Please Note: That these chapters are NOT one storyline, and many are unrelated. This is simply a mass dump of various scenes, story ideas, and miscellaneous dialogues that are not formed into a cohesive story or plot (no matter how much they may seem like they are). I post them here because they are interesting ideas, and I like to share. If there are multiple postings from the same story/plot than the chapters will be titled the same & numbered in order. Thanks.
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Solvo Vita 01
By Renatus
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"The present and the future are most affected by the same thing: the past."
Harry Potter stood along the railing of the rickety paddle boat, looking over the blue-black waters of the Mediterranean. Distant lights marked the shoreline of Northern Africa and its muggle towns.
The rough wood of the rail scraped his palms as he leaned precariously out over the water. He searched its depth for the silver flashes that marked the passing of fish in the moonlight.
"If you lean any further, you'll join the bloody fish in their natural habitat." A bored drawl came from his side, "Usually I wouldn't offer warning, but cats, lions and Gryffindors aren't great swimmers, I hear."
Harry hid his smile but didn't reply to the taunt; instead he continued to watch for the fish. There. A slash of silver sparkled below the waves. A Silvertail.
"Severus would love to acquire some of them, no doubt." The voice at his shoulder commented, "He'd be distracted for days, pouring over stinking fish entrails and fermenting cauldrons."
Harry chuckled.
"He'd walk around in a daze for weeks while he plotted how to best fillet them all for some hair-brained idea of a potion." His companion continued, "Actually, he'd more likely rot down in his lab because he forgot to eat, sleep and leave the door unlocked so someone else can tell him to eat and sleep before he rotted away."
Harry whole-heartedly agreed with this view, but still didn't reply, only letting a small smile to appear as evidence that he even heard his friend.
"Don't suppose we could bring some back with us." It wasn't really a question, he was just talking. "Although, I'm not entirely sure we should," the man continued in his drawl, "He'll smell like fish for a month. I don't know about you, but I doubt I'd be able to handle it. The smell would probably rub off on me."
Harry looked over his shoulder at his companion; the slight form leaning casually against the railing. The moonlight made his white blonde hair look silver, and his pale skin glow.
"Of course it would always give me a reason to avoid him." He was rambling, gazing up at the stars, "Yet he'd have both of us for potions ingredients if we didn't return with some of the bloody fish."
Harry smiled.
"Do you know how to fish, Draco?" Harry asked, pulling himself back and leaning on the rail next to his friend. Draco's eyes widened as he turned to face Harry.
"Malfoy's do not fish like muggles, Potter."
Harry smiled again and turned back to looking out over the water. The shoreline was closer now.
"I suppose one of your muggle friends taught you how?"
"Gordon did." Harry said, deciding no to remind Draco that said muggle friend was also a friend of the Slytherin's.
"Hmph." Came the muffled reply.
"But there's an easier way." Harry said. He pulled an object from his pocket and waved his wand over it, muttering a spell. The object enlarged, revealing some sort of chest or box. Harry set it on the deck by his feet and pulled another object from his robes, enlarging it as well. Harry waved the pole in the air a bit, its ten foot length reaching out over the water.
"What in Merlin's name is that for?" Draco scoffed.
"Patience, Malfoy." Harry smirked, and lowered the rod so it was vertical. A wave of his wand and the rod was connected to the railing, its other end dragging in the water below. Harry pocketed his wand and spoke to the blackish-green snake draped around his shoulders. The snake hissed a reply and unfurled its long coils, slithering down Harry's arm to the railing. With another hissed exchange, the snake wrapped itself around the pole and slid down to the water, disappearing under the waves.
"Are you going to explain, Potter, or do I have to figure it out for myself?"
Harry looked at Draco with a carefully blank face and was rewarded with one slender eyebrow raised expectedly. He decided to give the Slytherin what he wanted.
"Gordon is quite fond of the muggle technique of fishing, and after he taught me the trick of it, I decided to show him how a wizard fishes." Harry returned to watching the water, a smirk on his face, "or at least how a Parselmouth fishes."
"Mm-hmm."
"Nyssan's bite can be fatal, but as she is of the magical variety she can change the nature of her venom to suit her needs." Harry said distractedly, "Egyptian Temple Lasps can stun their victims with a venom that completely disappears from their systems within a few hours. She's quite good at fishing, once she learned how to swim." Harry said proudly.
"So, Severus can't complain about tainted supplies." Draco said, eyeing the dark water.
"Mm-hmm." Harry acknowledged. A moment of silence passed.
"So, where's your great companion now?"
Harry smirked, "Fishing."
Draco mumbled something about Gryffindors which Harry chose to ignore.
