The Necromancer Amulet

Author's Notes: Thanks so much to my wonderful and very thorough beta reader Beulah Page (from perfectimagination.co.uk)!

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Chapter Twenty-Seven - The Greatest Fear

Ten days later, Secessa Apparated with a soft pop by the far end of the Forbidden Forest. It was a dark evening. She could feel the smell of rain, and heavy clouds covered the entire night sky. A mist lay over the ground, covering the bottom of the tree-trunks with its soft tendrils, and Secessa studied her surroundings carefully for landmarks before she started walking in her chosen direction, pulling up her hood against the damp in the air. The forest was very quiet.

When she had walked for a good three-quarters of an hour, she could finally glimpse the distant lights of Hogwarts through the thick canopy overhead. Quickening her pace, she exhaled with relief; for a while, she had wondered if the mist had thwarted her sense of direction.

Her ten days in Russia had given her some new confidence, and peace. The house was in better order now, and she had set Mizil on cleaning and repair duty during the winter. It was home, after all. And the visit to Elena's grave in a Moscow graveyard had finally rid her of the last remains of guilt, and dulled her grief. Instead, she was filled with deep determination to make the best out of this, her second year at Hogwarts. After all, there was still plenty of time for her to prove herself worthy of Dumbledore's trust.

She had tried not to think too much about Snape during her small break. He had done the most practical thing, of course, but understanding that did not make her feel any better. The fact that it had been so bloody easy for him to cast her aside like a used rag was just plain hurtful.

This year would not be a year for secrets, at least; there would be no time for that. Half of the beasts that would be used in the war were already hidden inside the country at unknown locations, and the Order had no chance of preventing a full-scale attack on the Ministry. The only thing they could do was mobilise forces of their own, and prepare for it the best they could. With watch-duties and teaching duties keeping her busy, she would have little time to dwell on emotional issues; Hogwarts was already deeply involved in current affairs, and that needed to be her constant focus.

Secessa had almost reached the forest crescent, when she felt the instinctive prickling on the back of her neck that meant she was being watched. Stopping soundlessly, she looked, first around, and then up into the web of tree crowns, and what she saw brought a wide smile to her face and near tears to her eyes. On one of the branches of a nearby tree sat the almost invisible, immobile shape of a dark-skinned Russian man of indeterminable age. He was dressed in foreign clothes, and his hands were tattooed in strange patterns, but it was her friend nevertheless. And a small, dry smile was on his lips, too.

Happiness filling her, she was about to call out to him, but he solemnly brought a finger to his lips and pointed to her right. Turning with a frown, she peered between the trees a second time. Then her heart skipped a beat, and her joy was replaced by panic in an instant.

A vampire stood between two trees some distance away, its gaunt, pale-faced shape partly obscured from view, with its red eyes fixed upon Hogwarts castle. It was a very peculiar occupation for a vampire, and, trying to suppress her fright, she followed its gaze to see what it was looking at. Oddly enough, it seemed to be watching the tower that contained the Headmaster's office. But why? She turned back to Vladimir with a questioning glance; he shook his head, and nodded towards it again. He wanted her to take care of it. He knew how she felt about vampires, but still, he asked this of her. It just wasn't fair.

Looking at the vampire again, she briefly closed her eyes. Logically, Vladimir could do nothing about that vampire, but she could. However, she had no reason to believe that this one would be easier than any ones she had encountered so far. But what could she do? She was incredibly lucky that it hadn't heard her approach, and now she did not dare move an inch. If it noticed her, and decided to attack, she would not stand a chance.

Soundlessly, she lifted her wand, her pulse quickening. Then she focused hard on her target, fixing her eyes on the vampire as she breathed in slowly, her old instructor's commands floating through her mind. No fear, just power. And focus. You will get one chance, and that is all.

"Domitio!" she yelled, not daring to risk the trickier non-verbal spell, and the vampire turned at her word, immediately transforming into a bat. But the force of her spell hit it before it had time to take flight, and then they struggled. Fiercely.

The bat's wings flapped frenetically as it jerked up and down, two wills fighting over it. Secessa worked furiously with the invisible rope that bound them, strengthening it bit by bit, sweat forming on her brow, her panic rising steadily. After struggling for few seconds, the vampire changed tactics, abandoned the flying, and fumbled along their connection, following her now escalating fear. The vampire's mind touched hers as she gained control over it, and she forced it back into its original shape. However, she could not protect herself from the mind-onslaught it threw at her. Suddenly, its evil filled her, polluting her body, making her feeble and sick, blinding her. She staggered, and her grip on the vampire loosened. Desperately, she fought against the pool of blackness that seeped through her mind. It will try to fragment your thoughts, and render your bond useless. You cannot allow that. And, above all, DO NOT LOSE CONTROL. Her body shaking with the effort, she suppressed the rising maelstrom of fear, panic and anger with the last of her strength. Darkness took her and she fell into a heap, straining with the last of her capacity, and then, abruptly, the vampire let out a long, shrill scream that filled her very essence, and was gone.

