interrrrestingthings happen when I'm not here," Caracomplained. "Tell me."

"It all began with the apparition of Lily's ghost one night. She instructed me with a task, and told me a horrible truth..."

Cara beat her wings in excitement. "What is it?"

"I... have a son I never knew of," Severus said hesitantly. "This son is... Harry."

"Harrrry Potter?" Cara asked curiously.

"Yes..."

"But you said that you despise him!" She looked at him inquiringly.

"I did and I still do," Severussaid emphatically.

Cara flew over his head and landed on his other shoulder, still watching him closely. "Why did you never notice he was your son? He must look like you."

"He doesn't." Severus'sexpression darkened. "He was forced to drink an illegal potion when he was only a baby. This potion made him look like another man--James Potter." He spat out the name like it had a bad taste.

Cara clicked her beak. "Who forces a baby to drrrrink illegal potions?"

"James." Severussnarled. "I told you, he was Lily's husband. He couldn't bear that Harry wasn't his son. It's all his fault." Severus'sface was distorted with fury. Cara nuzzled her head against his cheek as if to calm him.

"Does Harrrryknow?" she cautiously asked.

"God, no. He mustn't know it. Not yet anyway. But I doubt I will ever tell him." There was just a hint of bitterness in his voice, but Cara noticed.

"Why not?"

"Because he has every bit of James united with himself, and there's no way to change him back!" Now the bitterness was very apparent.

"Poor Severrrrus!" Cara cooed into his ear.

"What?" Severussaid irritably, trying to turn his head so far that he could glare at the crow on his shoulder. But that was rather difficult.

"I can see how much it hurts you," said Cara in a sympathetic tone.

"Nonsense!" Severusstood up abruptly and shooed her angrily away from his shoulder. With a screech Cara rose into the air, wings beating fast. "I don't care about it," he snapped, turning away. "Besides, there are more pressing matters. I still have to fulfil the task and I'm nowhere near it. I don't even know where to start."

"What task?" Caracawed curiously, eyeing him from one of the shelves now.

"There is a legendary emerald hidden at Hogwarts," Severus explained in a matter-of-fact tone. "It is very powerful and it is the only means to destroy the Dark Lord. I am to find this emerald together with Potter."

"An emerrrrald? Sounds thrrrrilling!" She dared to fly a bit nearer and landed on the desk.

"Not quite." Severussmiled bitterly. "Its power could destroy the whole world. And imagine this power in the wrong hands." He leaned against the wall wearily.

"You will save it," Caracooed confidently.

"If only it were so easy..." Severus muttered more to himself. "Go to your sleeping place," he told Cara. "I have to work some more."

"You mean you will brrrrrooduntil the morning?" Cara croaked from the desk, giving him a very stern look.

"Don't worry, I'll get some sleep too," said Severus, and he had to smile at Cara'sconcern for him. "Off you go!"

"Good night then, Severrrrus!" With that the crow fluttered out of the open window. Her nest was outside as she didn't like staying inside. Yet each morning (unless she was off making a delivery) she flew in to greet him good morning. Severuswas glad to have a friend, even if it was only a crow. Humans usually avoided him. And he could tell Cara everything, knowing that she would handle it with discretion. Cara was the only true friend he had ever had.

Slowly, Severus walked to the fireplace and looked at the ornate clock on the mantelpiece. It was a few minutes past midnight. There was no use in staying up and deliberating upon his fruitless search. It was also getting cold down in the dungeons, and he was starting to shiver. And yet he had a feeling that he should not go to bed yet. He stared at the empty fireplace. It had not been in use for several years. Actually, he couldn't remember ever having lit a fire in there. He had never needed it, and it kept the students as well as the other teachers away from his office. None of them were very keen on spending time in an ice-cold hole like his dungeon. Severus, however, was glad to have a room where he could be undisturbed and not pestered by visitors.

Another shiver ran through his body. He wrapped his cloak more tightly around himself. Damn cold it was! He sneezed. Or was he getting soft?

Suddenly, he heard an angry, spluttering sound and black flames erupted from the grate before him. Startled by the sudden appearance, he took a step backwards. A roll of parchment came flying out of the flames and landed on the stone floor, right before his feet. As soon as the black flames had spat out the object, they diminished again until they had vanished and the grate was empty as before.

Severus bent down to pick up the roll of parchment. It was sealed by black wax, bearing a coat of arms: a castle and the large letter M. Severus suddenly felt as though he had received a blow in the stomach. He knew this seal. Actually, he had expected the message to come all along. But the fact that it had arrived today of all days made him even more sick than he would usually have felt. This was very bad timing!

He pulled up the left sleeve of his robes, exposing the Dark Mark. Then he took the rolled-up letter and pressed the seal onto it. The wax seal glowed green and melted, causing the letter to spring open. With loathing, Severus straightened the parchment and read:

You are cordially invited to a Dark Revel at Malfoy Manor, tomorrow at 10pm. Informal--no masks required. RSVP.

L. Malfoy

Severus swallowed the acidic taste that had come to his mouth. So his hopes that this month he wouldn't have to witness the horrors of a Dark Revel were shattered. He should have known better! Lucius would never miss a chance to arrange one. Still the same bloodthirsty pervert! Severus thought with disgust. He rolled up the parchment again and walked to his desk where he scribbled a terse response onto a piece of parchment and sealed it. With his wand he cast the same black flames in the fireplace as Lucius had done, threw the roll of parchment into the fire, and muttered "Malfoy Mansion". The flames crackled and died, taking the roll of parchment with them.

