Blatant Bribery [Rowena]

[Max Kameren]

Max looked up into the bathroom mirror from where he hunched over the sink. He sighed; Max had largely avoided mirrors since his attack. Though the swelling had gone down and the scars faded from an angry red to a deep pink it was still unsettling for Max to glance up and catch his reflection in the mirror. It was different from his hand, which he thought about more often by virtue of having to see it. When he looked in the mirror it was still startling. It brought it all back for a moment.

It was because of this his beard had gone untrimmed for nearly two weeks; without the dexterity to tend to it or the ability to suffer his own reflection it had gone untended. But now that he could tell it bothered Rowena too he couldn’t deny the homeless look of his unkempt hair any longer. To please her, it was time to bite the bullet.

He brushed off the last bit of long, thick hair from his chin and inspected the shorter, more manicured beard left behind. He couldn’t deny he felt a bit lighter. Right now, anything in his power to please Rowena he would do. He needed her in the best possible mood; he wanted her to believe him, but he’d compromise if she were at least willing to humor him on something big. Maybe she would help him put his mind at ease before he left for Siberia. He would make it worth her while.

Satisfied, Max cleaned up and headed downstairs in Rowena’s home, filing into the kitchen and starting coffee in her coffee maker. His girlfriend tended to sleep on a tight schedule; she’d be awake soon, and when she was he had a surprise for her. He smiled faintly when he heard a rustling upstairs.

[Rowena Jones]

Rowena opened her eyes, her hand reaching unseeingly for her boyfriend's warmth but only finding the soft fur of one of her cats. She smiled at the purring that commenced at her brief touch, rolling over on her side to give the feline a more thorough scratch. Where had Max gotten to? Usually she was the first one awake, her mental clock timed perfectly that she rarely ever slept past 7am regardless of the time she went to sleep. She'd been trying to get more rest to balance out all that she'd lost over the last month from nightmares and emergencies and illness, but it often seemed a lost cause. Especially now, with Max leaving soon, Rowena found she didn't want to lose any time she could get with him... even if things were a little off between them. Max was still being annoyingly persistent with his paranoia and she hadn't missed the glares he directed at the sunflowers that decorated her coffee table. It was tiring, but she still loved him and wanted to spend as much time with him as possible before his departure.

"Alright Spice, enough lazying around," she declared, glancing at the clock. 7:02. Time for coffee. She slipped out of bed, padding softly over to the bathroom for a quick shower. Rowena emerged from the room ten minutes later, a cloud of steam emptying into the adjoining bedroom, her skin pink from the too hot water and sweet smell of mangoes following her. She threw on a short green dress and messily tied her hair in a bun before shooing her cat out of the room and down stairs.

The witch followed the Maine Coon, her nose picking up on the rich smell of coffee and grinning. Spotting Max in the kitchen, she made her way towards him, reaching up on tip toes to press a soft kiss to his lips in greeting before turning to get her morning fix of caffeine. Mug in hand, she turned to the fridge, wrinkling her nose as she opened the door to empty shelves.

"Looks like I need to go shopping," she said with a wry grin, closing the door and leaning against it to look at her boyfriend. "Do you have plans for today?" Their lives these days mostly consisted of research and Max not so subtly mentioning his dislike about her friendship with Michael. He especially hadn't been happy about her mentioning that she'd be spending the day with him on Friday and that he'd talked about a surprise.

[Max Kameren]

Max heard a rustling upstairs and felt the aura of his girlfriend ignite above him. He glanced at the clock and smiled in amusement: 7 o’clock, on the dot. As always. When he left for Russia he would miss his girlfriend’s many strange quirks possibly the most. The thought was bittersweet; he wished it was possible for her to join him, or for him to not have to go right now. There was too much in the air, and Max still wasn’t comfortable with Rowena’s friendship with Michael. They’d bickered about it on and off a few times over the last few days; Max could tell his argument was grating on her but he couldn’t stop. It just kept coming up, he couldn’t keep the worry out of his mind.

But today he would play his final card in an attempt to convince her to take precautions in his absence, and hopefully win the argument once and for all.

Max was searching the pantry for anything that could be turned into breakfast when he felt Rowena’s aura come up behind him. He turned into her and leaned down to meet her halfway on her toes, leaning into her soft kiss. “Morning,” He called after her as she turned to the coffee maker, finding a mug of his own to join her as the pot finished.

