Knocking is easier. (Open to all)

[Cindra Rourke]

“A wyrm?” Cindra chuckled. New stock indeed! She figured the sort of trades he made in Hogwarts would be rather tame compared to those elsewhere, but at least he wasn’t strictly the jokes and liquor kind. It would be interesting to see what came of him bringing the creature inside the castle walls. It was her fifth year that someone had smuggled in a hoard of doxies. It was the only time she ever recalled bunk beds in the Infirmary and Doxy venom antidote becoming a high commodity. “At least it’s apparently not big enough to do more than that or the poor boy may be screaming his way past the Great Hall.”

“But I’m rather impressed.” An eyebrow rose as she tilted her head slightly. “That was incredibly quick on your part… I assumed you had hit the door.” She hadn’t seen anyone else, even if their footsteps were heard, but it had to have been damn good timing for him to take position fast enough for it to be believable. “You improvise well and without hesitation. Almost… like you were born to it.” Her smile was teasing.

Her gaze remained on him as he dipped his head and ran fingers through his hair. Black was actually well suited to him, she decided, even the assortment of metal that dangled from him at nearly every point imaginable. The darkness of one, the light glinting on the other, contradictory and yet complimentary for they intensified the stark contrast of the other. Some might find his appearance unnerving, or plain odd, but it was apt for him. Almost like a meager attempt to cage in the strength the shadows which hid so much.


”I’m an Animagi.”

Just when she was becoming accustomed to the surprises he had for her, she felt like she had just been cursed in the chest. An animagus was not something she even vaguely considered. It was as huge a revelation as her wandless abilities, which did even things out to an extent, but at his age? Floored. That’s what she was. She hadn’t even realized she had been holding the breath she sucked in at his words until her lungs could hold it no longer.

“Ah.”

Her mind was reeling so, no better phrase could pass her lips.

An animagi, she thought, her eyes scanning him again as she tried to piece together what she had made of him so far, particularly her previous thoughts on his appearance. Concentration and contemplation would be flitting across her face, as she ran the side of her finger against her chin again. His form was most definitely something feline. His expressions, his movements, from the grin he cast, to the glint in his eyes, to the speed of his cover up screamed it. Immediately a regular tabby was out of the question. Her eyes fell to the chains he wore. He wasn’t tame. Self-controlled, disciplined even, but never tamed.

A wild feline then. Something that would require that type of harnessing. She almost chuckled. Pantera- Panthera. Bit obvious, that. Cindra smiled despite herself. Genus Panthera then.

Only one fit. Only one could.

“A black panther.” It wasn’t a guess, it was a statement.

“Makes for getting out of the castle easier.” No one would stop a panther on its way off grounds, they’d probably be thankful to see it go. “Though I think it might draw too much attention in the corridors,” she gave a small chuckle.

“Pantera, you certainly do amaze,” she admitted after a moment. Then, looking down and straightening the bottom hem of her shirt, added before looking back up, “I frequent the Black Lake after nightfall.” It was after curfew, but she knew that wouldn’t be an issue. He would even blend in all the better, not that she wouldn’t be able to cover for him herself should the need arise.

Although, prowling the corridors seemed like a temptation he would give in to. And as she thought about it, her head tilted again, the question dancing in her eyes. Exactly how true to his form did he become?

[Pantera Tsua]

“No, it hatched a couple of months ago, so it’s only about the size of your average serpent… Doesn’t mean it hasn’t got a worthy bite though.” Pantera looked amused by her reaction and let another smile pull at the seam of his lips, of course, Pantera always managed a smile of sorts, but he’d been using them so frequently here he could feel an absent strain, despite the fact he couldn’t seem to stop himself at this point.

”Hopefully he’ll keep his composure, or I can assure you, he’ll be doing more then screaming. I'm sure you can imagine how difficult it is to get ones hands on a wyrm.” Seriously, if the kid lost that wyrm Pantera was going to have fun punishing him. Pain or maiming was a bit extreme within the realm of Hogwarts, but Pantera had his ways of dealing with things he didn’t like, or wasn’t pleased with.

“Ahaha!” Pantera’s laugh burst from behind his blackened lips before he thought to stop it and the male let himself relax into it a little, until the noise hushed to a silent chuckle that moved across the male’s slight shoulders, bobbing them up and down before he sucked in a breath and offered a smile stolen from the fictitious Cheshire Cat himself. “If only more people believed that, it would certainly make things easier.” The male admitted with another chuckle, before shaking his head letting his smile thin back to that of mild but genuine amusement.

Cindra seemed to have enjoyed his clue and Pantera wondered absently if the Animagi had crossed the woman’s mind at all before he’d mentioned it. He wouldn’t have incorporated it into an analysis so he couldn’t blame her for over looking that particular talent. There were a lot of people that overlooked it and believed that just normal transfiguration was better because of the wide birth of things you could become, most though, simply didn’t have the skill to master it.

