Thestral Nest

“Hmm,” Sevastyan uttered, somewhere between curiosity and relief. He was relieved the wizards had only had the one aethenon, though that didn’t mean they – or those of similar thinking – couldn’t steal another one . . . it didn’t take a genius to figure that out. ‘What could they have wanted with the creature?’ Sevastyan felt the urge to ask, though doubted Nick was certain of such a thing either.

Sevastyan allowed a sympathetic laugh upon hearing about how Persephone more or less attached herself to Nicolas after being rescued. “I suspect she vould not be the same vithout a herd, or a companion of some sort. The aethenon, like horses vithout vings, can be qvite social.

“And, since it vos you who rescued her, she has no doubt ascertained that you vill continue to do so. She and I are right, are ve not?” Sevastyan surmised, his countenance jovial so the last-minute question would be taken as conversational, with a dash of humor, as opposed to the distinct impression of being interrogated. After all, had Sevastyan been in Nick’s shoes he would’ve done the same things.

Nicolas shrugged. "I'm not quite sure. My uncle says that they might have been running an animal black market or something of the sort. I think they wanted her wings." Nicolas said coldly.


Nicolas chuckled. "Yes, you both are right. But honestly, sometimes I feel like, she's the one rescuing me. A flight on her can be very envigorating. It's a nice escape, better than a broomstick I think. I mean brooms are great for Quidditch but when your flying you are pretty much alone, When I'm on Persephone, I know everywhere we go, it's the both of us."

Sevastyan's eyes darkened at the speculation. It was one thing to steal an aethenon for one's own use; against the law, but not quite as severe. Abusing the animal was unforgivable even as it was, without a black market being involved. Sevastyan nodded darkly, agreeing with Nicolas. "Either vings or blood vould be my guess; both vould be usable as potion ingredients," he pointed out, though held back a portion of his other thoughts for discretion's sake.

A noise of agreement left Sevastyan's lips; he could understand where Nicolas was coming from on that one. "It is often that vay, I think," Sevastyan contributed. "Brooms vould be more humane for Qvidditch, at any rate. I know I vould rather allow myself to be hit by a bludger - risking limb and life itself - than allow Morana to come to harm."


"Do you play Qvidditch, Mr. Casillas? For a House team, I mean?" Sevastyan asked.

"Well, I do play," Nicolas said. "But not for the Gryffindor team, my prefered position is Keeper but, I think my cousin already filled that post."

"Ah, I see," Sevastyan returned. "I play a little as vell. Not qvite as much as ven I vos in school, though. My position vos Beater, though on some games I vos a Chaser instead. It all depended, as you say, on vether or not the position vos filled."

"Beater sir?" Nicolas asked. "I would have thought you'd be a Chaser."

"I vanted the position of Chaser," Sevastyan admitted. "However, it vos sometimes the case ven all three positions vere filled. So, I chose Beater, because there vos no vay I could spot the snitch in the snow!" The comment was punctuated with a laugh.

Nicolas chuckled. "Good point."

"Yes, I think Seekers' get the raw end of the deal really. They don't really get to participate in the action that much."

"Agreed. They are pretty much off by themselves, yet are alvays singled out by incoming bludgers. I vonder how that happens," Sevastyan remarked, his question obviously not requiring an answer just by the way he pointedly looked around in exaggeratedly feigned innocence. "But at least it's not a foul-vorthy tactic: ve're just doing vot ve do..." he laughed.

Nicolas sniggered. "That is true. It's a good way to vent out all your anger."

"Professor, if you don't mind me asking... why did you decided to be a teacher?"

"Yes," Sevastyan returned with a slight chuckle. What he didn't mention was just how accurate the lad's assessment of such a thing was: it was an excellent source for anger management, something Sevastyan had sorely needed as a teen.

A single eyebrow rose in initial response to the question. "That is a good qvestion, Mr. Casillas," he began, partially stalling for time yet on the other hand deciding to answer at least a lion-share [no pun intended] of his inquiry. In his own opinion it was probably the one question he was asked the most, yet Sevastyan tended to handle each case of being asked a little differently.