"Looks like I need to go shopping," A warm center of happiness settled in his chest as he watched her shuffle the same circle he’d just made looking for breakfast. It wasn’t Rowena’s aura or the first warm sip of morning coffee, it was him. This was such a rare, blissfully domestic moment. It was a welcome break from their surreal day-to-day existence, and it was a comfort to reflect on every now and then. She turned to face him and he shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee. "Do you have plans for today?"

“I do,” Max put his coffee down on the counter and crossed his arms, arching a playful brow at his girlfriend and smiling crookedly, “but my plans are with you. I’ve got a surprise of my own.” He finished his mug of coffee and closed the space between them to peck her on the cheek. Michael may have superior research skills for Rowena’s purposes, but Max still had a few tricks up his sleeve. He’d been saving the Kameren library for a special occasion to introduce to Rowena, but with circumstances as they were it could also serve as a tool for bribery. The volume of books at the Estate plus Elle’s presence there: who knows, maybe it would work?

Max smiled down at her before he turned to head upstairs to get ready, stooping to pet Spice as he passed by. “It’s a bit tough to get to, but when you’re ready I can take us.” A smile flashed at his girlfriend before he disappeared around the corner and up the stairs to get dressed.

[Rowena Jones]

“I do, but my plans are with you. I’ve got a surprise of my own.”

Rowena abandoned her fruitless search for anything edible to glance at her boyfriend with an arched brow. A surprise? That sounded infinitely more exciting than getting a headache as she ran up against yet another wall in their research. It would be nice to get away for a bit. "Are you going to give me anymore details than that?" she asked as he leaned over to peck her on the cheek. She followed him down the corridor, cradling her hot drink in two hands, waiting for an answer but all she got was a smile as he pet her cat.

“It’s a bit tough to get to, but when you’re ready I can take us.” Max said as he disappeared upstairs leaving Rowena thoroughly perplexed. Where on Earth was he taking her? Was she suitably dressed? Could he have given her a few more details? And then she caught sight of something that made her growl in frustration.

"Damnit Max!" Rowena huffed, downing the last few sips of her coffee and putting the mug in the sink before moving towards the bookshelf that filled the space under the stairs. Did he really think she wouldn't notice a Descartes next to a Le Fey?! She took the offending book out from the shelf and walked to her living room. She smiled softly as she entered, the soft morning light setting the room aglow, illuminating the numerous shelves that covered the walls. The fireplace stood dark and empty, but there was still a cozy warmth from the soft rugs and numerous cushions piled high on the chairs and sofa. Michael's sunflowers stood proud and tall in a glass vase on the coffee table and she had to admit she did like the flowers in the room. Maybe she should get more.

Pumpkin brushed past her legs startling Rowena from her musings and she moved forward to put the book in it's correct place. And then she frowned. Was that.. Argh! It was. She was going to throttle her boyfriend. She didn't know how long Max took to get ready as she pulled several tomes from the shelves in an attempt to fix the mess Max had made of her library. Footsteps had her glancing up as she slid another book back into place.

"You..." she glared waving the book in her hand in his direction. Rowena shook her head as the frustration left her as she looked at him, eyes softening. In this at least she couldn't stay mad at him... it was kind of adorable how he tried to get under her skin. "It's a good thing I love you..." she said finally, putting the tome on the coffee table as she walked towards Max. "You shaved. It looks good." Her hand reached up to cup his cheek, her thumb stroking the skin softly, before she darted up to kiss him. "Can you tell me what we're doing now then? And is there food at any point because I'm starving..."

[Max Kameren]

"Are you going to give me anymore details than that?"

He grinned and kissed her cheek. “Nope. It’s a bit tough to get to, but when you’re ready I can take us.” Max turned the corner and headed upstairs to get dressed with a grin at her mildly irritated curiosity. Even with his ulterior motives he knew Rowena would be transfixed by the Kameren library, and he was excited to show her. She was welcome to use it all she wanted with one stipulation per Alex: No reorganizing. Speaking of…

"Damnit Max!" A maniacal laugh could be heard from upstairs at her exclamation. The ongoing war over her books continued. Had she found Descartes in Le Fey, or the Voltaire he flipped upside down? He’d flipped Voltaire before his attack; frankly he was surprised she hadn’t noticed yet. It was all part of his plant to lovingly terrorize her for the rest of her days, letting her know he cared by quietly driving her insane. He chuckled to himself as he threw on a fresh t-shirt and jeans, slipping into his trainers before heading downstairs. "You..." she glared waving the book in her hand in his direction.