Rising up on shaky legs, she pointed her wand weakly forwards into the shadows, and then lowered it. Vladimir stood by the vampire's body, cleaning a bloody piece of metal on the grass. A scimitar? This is absurd; since when does Vladimir own a scimitar? She walked up to him, somewhat unsteadily. The vampire's head was off, and she tried not to look at its remains; the mere sight of it made her feel nauseous.

"I suppose we need to remove its heart," she said shakily. "Just in case."

He nodded, unmoving, and then she realised he did not seem to want to. She sighed; mutilating a corpse wasn't exactly her thing either.

"Cor Incendio!" she muttered, pointing her wand at it, and a blue flame set alight on its chest. Her legs felt weak. "Since when do you own a scimitar?" she asked, leaning towards a tree.

"It was a gift," he replied stonily, his gaze fixed on the vampire.

She slid down along the tree-trunk, and put her arms around her legs, too tired to talk. Something within Vladimir had changed, and she felt like she had missed out on something important.

Soon, footsteps sounded on the dewy grass of the school grounds, approaching the forest in a hurry.

"Are you all right?" Vladimir asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. Closing her eyes, she nodded. I survived it, didn't I? At least I didn't lose control completely.

The footsteps came closer, and stopped. She looked up. Professors Dumbledore, Snape and Hagrid stood beside Vladimir, all three of them staring at the still burning vampire corpse.

Dumbledore, his face very sober, was the first to speak. "Tell us what happened, here," he said gravely.

"I ran into Vladimir, who warned me of the vampire," Secessa replied, somewhat monotonously. "It was watching your office. I tried to bind it, but it wouldn't...come quietly." She looked only at Dumbledore while she spoke, refusing even to glance at Snape, whose mere presence made her incredibly uncomfortable.

The Headmaster nodded promptly, and then turned to Hagrid. "Hagrid, will you take care of it, please?"

"Will do tha', Professor Dumbledore," said the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, who was already bending over the mutilated beast with interest.

"Secessa, I think we'll need to talk this over in my office. Once you have recovered your strength, of course."

"Yes, Headmaster." Realising that Snape's eyes were boring into the side of her face, she looked down at her soft leather boots. One had some vampire-blood on it, and she wiped it away, remaining as calm as she could.

"Will you stay with her, Vladimir?"

"Of course." The misty voice of her friend collected her, and she breathed in deeply. His arm supporting her, she got up, and then leaned against him, burying her head against his chest. It felt incredibly good, but hollow at the same time. He held her awkwardly while Snape's and Dumbledore's steps died away, their voices urgent as they spoke quietly to each other.

"Come on," he said, as Hagrid started dragging remains of the vampire away. "Let's get away from here."

She nodded, and he calmly coaxed her out of his arms, and led her away from the oppressive trees. Out on the grounds, she straightened and breathed easier. Vladimir guided her steps though the gentle pressure of his hand on her back.

"I thought the rocks by the lake might be a good place to sit down," he said, his eyes alert and calm. "I'm sure Dumbledore wouldn't mind if I abandoned my post for a little while."

"Your post?" she asked, slightly befuddled.

"He sent for me. Said you needed a friend, and that he wouldn't mind someone with an alert mind watching the Forest at night, either."

"You should have told me." She was feeling a bit irritated by the fact that he hadn't. Wasn't he her friend? Shouldn't she know?

"You were on your way," he said simply, and she realised he probably wouldn't even understand why she was upset. Oh, well.

"I'm glad to see you," she mumbled, and he smiled a little. They sat down by the side of the lake, not far from where the Leaving Feast pavilion had stood. So many memories, she thought, and then pushed her recollections away. The water ripples fell onto the rocky shore, the rings of reflection forming intricate patterns in front of their eyes, and she focussed on their progress, happy for the distraction.

"You've been up to quite a lot of mischief in my absence, you know." Vladimir's smile widened as he spoke, making his teeth shine in the darkness. "I figured you needed my good influence."

"Coincidences," she protested tiredly. "It all was."

"If you say so. But I'm still going to keep an eye on you. It's for myself as well, I suppose; this war concerns us all."

They were quiet for a while, both watching the dark surface of the lake, their eyes lost in the ripples. After a while, he spoke again, his voice very quiet. "I'm so sorry about the vampire. I did kill it though, before -"

"Before I accidentally did anything stupid." She grimaced. "I suppose it was for the best. I did blow up the Ministry Vampire Pit once upon a time."

