searching for a snake [asher]

Without the mask where will you hide

I know the truth

Can’t find yourself lost in your lie.

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It was the day after school let out. A day after the incident with Isaac and one day after she had spent some time with Oliver. She had an interesting evening with the family. Well interesting wasn't the correct word. It was almost groundbreaking. She stood up to her father thus gaining respect. Something like that would never have happened if she ran when she wanted to. She stood her ground at the station and at home. She manipulated the situation to appeal to her father and it worked better than expected. Because of that he pulled her aside that evening and told her information about the situation that he wasn't exactly suppose to tell. She was glad though. The more information the better.

She was now waiting in the Shrieking Shack for Professor Kale and Onyx. Her father told her where Isaac was being taken and since she knew how to contact Kale it didn't take long for her to find her precious snake. It was evening and the sun was starting to set. It was the only time she could sneak out. She had used the flu powder system and traveled to the Hog's Head and then headed strait for the shack. She couldn't have anyone notice her as she moved about. She couldn't let her father find out, not after making such progress.

Raven sighed. She missed Onyx and hoped Kale would arrive soon. She didn't like to wait and there was much on her mind as well as much to do. She had the whole camp thing coming up and the practice to work on. Not to mention the whole head of the family training she had to go though. It was going to be a long summer.

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• wearing • THIS • tagged • ASHER JAMES KALE • notes • lets begin •

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the fight never ends

all I have is one last chance
I won't turn my back on you.

Isaac had barely settled in to the room they found him in the village when Asher found the small black snake that could only belong to Raven in his belongings. The boy had told him everything after a long while, so it barely shocked him. The elder Gaunt was not a man that even he trusted and for good reason. Raven must have sensed the same thing in her own father.

Having a  snake slithering around his chambers was not Asher's idea of a good time. He wasn't scared of the beasts, but he wasn't fond of them either. Luckily, Isaac had elected to take the pet in to his area until Raven could be contacted and a drop point was set up. Almost as soon as he prepared to leave, intending to put the animal safely in to a leather pouch so that he could walk unencumbered, Onyx worked up his arm and hung around his neck like it was accustomed to whenever Raven was carrying it.

"Ms. Gaunt, it appears your pet has missed you." He stated as soon as he entered the run down shack. Raven might not have even been there, but at this point he didn't care.

Come back down, save yourself
I can't find my way to you
And I can't bear to face the truth

made by Δ ashy of caution & shine

Without the mask where will you hide

I know the truth

Can’t find yourself lost in your lie.

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She could almost leap for joy when she head the Professor mention Onyx. She hurried to the entrance of the shack. She looked at Kale and noticed Onyx resting around his neck. A large smile formed across her face. "Onyx!" She half shouted. Raven ran over to the professor and reached out to his shoulder without acknowledging the professor. Onyx slithered up her arm and rested back on her neck. She let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, I have missed you!" She stated as she pet the snake. It then dawned on her that the Professor was still in the room.

This was the first time she had showed so much emotion in front of anyone. It was kind of embarrassing, and completely out of character. The more she thought about it the more she realized that it was the first time that she had let her guard down. Which was a shame but at the same time she was impressed that she had lasted this long. She was very worried about her snake though and was more than happy to have him back. 

She blushed slightly as she corrected her poster and greeted the Professor. "Professor Kale. Thank you for meeting me to return Onyx" She bowed her head slightly wondering what was going to happen. She wanted to ask questions but wasn't sure if it was the right time.

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• wearing • THIS • tagged • ASHER JAMES KALE • notes • lets begin •

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the fight never ends

all I have is one last chance
I won't turn my back on you.

Asher watched his student silently as she reunited with the snake. It was almost a relief to know she was capable of such emotions despite her normally cool and detached demeanor. Most pure bloods were exactly like that on the inside and out, which he knew from experience. She was human, and it put his mind at ease as far as helping her with the animagus process.