Ah, it was the Voltaire and the Descartes. He smiled wryly, cocking his head playfully down at his girlfriend. “Took you long enough on that Voltaire! I think I may be wearing you down…”

"It's a good thing I love you... You shaved. It looks good." He tilted his head into the warmth of her hand and leaned in to meet her kiss, breathing in her sweet scent as he pulled away. "Can you tell me what we're doing now then? And is there food at any point because I'm starving..."

“We’re switching it up for research today, and I’m sure I can raid the kitchen when we get there.” Green eyes darted around to make sure all doors were locked and windows closed before he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and twisted on his heel. With a light Pop! –

- They reappeared in the dark, warm gothic-ceilinged hallway of the Kameren Estate. Mentally Max reached out in search of his uncle or Elle in the halls, and was grateful to find not a soul on the grounds but them. Well, them and the dogs; as soon as they appeared Max heard the small stampede of three sets of paws rambling through the halls to find them. When they caught up Max sent out a wave of calm to soothe them and keep them from jumping.

“Sorry, I forget about the dogs.” Max reached forward and opened the door in front of them to reveal a large servant’s kitchen, the worn woodwork of the room shining gold in the morning light coming in through the window. “This is Alex’s home, the Kameren Estate. Well I suppose it’s our bloodline’s home, but not really our side of the family.” He shrugged as he thought about it, a chill going up his spine at the thought of finding his biological grandmother only a week ago. Decidedly not their side of the family.

He opened the pantry and rifled through it until he found fresh chocolate croissants in a basket near the front: definitely Elle’s doing, he mused. “Will this do? If not I could cook…”

[Rowena Jones]

“We’re switching it up for research today, and I’m sure I can raid the kitchen when we get there.” Get where? Somewhere with a kitchen? Every hint only brought more questions. But then Max was wrapping his arms around her and maybe finally she was going to get some answers. 

They apparated to a hallway, the architecture dark but still warm. It felt older than her own ancestral home and gave her no clue to where the hell her boyfriend had taken her.  She turned at the sound of something or several somethings running in their direction, eyes widening at the sight of three large dogs. She was about to, well she didn't know what she was going to do, when she felt Max calm them with his Empathy. It still didn't do much to curb their interest in their arrival, but at least they weren't leaping on them and tearing them to pieces or something else equally graphic and fatal. Rowena stayed close to Max as three noses shoved their way in her direction.  

“Sorry, I forget about the dogs.”

She choked out a nervous laugh. "I don't know how you could forget about them..." she said, "but where are we?" Max was obviously familiar enough with the place, but she was drawing blanks as to where they could be. He, on the other hand reached forward and opened the door in front of them to reveal a large servant’s kitchen, the worn woodwork of the room shining gold in the morning light coming in through the window. Rowena followed him inside, temporarily forgetting about the dogs as she took in the room. It really was lovely, and she felt a small pang as it made her think of her own family home, now standing empty and cold. She'd been right though, this was older than what she'd grown up with. She walked around, her fingers trailing along the edges of the counters, wondering why Max had brought her here, wherever this was. 

“This is Alex’s home, the Kameren Estate. Well I suppose it’s our bloodline’s home, but not really our side of the family.”

Rowena glanced at him in surprise, but then remembered the truth of his Kameren name. She didn't know why, but she always forgot what that actually meant, that he actually came from a notable Family. Then again, he never made a big deal of it, so she supposed she couldn't be blamed for forgetting. Then... "This is Alex's house?" Why on Earth were they here? Damnit, couldn't the man warn her when she was going to visit family? Especially this one, she hadn't exactly given the best impression after barging into his office... and now she was just casually strolling through his home.

Max obviously had no such qualms, rifling though the pantry until he emerged with fresh chocolate croissants. Rowena's mouth instantly watered at the sight. “Will this do? If not I could cook…”

"That's perfect...but you're sure it's ok that we just take the food?" She'd been craving french pastries and she was trying very hard not to grab the offered treats, but she couldn't shake the feeling of being a little uncomfortable. She didn't really know Max's uncle beyond a professional relationship and the last time she'd met the man, he'd almost killed her with his paranoid use of death traps. Huh. Was paranoia a Kameren thing then... ? She hoped Max wasn't going to try and install death traps at her home. Rowena didn't really feel like explaining to her Muggle neighbours why their pets were all being smashed against her walls if they got too close. 