Severus shuddered at the thought of the Dark Revel. Not only did he loathe the monthly torture of having to join in Lucius'ssick idea of a feast, he also had his own personal reasons to fear the encounter with Lucius. Just how much did Lucius know about what he was doing right now? What had Draco told his father, and how much would Lucius guess? There was Draco's failed test... How should he explain?

With sudden rage blazing up, he flung Lucius's letter back into the grate, took his wand out of his sleeve and set the letter afire. He watched the flames licking at the parchment, illuminating the fireplace with its odd carvings. Apart from ancient runes and a snake that wound its way upwards on each side, there were lots of ugly, smirking faces that looked like they belonged to demons. In the glow of the fire, they looked very eerie.

In his frustration, Severusslammed a hand into the face of a particularly nasty-looking stone demon protruding below the mantelpiece. To his surprise, the face slid backwards into the wall. Instantly, a loud scraping noise followed. Severusspun around. Trying to make out the source of the noise, he saw that a bit further away one of the large square stones that formed the walls of the dungeon had also slid back, leaving a hole in the wall.

With bated breath, Severusapproached it. He must have triggered a mechanism when he hit the stone face. Cautiously, he peered into the black hole. By the faint light from the candle on the desk (the fire in the fireplace had been reduced to glowing ash by then, he could see something that looked like a stack of parchment lying within.

"Lumos," Severus muttered, illuminating the gap with his wand. The hole seemed to be a secret hiding-place, about two feet deep, and it contained indeed nothing but a stack of parchment. Gingerly, Severustook out the sheets and laid them on his desk. They seemed to be very old, judging by the yellowed, brittle pages.

Severus sat down and drew the candle closer to read the tiny writing. The black ink was already faded to a hardly legible grey, and the script was so curly it was difficult to make out the words. He squinted and tried to decipher the date at the top of the first sheet. It read: 10 September 1012. Severusgasped and read on, his heart beating fast.

The Goblins have paid their debt in emeralds to me and I have decided to use two of the emeralds in my experiments. I was delighted by how well they melted in blue-black fire. Ten minutes of intense heat, and they had turned into a green liquid: an excellent condition to absorb all types of ingredients. First, I took a small amount of powdered salsify and mixed it in the molten emeralds. It was remarkable that the emeralds didn't change colour, when salsify usually darkens any substance it is mixed with. I then proceeded to add a few drops of nightshade acid...

It went on like that for several sheets of parchment. The author had elaborately described magical experiments he had made using the emeralds. Severus read it all in a feverish haste, scarcely able to believe what the descriptions told him. It was incredible! - more than he had ever hoped to find! He had found Salazar Slytherin's notes on how he had created the Ayrin. The parchments would solve all the mysteries woven around it. Severuscould have laughed out loud. The solution to all their problems! He read on and on, absorbing every bit of information, even though he couldn't follow the complex magical process and the pages spoke of magical ingredients and incantations he had never even heard of before. It went on for over ten more sheets, from September 11^th to October 28^th , until the last page read:

29 October 1012

It is finished. After one and a half month it is finally finished. With an everlasting Freezing Charm, I returned the emeralds to their original state. I will call them Ayrin. Ayrin, after the demon whose spirit gave life to the stones. It is fascinating to see the sparkle of life within them, to have created a new kind of power that obeys its rightful master. I am holding the greatest power on earth in my hands now, a power that could enslave all beings on this planet, or shatter the world and eliminate all life. Yet I will not be the bearer of this power. One day my rightful heir will hold the emeralds in his hands as I do now, and he will bend the world to his will and make it a place solely for those worthy of living in it. Hidden within my chambers, the Ayrin will wait for the day of victory. The heir will know how to find them. The signs will lead his way. And no one, no one else but my heir will be able to take them. My plan has succeeded -- down to the smallest detail. Only a person able to speak Parseltongue will be able to touch the Ayrin. I have put it to the test. I have had one of my students touch them, and he burned his fingers. I made certain that only a Parseltongue will be able to understand the signs that lead him to the Ayrin, and it takes real Slytherin cunning to work them out. So no one unworthy would be able to abuse the power of the Ayrin. Of course, the Ayrin can unfold their maximum of power only when borne together and anyone too weak to control the power within would eventually...

Here the last page ended. Feverishly, Severus turned over all the others, searching for the page that had to follow. But there was none. The next page, which may have contained all the vital information they needed, was not there. He groaned in desperation. They had finally found a source that would tell them everything they needed to know, and the possibly most important bit was missing. Lost. Gone. Not There. Severus'sinitial delight was reduced to a frustration beyond expression. All the dangerous side effects, all the lethal drawbacks, were probably on that missing sheet. What if Potter suddenly dropped dead because he was too weak? That would be exactly the thing he would trust Harry to do. Potter was happy as long as he could cause trouble-- even if he didn't have any influence on it this time. Well, at least Potter would have done that for the longest time then! Severus thought viciously, trying to feel indifferent about Harry's lot -- but failing. Even though he still disliked Harry, he certainly didn't want him dead. And unless he was much mistaken, there would have followed a serious warning on the next page-- if the page had been there. Still they had no clue on how to find that wretched emerald, and that was probably on the missing page too, Severus thought grimly.

Yet there had been some useful information. At least he would be able to avoid burning his fingers now, he thought with a wry smile. And what was more important - he knew that the Ayrinwas hidden in Slytherin's chambers. That meant the dungeons. And in all probability, Slytherin's private rooms had been there as well (No one had ever been sure where they had been). The secret space in the wall suggested as much. That confined the search to a few rooms. The discovery of the Ayrin couldn´t be far away and with it, Voldemort'sdefeat.

But the thought of Voldemort gave Severusanother idea, and not a pleasant one at all. What if Voldemort-- as Slytherin's "rightful" heir-- knew of the Ayrin? What if he was already searching for it too?