"There." Harry said, pointing to the water. A silver flash of irredescent scales marked to passage of a Silvertail. The two men watched as it disappeared with a splash.
Draco raised an eyebrow at his companion.
"Wait." Harry said, a smile playing at his lips. Draco snorted, and turned back to the water. A moment passed before the snake's dark form began slithering up the pole out of the water, a silver fish clutched in its coils. Harry grinned as he pulled his wand.
"Accio Silvertail." He said and the fish flew through the air into Harry's waiting hand.
"Impressive," Draco said, "I suppose you're rather proud of yourself now."
Harry hummed a reply.
Draco remained silent, a feat he had utterly failed at for the majority of their journey, as Harry placed the fish in the chest at his feet. He hissed at the snake still coiled around the pole and Nyssan slid back into the water with hardly a sound.
Draco eyed the chest then glanced at harry.
"How many did the greasy git want?"
Harry laughed, "A dozen, if I could manage."
"If you could manage."
"Mm-hmm," Harry mumbled, "He lectured me for three hours on the magical properties of Silvertails and their potential as potions ingredients."
"What's their potential?" Draco watched the water.
"I have no idea, I stopped listening after three minutes." Harry said, "Accio Silvertail." And a second silver fish joined the first in the chest as Nyssan slipped back into the water. "Something about magic restorative powers or some-such."
"Typical of you." Draco turned to lean back against the rail. "I don't know how you managed to graduate with that sort of attitude. Paying attention to what Professors told you so long as it didn't contradict your Boy-Who-Lived views; gallivanting off on one fool-brained escapade after another."
Harry eyed his companion, formulating a retort in his head, but decided to overlook it in favor of a new topic.
"The Ministry get tired of the Malfoy arrogance?"
"Na," Draco said, "I got tired of reforming my definition of stupidity." He waved his hand absently, "Between the Minister's incompetent stupidity, the Aurors' stubborn stupidity and Macomb's ignorant stupidity; the Ministry has an endless supply of moronic ideas and pointless missions."
"I suppose you're currently on one of these pointless missions?" Harry said, waving his third fish into the chest.
"Acton Macomb," Draco began dramatically, "Oh wise Head of the Department of International Cooperation, had the brilliant and original idea of sending an English representative to the Egyptian Magical Artifacts and Antiquities Conference being held within the Osiris Bazaar Flats in Alexandria. Thus, yours truly, was nominated due to his noble status, high Ministry standing, aristocratic charm, and his renowned knowledge and appreciation of Antiquities." Draco finished sarcastically.
"And his apparent gullibility." Harry mumbled.
"What was that, Potter?"
"Was that an excerpt from Macomb's speech, or did you actually come up with that list of attributes yourself?" Harry said.
"Word for word." Draco said sullenly.
Harry laughed as he summoned another fish from Nyssan.
"So, what is the extent of your imperative mission to Egypt's magical world?" Harry asked.
"I have no idea." Draco said seriously, "I stopped listening after three minutes."
Harry stared at his companion, still leaning casually against the rail, gazing up at the sky.
"Something about good representation and showing interest or some-such."
"Malfoy," Harry began, "You have now officially spent far too much time around Gryffindors."
"Apparently, as your bad habits are rubbing off and staining my once good name."
Harry snorted, and the two shared a rare laugh. Harry waved two more fish into the chest before speaking up again.
"But, seriously, what do you have to do in Egypt?"
"Officially?" Draco said, "Attend the Conference and show England's ever-present support and interest of Egypt's culture and ways, add my knowledgeable opinion to the subjects discussed and formulate ties among Egypt's political betters." Draco watched Harry wave another fish into the chest. "How many?"
"Seven."
"Unofficially," Draco continued, "Dig out any possible rumors of dark intent, sort the present political and aristocratic powers into levels of potential danger and deliver a message of ignorance to any smart enough to see through said ignorant façade."
Draco turned to lean out over the rail, watching the water below.
"Personally, attend the blasted conference and follow orders half-heartedly while appearing the ever-dedicated, always loyal Ministry Representative. Then selfishly enjoy the all-expense-paid vacation to the deserts of Northern Africa for the remainder of the week."
Harry chuckled. "While dragging along the famous Boy-Who-Lived to boost your image?"
"Infamous, is more like it." Draco mumbled, "And that git, Macomb, insisted I invite England's greatest celebrity. If the Man-Who-Lived-Yet-Again would agree to attend."
"Figured as much." Harry said, summoning another fish. "I'm not sure whether to be insulted or not. You invite me along, giving me the sincere impression that you actually want me here for my company, when in reality you're only using me for my notoriety."