She was just about to reach for a croissant when a dog appeared a little too close for comfort and she jumped. "Max!" she cried out startled anticipating the sharp pain of being bitten by an angry guard dog. But when nothing else happened, she slowly opened her eyes and frowned at the dog sitting patiently by her, looking at her expectantly. "Max...?" she said and the dog cocked it's head just slightly. Rowena let out a breath of relief at not being mauled even as a grin tugged at the edges of her mouth. "Is the dog named after you?" she asked, laughter in her eyes as she turned to look at her boyfriend, finally taking a bite of her breakfast. 

[Max Kameren]

The dogs circled the couple at the standing-height wooden island in the center of the kitchen where Max set the basket of pastries, pulling two out for Rowena and himself. Despite his girlfriend’s surprise and confusion this was a routine for Max and his uncle’s dogs; he frequently visited his ancestral home and his father’s home on-and-off as an adult, just dropping in to say hello, help out, or use a resource one of his family members had access to. His father had always been adamant about his family taking nothing of the Kameren family fortune, but instead Ales made their existing resources always readily available.

"This is Alex's house?" Max arched a questioning brow at his girlfriend as he felt her aura peak in anxiety. What was this fear of Alex suddenly? She gets caught in one auror trap and suddenly he’s dangerous? Suddenly his backup plan of convincing Rowena to more thoroughly ward her home if she wouldn’t stay here seemed further away.

“Yeah. Our ‘Ancestral Home’, if you will. Don’t worry, he and Elle are at work.” Max rolled his eyes at the formality of the phrase. Historically the Kameren family hadn’t been a good bloodline; when Alex and Curse were all that remained they shunned the idea of old tradition in an effort to reclaim their name. Max hadn’t been raised as if he were from a prominent family, so it always felt off admitting he was. He replaced the rest of the croissants in the pantry and turned for a nearby cabinet; he craved more coffee. He found the French press in its usual place and set a kettle on the stove to boil. “Will this do? If not I could cook…”

"That's perfect...but you're sure it's ok that we just take the food?"

“I dunno, if Alex catches me I might have to go to my room without supper.” Max shrugged and shook his head; Alex had never minded, if anything he preferred others getting use of the castle so he wasn’t meandering the halls alone. He smirked down at Rowena, kissing the top of her head and turning to search for coffee mugs.

"Max!" Rowena’s exclamation had gotten the attention of both human and canine Max. The Potions Master turned with a confused frown and his German Shepherd counterpart suddenly stood at attention. "Max...?" she said and the dog cocked it's head just slightly. "Is the dog named after you?"

“No, he’s not.” Max shook his head and smiled, though the tops of his ears turned slightly pink with embarrassment at the family anecdote: “The first Max was my Uncle Cain’s dog, this is Max Jr. Had him before Dad knew about me. Cain died in the War but he’s a ghost now, haunts the offices at Law Enforcement.” Max took the kettle off the burner as it started to whistle and carried it over to where the French press stood on the island, his free hand brushing Max the Dog’s fur as he passed him. “That’s Max, the one behind you is Rasputin the Third, and the other one’s named Dodger.”

When the coffee was ready he pressed it, picking up the press and mugs to bring along with them. “Alright, I didn’t just bring you here to explore the wonders of Alex’s kitchen. We’ve got research to do, and the Estate has the oldest library I know.” He smiled as he revealed their true reason for traveling to Stonehenge, cocking his head in the direction of the exit as he juggled the coffee and his pilfered croissant.

Max led Rowena down the maze of dimly-lit halls until they reached a tall set of double doors. He managed to balance the mugs in the crook of his arm to get his bad hand on the doorknob, turning to his girlfriend with a widening smile. “Oh, I forgot one thing: no reorganizing. Alex is as meticulous as you are and some of the books are centuries old. If we lose them he’ll kill me, even if we just lose them in the library. Can you manage that?” He cocked his head at her mockingly as he pushed the double doors open, revealing the enormous library in all its glory.

Tall, thin gothic windows let light into the wooden-walled library in thin rays, but it still somehow felt welcoming. It was multiple levels, able to be navigated by several rolling ladders on each angle of the wall. It was massive, larger than the Hogwarts library. The domed ceiling had a fresco of the Kameren family tree dating from Medieval times to Max’s great-grandparents, painted in such detail that it was impossible to read from the floor-level. It all centered around a massive brick fireplace, where a seating area and Alex’s home work desk stood.

