The Bonds of Friendship

Gifts

~8~

Severus froze as sweat beaded on his forehead. Realizing the voice didn't belong to Lucius' father, he relaxed a bit. "Voldemort, sir, I didn't know you were here."

The man was sitting in the high back chair again, a book open in his lap, which he chuckled lightly. "Please, join me. I believe you are here in search of a good book?"

Taking the seat across from the man, he answered, "Yes, sir I am."

"Here," Voldemort closed the book he had been reading and handed it to Severus, "I believe you may find this particular book quite interesting. I doubt you will find it at Hogwarts."

Running his hand over the green leather cover, he read aloud the embossed title. "Legilimency" He looked up at Voldemort. "What's Legilimency?"

The man's lips curled into a chilling grin. "The ability to extract feelings and memories from another. An art form, really, one I have found rather... useful. Imagine the knowledge one could extract. The advantages of knowing your enemies deepest secrets."

Severus had talked extensively with the man about his interest in Defense Against the Dark Arts earlier that evening, and by this point, the man had already made quite an impression on the young boy. Before he could respond, Voldemort answered the question that had formed in his mind.

"The book is mine, and you may have it. I really have no need for it any longer. However, if you need someone to guide you along, I would be more than happy to assist you."

Severus again ran his hand over the book, yearning to open it and dive into its depths.

~~~*~~~

"Aleanor!"

Aleanor wiped tears away as her father's voiced bellowed up the stairway. For two days, she had locked herself up in her room, only coming out to talk to Lily on the phone. There was no way for her to get in touch with Severus. She had thought of sending a letter to Lily with one for Severus inside, but her parents were both muggles, and she wouldn't have access to an owl. Since she wasn't a close friend with anyone else from school, Aleanor was left to write letter after letter to him and stuff them in a box to take back to school with her. She knew he would eventually figure out what had happened, but it didn't make her suffering any easier.

"Aleanor, come down here this instant... your Grandmother Delaney is arriving shortly!"

If she didn't get down stairs soon, she knew her father would explode like a Filibuster. "Alright, Father!" she shouted as she opened her bedroom door. Quickly, she dashed into the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face to help reduce the redness around her eyes.

Running down the stairs, she found her father, mother, Gregory, and Delia around the fireplace. Her Grandmother Delaney was rather old, and though she could Apparate, she preferred traveling by Floo powder. Just as the redhead took her place next to her mother, there was a small cloud of soot followed by a small strawberry tinted, gray haired woman in rust colored robes. In her arm was a small trunk, worn with age.

"Chancellor! My boy! Come give your old mum a hug!" Aleanor loved how her Grandmother always called her father that; it irked him to no end.

Stepping forward, he gave the sweet old woman a hug as she planted a kiss on his cheek. "Hello Mum."

Handing him the small trunk, she then turned to the Delaney line up. "Ah, Louise," she said, pulling her mother into a tight hug, "how has your artwork been going?"

"Wonderful Mum, thanks."

After giving her mother a kiss on the cheek, she looked at her brother. "Gregory, I see you've brought a friend back with you. Please introduce me to this young lady," she said after hugging him.

"Uh, Gran, this is Delia Costin, she's in Auror training with me in the States." The red-haired boy winced slightly as the old woman planted a moist kiss on his cheek.

"Hello, Delia," she said, pulling the unsuspecting girl into a hug.

"Uh, hi, Mrs. Delaney," the dark brunette said weakly.

"Call me Gran, dear," the old woman said before turning her attention to Aleanor.

"Aleanor," the old woman exclaimed while wrapping her arms around her. While embracing her, she whispered in her ear, "I have come especially to see you dear." Pulling her head back, she gave the redhead a wink before kissing her on the cheek.

Aleanor knew she was her Gran's favorite, but had no idea why she would have told her she was the reason she had come to visit. "Hi Gran," Aleanor said, a bit bewildered as the whole family headed into the dining room for tea.

~~~*~~~

"Lucius, do you mind?"

"No, I don't," the blonde retorted, continuing to use his wand to send small wads of paper flying into the dark boy's face as he tried to read his new book, his gift from Voldemort. "I've been trying to get you out of that infernal trap of words for two days now! I want to do something besides watch you read!"

As yet another ball smacked Severus in the forehead, he calmly marked his place and closed the book.

"Oh, thank Merlin!" The blonde rolled his eyes.

"Don't get so damn excited Luc, I'm only taking a break long enough to do this." Reaching into his robes, he pulled out his wand and casually sent his fair companion flipping up and over the chair he had recently been sitting in.

With a loud groan, the blonde picked himself up from the floor, dusting off his black robes. "How pleasant. Is that all you had in mind?" he chuckled.

Sliding his wand back into his robes as if nothing had happened, Severus propped his arm up on the arm of the chair. "No, as a matter of fact. There's something I've been meaning to ask you."