"It's all that anger inside you, you know," he said matter-of-factly. "It isn't healthy."

"That's ridiculous! I'm not angry!" She was beginning to dread where the conversation was heading.

"You're telling me you're not still angry with your father?"

Pursing her lips, she remained silent.

"I was hoping you might find a ... friend, here. I thought it would help you a lot. Finding peace, I mean."

"Well I haven't." Her voice was crisp, now.

"Perhaps not," he agreed, placating her ever so slightly, "but I still think the Potions master did seem to -"

"It didn't work out well, okay?" she interrupted him shortly.

"There's no need to be rude," he said lightly and then looked out at the water again, his eyes very cool.

Immediately feeling bad, she breathed in deeply, calming herself. "I'm sorry."

He was quiet again, and then continued, "You know what he told me when I arrived here yesterday? He said he was delighted to hear that he wouldn't have to spend more of his valuable time keeping irresponsible members of staff in check."

"Oh, that's so typical of him," she growled. "It's like he just has to be nasty!"

"I don't know," Vladimir replied thoughtfully. "Maybe he told me to look after you, in his own odd way."

"I'm not going to bother with him anymore," she said firmly. "And that's final."

Her friend shrugged. A breeze suddenly swept in from the lake, and she shivered. Lazily, he withdrew his wand and lit a small, magical fire on one of the rocks in front of them. As the warmth spread through her, she realised that the chill had invaded her bones without her even noticing

"So, what is it with a vampire that makes you lose control?" Vladimir asked after a while, his voice unusually soft. "You never told me, you know."

Closing her eyes, she shuddered a bit with the memory. "They fight back when you try to tame them, by invading your mind, filling it with their foulness. If they find a weak spot, they will use it to shatter your thoughts. It's probably something akin to being raped, except it's all in your head. My mind's defences are very low, which makes it all too easy for them."

He nodded, and turned to her earnestly. "You know that if there would have been any other way -"

" - but there wasn't. You did the right thing."

They watched the ripples again, now glittering dully as they reflected the flames, and she fell deeper into the pattern of the tiny waves, reflected by rocks, falling backwards, meeting new waves, disappearing and reforming...

After what seemed a small eternity, Vladimir rose, and said, "We should be getting back. Dumbledore is waiting eagerly for you, no doubt."

Reluctantly, she rose as well, and they began their walk back towards the castle. As they passed a small collection of bushes, a rabbit started from behind a shrub and scurried away. She had missed the rabbits.

"So, will you ever go back, you think?"

"East? Very possibly; I still have a lot to learn about my condition. The meditation practices the Healers taught me have been really useful, though. I'm not so ... inhibited, anymore. Dark spells are, of course, out of my range still."

"Fancy you with a scimitar! Useful, though."

Another glint of white teeth. "It's a useful weapon - reflects spells as well as kills."

She pondered that for a moment, and then realised that however much he had changed, she had no reason to fear the loss of his friendship. Smiling at him, she nodded at the blade. "So, are you well-practised with it?"

"Fairly." He seemed a tiny bit chagrined. "Not like any of them, though. For them, handling a weapon it's like a traditional dance; something you just learn when you're a child."

They were silent for a while. Inside, she could feel a sense of peace slowly wrapping her up, like a warm blanket. It was good to have a friend again: good to feel the simplicity of unstrained conversation. A soft sound of trees blowing in the night breeze drifted towards them from the forest as they came closer to the Main Entrance. The tension of her previous ordeal had almost completely died away.

"The letter from Dumbledore," she said, only realising it as she said it, "must have been quite persuasive."

"It was. The man knows how to pull the strings he's got at hand."

"I suppose he does." She grinned at the mental image of Dumbledore as a smiling puppeteer in gaudy clothing; it was strangely suitable. "Anyway, it's good to have you here, Volodya."

"It's good to be here." And with that, he smiled back at her, and started walking towards the Forbidden Forest. The night watch. It made her feel safe.

The steps leading up to the Main Gate were a bit fewer than she remembered. Inside the Entrance Hall, it was quiet, and mellow torchlight lit her way as she walked through the Hall, past the dungeon entrance, not looking downwards. She spent the winding path to Dumbledore's office engrossed in thought.

The vampire hadn't been bonded. The logical conclusion would be that the Dark Lord had a new set of allies, other than the Russian beast-tamers, and it scared her. When the war started, the scale of it would be mind-boggling.

The gargoyle sprung aside at the password ('Ton-Tongue Toffee'), and the revolving staircase carried her upwards, further and further, until she stood before the gleaming door that led to the Headmaster's office.

Nevertheless, it was good to be back.

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Author notes: Well, this is sort of the end, but then again not ... read the Epilogue and you will see!!! ;-)

Oh, and please review!!!