Max watched his girlfriend’s face as she took it all in, a slow smile rising in his emerald eyes. “What do you think?”

[Rowena Jones]

“No, he’s not. The first Max was my Uncle Cain’s dog, this is Max Jr. Had him before Dad knew about me. Cain died in the War but he’s a ghost now, haunts the offices at Law Enforcement.”

Oh. Rowena blinked at the casual mention of a ghostly uncle. Did Max listen to the things that came out of his mouth sometimes? Did he realize how odd they sounded? Wait, he couldn't mean the same ghost that had crashed her meeting with Alex? She was only just beginning to realize all the crazy family related things that she was getting as part of the Boyfriend Max package and she had a nasty suspicion that there was still a lot of surprises to come. She nodded as he introduced the dogs. They’d calmed down a lot and she wasn’t as wary of them now that she had a bit more background knowledge about their outing, but Rowena was still firmly more of a cat person.

“Alright, I didn’t just bring you here to explore the wonders of Alex’s kitchen. We’ve got research to do, and the Estate has the oldest library I know.”

She glanced up immediately at the word. A library?! Finally, an actual answer. And a library! Rowena grinned at Max. He knew her so well. She wondered what kind of books there would be. She imagined a room filled with old tomes, first editions, books on Magical history and spellbooks. She followed her boyfriend, lost in her imagination only realizing the juggling Max was attempting with their breakfast when they stopped. She was about to offer to help when he spoke.

“Oh, I forgot one thing: no reorganizing. Alex is as meticulous as you are and some of the books are centuries old. If we lose them he’ll kill me, even if we just lose them in the library. Can you manage that?”

For answer, Rowena shot him a dirty glare. He knew how hard it was for her to leave things organized in an inefficient manner. She still had plans to fix his ridiculous excuse for organized book shelves but he didn’t need to know that. And then she forgot much of anything as he opened the doors.

She’d imagined on much too small a scale Rowena realised as she stepped forward into the enormous room. It was like every Christmas, every birthday, every single celebration rolled into one. And even then, it didn’t come close to describing how she felt as she gazed at the magnificence before her.

“What do you think?”

Rowena held her hand up to stop Max talking as she stood there and just looked. She spun around, her eyes wide as she took in the hundreds, the thousands of books. It was wonderful. Amazing. All this knowledge… right here all along. Rowena promptly turned to Max and gave him a solid punch.

“Why has it taken you so long to mention you had this?! So many books… all the research…” she said, voice trailing off as she got lost in all the possibilities for several seconds. Then she shook her head and walked towards the nearest shelf, sending a hard glare in Max’s direction. “Stupid man, holding out on me… all this. Not one mention that he had this…” she muttered angrily under her breath.

Her fingers trailed along the spines and she breathed in the familiar musty smell of books and parchment. She could die here, she thought. Spend the rest of her life looking through these books and never want for anything more. When she thought about the information contained in the pages… “How long do we have?” she asked. Where did they even begin with such a huge amount available to them?

[Max Kameren]

Max’s grin widened as he watched her take in their surroundings, feeling her aura explode like a firework in her surprise and delight. It was always a treat to see the Kameren library through new eyes, especially from people who truly appreciated it. Rowena was the poster child for people who appreciate a good book collection. Since their first date he’d been eager to introduce her to the Kameren library, but he’d waited in an effort to take it slow. The wait had been worth it. He watched her step slowly into the threshold of the towering collection. “What do you think?”

His smile widened as she silenced him with her hand, stepping forward and spinning to take in the full circle of the towering archways of the Kameren library. Books of every kind dating back centuries, as old as their Kameren family line. Really Max was kicking himself for not thinking of the library earlier for their research needs. Though now it served a dual purpose: rare knowledge for Rowena, and a place of sanctuary for Max. What was better bribery for Rowena to take refuge here that could only be reached by a Kameren?

He was about to ask again for her opinion when he was met with it instead in the form of a balled-up fist. “Hey! What did I say? No hitting!”

“Why has it taken you so long to mention you had this?! So many books… all the research…” she said. “Stupid man, holding out on me… all this. Not one mention that he had this…” she muttered angrily under her breath.

