70

"This is new," Snape said. He took in Sian and Tanner with a strange expression. His usual disdain had a layer of caution underneath it. He knew that Tanner was a werewolf and wasn't taking any chances.

"I had heard there were ghosts working here," Sian said, perkily. She looked him up and down. "I wasn't expecting the drowned undead!"

"Excuse me?"

"I've never seen a person without any color that wasn't already dead." She went on, stepping back to take in the sight, from black hair to black boots.

"Lorelei," Tanner hissed quickly.

"I've never seen more than one person without any color that wasn't already dead." Sian corrected immediately.

"Is that so." Snape's wand lit up in a very Kedavrish green. "I find it hard to believe that you've never seen this color before."

In the middle of their repartee, the werewolves heard a howl. Sian stopped mid-snarkiness and tilted her head. Tanner was already at the nearest window. Snape hadn't heard it.

"What now?" he asked. Tanner was gone in a blink, disappearing down the corridor. Sian looked a little hurt that he'd left without her, but was hard after him before Snape could comment. The Potionsmaster had to hurry after to keep them in sight.

Sian caught up with Tanner in the next tower. He was scanning the grounds below from a balcony. She was prepared to chew him out when she noticed the thestral paddock below.

"Thestrals!" she crowed. "Ooh, there's a pretty one!"

"Meh," Tanner shrugged. "As if horses needed to taste any more leathery." She punched him in the arm, and he grinned. A new thought turned him thoughtful again. "Who did you see die, punkin?"

She was saved from answering by the looming shadow of the Potionsmaster. They had forgotten he was with them until he leaned forward over the railing to peer at another tower higher up. He didn't speak, so the werewolves traded sideways looks behind his back.

"That howl was Rosie," Tanner finally said, looking out over the grounds. "But I don't her from here. Let's see if we can find Raye."

Snape was still staring up over their heads. Moving quickly, he stepped up on the railing and levitated up to the next tower's roof with a rush of wind and the snap of his robes. His cloak and sleeves flapped around him like black wings and he landed easily as a bird on the tiled roof over their heads.

"That was cool," Tanner admitted. He leaned out farther to see.

"Yeah..." Sian was already looking at the thestrals again. "Nothing Esme hasn't done a hundred times though."

"You may be biased," Tanner said. He opened the first door in sight and started down the the stairs on the other side.

"It's possible," she said, jogging to catch up. "Who was that anyway?"

"Potionsmaster. He's been doctoring Lorelei's burn."

"Burn? Is... the sunlight getting to her finally?" Sian's voice was hesitant. Tanner grinned.

"I'm not saying she couldn't use a little sun," he said. "But she got a little too close to the Morthahg and it scorched her." "

Oh good.... N-not that the Morthahg got her... just that she isn't so far gone, that the sun would... you know what I mean!"

"I do. And don't worry. Esme did her job. Lorey's in better shape than she was."

Balanced on the roof, Snape looked at the Eye of Heaven for a long time. He had only seen it because the wind had moved the weathervane just enough for the last glow of sunset to catch on it. He shifted to keep his balance as the wind yanked at him. The thing was hung below a weathervane shaped like a toad with its tongue for the pointer.

The weather vane spun. The Eye didn't. He pointed his wand at it and a red glow lit around the Eye. The device was small and to his professional eye, shoddily done, but it was also working. A telltale vibration went through the wand and he pulled it back carefully. So, it was Cursed.

He leaned in a little closer. He wasn't really worried about falling. He could fly after all. Still, it was hard to look close enough to see the lines of enchantment with his hair flying all around his face and an iron toad swinging in crazy circles over his head. He peered at it, still trying to place was wrong with it, and then he noticed something. It was shaped like an Eye of Heaven, it looked pretty much like a not-too-adept wizard's first try at one, but the enchantment on it had nothing to do with an Eye of Heaven.

Something wasn't right. A spell wreathed the Eye that he had never seen before. He looked over the winter woods from his higher vantage point. The sun had gone down. The thestrals were just darker shapes in the gloom below.

He had dealt with some vampires before, but they had been former wizards or witches, still keeping contact with the magical world, and still obeying most of the rules, if only out of habit. Snape knew that there were more dangerous kinds of leech in the world, those that were powerful enough to have no fear of Muggles or magic. Lorelei's story and the Mayhem Manual had taught him a little more. Enough to be worried.

The Manual could tell him how to remove the Eye as well. The sooner the better, he thought, watching the clouds swirl over head. He looked back at the Eye. There was no telling how long it had been running already. He didn't dare touch it yet. Not until the sun came up anyway.