It took a certain kind of person to connect with a transformation you had no choice in whatsoever, the first time one attempt it is the most dangerous because you just don’t have a clue what you’re going to turn into. Not unless you could look at yourself and make the correct judgements, but even then it was sketchy and there was always a chance you’d get stuck, midway between a wizard and a beast.

The surprise was quite evident in the way Cindra held her breath and Pantera tipped his head slightly, letting his smile curl a little at the corners when all she could manage was an ‘Ah’. That surprise was courtesy to Pantera’s father, who’d forced the spell upon him in the first place; Every Tsua heir was to know the spell, for a reason Pantera wasn’t privy to anymore.
He could almost see the intricate cogs working in the female’s head as she looked at him then dipped back into thought, cutting groups of animals out of her mind as they became unsuitable. Pantera had always thought it was an odd coincidence that he was named for the animal that suited him, even before he learnt the spell… but he’d been told his mother was a curious woman, a strange creature that Pantera’s father hadn’t even been able to fathom.

“Ah, very good.” Pantera nodded, dipping his head a little before he raised it, ushering a chime from the chains strewn across his jacket, as well as a ring from his earrings. “It makes for getting most places easier.” He admitted, though the creature was large, utilizing its prowess during the cloak of night was damn-near flawless, he was silent, disguised and no one could suspect it, because of the abstract nature of its origin. When one gets scared in the dark, they don’t turn round and wonder if a Panther is following them, after all.

It was good for watching over dealings, picking up information and for… entertaining himself during the night. You wouldn’t believe the things you could find within the wooded Hogwarts grounds.

”Amaze?” Pantera smiled but that look slipped from his face for a moment as the female continued and the Slytherin tipped his head, letting a couple of blackened fingers linger in front of matching lips. The Black Lake? Pantera’s smile returned but it was small and was followed by a laugh mixed in with a low exhale as he closed his eyes and let that smile flourish. “I take it you want to see, then?”

A shiver moved down Pantera’s spine at the prospect of changing, no matter how often he did it, that shiver never dulled. The night was usually restless for Pantera, that piece of him always stirred and it seemed ultimately too hard to ignore without people or things to distract himself with. He often gave into it and prowled where ever he wanted to, all the tethers of things fell away and for a few hours at a time he was free, until his mind and other things drew him back from that precarious state of mind.

”Why the Black Lake?”

[Cindra Rourke]

“Ahaha!”

It was the most uncharacteristic laugh coming from him that Cindra didn’t question its honesty. Perhaps she managed to surprise him as well.

The fact that people didn’t believe him didn’t shock her. Hell, she hadn’t imagined it as a possibility, and that assumption was based purely on his age. Animagus training began in the late teens; they didn’t usually master it. However, most people probably didn’t see more of the truths behind Pantera as she now did. Doubting his claim hadn’t crossed her mind. She did wonder, though, how he learned it. And only one plausible thought came to mind. Family. The Tsua name was familiar but she knew little beyond that, not that she wasn’t aware that every family had its secrets.

“I take it you want to see, then?”

Considering she had only known one other animagus, and he turned into a gecko, a black panther was certainly something to see. Cindra felt he might have asked thinking she accepted his claim, but didn’t take it as fact just yet. Lowering her hand to her lap, she smiled and quickly replied, “Yes, only because I’ve not seen one in person.” Unspoken were the words- not because I need proof.

“Why the Black Lake?”

Cindra leaned her head back at that. It wasn’t a question she had anticipated. Little did others take an interest in her preference of whereabouts, let alone the odd hours. Most just made a note of it and left it at that, if they bothered with it at all. Many took her for a sunny day kind of gal. Anyone half observant would know better. It would take Hogsmeade duty to get her outdoors for an extended period on a bright, warm day.

Never having been questioned about it, she had to take a moment to figure out how to put it. Like being asked why you feel a certain way when you never examined the reason yourself. As pieces came together, she spoke. “It’s… a place that never changes, yet is never the same.” Oh, brilliantly contradictory, she thought, not a good way to start. Clarifying as best she could, she went on.

“The lake is the same as it ever was- the same shore, the same plant life, the merpeople and Giant Squid, but the water… it changes, it reacts to the world around it. It freezes, it ripples, and it can be as calm as glass. Drop a pebble in it, touch it, and it accepts the disturbance, works around it and finds a way back to the way it had been. It adapts.” The words were coming easier now, and she no longer had to think about how she identified with it, one thought led to the next without her needing to try.

“In it I can see the reflection of the moon, the stars, the lights of the Great Hall, even myself, and they seem… distant… like looking through a mirror at a similar yet different world on the other side.” She paused and her gaze lowered to her hands momentarily before rising again, her mind breaking the eye contact as it ushered in another thought. “I can think there. Leave everything behind up here and just…” be myself, she wanted to say, but bit that down. “Relax. Most people don’t go near the Black Lake after dusk, it borders the Forbidden Forest and the inhabitants aren’t known to be very accommodating. It frightens some.” But all the more reason to enjoy it, she thought.