Lucius straightened his robes and sat back down across from the dark boy. "Really, and what is your question?" he asked, still looking over his robes sleeves for any trace of dust.

"What happened between you and Aleanor at the Ball?"

Finally pulling his eyes off himself, the blonde looked over at his friend, a look of mock surprise on his face. "What ever do you mean, Sev?"

Merlin, you really can't act can you? That or you just choose to be insufferable! Severus thought as he propped his other elbow on the other arm of his chair, interlocking his fingers over the book now sitting in his lap. "Don't play fucking innocent with me, I, of all people, know you better than that. She said you were nice. I find that hard to believe."

****

Lucius had wondered why Severus had never brought that night up. He had expected the fiery little tart to go running to his friend, whining about how he threatened her, but apparently she had chose to lie.

I've underestimated her, he thought. If she had gone to Severus, crying about what happened, he would have done one of two things. Either the dark boy would have confronted him about it, believing her story, or confronted him about it and believed Lucius when he would have said it was a joke. After all, he did find threatening people rather amusing. In this particular instance though, he had meant it.

The Cardinal, however, had not done as he had anticipated, and that would pose a problem. If she was willing to lie to the boy she apparently loved, then she'd be capable of keeping secrets from him, secrets that could be worth more than her life later on.

Lucius had let their little affair continue in hopes of using her for information, especially now that her father was Head of the Department of Museum Acquisitions. His father had already told Lucius the rumor floating through the Ministry, about Chancellor Delaney beginning an investigation into an artifact that many believed was nothing more than a fairy tale, but the man was known for finding things no one thought existed. Aleanor could be a good source of information indeed, if she weren't so fucking clever!

The blonde dropped his 'surprised' look and went with his trademark sneer. "Come now, Sev, give me a little credit. I was merely trying to be civil towards the Cardinal for your sake, and here you think me capable of doing something."

His dark haired friend glared at him for a moment, silence falling upon them like a thick blanket.

"Look," the blonde spoke, shifting in his seat a bit, "I tried being nice for Merlin's sake. Give her a compliment, dance with her like she was a friend, and here she got all bent out of shape! Really, Sev, if word gets out that I actually spoke to the tart, I won't be able to show my face to Narcissa again!" Hopefully this would work.

Severus let out a deep breath before giving a small grunt and returning to the safety of his book. That was it. Lucius wouldn't have to speak to his friend on this again. Delaney, however, was a different matter.

****

After tea, Aleanor followed her Gran into her father's study; he would never say anything to his mother on the subject. As she walked in, her Gran closed and locked the door with a wave of her wand. With a gingerly smile, the old woman set the small trunk she had brought with her on the desk. Directing her father's desk chair out from behind the desk with her wand, she asked Aleanor to pull the chair from under the window closer.

"Ah, Kaizer," the old woman said sweetly as she stepped up to the owl's perch, "would you be a dear and give me and Alie a few minutes please." With a soft hoot, the bird flew out the window her Gran held open for him. How she always seemed to be able to get that infernal ball of feathers to do anything, Aleanor would never know. Every time she tried to be sweet to it, it bit her.

"Come, sit my dear." Her Gran sat in her father's plush desk chair as Aleanor took a seat beside her. "I believe it's time you knew more about our family."

Since she was a little girl, her Gran had told her stories of their ancestors, so many times, she knew several by heart. "More, Gran?"

"Yes, Alie... more." The old woman smiled, reminding Aleanor of the fairy godmother in the muggle tales her mother read to her. "I'm afraid it's time you knew the truth about them." Lifting a wrinkled hand, she pointed past Aleanor and straight at the ancient tapestry of Mortimier and Aqwellyn, the Adverse Twins.

Aleanor giggled. "Them? Gran, they're just a wizard fairy tale!"

The old woman reached over and placed a warm hand on hers. "No, my dear," she said softly, shaking her head, "they aren't. Their story is true, not a myth, though very few know it. The tale of Mortimier and Aqwellyn was made a fairy tale on purpose, to hide the truth and protect the Heart."

Aleanor turned and stared at the two figures woven into the fading tapestry. Mortimier was tall and slender, with long raven hair and beard, his face emitting a look that sent chills down her spine. She never did like looking at him in his emerald robes. Aqwellyn was just as slender, but with dark auburn hair, much darker than the bright shade Aleanor was stuck with. Aqwellyn's face was soft and sweet, much like her Gran's; and a palm sized amulet hung around her neck, lying heavily on top of her red gown. They were real?

"Do you remember their tale, Alie?" her Gran asked, looking at the two figures as well.

"Yes," she nodded. "Mortimier and Aqwellyn were twins who lived long before Merlin, before wizards separated themselves from muggles," she began to recite the story, "Mortimier was seduced by darkness and believed in the superiority of wizard blood. He tormented muggles and those witches and wizards whom they married, for tainting the blood. Aqwellyn worked to keep the magical and non-magical living in peace, and fought against her brother.

