Chapter 7
"You know that was pretty close, right?", said Ginny as we walked to Potions. "Snape's not stupid. If he catches you out there one more time, you'll be in deep shit."
"Thanks, Gin", I sighed sarcastically. "I was not aware of that."
We passed a group of first-years that was huddled around one of Fred and George's fake wands. A loud squawk told me it had turned into a duck.
"And what do you mean he looked different for a moment?", Ginny asked.
"Well- he looked younger", I began, "and healthier. And- I don't know, somehow, his teeth were-"
"Not crooked anymore?", Ginny grinned. "Of course you would notice his teeth, as a dentist daughter."
I glared at her.
"I usually don't pay attention to his teeth. But this morning, they were...white. As in, perfect-model-teeth white. And some looked sharper than usual."
Ginny stopped and her eyes widened.
"He's a vampire", she said astonished.
I turned around to look at her.
"A vampire? Really? Didn't you drop your bat hypothesis four years ago?"
"Think about it", Ginny said insistingly. "We barely see him eat anything during meal times."
"Maybe he prefers eating in his quarters."
"He always seems to hear us."
"That's not hard", I said, thinking about how loud Gryffindors could get.
"He can fly!"
"So could Voldemort."
"What about his teeth? Or the fact that you said he looked younger?"
I rolled my eyes.
"I was tired when I saw him. Forget I mentioned it."
Ginny huffed and crossed her arms.
"You're not going to believe me with this, are you?", she said.
"Nope."
I turned and resumed walking.
"Now come on. We'll be late."
Two minutes later, we were seated at out usual table. Harry squeezed in between us.
"Hey", he said and gave Ginny a quick kiss on the cheek.
The chatter died down when Professor Snape appeared by his desk, arms folded in front of his chest. I looked around and realized how empty the classroom seemed. We were barely fifteen. And five more had to leave before the end of term.
"Today, we will be gathering ingredients for a new potion that has been legalized by the ministry", Professor Snape began. "It is called 'The Animus Potion'. Professor Sprout has told me that she already showed you several important plants needed for this potion."
I racked my brain for anything that could match what he said and remembered Professor Sprout telling us about an animagus potion that allowed the drinker to transform into his or her animagus form for exactly thirteen minutes.
"The ministry deems it necessary that this potion is a part of the seventh year curriculum, which means you will gather the rest of the ingredients that are needed, brew the potion and drink it before the end of February."
Professor Snape's eyes roved over the class and his voice acquired a low, warning tone.
"Know that every single stage of the brewing process is very dangerous and difficult, and a single misstep will cost you your place here."
Several gulped at that.
"You have until lunchtime to find the first three items on your list. Work in pairs, and try not to fail so miserably as I expect most of you will."
Professor Snape flicked his hand and fifteen scrolls plopped out of thin air and landed on our tables.
Most of us stared back at him uncertainly, shifting in our seats. I slowly took my scroll and placed it in my bag.
Professor Snape raised an eyebrow at us.
"Are you waiting for an invitation? Get out."
Chairs screeched across the floor as people jumped up and hurriedly found a partner before dashing out of the room. I saw Ginny and Harry look at each other, then at me, and smiled at them.
"You two go. I'll be fine."
"Thanks, 'Mione", said Harry and pulled Ginny with him.
I quickly packed my bag, slung it over my shoulder and turned to leave the room. Fifteen was an odd number, which explained why I suddenly found myself alone in the classroom.
I tried not to feel too disappointed.
You've always worked well alone, I told myself and headed for the door.
"Granger."
I paused and turned around.
Professor Snape waved his hand and non-verbally summoned a black leather bag that he slung over his own shoulder.
"You're coming with me."
I raised both of my eyebrows in surprise.
"Er- I'll be fine on my own, sir", I croaked out.
"I have no interest in picking your remains off the forest floor", he said bluntly and strode to the door. "There is a reason I decided the task to be done in pairs".
Picking my remains- what?
I furrowed my eyebrows and followed him. The door banged shut behind me.
"Sir, I'm quite capable-"
"As long as you are not an experienced Potions Mistress, you will never go into the Forbidden Forest alone", said Professor Snape grimly. He took large strides and I had to run to keep up.