[Pantera Tsua]

It wasn’t so much people doubting him that was a cause for irritation, or even work, Pantera didn’t need their bowed heads and praises to know that he was good. Opinion didn’t much matter, it made things easier, but there were still ways of getting past that initial judgement made of him and his supposed lack of experience. It was more the fact of what they wanted to do with him, talent, unfortunately, came with a cage, tethers to the people that would use you to further their own world. Pantera’s father had been fatally arrogant, in that his son was to become the family heir and was to do it as all the other Tsua had. He was to follow a system and was to be ruled by his father and the Tsua ancestors…

It was all a lost cause really, from the moment Pantera entered the world and all those people set their expectations on him. No matter how much the Tsua and an annoying amount of other people wanted; Pantera was not tame. He bit and chewed at his chains; the hand was ‘fed’ him and snarled at the voice that was to keep him quiet and ‘acceptable’.

“Not many people have.” Pantera mused with a smile, keeping his sharp eyes on the female, finding no sign of doubt in her at all. That could be said of both Animagi and the Panther itself, but Pantera decided to focus on the animal, rather then the peculiar genus of wizard. “Its a lot different then seeing one caged, I’ve been told.” The male didn’t look particularly amused at that point, and smoothed his thumb over the small chain in his hand, deciding suddenly that the communication devices form was impractical.

The Slytherin looked up when Cindra began her answer on his inquiry about the black lake and Pantera’s smile returned. He seemed to enjoy her contradictory first sentence though and let his smile curve at its blackened ends. The female seemed to have trouble getting her words across at first, but she slipped into it and began to reveal points that weren’t even necessary. Pantera wondered at that point if she’d started this habit of dwelling near the Black Lake while she’d been a student here and had always thought of it that way.

Pantera thought of the Black Lake as a good place, but not because of such a sentimental and personal reason, but because it was pretty useful and interesting to boot. Though, it seemed unwise to go near the edge of the water… The male had had an incident with a couple of Mer-folk at the end of last year and he didn’t doubt they’d remember him. In fact, the creatures had a hefty amount of treasure stuffed into a deep crevice near the bottom of the lake, Pantera had convinced them to take, once upon a time.

He smiled slightly at the memory and drew the pad of his finger across his lips. He knew what Cindra was getting at though. Pantera watched her duck her gaze again, something she’d started doing quite often… it was curious, but Pantera for now supposed it was only because part of her was revealing things she wouldn’t normally… going by how things had started off.
It was good that the Black Lake was saved from much attention so far as the student were concerned, it made the place all the better, but Pantera had never gone there without a purpose. His preferred place of wandering was the Forbidden Forest itself. A cold shiver moved up Pantera’s spine at the very thought and he nodded lightly, keeping his eyes on Cindra’s face. “ That’s a good answer.”

“Ah. It seems like I’ve monopolised the questions again, have any more for me?” Pantera was forced to shift slightly as a sharp pain rushed up his arm and he scowled lightly at it, letting the chain slip from his fingers with a clatter upon the table. He smoothed his hands together afterward, brushing the palm of his left hand over the back of his fingers on his right. How long had he been here? It couldn’t have been that long? It didn’t feel like it… but then again, looking at all the information he’d picked up… He might as well have been here years.

[Cindra Rourke]

“Its a lot different then seeing one caged, I’ve been told.”

She would imagine so. If it weren’t for the fact that she already knew it would be him, Cindra would have likely cursed the daylights out of him had he just sprung that one on her. Especially if it were at night near the Black Lake. Cindra didn’t take those sort of surprises easily, as her instinct was to act first, think later, and leave little room for retaliation. As it was, she was sure she’d still have a small jolt when she would first see him in his animagus form. Panthers were big cats, big and deadly. Pantera wouldn’t change into one if there weren’t a certain amount of similarity there.

“Don’t laugh if I still jump a little the first time,” she replied a with smile. “I doubt you’ll give me the pleasure of seeing you approach from a far distance, so being caught off guard will be enough.” He might not know it yet, but she could be startled, too easily at times. It wasn’t a Rourke trait and it annoyed both her and father to no end. Portia, however, used the knowledge, on occasion, to his amusement.

Pantera has seemed to bring his own thoughts to the forefront while she talked of the lake, she noticed he tended to run his finger across his lips at times and she began to associate the action with his reminiscing, judging by the look in his dark eyes. Perhaps he had a history with the body of water as well. As she had briefly noted his movements during her own speech, she didn’t get a chance to come to these conclusions until she was done and he was speaking in reply.