“I don’t show the library to everyone. Had to be sure you were a keeper…” Max chuckled as set down his juggled objects before following his girlfriend around the stacks. “The Kamerens have a long history of dark magic and a book collection spanning back centuries. I thought our search could continue here.”

“How long do we have?” she asked.

“As long as you want.” He cocked his head cheekily and spun for the table, pouring himself a cup of coffee and returning to follow Rowena’s gaze through the stacks. “It’s organized like a real library: Category and author name. Much more organized than my books.” He teased his girlfriend with a grin as he took a sip of his coffee, watching her pace the shelves.

[Rowena Jones]

“I don’t show the library to everyone. Had to be sure you were a keeper…” Max chuckled. Rowena scoffed as she continued her perusal of the shelves. "Your flattery will get you nowhere Kameren," she said, pulling out one book to look at it more closely before shaking her head and putting it back. As much as she would love to read about the Rituals of the Moon, it would have to wait. There had to be something to do with the Shadowloved in here somewhere. There just had to be.

“The Kamerens have a long history of dark magic and a book collection spanning back centuries. I thought our search could continue here.”

"It should have started here," Rowena muttered under her breath, before asking at a level Max could hear, “How long do we have?”

“As long as you want.” Did he have a lifetime to spare? Because if he made her offers like that, he wasn't getting her out of here anytime soon... “It’s organized like a real library: Category and author name. Much more organized than my books.” Max teased her and she sputtered. 

"That's it? All these books and they're not even organised by date?!" Dear Merlin. Maybe she wouldn't be able to stay here after all. Already her fingers twitched with the desperate desire to put proper order to the books. She'd respect Alex's wishes but not with pleasure. She paced the shelves, trying to ignore her impulses and figure out a plan of attack. It was hard to know where to begin when they really had no idea what they were looking for. Dark Rituals was a pretty vague category, especially if the Kameren family was as involved with Dark magic as Max had said. There were sure to be hundreds of books but not necessarily on what they needed. If only they had a specific author... Rowena started. 

"Max... you don't think that possibly Renee's book might be here?" After their discovery in the Archives, Rowena had scoured the public library to no avail. She'd left disheartened. If the book still did exist it was probably lost in some family's private collection, almost impossible to trace. But the Kameren's had been involved in the original case... they had to at least check.  

[Max Kameren]

Rowena’s aura leaped back and forth form astonishment at the collection in front of her and annoyance at the boyfriend who kept it from her for the last few months they’d been dating. He conceded he should have thought of it earlier in their research. But what, did she expect he brought women to his uncle’s library as an odd form of date? He hadn’t been ready to introduce her to family earlier, but now they were in love and she’d met his family in hospital. “It’s organized like a real library: Category and author name. Much more organized than my books.”

"That's it? All these books and they're not even organised by date?!"

Max arched a brow at his girlfriend and sipped his coffee to avoid a retort, eyes narrowing incredulously. Who remembered the publication date of every book in their library?! Who searched regularly for books by era either way? What did you do with reprints or revised editions? Rowena was the answer to the first two questions, and Max knew if he asked she would most definitely have an answer for the third. One he did not need to hear, but would be told about at length. He shook his head at the thought; he’d certainly made a colorful choice in partner. “Dunno what to tell you, Ro. It was good enough for Melvil Dewey so it’s good enough for us.”

"Max... you don't think that possibly Renee's book might be here?"

“That’s a good question…” Max trailed off as he thought of a plan of attack, emerald eyes flashing up to the higher level of the library. There were thousands of books in the Kameren library, hundreds of them about Dark Magic. Prior to the 1990’s the Kameren family was notorious for their Dark Magic roots, having several prominent dark wizards and witches who were supported and encouraged by their family members even after their convictions. Max had done a bit of research after his encounter with Michael in the Archives and gotten at least a basic understanding of his twisted family tree. “The second level’s mostly Dark Magic categories and sub-categories, we can look for her up there.”

Gently Max let his coffee mug go and it rose up, placing itself gently on the balcony of the second floor as he summoned one of the rolling ladders with his other hand. He held it out for Rowena to climb first to the second level before he followed.

“Category to the left is books on ritual dark magic, everything to the right is rune magic. I think they bleed into each other in the center.” Max leaned against the railing as he examined the long stretch of wall before them, frowning as he thought. “You take ritual and I’ll take rune, and we meet in the middle?” They could do this all day: the balcony lined the entire wall and fourteen other subcategories of Dark Magic remained, but from Max's deeply unpleasant first-hand experience with their attackers he figured 'ritual' and 'rune' were the proper places to start.