"Why do you think most Potions apprentices never make it past their first year?"
"Because they are dunderheads?", I said sarcastically.
Professor Snape shot me a hard look.
"Because they thought they were smart enough to collect ingredients on their own and died due to their rash decisions."
I bit my lip to hold in my reply. Professor Snape was the best Potions Master in the world. If he said that collecting ingredients had to be done in pairs if you were still an apprentice, then it had to be true. It made sense, after all. Going alone into the wild sounded suddenly pretty foolish if you didn't know what to expect.
****
Once we left the castle, it became obvious that Professor Snape had no intention of leading me straight to the first three ingredients. That was fine with me. As soon as I read the list, I already knew where to go.
Number one was Dittany. It could be found in fields since it preferred growing in sunlight. I knew exactly where to find it because I had collected heaps of it before searching for the horcruxes with Ron and Harry. There was a small field to the south of Hogwarts, just beside a small stream.
Number two was liquid gold. Among the potioneers, liquid gold was also known as the honey of woodfaeries. It just so happened that I had discovered a small swarm of faeries while collecting the dittany before the war. They lived in an abandoned beehive a little far off the field. Faeries never voluntarily gave up their honey for strangers, unless you presented something valuable to them.
And number three was Goosegrass. Which grew alongside of streams and rivers. Another bonus was that Goosegrass was extremely valuable to faeries. They couldn't harvest it without endangering their wings because it was so sharp and for them it was excellent material to make weapons. I smiled triumphantly and rolled up my list again before tucking it away. I started walking south and looked over my shoulder to check if Professor Snape was following. He raised an eyebrow at me.
"And you are sure that you are heading in the right direction?", he asked challengingly.
Now I was definitely sure.
"Yes. You coming or what?"
I turned my head to look forward and marched determinedly towards the Forbidden Forest.
Professor Snape caught up after a few seconds since his legs were ridiculously longer than mine. His glare told me he did not like being bossed around by a student, but the only other option was to lead me to the ingredients himself.
After twenty minutes of walking silently through the forest, I saw something glinting ahead through the undergrowth. It was the stream I had been looking for. Gurgling quietly, the water carried fallen leaves and twigs with it. Once I reached the shore, I turned and headed upstream.
"You seem to know your way remarkably well", said Professor Snape suddenly. I could feel his sharp eyes boring into my face.
"I collected several things here before- leaving with Harry and Ron", I said, stepping over a puddle. "One of them was dittany."
My eyes scanned the grass that grew alongside the river. Goosegrass was a pale green and had sharp blades that could easily cut you. It usually grew in tufts, so it was pretty easy to spot.
"Ah!", I exclaimed when I found what I was looking for. I pointed ahead at the pale, green grass sprouting beside the water. When I got to it, I made sure to crouch down without touching it. Summoning gloves and a copper knife from my bag, I quickly got to work and harvested the needed amount of Goosegrass. I stuck it in a jar and placed a moisturizing charm on it. Once I was done, I looked up.
While I had worked, Professor Snape had harvested several jars of Goosegrass as well. He had obviously done this much quicker than I had and was already finished.
I got up, ready to continue further south, when my feet slipped in the wet grass.
"Oh sh-", escaped my lips when I tumbled sideways. I managed to catch myself by pressing a hand to the ground, feeling how Professor Snape had grabbed my other shoulder to keep me from falling.
"Thank you", I mumbled embarrassed and carefully got back up. Professor Snape silently let go of me and stepped back.
I shouldered my bag and cleared my throat.
"Should we-"
My face faltered when I noticed that Professor Snape had gone still. He was staring at my left hand. Perplexed, I followed his gaze and my eyes widened.
My hand was covered in several cuts, leaking blood that dripped to the ground. A bloody handprint in the grass showed me I must have cut my hand on the Goosegrass.
It started to burn and I quickly pulled out my wand to cast an episkey. Thank Merlin I was quite proficient with that.
"Alright, I'm ready", I said and vanished the blood. I looked up.
"Professor?"
The wizard had turned away, his hands clenched into fists. I could only see his broad back, which appeared to be quite stiff.
"Er- sir? Are you alright?", I asked worriedly and took a step closer.