“Ah. It seems like I’ve monopolized the questions again, have any more for me?”

Cindra was about to consider asking a few things that had come to mind during the course of their conversation when her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by something others might over look but her observing nature caught like a Muggle neon sign.

He shifted a little, which didn’t cause much alarm until it was accompanied by a scowl that did. When it was also joined by what should be an obvious indicator of something being off, the clank of his chain being released to hit the table, Cindra’s brow furrowed. Leaning forward, she laid her right arm on the table, her chest pressed against the edge as her gaze became more piercing… and worried as he ran his left palm over his fingers.

Any questions she may have previously had vanished as new ones rushed forward.

“Yes,” she began, the concern hard to hide from wiggling into her voice, “I do.” Her eyes fell to rest on his hands and the chain laying on the table. “A few… The first of which is... what happened just now?” Slowly she lifted her gaze back to his face, an eyebrow quirked in a manner even Portia would appreciate. If there was ever anything she felt she needed to know about Pantera, it was what brought about that change.

[Pantera Tsua]

It was only natural really, to be a little skittish when coming across an animal that still retained its wilderness. Pantera had seen a lot of people flinch at its presence, even people he wouldn’t ever have expected to stiffen in the presence of a mere animal. He also recalled the fact Cindra had jumped when he’d first entered the room at the beginning of all of this, at first he’d put it down to some sort of ill-business but after all their talking he didn’t think that was it anymore. Pantera wouldn’t lie and say his mind had moved back to that point until now though, so he was left without a reason to discover.

He smiled lightly at the second part of that sentence though and chuckled slightly, she was right, there was very little chance he’d let her see him before he was dangerously close. It would be interesting to see how fast she would react though, even if he couldn’t test that later… because she already knew he’d be coming.

The male rolled his shoulder in its socket slowly, testing it, but he wasn’t smiling any more, it was suspiciously stony – still calm, but amusement and ease seemed to have drained from it to an extent. It was a rather unnerving expression, but it hadn’t focused on Cindra at all yet, before Pantera pushed his seat back a little and lent forward, letting his right arm hang down over the side of the seat. The male’s dark eyes were locked on it for a moment before he tipped his head to the side and closed the dark fames of his eyes, giving Cindra back some of his attention.

”…A particular set of wounds have opened up.” He graced the female was a small smile, but there was nothing in it, it was just a movement of the lips, rather then any kind of expression; clearly the male wasn’t happy. It was far from fear though, more irritation twinned with something that couldn’t quite be expressed with his suddenly rather vacant expressions. “Which means I’ve been summoned.”

More pain flickered up his arm and he clenched his hand, with another scowl toward the limb, a thin line o crimson slipped from the black hem of his sleeve and moved down a couple of his slender fingers. “My father isn’t the most intelligent man, but he makes up for it with brutality. This is a precaution, so I don’t…retaliate.” Perhaps it wasn’t the best choice of word…but it was good enough. Apparently Pantera was considered dangerous and hadn’t been allowed to go near his father under normal circumstances for years.

Of course, Pantera couldn’t say the notion wasn’t justified, on the rare case the male ever lost his temper, he really lost his temper; and it wasn’t like Mister Tsua ever summoned him for anything pleasing, after all.

He didn’t like this one though, there was a tinge to the air that irritated him and Pantera couldn’t think why his father wanted to see him. It seemed suspicious and precarious at the same time. The only thing Pantera could rightly make out… what that someone no knew something they shouldn’t.
”It’s not urgent, the man can wait.” He said matter of factly, with an irritated tinge to his tone before he scowled again and tested his fingers, suppressing a wince.

Pain was fine… it was a type of price and Pantera was quite accustomed to it, but even so… the man had picked a perfect time to pull his usual stunts. The slytherin didn’t doubt there’d be more questions to follow, there was nothing really wrong with answering, considering Cindra not knew more then she ought to now anyway. More pain pricked across Pantera’s back and then across his chest, which caused him to shift again in discomfort.

All the wounds were inflicted by a particular spell, and from his fathers wand no less, so they were his to open and close as he pleased. Pantera had tired multiple times to sever the tie with counter magics, but evidentially – none had worked.

[Cindra Rourke]

Cindra watched as Pantera rolled his shoulder, his expression blank and stony, which from what she learned of him was probably the closest he would get to ever displaying pain. It was too calm, as if practice had made the response effortless to whatever it was that ailed him. Coupled with the silence of her awaiting his response, his letting his arm dangle at his side while he pushed back his chair did nothing to waylay her concern.

”…A particular set of wounds have opened up. Which means I’ve been summoned.”

The smile he cast her was empty. So was the sigh that escaped her lips as she laced her hands together on the table, her fingers tightly entwining. Opening wounds to summon. The thought sent an uncomfortable tingle down her spine.