Gray-irised eyes lowered in thought for a few moments before returning to their watchful position, trained entirely on the Gryffindor before him. "Let's just say, in my experiences around the vorld, I encountered some very strange, very Dark things and people. Knowing there vould be several generations of youths about to follow in similar footsteps, I decided I vould teach how to protect voneself from such things, instead of allowing inexperienced vitches and vizards to become easy prey for the various evils out there." It was mostly the truth: the only thing Sevastyan didn't come right out and say was that he sought out those "dark things" in search for power and was, for a time, deeply down the path of darkness. But Nick didn't need to know that right now, in Sevastyan's thinking.

"Dark things sir?" Nicolas inquired.

"Yes. Creatures and beings, objects, and, most obviously, spells. I probably should have specified, but "things" is an umbrella term I am perhaps a little too used to," Sevastyan began to explain pleasantly. Deciding creatures would be a good place to start, he continued, "Of creatures and sentient beings, I mean specifically Dementors, Verevolves - only ven fully transformed that is, Vampires, and Inferi to name a few. You might scoff at the middle two, if you've seen Muggle theater and how some of them are portrayed. Zombies are another vone, often confused vith Inferi," he explained.

"Are you familiar vith any of these examples?" Sevastyan asked suddenly, slightly curious about the impromptu lesson of sorts. It was also an offer to answer any questions the lad might've had about these creatures/beings. After all, not even Sevastyan heard the word 'Inferi' every day.

"I am familiar with Werewolves," Nicolas said frowning slightly, "I did a little bit of research on them in Drumstrang. And Vampires as well."

"It's Inferi and zombies I am most unfamiliar with though," Nicolas admitted. "What is the difference between them? I would assume Inferi are stronger and more dangerous then zombies... just judging on how people mention them in everyday conversations."

"You vent to Durmstrang? Then ve are on the same boat - no pun intended - for I vos taught there as vell," Sevastyan replied, the brief change of subject more out of pleasant surprise than anything.

"An excellent qvestion to ask, Mr. Casillas. They are actually very similar, in appearance and motivation at least. I take it you have not seen the creation of either vone?" Sevastyan began, pausing for a moment to examine Nick's face by eye and then added, "Of course not. Or so I should hope...

"The difference is all in the preparations taken: Zombies vere once living before the sorcerer they serve gives them a potion - vich is in reality a. . . how shall I put this? It is not entirely a poison, but it acts like vone. So, a zombie is basically marked for death and subsequent resurrection vhile the person is still living. Ven summoned from their grave, generally fifty years later at the minimum, the newly-formed zombie has no mind of its own, and does the vill of the sorcerer that made the potion they drank. This connection is often a dark bonding unknowingly made by the drinker.

"Inferi, on the other hand, can be made to live again at any time, and requires no premeditation: just villpower to reanimate the corpse, and a lot of it, because let me tell you it is no mean feat to restore life to the inert. Inferi are much more dangerous than zombies because of the lack of focus and foresight in their creation," Sevastyan explained about as much as he could without getting into precise details.

"Creating a zombie or an Inferi should never be attempted, Mr. Casillas. Do you know vy((why))?" he asked, his features as about as grave as the topic being discussed.

"I have no idea," Nicolas said currently raptured by the subject at hand. Not that he was planning to raise any dead people... he just had certain interest.

Of course he wouldn't know, Sevastyan mentally slapped himself. How old was Casillas anyway - fifteen? Sixteen? Inferi was a NEWT level creature of study, a couple years above his present one at the most. But, on the other hand, Sevastyan was more than willing to facilitate a student's rise to the top so long as they were interested in learning. However, precisely telling him how to make a zombie, or the process of creating an Inferi, was not allowed here. If they were at Durmstrang it'd be a little different... According to the regulations of Hogwarts' standards of education, Sevastyan had said more than enough about their creation but not too much. In fact, the warning about not going and creating an army of living undead was expected of Sevastyan by law.