On his death bed, their father gave to them The Heart of Durand, his greatest creation, in which each of his children could bestow upon it a gift, or power, of their choice; hopefully bringing the two back together.

Mortimier took the Heart first and bestowed upon it the power of Transference, giving it the ability to drain life from another and give it to its possessor. When Aqwellyn asked for the Heart to bestow upon it her gift, Mortimier refused. Furious, she stole the Heart and hid it before she could give it her gift. Mortimier confronted Aqwellyn, demanding to know its hiding place. His sister refused to tell him, so he killed her with his bare hands. But with her last breath, Aqwellyn cursed her brother, causing him to fall into madness, taking his own life shortly after." Looking back at her aging Gran, Aleanor noticed a smile on the old woman's face.

"You remember it well," the woman, remarked, "however, that is the tale we've always wanted others to know... that's not the real story, at least not all of it." Taking Aleanor's hand into hers, she took a deep breath and slowly released it before explaining.

"It's true they lived before Merlin; before our worlds were torn apart. It's true, Mortimier did terrorize muggles, and it's true Aqwellyn fought against him. It's also true, that their father gave them The Heart of Durand, and expected each to give it a power, and Mortimier gave it the gift of Transference. But then the tale leaves out much of the real story.

Aqwellyn stole the Heart, yes... but she did bestow upon it a gift, though she didn't tell her daughter what that gift was. When she hid the Heart, she gave her daughter the key to finding it and the scroll that described her gift. Mortimier also left a record of his gift, as well as a tracking spell for the Heart. Aqwellyn knew of this. He used the spell to find Aqwellyn and her daughter as they hid in a cave, but his spell was faulty. He couldn't find the Heart because his spell only led him to its possessor, not the Heart itself.

Her daughter hid herself when Mortimier found them hiding in the cave. Aqwellyn must have hid the Heart close by for her brother's spell to find her there. He did indeed kill his sister, and then himself shortly after. But Aqwellyn's daughter escaped.

We, Alie, are the descendants of Aqwellyn. We lost all record of Mortimier's line long ago. Each generation of our line has carried on its duty, and you my dear," she smiled at Aleanor, as the girl swallowed nervously, "are ready for yours."

The old woman slowly got up out of her seat and walked to the desk on which the small trunk sat. "The men of our line have the task of protecting the secrecy the Heart, aware that Mortimier's descendants will struggling to find it, and use it." Opening the small trunk, her Gran continued, "The women," she turned to Aleanor, a bundle of extremely worn red velvet in her arms, "are responsible for protecting the key until such time that we know how to use it."

As the old woman gingerly placed the bundle in her lap, Aleanor began feeling a bit overwhelmed. "Y- you mean I have to protect the key to the Heart's location?" Her Gran nodded and pointed at the velvet pile. Slowly, Aleanor opened the bundle and found a very worn, ornately carved wand.

"That is the key. Exactly how it is used to locate the Heart, we don't know, but your father has been spending most of his life trying to solve that mystery."

Aleanor was running her fingers along the ancient wand, admiring the clear crystal in the handle. "Wow, this crystal is perfect!" The stone had no cracks or chips in it.

Her Gran laughed. "Yes, a wonder isn't it? I thought the same thing when my mother gave it to me when I was your age, a fifth year Gryffindor as well. It's a shame I never had a daughter of my own to pass it on to, but then, I know you'll guard it well. If there's one thing Aqwellyn's blood line has, its loyalty to duty."

"Gran, does that mean Gregory is protecting the Heart too?"

"Well, Alie, I'm afraid that duty must be past on by your father. Whether he has done so or not, I can't say. If he hasn't, he better bloody well get on with it!" she chuckled, half jokingly, half seriously.

~~~*~~~

Aleanor was trying to figure out where in the world she would keep the wand, the key to the Heart. She knew she would need to keep it close; leaving it at home was out of the question. Keeping it on her wasn't an option either.

Feeling extremely frustrated, she turned to the one person she trusted her life with. Lily. After a quick phone call, her green-eyed friend came over, and now the girls were sitting in Aleanor's bedroom, skimming through spell books to find an idea.

"I'm giving up, this is useless!" Aleanor groaned as she rolled over onto her back and let her head flop over the side of her bed, her view of Lily now upside down.

"Alie, take a break." Lily continued to pour over her book as Aleanor stared at the ceiling. "AH! Alie! I think I've got something!"

Leaping off the bed, she sat down beside Lily. "Really? What?" she asked excitedly.

"Here," her emerald-eyed friend pointed, "we could make a secret compartment to hide it in!"

Aleanor raised an eyebrow. "And where would we put this secret compartment?"