She wouldn’t need to ask to know that sort of power had roots in the arts she endeavored to avoid. They were seductive, they clouded ones perspective, and turning from them was equal to withdrawing from a drug addiction. Never had she been able to avoid it’s presence around her, it had it’s own signature in the very air. While magic itself was able to be sensed, more strongly in the Muggle world than here where it inhabited the very stone, so to did the Dark Arts, their signature a sweet richness that would make licorice seem bitter. It had taken her years to dull her senses to it, as her mother did, to mentally push all sense of its presence away and happily pretend it wasn’t there.

And though they never spoke of it, she had often seen in her mother’s eyes the recognition of things they wished to ignore and the struggle to overlook them anyways. Cindra felt that way now, and it made her stomach turn over.

“My father isn’t the most intelligent man, but he makes up for it with brutality. This is a precaution, so I don’t…retaliate.”

“Your father?” The shock was evident in her voice. “He would use this as a means of summoning you?” Her own suddenly looked angelic in comparison. Luan had never used anything of this magnitude on her, or even remotely dark to the best of her knowledge. Then again, Cindra had never done anything to cross him- to his knowledge. Caution was one of her greatest strengths.

“Is that wise, making him wait?” Surely a wizard willing to use physical pain in such a manner would do worse if antagonized. Then she remembered Pantera’s scars. Eyes widening, she shot straight up in her seat, the pieces fitting together in her mind. She didn’t like it. She abhorred it in all honesty.

So it was to prevent him retaliating. Apparently he had fought back in some way. Even if he had attempted murder, at this point she felt it pretty justified. But then, it also pointed to something else that even the elder Tsua might not acknowledge… fear. Why control Pantera in such a capacitating way if you weren’t afraid of his strength.

“You’ve tried to find a way to counter it.” She didn’t need confirmation; she expected it of him. Feral beings didn’t tuck tail. “We need to.” Cindra wasn’t giving him an out on this one. She had sources to tap he didn’t and she intended to use them. His father couldn’t have this sort of control over him if he were going to go his own direction. They both knew that. It was a complication he couldn’t afford.

She leaned forward again, untangling her fingers as they slid up to hug her elbows as she put her weight on her forearms. They needed a place to start and he was the only one who could tell her where that was. “What do you already know of the spell?” she asked, her eyes calculating and her lips tight.

[Pantera Tsua]

Was it really such a shock? But then… Cindra hadn’t given any sign she knew much about the Tsua. They weren’t a particularly hard secret to scope out, but it wasn’t that that made them difficult, it was the simple fact the power they had was influential and dangerous… it wasn’t genius and faltered quite often, but people were ruled easily by fear. All the more when they came out of their little holes and realised that wasn’t a single place left without a contamination of darkness.

Pantera needn’t answer he parrot of surprise though and he kept his eyes on the female, ignoring the pain with an ease that was unnerving in itself. The male almost felt the need to laugh, who would be so used to pain that they could shut off the feel of it? It was interesting though and Pantera often got to experiment with how much he could take, not because he went looking for it, but because he knew enough to make good of every situation – in one way or another.

The male let loose a chuckle when the female asked a question he’d assumed would come at some point. “What kind cat comes when it’s called?” Pain was nothing compared to how much that insufferable man would inflict upon what had been a pretty good day. Whilst the man didn’t always promise pain, he usually only called Pantera to see if he could pin more invisible chains on his unworthy child. The rat who was ‘lucky’ enough to be able to keep his last name, Pantera couldn’t think why that had been allowed, not that any thoughts pertaining to the man were often distracted by a horrible bloody rage.

Cindra shot up in her seat quickly enough to make Pantera move slightly too, he kept his gaze on her steadily and then let his attention wane a little. The one thing he didn’t want was for the woman to get involved, it was suspicious and would probably arouse more attention then the male could stand from the highest belt of Tsua. Pantera would get out of it sometime and he even had more incentive to do so now that this Portia thing had come up. Though, even a hindrance to that wasn’t as purely irritating as being tethered to that man. Pantera wasn’t going to be their heir anymore and was typically worse then a rat within the ranks of the Tsua family and associates, so why did the man feel the need to keep Pantera on this demeaning leash?

Oh sure, Pantera made for an interesting pet but there had to be some other reason.

It was Pantera’s turn to stiffen sharply in his seat and the male lent forward, scowling slightly at Cindra as his dark eyes fastened upon her with a dark severity. “We?” There was a good chance the woman could help him break this… whatever you wanted to call it. It raised more problems then it would solve though, or far as Pantera could see… what would he do when he was released so suddenly? His father would take it personally and even though the Slytherin rathered the man wouldn’t hold up without this little precaution, he then had the rest of the Tsua to worry about. Incurring the wrath of a particularly dangerous underground wasn’t a good idea – no matter how good Pantera was.

”It’s too delicate an issue to… fix like that.”

