Patrolling Ⅹ

Ignoring the silence on Professor Zephyros' part, Rowan went on recounting the tale. However, Professor Zephyros intently listened attempting to find a lie, but to his displeasure, he found that everything being spoken by Prefect Prince was the truth even with his discerning ability. But the truth is subjective, and not all truths are that which they appear to originally be.

"But it must be all balderdash as there is no other mention about such a thing being in any other historical record including A History of Hogwarts by Bathilda Bagshot," Rowan mused out loud. "I presume it is merely a tall tale like that of Salazar Slytherin's, Chamber of Secrets. And as his descendants, the Prince family has never been aware that the fictional tale is real nor has grandfather never mentioned such a secret to Severus and me. And I am certain that Grandfather would have never kept such a matter of importance especially concerning our heritage."

Rowan blinks as if awakening from a trance and turns her head to bow in a rueful fashion. "Pardon me, sir, I did not mean to ramble," she muttered with her eyes downcast and seemingly contrite. "But I do so become vexed upon hearing the jaded whispers regarding the so-called, Chamber of Secrets, and the misrepresentation of our ancestor even until this day."

Professor Zephyros' expression loses its steely glint and returns to its normal dreamy visage. "That is perfectly understandable, Perfect Prince," suppressing a yawn as though tired, he adds, "My apologies, Prefect Prince, but it would appear that I am much more tired than I originally believed myself to be."

"No, I should be the one asking for your pardon, Professor," Rowan generously said. "I shall not take up any of your time. Please allow me to go ahead and you may leisurely continue with your observations of the night sky."

"Then I would find myself very much obliged," Professor Zephyros replied as Rowan Prince tilts her head at him, before walking forward and all too soon disappears around a dark bend. Her footsteps can be heard a bit longer as they crush tree leaves underfoot, before growing faint and utterly fading away.

The figure of Professor Zephyros remains still and standing there until a cool voice erupts from his throat. "That conversation was rather perturbing, Zephyros. And though the Prince girl did not lie, I still am not convinced."

"No, Rowan is far too busy with her Prefect duties to suspect otherwise," interjected, the youthful voice of a young female witch. The second youngest out of them, their second youngest appendage as a very young vessel had been acquired at the beginning of the school year. "And Severus has been avoiding Lily and Lily has been quiet on the subject itself. A youthful disagreement, but neither of their pride will permit them to bow their heads in a sincere apology."

"Mm, can she be converted?" Pensively said a witch with a soothing voice.

"We have yet to try," said the dream voice of Professor Zephyros. "But the muggleborn girl fulfills all of the requirements for a vessel, we need only act."

"Mm, but she is at Hogwarts," rebuked a witch with a shrill voice. "A ceremony is required; moreover, the elder female Prince is present. She is sensitive to ward magic; she will certainly sense any attempt to weaken the Hogwarts barriers."

"Then we shall wait and see," declared the frigid voice of the primary host. "We have time, and the muggleborn witch possesses no means which to protect herself."

"No," interjected the voice of the young female witch. "The Prince women's actions caused the wards of Hogwarts to be sealed. There are no more cracks to exploit, and there can only be three of us present at any time. And that is rapidly changing as we speak for the wards have begun repairing themselves ever since the Hunter's moon. The cracks in the wards are healing so rapidly that one of us soon in the nearby future may even be forced to leave leaving only two vessels behind."

"Then we shall wait until the time she graduates from Hogwarts," whispered a chorus of voices in unison.

A witch with a poisoned honeyed voice interjected with a cackle, "The puppet returns within three nights time. The puppet will do that which we require and force the reluctant vessel to accept us and become our latest appendage."

"A valuable appendage," chided the witch with a shrill voice. "But the transitioning vessel has been quite stubborn, and we have been forced to send another fragment to convert him. We have had a great measure of success, and soon, he shall become one with us."

"One," the voices eerily chorused.

"What have we seen?" Interrupted, a cool voice.

"Sagittarius runs before Capricornus, the traveler comes and as does the archer," Professor Zephyros dreamily muttered, before frowning. "But I saw the appearance of a Grim residing at the bottom of my afternoon teacup. We best tread with care for Death is near and will seek any advantage to cause us harm."

"We watch," they said in unison as the dreamy gaze of Professor Zephyros returns.

Letting a loud sleepy yawn, Professor Zephyros dreamily blinks again. "Mm, it's time for bed," he mused to himself, before beginning to walk down the path.