"I would say that you don't have to mention it, but I am quite curious as to how Onyx managed to slip in to young mister Bryant's possessions." He stated cooly. Asher had infered quite a bit, but he wanted to hear it from Raven herself first.

Come back down, save yourself
I can't find my way to you
And I can't bear to face the truth

made by Δ ashy of caution & shine

Without the mask where will you hide

I know the truth

Can’t find yourself lost in your lie.

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This was the question she was waiting for. She had a feeling that he had some idea as to why Onyx was there. She stayed calm even though her nerves were off the wall. "I guess I could give you a long winded explanation of how knowledge is power and to maintain my position within the family I needed to learn more. And by helping the boy I gained more to aid in my reputation at school thus keeping that power. But as that might work for most people you would not believe it" Raven was going on a whim here. She needed someone she could trust. Some adult that wouldn't betray her and could trust her methods. Even if that professor had a slight distaste for Slytherins and other pure bloods.

So all she had left was just to tell Kale the truth. She took a deep breath and leaned against the crumbling wall. She pet Onyx on his head listening to his reassuring hisses. It was nice to have him back to talk to her and ease her nerves. She would be lost without the snake. He was the one thing keeping her sane through all the lies and pressure that was her everyday life. It really was hard for her to leave Onyx even if it was for a day, it was too long.

Raven turned her attention back to Kale. "I don't trust my father, at all. You always have to be cautious around him. So I warned Isaac and had Onyx slip into his bag to keep and eye on the boy and to also gather any information he could. I wanted to learn more about the situation. Especially if I couldn't get my father to tell me anything. However my whole spiel about power was so convincing I did learn a few interesting thing. Not a lot but it means I will be informed about events like this in the future" Raven was proud of the lie she spun to her family. It gave her real power and standing up to her father was even better.

"The situation isn't very good is it" Her voice was but a whisper and she was genuinely concerned. She met Kale's eyes to see if she could see any answers there. Things were only going to get worse. She just hoped that she could keep up her power and the lies.

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• wearing • THIS • tagged • ASHER JAMES KALE • notes • ^_^ •

template made by @alaya

the fight never ends

all I have is one last chance
I won't turn my back on you.

Shaking his head, Asher leaned against a table while he tried to decide how much of what he found out he could actually tell to the girl in front of him. So far he had no reason to distrust her, but a young man's life was on the line. He had to risk it though for the chance at having an inside person in the Gaunt household. "It isn't, not in the least bit. Isaac won't be safe until we catch the person behind it...and with your father's history, I'm wondering how far he's going to go to find her."

Strider was ruthless, smart, and borderline impossible to find. The only time they had even seen her was on the chance encounters when they had run in to her right after an attack. He himself had been on the receiving end of her duels more than once.

Come back down, save yourself
I can't find my way to you
And I can't bear to face the truth

made by Δ ashy of caution & shine

Without the mask where will you hide

I know the truth

Can’t find yourself lost in your lie.

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Her. Raven wasn't sure how to respond. Her mind was swimming. She needed more information. Who was behind the killings. She knew it wasn't her Family. They didn't get their hands dirty, they made other families do that. Her family was a lot more political and good at keeping the pure bloods together. It had to be someone else. Another family with power but liked to be in the fight. There were a few but only a couple came to mind.

"Who is She?" Raven asked her voice low. She just needed a name. depending on who it was it would either ease her mind and this was an isolated case or it would cause worry. It would mean the beginning of a war. Was that why it was so crucial now to bring the families together? Was it why there was such a power struggle? Every family wanted the power to be kind of the leaders of the pure bloods.

If that was so then the whole camp being mandatory and her meeting with the major families wasn't just for show. She wished so much for this to be isolated. But she knew in her gut it wasn't.

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• wearing • THIS • tagged • ASHER JAMES KALE • notes • ^_^ •

template made by @alaya

the fight never ends

all I have is one last chance
I won't turn my back on you.

