Lessons in Blood [Jamie]

[Alyson Bludwyne]

25 October

---

Alyson eyes were narrowed, her head turned to face the bitter winds blowing through the open window in the high tower. Things were not going to plan and the witch was not happy about it. The first two months back at Hogwarts had gone about as well as she had expected, her inability to actually cast magic with a wand causing as many problems as it had 17 years ago. That she could have dealt with. It wasn't like it mattered what her fellow students thought of her, she was far beyond their pathetic capabilities... but the rest of her carefully laid plans were also struggling to be completed. Her own people seemed incapable of following even the most basic commands. And it all came back to that sister of hers.

It had all started to go wrong when the Ritual had failed. She'd brought attention to the threat she posed by breaking Winston out of Azkaban, with the murders and attacks and it wasn't supposed to have mattered. They should have had the powers of gods in their hands. They would have been unstoppable. She would have left this awful life behind and stepped out of the Shadows as rightful Leader. She would have cleansed the world, put all in it's proper order. After that first failure, she should have stopped and given herself the time to reassemble, but she couldn't leave them unpunished. So she'd sent Winston to Max and Michael to Rowena. It should have been simple. Kill the boy. Return the girl to her proper place. It shouldn't have even been an issue in the first place but Michael had lapsed in his duties, too eager to please her in the beginning. That Max and Rowena had even been able to get together was a hindrance, but to find out that they were now in love was intolerable. And when Rosalie had informed her that Michael had also let slip valuable information that her sister had no business knowing, well Alyson had had her fill. It had been a while since she'd had to show her followers exactly why they submitted to her, but she couldn't deny that she had enjoyed it. Too often was she confined to delegating the tasks that would have given her the most pleasure. 

Even so, she now found herself waiting for the twins to rectify their mistakes. If they failed this time... there wouldn't be another. In the meantime, she had her own projects to attend to. The Kameren men were proving to be a thorn in her side, the elder one circling Winston and interfering in those plans, the younger already a worry with those powers of his. How lucky for her then that she had unknowingly found the newest addition and had already spent many weeks turning him to her cause. He infuriatingly was a little too Good for her tastes, but Alyson was not one to waste what she had been given. Rowena had not been expected and she would yet serve her purpose, and now Jamie would certainly prove useful. That he was interested in her special brand of magic only made things easier. She'd been teaching him the tamer parts of blood magic the past few weeks, short lessons here and there. Tonight she would show him the next step and see if there was any true potential in him. 

[James Malcom MacDougal]

Jamie's face broke out in a grin as he mounted the last steps, feeling the chill wind on his face. He snugged the dark green cap closer around his ears. It felt much like soaring through the sky did, though his feet remained on solid stone. He found himself humming a snatchet of the Slytherin's latest quidditch fight song.

"Aly!" he greeted her, hitching his shoulders as a particularly playful gust traveled down his neck. What was in store tonight? What would he learn, what powers could he master? He found himself humming again.

"What are we doing tonight?"

[Alyson Bludwyne]

Morgana's Tits. The boy was humming. Alyson could feel his cheerfulness from the bottom of the stairway. She supposed she should be glad that he anticipated her teachings so much. It was a good sign that he might be more amenable to her ideas of Power than his behaviour sometimes let on. Tonight would give her a better idea of just how useful he would be. 

"Aly!"

The young witch turned from the window, stepping away from the ledge as Little Shadow whizzed towards Jamie, twittering happily. It irked Alyson that he greeted her so informally; she had adults cowering at her feet, had them begging her for mercy and this boy called her by that awful nickname. But she supposed he didn't know any better. Yet.

"Hey Jamie," she greeted, whistling sharply to recall the mechanical bird, rolling her eyes as it relayed it's observations. Did she really need to know that the green cap he wore contrasted nicely with his hair, and brought out the green of his eyes. His Kameren eyes. They hadn't brought it up, their conversations focusing on her lessons, but Alyson was intrigued. She could be patient in this though. They had other things to concentrate on for now. 

"What are we doing tonight?"



Straight to the point. She did like that about the boy. There was no time wasting here. "Well you've learnt most of the basics. There's not a whole lot you can do with such small amounts of your own blood. You're a bit limited by your own power. So we're going to take the next step. Using other's blood. There's two categories here; blood given and blood taken. Both have their own strengths. We'll start with given." With that she took a knife and a vial from where she had placed them earlier and held them out to him. "If you would fill this vial please," she said with a small smirk. 