Behind him, a silent shadow flits through the air nearing ever closer to the impervious figure of Professor Zephyros. There is no sound, no sudden warning except for a shiver of unease that races down Professor Zephyros' back. Reaching for his wand, Professor Zephyros far too late, he lets out a pained gurgle as powerful venomous fangs tear his throat open and he falls to the cold ground.

Within seconds, Professor Zephyros bleeds out as he futilely presses his hand to his gushing neck as the ground becomes dark and painted wet. The powerful venom acts immediately, and his gaze grows dim and stiff. His eyes frantically dart around, but nary a trace nor shadow can be seen of his hidden attacker. It was no spell, but a living, breathing creature.

The panicked look on Professor Zephyros' face fades away as a much more relaxed and almost relieved expression appears on his visage. Staring above at the darkness, the tips of Professor Zephyros's lips twitch into the faintest of smiles. He croaks a muffled gurgle and which the only broken words that can be understood as "Fogey."

As if finally putting down a great weight, Professor Zephyros lets out a sigh as his dreamy eyes become dull, and the weak hand gripping his slippery neck slides limply to the floor. From the chest of Professor Zephyros, a black rune symbol of a Hydra appears as if screaming, before fading to smoke and is blown away by the chilly autumn wind into nothing. From the shadow emerges the figure of Nadira, who glows brightly beneath the moonlight. Peering up above the trees, she sees the figure of Rowan slowly descend and come to rest on the ground.

"Mm, the ruse would have been up, if he would have just looked up, but I suppose there is something to say about his arrogance working in our favor," Rowan mused to herself as she stared at the dying corpse.

Turning to gaze at Nadira, Rowan arches her brow at the innocent blinking serpent. "Really, Nadira, I said to watch and follow not him, not to kill him," she chided in exasperation.

Nadira sheepishly flicks her tongue at Rowan. "But protector it is my mortal enemy!" Nadira hissed indignantly. "It slew my mother, and I have sworn to avenge her!"

Rowan did not soften her gaze at Nadira's words. "Nadira, I am the first most person, who foremost wishes to see our enemy dead. But Professor Zephyros knew much, and he would have possibly led us the other vessels as well. And now, once more, we do not know who our enemy is, but our enemy will now be on guard as one of their own is dead."

Nadira's head wilts sadly as she whimpers, "I am sorry, protector."

"It is what it is, and we shall make do as such," Rowan sighed as she gently rubbed the warm, but smooth, serpent head of Nadira in an effort to console her. Withdrawing her hand, she lets out a very loud yawn at the late hour. "Come, we must rid ourselves of the corpse."

Nadira nods her head, before opening her mouth impossibly wide and swallowing the corpse whole. Rowan flinches and turns green at seeing hastily turning away from the gut-wrenching scene, she closes her eyes and breathes deeply in order not to hurl. Thankfully, since she was floating away above the ground, she did not have the scent wafting up to her as the breeze carried the scent away from her.

Once Nadira had finished swallowing the corpse, but her body to Rowan's great disturbance remained flat as if the serpent had not just swallowed an entire grown man whole. With ease, Nadira rose into the air as Rowan solemnly said, "Do not wander around, Nadira, and if so only when invisible. And trust no one except those that are bound to keep your secret, is that understood?"

"Yes, protector," Nadira grumbled reluctantly as her tongue fluttered in the air.

"No hurry back to the lake," Rowan instructed.

"Will you not be returning, protector?" Nadira curiously asked.

"I shall return to Hogwarts in my own way," Rowan truthfully replied, "but we cannot be seen together."

"Very well, protector," Nadira mumbled, before turning invisible and flying back to the lake.

Closing her eyes, Rowan peers into her mind mapscape and finds that the map is empty, before teleporting back just outside of the Slytherin quarters. With a semi-yawn, she mumbled the password before stumbling into the dimly lit common room and up to her quarters. The day's events all hit her at once and she collapsed exhausted onto the bed with her clothes still on. She only paused to kick her cloak and boots off; she tugged the covers over her head and closed her eyes.

With the last smidgeon of ability, Rowan checked her mapscape and did not find anyone making their way to or from the Forbidden Forest except for Hagrid. Releasing her mapscape, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep, fatigued sleep. She did not stir at all that night despite her continuous nightmares until morning that involved the Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets.

However, elsewhere in the castle, a female in the girl's dormitory is unable to sleep that night having felt Professor Zephyros's death. Either it was a coincidence or there was someone hunting them within the castle? Hogwarts bore watching and she would, but she could not do so alone. Thankfully, a new vessel had been acquired at the start of the term, and none would ever suspect him.