The culprit was  a touchy subject for some of the professors here at Hogwarts and Asher was well aware of it. She had only graduated about four years ago by his count. Besides that, she was a pure blood of American origin, someone he had met himself a time or two during the gatherings. Once upon a time, she had been such a sweet girl... "Chrishianna Strider was caught fleeing the scene, but no one was able to stop her in time. She's a former Ravenclaw, smart but crazy at the same time." That was an understatement if he ever saw one. Strider was beyond crazy.

If she was after Isaac, they'd likely have to kill her to stop whatever it was the girl had planned. Chrissy was sadistic at best and had no regard for her own life, not anymore. "Her twin brother was killed by a muggle in a hit and run. She's had a vendetta ever since, joined up with some pretty bad people straight out of Hogwarts. Now she's on a killing spree it seems."

Come back down, save yourself
I can't find my way to you
And I can't bear to face the truth

made by Δ ashy of caution & shine

Without the mask where will you hide

I know the truth

Can’t find yourself lost in your lie.

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Strider, it was exactly what she wished it wasn't. She knew of Chrishianna Strider. What pure blood didn't. The Strider family was among the elites so when one of their own goes off on a killing spree because of a death everyone knows about it. If anything some of the pure bloods looked up to her. Sure killing was frowned on but she was doing something about the muggles. It also reflected poorly on the families if she was out of control. It was quite a situation and it made sense why her father was happy about the situation but also concerned. It didn't put her at ease. 

"Well that doesn't make the situation any better. But it does make sense. As far as my father is concerned, I figure it depends on how far she goes, and how much of a bad name she gives the families. Otherwise they agree with what she is doing, unfortunately" Raven was talking more to herself than to Kale. She hoped it didn't go to far and they would be able to catch Strider. "How is Isaac doing? I mean I know he is not well per say but I need something reliable to relay back to Oliver" She needed something. Some piece of mind and it wasn't just for Oliver. She needed piece of mind to know that he was alright. 

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• wearing • THIS • tagged • ASHER JAMES KALE • notes • ^_^ •

template made by @alaya

the fight never ends

all I have is one last chance
I won't turn my back on you.

"He's adjusting as well as can be expected at this point. A few other professors and I are taking him away, somewhere safer than here. Normally, I'd say Hogwarts is the safest place in the world, but not when the person trying to kill you is in your house." That was another thing that bothered him about Strider. She wasn't a Slytherin, so she wasn't stereotypical. All of the snakes tended to go off the deep end in similar fashions, but she was a new breed. Viscious, terrifying, and unpredictable. It was like a perfect storm.

Shaking his head to bring himself back to the present, Asher eyed the snake Raven was holding pointedly and addressed her again. "No trailing him this time though. You aren't the only parselmouth around and I wouldn't want your pet to get hurt in the attempt to keep Isaac hidden. He'll be on lock down completely until either your father breaks and takes down Strider, or she gets close enough for me to do it." Not that it would take much. If anything, he almost wished that Isaac's next location WOULD leak so that they would have a solid lead. Asher wasn't happy about potentially losing the boy as bait, but it might be the only way.

Come back down, save yourself
I can't find my way to you
And I can't bear to face the truth

made by Δ ashy of caution & shine

Without the mask where will you hide

I know the truth

Can’t find yourself lost in your lie.

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Raven nodded. It was a sad day when Hogwarts wasn't safe. She really hoped that something was done and soon. At least have the kid stay safe till school started back up. She didn't rely on her father much. If anything she had more faith that Kale would being Strider in and not her father. She really had negative opinions of her family members. At least she had something to tell Oliver. If she ran into him again and she kind of wanted to.

Her attention was brought back to Kale when he mentioned Onyx. "Companion, friend not pet" She corrected coldly. It was the one thing she didn't like others saying. Onyx was her closest friend, he wasn't just some pet. "Thanks for the concern, and I have no intention of letting Onyx do anything like that again. One day was way too long to go without him. Also if you are the one taking care of Isaac then I am sure there is nothing to worry about" Raven's voice was very level. She didn't give out complements but she did respect Kale enough.