[Rowena Jones]

“Dunno what to tell you, Ro. It was good enough for Melvil Dewey so it’s good enough for us.”

"Amateurs," Rowena muttered even as she continued to think about where to begin. "Max... you don't think that possibly Renee's book might be here?"

“That’s a good question… The second level’s mostly Dark Magic categories and sub-categories, we can look for her up there.”

Rowena grinned, excited to truly get stuck into this treasure trove of knowledge. She waited somewhat impatiently as Max summoned a ladder so they could ascend to the upper level. As soon as she was up there, Rowena was glancing at the titles, already intrigued by several books. 

“Category to the left is books on ritual dark magic, everything to the right is rune magic. I think they bleed into each other in the center.” Max leaned against the railing as he examined the long stretch of wall before them, frowning as he thought. “You take ritual and I’ll take rune, and we meet in the middle?” 

The witch nodded even as she moved to the left. Renee Ashgrove. So theoretically, it should be somewhere at the beginning if it was here at all. She really hoped it was. It was driving her quietly insane knowing the information that could help them was out there. She'd gotten two shelves in when she got distracted. Summoning the Self, by Albreich Alfritz. Rowena shrugged. It wouldn't hurt to take some other books out in the unfortunate case they couldn't find Renee's book. A while later and she looked very reminiscent of Max and her's first date, a tower of intriguing volumes balanced in her arms. Dark magic it might be, but knowledge was knowledge and they needed as much as that as they could take. 

It was only when she glanced at her latest addition, Sacrifices for the Soul by Alicia Von Vader, that she realised she'd left the A's far behind and hadn't even come close to seeing anything by her ancestor. It was with a heavy sigh that she turned to Max, but then her gaze was caught by another title and she finally put her current stack on the floor so she could retrieve the book. Containing Darkness was a thick leather bound tome that begged her to open it. So she did. And then frowned as she glanced at black pages with no words. What was this excuse for a book?! she thought trying to look up at Max to point out the ridiculousness of it. And then she realised she couldn't look away, her eyes stuck staring at the blackness which felt like it was growing, pulling her into it's depths... She tried to close it but her hands wouldn't respond to her commands so she did the only thing she could. "MAX!"

[Max Kameren]

The two healers separated and took to the shelves. Max found the beginning of the rune section and went through slowly, checking each book to make sure it wasn’t what they were looking for. What did they know? For the most part, Renee Ashgrove was still a mystery. They had no title; they had no clue the length or binding of her work. All they had was her name.

Every few moments Max would steal a glance in Rowena’s direction, smirking and playfully nudging at her aura with his own when he caught her lingering on another book too long. Ashgrove first, then they would build: if Rowena was charged with reading every book that caught her interest they would be here for the rest of their lives. The thought comforted Max; maybe this debate wouldn’t be as hard as he thought…

As he moved through the shelves Max pulled spines out halfway from the shelves for further research. Ritualistic Runes and the Human Body by Nestor Ainsley seemed like a deeply unpleasant but informative read, and there were a few others with titles written entirely in a runic script that made Max’s scars itch with some psychic recognition, so he pulled those as well. His aura reached out to Rowena’s to nudge her again, but he looked up in alarm when he was met with her growing dread.

"MAX!" She gripped an old dark magic book in her hands, pulling her in like a black hole. Max cursed under his breath, dropping the book he’d been inspecting and rushing over to her. He knelt below her and inspected the book’s cover for any clue how to counteract its effects, being careful to avoid its deep black pages. Containing Darkness… Max thought of the shadows in the Catacombs. He held out his hands and reached for a happy memory, muttering an Expecto Patronum quietly as his hands ignited in white light; he hadn’t yet tried to form a full patronus since his attack but right now he didn’t need one. He took the book by the cover from Rowena’s hands beneath her and pushed it closed with his shield spell, breaking contact between his girlfriend and the pages’ enticing pull.

“Dark Magic library, I said Dark Magic library!” Max replaced the book on the shelf and shook his head down at his girlfriend. “Treat everything in this room like it’s the deepest part of the Hogwarts Restricted Section. Look alive Covington, don’t just open things.” A bit of the old, bickery Max came out of him in his exasperation and he caught himself, grabbing the shelf next to him to pull himself back up to his feet. With the danger passed he softened again, looking Rowena over critically. “Are you alright?”

