The Last Sanguimagus

"Granger," said Severus, sitting down behind his desk. "Do you know why I've called you here?" He fixed her with a cold look. Thomas had been honestly clueless when he'd been interrogated earlier about the missing bit of potion, and Severus felt smug in the knowledge that very soon he would have the upper hand.

"No, sir," she said, and a faint flush appeared on her cheeks.

"Do you recall last week's...incident in class? A skating rink in the hall?" He kept his eyes locked to hers.

"Yes, sir," she said quietly.

"I began to think...why would someone disrupt my class, and to what end?" he said softly. "I examined the room, and I realised that someone had tampered with a potion that I was brewing. She had apparently stolen a sample of it." He gave her a moment to digest the implications.

She sat perfectly still. He could sense her agitation and her stubbornness perfectly. Still she made no reply.

"Perhaps she was curious...she saw the expensive ingredients used to produce it...or perhaps she suspected something untoward," he continued. He saw a flicker of something in her eyes. "Perhaps she assumed it was a personal grooming aid that might benefit jrt. She arranged for a distraction, and while the class was engaged with gawking, she quietly bottled a small amount for her own devices."

"What exactly are you saying?" said Granger, but there was a breathless quality to her voice that nearly made him smirk.

"I am saying that you, Granger, stole a sample of a potion from my classroom after arranging a suitable distraction." He glared at her.

To her credit, she did not react to the bait. She sat still for a moment, her eyes guarded. "Shouldn't Professor McGonagall be present?" she asked.

Anger filled him. Certainly she was clever. He had not, in fact, called Minerva about this little interview, nor for Thomas's, for the simple fact that he had not wanted to involve the Gryffindor Head of House in the proceedings. In fact there was little he could do in the situation, despite the feeling of triumph in finally catching the perfect student misbehaving. He might be able to force her into a detention or two, but any measures beyond that would require full disclosure of the matter, and he had no desire to risk his employment or cause further scrutiny by the Ministry. Nott's interrogation had been very vague by necessity. Granger's was easier, because she was not Slytherin and had no ties to Death Eaters, but he still needed to proceed carefully. "Should we involve your Head of House?" he asked. "Have you done something to necessitate it?" She paled, and he felt a surge of triumph. "Where is the potion sample now?" he asked in a menacing tone.

She hesitated for a moment. "I have no idea," she said, and he was absolutely stunned to see that she was telling the truth.

"You don't know?" he asked incredulously.

"I have no sample of any potion," she said, and again it was true.

What game is this? he thought, thunderstruck. He was quiet for a moment. One of them had to have stolen the potion. Unless it was Silas after all...His attention returned to Granger, who still looked flustered, but defiant. "You seem to think yourself above the rules," he said angrily. "I am warning you, Granger..."

There was a knocking at the door, and Minerva suddenly emerged, the Weasley boy looking smug behind her in the hallway. "Severus," she said. "Is there a problem?"

"Granger and I were discussing recent events," he said, nearly hissing in frustration. "We have only now just finished."

"It's time for dinner, Severus," said Minerva. "Come along, Miss Granger." The girl stood up and obediently followed the Transfiguration professor, pausing for one nervous backward glance.

He glowered as they left. He was no closer to finding the truth. If Silas had the potion sample there was no telling the damage he could do. And there was still the matter of Granger attempting to blackmail Sarah, which infuriated him. He rubbed his eyes. This was getting out of hand.

***

The auto-quill scribbled a note obediently on the parchment, and Sarah went to the next. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the Granger girl staring at her, biting her lip, and Sarah frowned slightly. They were supposed to be practicing the Patronus Charm, according to Potter, but the girl had simply performed the charm perfectly once and then spent the next hour looking worried.

The DA meeting came to a conclusion, and the students began to move the desks back into place, talking rather animatedly about a Defence lesson taking place the next morning. Eventually everything was back where it belonged and they filed out, leaving Potter, Granger and the Weasley boy.

"I was wondering," began Granger hesitatingly, "if you'd reconsidered."

Sarah looked at the two boys. "Miss Granger and I have something to discuss," she said. "Privately."

They looked confused, and glancing back at Granger, but eventually the boys left, Weasley frowning as he looked over his shoulder back at her.

"Have you changed your mind?" asked the girl.

"Let's go into my office," said Sarah. Granger obediently sat down on a chair while Sarah closed the doors and whispered a few Anti-Eavesdropping charms. She sat down behind her desk. "A day's reflection," she began, "has only fortified my original decision."

"But..."

"Yes?"

"Professor Tanner, this information could be crucial," she said determinedly. "Voldemort is a danger that affects us all."

Sarah regarded the girl carefully. It was obvious that her genius was only matched by her stubbornness. "Miss Granger..."

"If you would just teach me, I can find a way to help Harry destroy Voldemort," she said earnestly. "The knowledge doesn't have to die out."

Sarah could feel her anger rising. "You are brilliant, yes," she said, keeping her voice calm. "But you lack perspective."

She flushed. "I know I can do something with it."

"Are you implying that I am doing nothing with it?" said Sarah coldly. "Your friend benefits from wearing his amulet, does he not?"

"Yes, but--"

"You think that magic is controllable," said Sarah, locking eyes with the girl. "You think that everything can be studied, researched, and known. You haven't learned that there are some things best left alone."

There was an almost defiant look on her face. "If you aren't going to help, then you need to teach someone who can."

"As I have said before," said Sarah, as calmly as she could, "there is no immediate proof that knowing blood magic will have any discernable effect. I would, in fact, argue to the contrary."

"I think that you're overlooking aspects of it," said Granger stubbornly. "The protections that Voldemort has invoked--"

"It must be that you think yourself the equal, or the superior, of nearly all wizards. There is no other reason for you to persist in this ridiculous idea. I have already informed you that Dumbledore has been apprised of the various applications of blood magic, and has decided against its use, excepting Mr. Potter's amulet."