"By Vizarding Law - though Muggles likely have a similar vone - a body is the property of the individual and no one else. It is ultimately up to you vether or not to get a tattoo, or a piercing, and so on. A vill is often made before somevone dies, and in it contains the vishes of the eventually deceased - you probably already know this.

"Sometimes, in such a vill, a person vill indicate vot plans they vant executed for their memorial service..." Sevastyan was forcibly reminded of the service his family had held for his cousin, Nikolai, which only manifested in an abrupt pause. "By no rights votsoever should vone reanimate a corpse that is not their own. However, this tends to happen despite such a regulation: possession and spectral stepping-in being common but more temporary violations of this right.

"After all, you vould not like just anyvone inhabiting your body for their own use, vould you?" Sevastyan asked with a quirked eyebrow. He for one didn't like the sound of it.

After another brief pause, Sevastyan resumed the unexpected lecture, "Also, the creation of either vone is a Dark Art that upsets the natural order of the circle that is life. A fallen leaf in autumn cannot naturally return, bright and green again, to the branch it fell from, for example. Do you understand this reasoning?"

Nicolas nodded in understanding. "I know I wouldn't want to be a zombie for anyone."

"But what sort of person would want to become a Inferi on purpose?"

Sevastyan nodded: when put into those terms, it was easy to see why it wouldn't be wise. After all, what one wouldn't like done to oneself shouldn't be done to others - karma was funny like that, though Sevastyan couldn't exactly say or even think that such a notion was learnt through experience without lying clean through his teeth. But, he was fairly certain his delving into the dark arts would surely come back to haunt him even more than it currently did.

"No vone vould vant to become an Inferius - the singular of Inferi - on purpose, or at least I should hope not. Regardless, they vould need the help of a living vizard if they had vanted to. Not all reanimated corpses are Inferi or Zombies; some essences - ghosts, you could call them more or less - vould even need a whole new body rather than their old vone for a second try.

"Generally, it is a great fear of death that causes vone to take radical measures to counteract it. For example, the path Voldemort had to have taken before being defeated - brought back to life in a different body - and then defeated again. It is speculated that he feared death perhaps a bit more than the average person, and sought measures to become immortal." Sevastyan explained.

"I suppose in the end ve all learn from our mistakes, even if some of us discover it a little too late." he commented quietly, absentmindedly.

Nicolas' eyes narrowed. It seemed like the Professor was talking from experience.

"But there must be other ways of trying to preserve your life. I mean becoming a mindless zombie seems rather drastic."

"It is drastic," Sevastyan replied, not missing the narrowing of the lad's eyes. "And there are vays of trying. But there are no guarantees, and vith some the risk is hardly vorth it.

"Now, the philosopher's stone vos not necessarily a Dark creation and extended the lifetime of Sir Nicolas Flamel. Very difficult to make, and I believe Flamel either hid or destroyed the documents. But, in the wrong hands, the stone could be potentially dangerous." Sevastyan didn't like where he felt this conversation could head, and hence brought up the stone in hopes to take Nick's mind off of it. There was enough trouble as it was with Horcruxes - Sevastyan didn't need or want to add to the list.


((Sevastyan doesn't know that the original Stone was destroyed in 1991-2))

((XD or was it..?))

"Of course." Nicolas nodded. "Imagine a stone that could make you rich and prolong your life. The two things almost any man would do anything for."

((Good point! xD))


"Yes. And I vould imagine many have even killed for it," Sevastyan commented, reminded of a similar goal he'd had quite a few years back. "But is it truly something ve vould desire so much, that ve vould forsake everything - family, friends, knowledge, power, even tempting the fates of our own lives - to attain it?" It was sort of a philosophical question that did not necessarily require an answer. Sevastyan knew that, had he been presented this question back when he'd thought about finding and using the stone, he would have found it very difficult to see the other person's point of view.

"If one wanted it bad enough, I think he'd give up almost any thing for it." Nicolas said. If he'd want something badly, he'd give up anything.

"Agreed," Sevastyan replied with the slightest of reluctance. How could he argue with Nick, when at one time he'd felt the same way? "So, your interest in this topic... how did it come about?" he asked curiously.