"Don't flatter yourself, Potter. Your name isn't that famous."
Harry smiled at Draco's Slytherin admission of their friendship and waved his ninth fish into the chest. The two stood in companionable silence, watching the shore line pass by while Harry summoned the fish that his familiar retrieved.
"The dawn is coming." Draco whispered.
Harry looked to the east, seeing evidence of Malfoy's statement in the slowly graying sky. He sighed and pulled his cloak snug around himself. He glanced over at Draco, who had pulled on a long gray muggle-style trench coat.
"Munio luminos!" Harry said, pointing his wand at his friend. A soft misty light enveloped Draco, and faded into his skin.
Draco then repeated the shielding spell and Harry closed his eyes as he felt the cool dampness of the spell settle over him.
"Even after fourteen years, I'm still not used to having to hide from the sun." Harry whispered.
"You better get used to it. You're stuck with it for the rest of your half-life." Draco said irritably. Harry turned back to the water. Neither of them had fully come to terms with the conditions that came with their lives.
"You do know that I blame you, right." Draco said.
Harry didn't reply, instead he hissed at Nyssan, who made her way up the pole to the rail of the boat. Her scales shimmered in the rising sun.
If you hadn't insisted on nearly killing yourself, than we wouldn't be in this position." Draco continued, "But, no! Famous Harry Potter had to go off and try making himself a martyr. Bloody brilliant, that was."
Harry waved his wand absently over the rod, returning it to a much smaller size. He pocked it while he did the same for the chest after placing the list of charms over it that Severus told him to.
"Voldemort couldn't manage to kill you, so you had to try to do it for them. Boy-Who-Lived succeeded where He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named failed! The presses would have had a hay-day out of that, I'm sure."
"They did have a hay-day, if I remember correctly." Harry said, letting the snake slide up his arm and coil herself around his shoulders again. "Remember, it was your idea not to let anybody know that I did survive. It took months before the wizarding world believed I was the real thing. There are still people who think I'm some Death Eater imposter; some new Dark Lord."
"Well, technically, you aren't alive, you know."
"The Vespertilli aren't quite alive." Harry said, "We, however, are every bit as alive as everyone else."
"Of course we are, Potter." Draco said, sarcasm lacing his words, "And Lupin is human."
"Remus IS human, Malfoy." Harry said, looking him in the eye.
"Right, you must have forgotten what happens to him at every full moon. That is not a human reaction to moonlight. Nor is our allergic reactions to direct sunlight, a normal human response."
"Draco. Must we go over this every morning?"
"We will until you finally accept the fact that we, like Lupin, are not fully human. We have Vampire blood in our veins, Potter, and all the joys that come with it."
"Not quite all, Malfoy."
"Its bloody well close enough!"
"Fine." Harry said, fed up, "We aren't human, but we aren't Vampires either."
Draco gave him a pointed look.
"We are allergic to garlic, silver and sunlight. We are nocturnal and complete insomniacs. We have unnatural regenerative abilities, night vision, and a sixth sense that points us directly to the nearest heartbeat. What, Potter, about this is not Vampiric to you?" he ended in a hiss.
Harry glanced back to the shoreline, now defined by dull colors instead of groups of light.
"We don't need blood to survive." He said quietly.
"It certainly doesn't harm us if we consume it, however." Draco said, subdued. He turned to lean over the rail next to his friend. "The Vespertilli drive a hard bargain."
"A life for a life." Mumbled Harry.
"In exchange for saving yours they get four half-lives; or quarter-lives if you prefer." Draco was silent for a moment. "Remind me to curse Severus when we get back. It was his bloody idea to take you to them."
"I thought you blamed me?"
"I do! You're the one that was near dead after the battle."
"Mmm. The killing curse tends to do that."
"Still don't know how you managed to survive that blasted curse twice. Nobody else has ever survived it once. Of course, nobody else has a scar on their head from a dark wizard's attempt at murder."
"Draco," Harry said, "Has anybody ever told you that you talk too much?"
"I seem to remember Severus saying something along those lines."
"And did Severus, by any chance, give you some advice on how to cure it?"
"Yea," Draco said with a smirk, "He told me in no uncertain terms to go talk someone else's ear away; namely, anyone that goes by the name Harry Potter."
Harry laughed, and they spent the remainder of the morning discussing easier topics as the boat made its way into the Nile Delta, and Egypt.
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Solvo Vita from (Latin) "to accomplish, fulfill" and "life"
Vespertilli from (Latin-Vespertilli) "bat, vampire"
Munio luminos! from (Latin) "to defend with a wall, protect, defend, shelter" and "light"