[James Malcom MacDougal]

"Well you've learnt most of the basics. There's not a whole lot you can do with such small amounts of your own blood. You're a bit limited by your own power. So we're going to take the next step. Using other's blood. There's two categories here; blood given and blood taken. Both have their own strengths. We'll start with given." With that she took a knife and a vial from where she had placed them earlier and held them out to him. "If you would fill this vial please," 

Jamie's ears flamed red as Shadow once again gushed about his looks to its mistress. Aly didn't seem interested in him so why was that damnable bird so enamoured? He shook off his thoughts as Aly began to speak. More power? It was true, he'd found himself limited in its uses. He took the blade, slicing himself open in a practised manner and filling the vial before tracing the rune over the wound to seal it. He held the vial of blood out, brow rising in silent query. 

[Alyson Bludwyne]

Alyson smiled at the lack of hesitation on Jamie's part as he cut into his arm for the blood she requested. So different to all his numerous questions when they'd first met. So much better. She'd sensed his frustrations at the basic magic she'd taught him so far. But she supposed he could do most of that with his wand. She hadn't had that option so had reveled in even the simpler rituals. They all took it for granted, witches and wizards, that their magic could do anything they needed of it. But one day, and one day soon, they'd see it's limits. See the farce for what it was. They didn't have the true power. Not even close. And they'd only sampled the truth during Mosrael's reign. 

But for now, they could continue to live in the illusion. Even Jamie, who had seen her absorb energy before, had not questioned what that power hinted at. She hadn't shown him either, that she could take his power if she wished it, but maybe she would. Not today though. Today she had to test how far his willingness went. She took the proffered vial and dipped her finger into it, drawing a quick rune of Light in the air. The blood glowed, first red before turning into a blinding white. She cut her own arm quickly and used her own blood to do the same before turning to her student, stepping closer to him.

"See the difference?" she asked, glancing at the dimmer light of her own blood. "There's very little sacrifice on my part when I use my own blood. I give little so I receive only a little fragment of power. When I use blood that has been given to me, the sacrifice is two fold, first you give of your blood, then you give that precious commodity into my keeping. I could do anything with that blood. That sacrifice gives more power to what I do with it," Alyson explained as she held out her still bleeding arm. "You try." 

[James Malcom MacDougal]

See the difference?" she asked, glancing at the dimmer light of her own blood. "There's very little sacrifice on my part when I use my own blood. I give little so I receive only a little fragment of power. When I use blood that has been given to me, the sacrifice is two fold, first you give of your blood, then you give that precious commodity into my keeping. I could do anything with that blood. That sacrifice gives more power to what I do with it," Alyson explained as she held out her still bleeding arm. "You try."

Anything? Suddenly Jamie felt a chill of caution. And he'd just given it to her. He wanted more power... Wanted more than the little tricks they'd done so far. But he should be more careful. He didn't intend to to let anyone gain power over him.

He reached out, dipping his finger in her blood--eww--and drew a rune quickly in the air. He glanced at Aly, waiting. He hummed a little.

[Alyson Bludwyne]

The boy was good. Perhaps there was hope for the Kameren line to be returned to the True Powers once again as they had once been. But he was also too naive. The fact that he'd given her a whole vial of his blood without hesitation proved it... though he had at least seemed somewhat alarmed when she'd told him what she could do with it. She grinned at him, but somehow it was not a warm smile but one that promised secrets and excitement if he was strong enough to continue.

Alyson cocked her head in the direction of his rune created fire, basking in it's warmth as she moved next to Jamie.

"Well done. That's a strong flame. What rune would you use to control it? Remember, we can do anything that spells can do..."

She paused for a second, letting the boy contemplate his options, letting his mind focus on the question rather than what she was about to do. Before he had a chance to understand, she reached up and sliced him with her sharpened nails, quickly tracing a rune with the efficiency of one well-versed in the action.

The rune completed, she stepped back, dark eyes creasing in pleasure. "For example," she continued as though she had done nothing more than pat him on the back, "this rune recreates the Imperius Curse. And with the blood I forcibly took from you, I can now control your body. Jump Jamie."

Alyson smiled as her Bird relayed the scene in front of her, before she returned to Jamie's side and removed the rune's influence, before positioning herself between him and the only exit. It was a risk doing this she knew. He was so flighty, but she was running out of time if she was going to use him at all. Better to know sooner rather than later.