"I'm fine", he snapped and strode forward, his back still towards me. "Pay attention to your feet. I expected more from you than to make such a beginner's mistake."
I narrowed my eyes, but remained silent.
Since when is he so prickly about blood?
Ginny's theory suddenly returned to my mind, but I quickly brushed that thought away and followed Professor Snape.
After ten more minutes, we reached the field. It was covered in plants, such as clover, thistles, snow drops and so on.
"The dittany should be here", I broke the silence and moved into the field, not bothering to look at Professor Snape. I got out a steel knife from my bag and carefully walked past the plants, making sure not to squash anything. You never knew when you needed something that you accidentally stepped on.
Professor Snape remained at the edge of the field, arms crossed in front of his chest. I blocked him out of my thoughts and focused entirely on gathering two handfuls of dittany. Since I had done this before, not to mention in a terrible hurry, it was easy for me to fall back into that routine and harvest the needed plant.
Once I was done, I cast a spell on my bag that made it lighter, then proceeded to step out of the field.
"There's a swarm of faeries that way", I said and pointed west.
Professor Snape's eyebrows wandered up and the grim look on his face was replaced with interest. It appeared that he had not known that, which actually gave me a brief moment of satisfaction.
I mentally shook my head at myself and turned to lead the way.
The tree harboring the faeries was an old cherry tree with long, thick branches that stood in a small clearing. Its bark had deep cracks and was covered in dark green moss. There was a deep hum, similar to the sound of buzzing bees, yet different. The abandoned bee hive hung three meters above us on a thick branch, swaying slightly as faeries busily fluttered in and out.
They were little creatures, not much bigger than my thumb, that shimmered in blue and green colors. Their translucent wings reflected the sunlight in a violet shade and I found myself smiling at the beautiful creatures.
A sharp buzz echoed through the air and I recognized it as the alarm call of the faery sentries.
I quickly got out the jar of the Goosegrass and carefully pulled out five long, slim blades. The jar I pocketed again, then I looked up. Ten faeries buzzed above us, staring at us with grim faces.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Professor Snape watch me alertly, but nevertheless he stepped back to keep his distance. Faeries never liked it when too many humans appeared at once.
"I'm here for a trade", I said clearly and lifted my hand to show them the Goosegrass on the palm of my hand. "Three drops of your honey for this."
The faeries buzzed something I couldn't understand properly. More and more flitted out of their hive, holding thin weapons that looked quite sharp.
I swallowed, but forced myself not to pull out my wand.
The swarm of faeries parted, revealing a single one that slowly fluttered down to me.
It was their queen. She was twice as large as the others and her blue skin bore symbols of gold and silver. In the sunlight, she twinkled like a beautiful, delicate figure made of glass.
"Three drops?", said the Queen when she floated right in front of my face. The words sounded strange, as if she were not accustomed to speaking a human language. There was a buzzing undertone in her voice.
Behind her were at least fifty sentries, holding their weapons ready in case I tried anything.
"Yes, your Majesty", I said politely, keeping my hand as still as possible.
The Queen's purple eyes bored into mine.
"Good offer. But want something else."
Now my eyebrows shot up in surprise. Faeries never turned Goosegrass down. It was too valuable for them.
What else does she want?
The Queen smiled coldly. Even though she and her people looked like delicate creatures, they had a backbone as hard as steel. It was impossible to negotiate with them.
"What do you want?", I asked, feeling slightly worried.
"You sing."
My eyes widened and I couldn't help but glance at Professor Snape, hoping he hadn't heard that.
The Queen flicked her hand and at once, hundreds of faeries burst out of the hive. I flinched, but they did not attack me. Instead, they fluttered around me and Queen, buzzing loudly, making sure Professor Snape could not hear what I was saying.
Now a cloud of blue and green bodies surrounded me and I swallowed nervously.
"How-"
"Know what you are."
My jaw dropped.
The Queen flew closer until I could feel the draft coming from her wings flutter across my face.
"Ganîs valuable. You more valuable."
As far as I knew, 'Ganîs' was the faery word for 'Goosegrass'.
"But-", I started again.
"Last Cantarià here was long ago. You sing, you get honey."
I swallowed. 'Cantarià' meant 'Cygnus Cantare'. The Queen was not lying. She truly knew what I was.