And if he didn’t dispose of his father, or get the man to back off, then he was still a rat; one with enough inside information on the Tsua to put a Varity of large holes in their entire design.

”If it comes off, there’s going to be …”

The male laughed slightly despite himself, as he came to a conclusion and then looked thoroughly amused for a long moment, half covering his blackened lips with a couple of fingers on his left hand.

What was a means to an end, without risks?

“Well, I think it’s a type of charm, one that’s based on the signature of my fathers wand, rather then the wounds themselves… to the point where it can manipulate older curses from the residue magic that’s left behind from any spell. I can’t be sure though, going by that lead all the things I’ve tried have failed.” Pantera moved his wounded arm and tested the join, but made no expression toward the pain that carried through his entire body until he decided to let the limb down again, dripping more dark crimson into the small puddle collected at the back leg of his chair. “ It could be a relation to some sort of cutting curse… definitely dark magics. It’s … bonded in some fashion or another, either to me, his wand or to Mister Tsua himself. I can’t really be sure... each theory has its flaws.”

[Cindra Rourke]

Pantera’s eyes could have turned feline at the moment he leaned forward and pierced her with his gaze and Cindra wouldn’t have been surprised. She didn’t react however, as she had already set her mind to it and when she said we, she meant there was no arguing the point. Her help didn’t have to be obvious, but he was getting it in one way or another. Her first dalliance with Portia had proved her ability to acquire information of a delicate nature under volatile circumstances.

What she quickly discerned through his words was that he wasn’t just a Tsua, he had to be a son of The Tsua. It was good to know, for it did color things differently, but it didn’t faze her. Being the Rourke heir had caused her to grow up in the tumultuous environment of politics and the dangers that went along with it. The need was still there to solve this problem, it would just need more careful execution.

Her eyes noted his movement of the affected arm and she leaned a little to see how much damage he was suffering. The blood pooling by his chair leg wasn’t a good sign. While she had several thoughts milling around with the information he had divulged, she instead addressed the matter of his blood loss. “I take it anything you’ve tried to stop the blood flow made it worse?” Her instincts were usually right, but it wasn’t always a blessing.

Sighing, she dropped her gaze, closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. For some reason, blocking out all light and applying that small amount of pressure helped her puzzle through facts and theories of spell work all the quicker. Charms came as easily to her as calculations and devising some spells of her own had never been that difficult, especially if arithmantic equations fit in, then they were like child’s play.

“Yes, I gathered that… a dark charm.” This wasn’t going to be a picnic for her, but it was easier knowing she was going to delve into it to help and not hinder. It wouldn’t be the first time she heard of darkness being the intent not the means. Another sigh and she opened her eyes, peering at him from between her lashes. “Residual magic is possible, they do tie one to the source, but it’s flawed. A wand’s signature, though unique, does run the risk of being similar enough to another it could attach itself to the wrong trace. Twin wands are rare, but sibling wands are actually quite common. I doubt it could be that, or that alone.”

Finally, she lowered her hand to the table with a light thud, her ability to focus on him visually tied to the clarity of her train of thought once more. He had to be learning her idiosyncrasies by now. “Then there’s the wounds themselves. I wouldn’t be wrong in assuming those particular ones aren’t the only ones he gave you, would I?” The potential pieces kept fitting together and coming at her quickly. “For if he manipulates only a certain wound, or wounds, then he had to have singled them out for the charm, which would mean distinguishing them, and the residual magic in them, from the others. They had to be marked.”

Cindra leaned back and covered her mouth with a finger as she stumbled on the matter. Discussions with Mychal came to mind and she sifted through her memory. After a moment, she lifted the finger, somewhat pointing it towards the ceiling as she went on. “Blood would be too indiscriminate, as your family would all share similar properties, blood type and all.” Wizards knew little of biology as Muggles did and had it not been for her Muggleborn friend and his own scientist father, she probably wouldn’t have either.

“But DNA. That is entirely unique to the individual, regardless of familial ties.” It did point to family connections but no more than that. Even fewer wizards knew of DNA, but many in the Dark Arts knew of the power inherent in using pieces of themselves in spells of possession. Spells that marked. Spells that bound.

The fact she may have a solid theory was weaved in her smile. “I need to know… Did he ever heal those wounds, inspect them, touch them? I need to know if he ever had contact with them, no matter how minute.” If she was correct, and Mister Tsua had, her instincts told she was on the right path. They would know how it worked, and to a point, how it had been cast, the real trouble would come with figuring out how to counter it. But if they could get over this first hurtle, the next would be that much easier.