[Rowena Jones]

It was pulling her in, blackness surrounding her vision and she was falling deeper and deeper into Shadow. Everything centered around this black hole of darkness and she didn't know how she would ever get out again. Suddenly bright light flooded her sight and the Shadow leaked away as Max came to her rescue and managed to do what she could not, closing the book and severing the connection. Rowena came back to the reality of the great library but still she stared where her hands had grasped the book, trying to catch up on the quick events that had just transpired.

“Dark Magic library, I said Dark Magic library!” Max replaced the book on the shelf and shook his head down at his girlfriend. “Treat everything in this room like it’s the deepest part of the Hogwarts Restricted Section. Look alive Covington, don’t just open things.”

Rowena mind was spinning and she felt a little nauseous. That had felt so familiar, so similar to that nightmare from the very start of all of this. To falling into the darkness, being consumed, devoured by evil. She shuddered, finally tearing her gaze away and instead looking up at her boyfriend. Max's familiar green gaze grounded her, pulling her from her haunting memories and she let out a deep stuttery breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "I'm, I'm sorry Max." The experience had shook her too much to be snarky back even though his tone brought back old rivalry and bickering. "I don't know what happened... it was like it called me..." she paused sighing heavily. "Dark Magic. Right. I'll be more careful."

 “Are you alright?”

 The witch shook her head a little to clear the remains of the panic she'd felt and she pointedly looked away from the shelf with that book. "Let's just keep going yeah? I didn't find it here." She glanced at Max questioningly, but he hadn't said anything about Renee's book so she supposed he'd had the same luck as her. Nothing. There were still so many categories to check though. She couldn't give up yet. But if it wasn't in Runes or Rituals where should they be looking? "We're assuming she had been looking into the Shadowloved right? Maybe it's more vague than these books? Is there a section on Dark Magic History or Groups and Sects or something similar?" Rowena asked, glancing at the titles nervously. Now that one tome had already almost managed to devour her soul or so it had felt, she felt a little nervous about touching the others.

But as she glanced down the row of shelves, it happened again. A feeling of being pulled towards a specific book. She couldn't see it yet but it was further down. "Max... what's down there? I really feel like I should be over there." It didn't feel as oppressive or demanding as the last book had, more familiar, but she'd learned her lesson for now. Rowena wasn't about to go grab just any old book that was calling her name. 

[Max Kameren]

“Dark Magic library, I said Dark Magic library!” As the book snapped closed Max’s own heart was racing with fear, his frazzled fingers shaking as he replaced the book on the shelf. He hadn’t realized his fears could still reach them here; all their research and effort, for harm to reach his girlfriend in the place he’d taken her to protect her. His aura flared with fear and bled into Rowena’s before he could contain it, his speech short as he contained himself: “Treat everything in this room like it’s the deepest part of the Hogwarts Restricted Section. Look alive Covington, don’t just open things.” 

"I'm, I'm sorry Max." The experience had shook her too much to be snarky back even though his tone brought back old rivalry and bickering. "I don't know what happened... it was like it called me..." she paused sighing heavily. "Dark Magic. Right. I'll be more careful."

 “Are you alright?”

"Let's just keep going yeah? I didn't find it here."

“Nothing in Runes either,” Max turned back to the section he’d just scanned through with the spines sticking out of the shelves.

"We're assuming she had been looking into the Shadowloved right? Maybe it's more vague than these books? Is there a section on Dark Magic History or Groups and Sects or something similar?"

Max’s eyes darted over the balconies of the library as he thought, trying to refresh his memory on what went where. “I don’t know about specific sects, but there’s a history section…” Max trailed off, arching a brow at his girlfriend as she stared down the shelves with tunnel vision. “Something wrong?”

"Max... what's down there? I really feel like I should be over there."

The Potions Master shifted out of the way on the balcony, leaning against the railing so Rowena could follow her instinct. “That’s Kameren lineage and dark magic history, why? What’s calling out to you?” Max followed Rowena and scanned the top shelves over her head, looking for what was attracting her. He glanced up at the painted ceiling where it appeared hundreds of emerald Kameren eyes followed them, boring into them with their critical stares. They stopped at the end of Kameren lineage and the beginning of history. This was the next logical place Ashcroft’s book would be according to the memory: where Max’s ancestors framed and erased the history of Rowena’s. If anyone had a copy of her book, it would be them.