"I can't sing now", I said in a low voice, glancing at Professor Snape. Through the mass of fluttering wings, I saw his dark figure waiting.
"But if you give me the honey now, I promise I'll come back tonight and sing for you. As a swan."
The Queen's eyes narrowed.
"Do not trust human promises. No sing, no honey."
She began to fly back towards the hive. My heart sped up and I blurted out: "Wait!"
The faery stopped and turned to look down at me.
"I'll give you the Goosegrass now and sing for you tonight, if you give me the honey", I said, forcing myself to hold her eye contact. "Âi awers ce uma yllia."
The odd words tumbled off my lips, accompanied by the buzzing sound I tried to create in my throat.
I swear on my life.
The Queen looked mildly surprised.
"Ye vistô Fandamas?" (You speak Faery?)
I nodded mutely.
Pursing her lips slightly, the faery stared into my eyes. Several minutes passed that way, until she nodded grimly.
"I see swan in you", she said in her harsh English. "Gold in brown. I trust swan. Return here tonight. You sing."
I inclined my head.
"Qantuné." (Thank you.)
Six faeries collected the Goosegrass from my hand, then at once they all swirled up into the tree. My hair flew around me from the draft they created and I watched amazed as the faeries circled around me into the air, glittering in the sunlight.
Their buzzing ceased as they disappeared into the hive, only a deep, soft hum remained. I looked down at my hand. Where the grass had been, were now three clear drops of a golden liquid. I summoned a jar out of my bag and carefully let the honey drip into it, making sure that nothing remained stuck to my hand.
"Granger", a voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I looked up, having almost forgotten about Professor Snape.
"What did she say?"
I stowed the jar away and approached him.
"How did you know she said anything?", I asked, not wanting to answer his question.
Professor Snape raised an eyebrow.
"Âi buqr ye vistô Fandamas?" (I assume you speak Faery?)
I nodded gobsmacked.
"Ye auct?" (You too?)
Professor Snape rolled his eyes at my question.
"Yes, obviously. What did she say, Granger?"
I shrugged, still processing the fact that Professor Snape spoke a woodfaery language. Who would have thought.
"We bargained over the amount of Goosegrass", I lied. "She was quite determined."
Professor Snape studied me carefully and I could tell he knew I was hiding something. But thank Merlin he did not ask.
"Hurry up", he said and turned around. "It is almost lunchtime."
I looked into the sky and realized he was right.
How time had flown by. I pulled my bag closer to me and hurried after Professor Snape, turning around one last time.
Tonight I had to come back.
Why do I always end up in these situations?
****
It turned out that I was the only one who had gotten the liquid gold. Most of the others had thought that the list meant actual gold, some thought it meant bee honey (a student had terrible bee stings on his hands) and the few that had looked for faeries, hadn't found any. Professor Snape threw out a Ravenclaw and a Slytherin from his class, reducing us to thirteen.
Then we got the instructions to collect the next three ingredients in the next lesson.
I told Ginny about my plans for tonight, but left out the moment where Professor Snape had acted weird about my bleeding hand. The last thing I wanted was to encourage her theory about him being a vampire.
Once the moon had risen, I was off flying from the black lake to the clearing with the old apple tree. From a distance, I could see the faeries sparkling in the moonlight. Their wings glowed in a warm silver and they were buzzing softly.
There were hundreds of them. Many had taken a seat on the tree branches, others were hovering in midair. It seemed as if the entire tree was covered in Christmas lights.
I slowed down when I neared and did my best to land as graceful as possible. Landing on land was not as simple as landing on water.
Once I had rearranged all my feathers, I stretched my neck to look up. The Queen was hovering above me, the symbols on her skin glowing.
"Tarnòs", she said loudly and all buzzing from her fellow faeries ceased. (Welcome.)
I inclined my head slightly.
"Karyn er lojis muvellàr", the Queen declared, "Karyn er lojis mahino!"
(Tonight we hear music. Tonight we hear magic!)
The faeries buzzed excitedly, fluttering their glowing wings as a way of applauding.
I swallowed my nervousness and slowly stretched my wings out to the side. Last time I had sung, it had been a human song. But this time that would not be enough. The Faery Queen wanted a song from the heart of a Cygnus Cantare.