[Pantera Tsua]

Pantera kept his severe glare fixed on her, furrowing his brow to add a bit more darkness to the expression, he wasn’t happy with this and definitely didn’t want for Cindra to get involved. The woman could handle herself, Pantera was sure, but that wasn’t the point. In order to calculate the spell and an appropriate counter, she would need details and the slytherin male wasn’t at all happy with divulging anything. He’d much rather face Mister Tsua for whatever dastardly reason, come back and rest until he regained the sickening amount of blood he would’ve lost. If attempts had taught him nothing else, it was that testing this damned charm just wasn’t smart while the wounds were open.

Pantera’s eyes narrowed sharply as she made a correct assumption and the male nodded lightly, still glaring, but its severity was thinning by the second, as if the male understood enough to presume it was pointless, not to mention it only added to his overall agitation. He wondered mildly why the female thought there was any point in helping, Pantera wasn’t going to let it hinder anything pertaining to Portia or his other jobs; it hadn’t yet, anyway. That though, was exactly why expectations were precarious, the moment you couldn’t handle them failing they did; it was the price for luck, one that built up and up until it just wasn’t possible to pay out in one single instalment.

”I don’t know… magic through a wand alone would have a signature pertaining to its attributes, yes, but if you pair that with the magical signature of the person himself then it becomes unique. The pairing can be similar to others to a mild degree…but no more then that, not enough to disrupt casting.” Pantera lifted a blackened finger to his forehead, pressing the nail of a finger against his skin enough to erupt some notable pain. Replacing one pain with another was the key, it allowed for a moment of concentration as he mulled through thoughts enough to separate them.

As soon as she returned her gaze to him, Pantera knew a question would follow and he tipped his head in preparation for it, letting a scowl twitch across his brow in irritation at it. “No, but they’re the only one’s inflicted by the use of his wand.” Oh, today was quickly going down hill and Pantera’s finger travelled to the dark skin over his right eye before he decided to lower the hand entirely, resting it on the table a moment before he curled his fingers inward a little, gracing the wood of the table with his long nails. Pantera had already presumed some of that, but his father hadn’t been especially subtle about the transition from trying to correct his ‘impudent’ son as a beast, then suddenly switching for that single time with his scornful wand.

At first Pantera had put that down to the fact he’d gone too far that time, but his satisfaction had swelled at the very thought of drawing so much blood from the man. Oh how that beast within him stirred at the memory. The very thought incurred a smile across Pantera’s lips and he pressed a finger to it before tipping his head forward a little, allowing the female his gaze again, just as a primordial flicker passed through it.

What was that? Muggle science? Pantera had heard about it but he’d never allowed his mind the knowledge, if he ever needed to know, he was confident he could look it up – but quite frankly not many people within the wizarding world knew much about it either, not enough to use it against the other unsuspecting wizards anyway. Pantera felt perhaps Cindra was giving his father too much credit at this point, the man was a prudish noble there was no way he’d delve into the realms of Muggle theories to handle anything, let alone his ‘feral’ son. Then again, Pantera was aware he was bias, he’d only ever seen the worst of the man and as much as he hated to even think it…

He wasn’t head of the Tsua for nothing.

Pantera paused slightly and sat up a little, tipping his head with a look of mild discomfort as he drew his mind back, he closed the dark frame of his eyes and flicked through that particular incident, before Pantera had become aware of this sick little summons. The male looked increasingly agitated as he sat there silently and then opened his eyes looking directly at Cindra for an additional minute. “ Yes…” The male grimaced slightly, half wondering why this hadn’t come to the front of his mind earlier. “ He wasn’t even discrete about it… ran his finger across them.” Pantera would have bitten that hand off if he hadn’t have been restrained at that point, that and even the Panther stilled for a short moment under the man’s hand after he’d dug his finger into a wound when Pantera had snapped.

It was justified though and Pantera wouldn't pretend otherwise.

[Cindra Rourke]

“No, but they’re the only one’s inflicted by the use of his wand.”

She was on the right track then, Cindra was sure of it. The spell rang of precision; anyone harboring a need for control of that magnitude wouldn’t leave any room for mistake. Though he was good at tolerating the pain, it was clear Pantera was still in the dark charm’s grip. His answering the summons would surely be the only way for him to find relief from it. Yet another fact that pointed in the direction she suspected.

Her grip on her elbows tightened until she felt her nails starting to dig into her flesh. There was much that happened to him, much she would probably never know judging by his nature as she understood it, but as she was now irrevocably tied to him and liked him as well, she couldn’t stomach the thought of this spell being on him longer than was necessary. As it was, she didn’t like him putting off answering the summons but it couldn’t be avoided if she was going to get as much information as she could in order to have a place to start. Insisting him leave to alleviate her own conscious would only cost her time, as she’d have to wait until another time to get what she needed to even begin.

A double-edged sword.

Then Pantera confirmed her suspicions. Mister Tsua had made contact with those wounds, and not discreetly either. He was familiar with forms of physical binding. He might not understand it from the perspective she did, but he didn’t need to. He didn’t even need to know he was leaving a piece of himself behind in his son’s wounds, wizards would likely think it was the touch that was important. Like with the Cruciatus, wizards didn’t need to know the workings of the nervous system to cast it.