"But he's so very busy. He might not see every use."

"Do you even comprehend the source of blood magic?" Her anger surfaced. "Do you understand where a Sanguimagus's power comes from? Are you so eager to destroy living things simply to glean a bit of information that might or might not make a difference? Because that is where it comes from. Living beings."

"You can use your own blood," she said immediately.

"Few Sanguimagi have had to resort to such tactics," said Sarah coldly. "Salazar Slytherin almost never touched a drop of his own blood. He made do with others'. Certainly your own blood is the strongest, but it isn't advisable to use it exclusively if you are actively practicing."

"I could make a Blood-Replenishing Potion. There's always Strengthening Solution--"

"No!" said Sarah, more vehemently than she had intended. The girl looked at her, surprised. Sarah took a calming breath. "I want you to listen to me for a moment," she said, still saddened by the stubborn look on Granger's face. "Just listen. I will tell you a little of blood magic's history, and I hope that you will begin to understand it more fully, and see that it is of little use to you.

"When Salazar began his war, he was overconfident. He was arrogant. He expected a quick victory, given how deadly blood magic can be. He made several mistakes. He underestimated the Magi. He thought that blood magic could stand against their wands and come out victorious. He was wrong, for various reasons, and realised this within the first month of fighting.

"He was an intelligent man, and he changed his strategy, setting his most brilliant Sanguimagi to develop a new spell that would overcome the enemy. At the same time, he began to employ less honourable tactics in battle. Some of the Sanguimagi did not approve of Salazar's new techniques, but they were all duty-bound to support him now, as there was little hope of leniency should they turn themselves in. So Salazar continued, abducting witches and wizards, sacrificing anyone they could to add to their power.

"After another month of research a new, powerful blood magic hex was created, something which nearly all of the blood witches and wizards could use, something devastating. He drew everyone together and demonstrated the spell over and over again with kidnapped Magi and their kin until everyone could perform the hex flawlessly.

"He knew that there was a Wizengamot taking place, and he knew that if he could strike at the heart of their leaders and elders he would win a decisive victory against them.

"There was one problem, and that was blood. Each Sanguimagus needed a source, but it wasn't realistic for each of them to bring a sacrifice. One of his trusted wizards mentioned that, since there would be little risk of reprisal after the hex was released, they should use their own this once.

"Salazar thought long about this idea, and eventually decided that it was a gamble, but worth it. It would be too difficult to coordinate the use of sacrifices at the moment. So they all began to prepare for the attack.

"There was one blood witch among them, a brilliant and passionate witch, who had fallen in love with a Magus, and she was troubled. She went to her love the night before and told him not to go to the Wizengamot the next day. He wanted to know why, yet she was loathe to tell him. In the end her great love for him won out, and she showed him the counter-curse that she had developed so that he would live. When Salazar emerged victorious, she would sue Salazar for the Magus, and he would no doubt give her love to her in appreciation. The Magus agreed.

"Yet after she left he agonised over the information that he had been given. He stayed awake, doubt and fear tearing at him. In the end he could not sentence his family and friends to the agonising death that the Sanguimagi had prepared for them, no matter how deep his love for her. In the night he stole away and went to the Chief Warlock and explained to him what was to happen. They had only precious few hours left, but they spent them well, teaching the blood witch's counter-curse to all the Wizengamot.

"The Sanguimagi came to the Wizengamot in what they thought was great secrecy, and began the harnessing of power, little knowing that they had been betrayed so grievously. They approached and cast their hex. It rebounded off harmlessly, and many of the Sanguimagi were killed by their own spell. The rest, weakened by their use of blood, had no time to recover. Some mounted a second attack, but the battle was short. Few escaped to practice blood magic again.

"The blood witch knew what had happened. She miraculously escaped her spell's rebound, and aided in the second wave. By some coincidence she found her lover alone on the ground; he was dying. She knew he was the betrayer, the source from which the destruction of the Sanguimagi had issued, yet her heart was moved by pity; she could not forget their love. So she summoned up the strongest spell she knew, and used three drops of her own blood to save him, killing herself in the process."

Sarah stared at her grimly. "There are choices in life. The choices of a Magi are simple. The choice to cast an Unforgiveable; the choice to cast a lesser spell instead." She paused, hoping that the girl would hear her and understand. "The choices of a Sanguimagi are not simple. For every spell we work, someone or something else is inevitably lessened, or destroyed. It is a terrible thing to use the essence of others to create the things we crave or destroy the things we hate. To sacrifice another for your own benefit...it is a monstrous work, one which lies heavily upon you forever.

"Could you, to save Harry, sacrifice yourself?" The girl looked hesitant, but Sarah could see clearly in her eyes her loyalty, and knew that if she had to she might make that choice. Sarah leaned forward. "Could you kill Ron? Could you set your knife upon his neck and bleed him dry? What if he is unwilling? Could you Petrify him and know that he is watching you drain his blood as he breathes his last?"

"No..." said Granger in horror. She was white as a sheet.

"Then," said Sarah slowly and deliberately, "you should not dabble in blood magic."

There was a long pause as Granger fought against her emotions, trying to control herself. Sarah remained still and quiet, hoping that her words would have the desired effect.

Eventually she looked up at her. "I think..." Her voice trailed off in doubt.

"You are a clever girl," said Sarah simply. "You are brave, and talented. Please believe me when I say that learning blood magic will only cause problems instead of solve them."

She nodded, though with a trace of reluctance. "Thank you, Professor Tanner," she said quietly as she picked up her book bag and left.

"Good night, Miss Granger," said Sarah. After the door closed she sat for a long time, lost in thought.