The Queen moved her hand and all faeries fell silent. The sudden silence felt unnatural and heavy.
I closed my eyes, trying to feel the magic the last time I had sung. My had chest had been filled with a warmth that I had not experienced before. But how would I get it back?
The longer the silence wore on, the more nervous I got. I kept my eyes shut, focusing on the feeling I had felt last time.
It needed to work.
I opened my golden beak and shakily sang a low A flat. It sounded thin as it echoed in the heavy silence. My heart was thumping in my chest as I tried to find the melody inside me, searching for my true voice that I had used on Christmas.
The note changed to a C two octaves higher.
I kept my eyes closed, changing the C to an E flat, when my chest suddenly started to heat up. I felt a strength build up in my lungs and my voice started to sound louder, fuller.
The warmth spread from my chest out to my wings into every single one of my feathers and without opening my eyes, I knew the golden streaks and dots on my plumage had begun to glow.
And then- the melody just came to me. I had no idea what I was singing, but it felt...right. The melody expressed exactly what I felt; my confusion and helplessness about being cursed, and my sadness about having fallen in love with someone who could never love me back.
My voice was carried through the still trees and further, past the quiet field and the burbling brook. Little did I know how far my voice actually traveled.
Severus' P.O.V.:
Why had I reacted so strongly to Granger's blood? That question kept revolving in my mind.
I had only fed three days ago and I had plenty of experience of suppressing my hunger when students accidentally cut themselves in my class. But this time...had been different. For a short moment, when I had seen the thick, red blood on Granger's hand, I had wanted to-
I twisted my face into a grimace when felt my teeth elongate from the mere thought of it.
Something was wrong with me. And with that witch. She was hiding something and I had to find out what it was. I was sure she was the reason for my sudden blood thirst.
My head snapped up, the essays on my desk forgotten. There it was.
That voice I would never forget.
The swan was singing again. This time, she wasn't singing a song I recognized. Like last time, the melody carried her emotions, swirling through the walls of the castle and making every bone inside me vibrate. There were no windows in my office, yet I still heard every sound as clear as day. I felt the swan's sadness, but couldn't understand what she was singing about.
A sudden thought came to me.
How come the swan sang a human song last time? How could she have known it?
****
The professors in the staffroom listened intently.
"Is that-?", whispered Filius.
Minerva nodded.
"A Cygnus Cantare returned to Hogwarts."
A bright smile appeared on Pomona's voice.
"It's- beautiful", she breathed, not able to describe it with the words she knew. The others just looked at her, knowing exactly how she felt.
A tear rolled down Minerva's cheek, despite her face being as impassive as ever. She looked out of the window, hiding her eyes from her colleagues.
****
"Guys", said Harry suddenly, "do you hear that?"
Ron raised his head, listening hard. Over the crackling fire and the mumbling of the students in their common room, he could faintly hear a melody.
"What is that?"
Ginny smiled slightly. She knew exactly who it was.
"It's a Singing Swan", she said quietly.
The two wizards looked at her perplexed and she rolled her eyes.
****
Hermione's P.O.V.:
The last note echoed in the air before it faded away. I breathed heavily, feeling a little tired, as if I had exerted myself much more than last time. I folded my wings and opened my eyes.
The faeries remained still and silent. Not a single sound was heard from the clearing, nor from the other animals that inhabited the forest. Once again, it seemed that all had gone silent just to hear a Cygnus Cantare sing.
I knew that Singing Swans played a great role in other creatures' life, but I felt like I was only beginning to understand how important my music actually was for the world.
A movement caught my attention and I looked up. The Queen was bowing- to me. As if that broke the spell on the other faeries, they all lowered their heads and imitated their queen.
My breath hitched in surprise.
"Thank you. You bring us gift, gift brings magic", said the Queen and straightened up again. The other faeries did so as well.
"You need help, we come. Canta Ryia."
I elegantly lowered my long neck, noticing that my feathers were still glowing. The Queen giving me a name meant that she had a high respect for me, so I had learned from my books. Most humans were just remembered as humans by faery folk, rarely were they given a name.
And the name I had received was most fitting.
Singing Girl.