But it did give her and Pantera an advantage.

Many of the Dark Arts had ancient roots and ancient wizards would lack modern knowledge, such as Muggle sciences, which would enable there to be a way to circumvent the spell, a loophole they wouldn’t have suspected. They could be countered it in an indirect way that ancient wizards couldn't have anticipated. In ways Mister Tsua wouldn’t likely anticipate.

Cindra’s grip loosened leaving small moon shaped marks on the skin around her elbows as she smiled. Now that she knew what she needed to look into in order to find a way to remove Pantera’s binding, her eyes flashed with promise and Cindra suddenly reached for her robes. “I know how it’s done… the bond between your wounds and his wand.” She knew the best place to begin but needed to ensure she’d not be disturbed. The sooner she could determine she could go, the better; she’d apparate out tonight if it would be the only chance she’d get in while. There were other sources to tap, naturally, but this held the best variety of what she needed to explore and the more to work with, the better.

“But I need more information, the kind even the Restricted Section doesn’t offer.” With a smirk she stood, slipped into the robes and grabbed her things. She paused, wishing she could do something more as her gaze lingered on him. “I’m not sure how long it will take,” though he would know this Cindra still found herself saying it. Information was a valuable item, and usually costly. “Should you need me…” one of the advantages to wearing the band- she was constantly in contact with it, so the words passed to his chain the moment she wished them to...

You know how to reach me.

Determined to set things in motion, she turned and headed towards the door. And strangely, she never made mention of a price.

[Pantera Tsua]

Pantera watched the female’s grip loosen on her elbows, and at that point he knew she was going to leave. This didn’t help the agitation he felt at her help, she hadn’t named a price yet, but the gravity of such could be severe. Not to mention that searching for more leads would mean she’d be delving into the dark arts, which were a precarious thing to delve into. People became a little stiff when one looked deeper then necessary into the dart arts and those were the sorts that wouldn’t wait for a reason to pick their own price for knowledge.

The male tipped his head back a little and moved his wounded arm, once again he didn’t so much as wince at the pain and looked at the limb calmly instead, before testing his fingers again. Well, it was a start, Pantera nodded slightly, flicking his gaze back to Cindra as she reached for her teaching robes. The Restricted Section in the library? Pantera had already bled that source dry at this point, forgive the pun, and it hadn’t served for much, even if he had picked up a couple of other things. Even Pantera doubted the school would allow such brutal ‘bonding’ spells, no matter how lenient they were with most over things.

He watched her slip her robe on and collect up the things she’d set aside quite some time ago and lent his head on the palm of his left hand, lifting his right so that it rested across the arm of his chair. It didn’t take long for new line of dark crimson to cut itself across the surface of the wood however. At this time, Pantera could quite easily presume his father was enraged, probably kicking about a couple of lackeys as he was forced to wait.

A scowl moved across Pantera’s brow, and he closed his eyes after watching her pause for a moment to look at him, that didn’t ease him in the least; her hesitation. “ There’s no rush.” The male decided to counter, setting his eyes on Cindra again with a small smile, his gaze flickered to the chain on the table and he tipped his head to read it, breathing out a laugh all of a sudden, as if he might’ve accidentally choked on it.

“I can see you’re going to be very bad for business.”

The fact Cindra hadn’t asked for price, even as she left made Pantera shift slightly, but he presumed she’d ask for one later, there was no use putting down one now, while she was still unsure how much effort this little charade would take. Although Pantera liked that brash streak she’d picked up in the midst of their discussion, he couldn’t help hoping that she wouldn’t do anything unnecessary while going after this information. Though it wasn’t especially risky on first thought… there was always a chance any information could throw one in to more trouble then it was ever worth.

Pantera curled his left hand round the chain after Cindra left the room and looked at it absently for a moment before sweeping his fingers across the letters, erasing them promptly before he concentrated a little and allowed the woman another freebie.

The Forbidden Forest, tap three times; I’ll find you.

Even when Pantera left his father’s company, the wounds would still be there, not bleeding as profusely as they were, but they’d be left to heal over in their own time, until another summons. During that time Pantera didn’t dare try to tolerate school, the people in it, or the less important business transactions, he spent a couple of days ‘recuperation’ within the confines of the Forbidden Forest, giving in – for sanities sake- to the wilderness.

The Slytherin sat back in his seat after that and closed his eyes for a moment of relaxation before he pressed his hands into the table and pushed himself up from his seat, pausing a moment while the pain shot through his body. Pantera would put off answering his summons for another couple of hours, only because the thought of his fathers rage satisfied a less developed part of him, he had things to busy himself with, preparations to make before he would vanished for a couple of days, unbeknownst to anyone… Aside from Cindra Rourke.