"Which other professors are helping out? Or can I not know that information" Raven was teasing slightly. At this point hiding anything was a waste of time. If she wanted to find something out she would do whatever it took to learn. It was the whole Slytherin ambition thing, but it was who she was. She just hoped that Kale really did trust her enough to inform her of these type of things. 

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• wearing • THIS • tagged • ASHER JAMES KALE • notes • ^_^ •

template made by @alaya

the fight never ends

all I have is one last chance
I won't turn my back on you.

"So far, I'm not entirely sure. A few have volunteered, one of them being your own head of house. I need to evaluate my options further though, especially if we're leaving Hogwarts." The potions master was always a safe bet. He doubted Claire would let anyone within a hundred yards of her precious students. Having another pure blood on his team was something that Asher was more wary of though. Sure, Ace seemed like a nice guy, but then again so did some of the others and they were more dangerous than any viper out there.


Then again, what choice did he really have? It wasn't like many of the other professors were already planning to leave town. Ace was his best bet for keeping Isaac safe, and that was the priority over everything else.

Come back down, save yourself
I can't find my way to you
And I can't bear to face the truth

made by Δ ashy of caution & shine

Without the mask where will you hide

I know the truth

Can’t find yourself lost in your lie.

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Raven nodded her head in understanding. Ace was a good professor with the best interest of the students in mind. At least Isaac was in good hands. That was all that mattered at the moment. At least it was something positive she could relay back to the Gryffindor. It was getting late and she knew she had to head back before her father became suspicious. She hated it but she was willing to bite her tongue and bide her time till she took over. She had big plans for after she finished school and those plans always seemed to get bigger and bigger. 

It wasn't a bad thing though. Having ambitions were good and since hers weren't the stereotypical ambitions of a Slytherin she figured she might succeed when other failed. "That is good to know. Professor Hadwin is a good person and is liked but just about all his students. I don't know much of anything about his family but that doesn't concern anyone really" Since he was in Slytherin there was the assumption that he was either a pureblood or mixed. She figured mixed since she had heard or knew of the main pureblood lines. That didn't mean that he was of an off branch.

"Should we still expect you at the ball?" Raven had to ask. She half hoped he would be there but she knew the situation had changed. She was looking forward to seeing someone there she didn't dislike or had to make an alliance with. She would fully understand if things had changed. 

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• wearing • THIS • tagged • ASHER JAMES KALE • notes • ^_^ •

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"It is getting late Ms. Gaunt, but I have one more thing for you before you go." Reaching in to his jacket pocket, he pulled out a small bound book and handed it to the girl. It had taken Asher hours to work out the enchantments, but finally he had gotten it to work with a little help from Isaac himself. The kid was too smart for his own good. "Think of it as like a safer cellphone. When you look at it, the pages you or myself haven't written on will appear blank. If anyone else grabs it, they'll look like last term's class notes. Isaac can use it too, he made sure of that. Now we can stay in contact while you go play at summer camp."

Without the mask where will you hide

I know the truth

Can’t find yourself lost in your lie.

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Raven took the book with a grin. "Quite clever, and defiantly safer" Raven looked over the book as she talked. She could have sworn she had read something in a history book or personal journal back in her family's home about a book that did something similar but she couldn't remember. Maybe it was a concept she read on keeping things secret. That was very possible. She was impressed that a First year knew so much.

"That is a Ravenclaw for you" Raven chucked. He was worth keeping alive. She wasn't going to say something like that out loud. She believed every hand a chance to live in the world muggle or wizard, but there were some people who were worth protecting for one reason or another and there were some worth ending. It was just how she saw things.

"See you around professor" Raven waved to Kale as she walked out of the shack and back to the Hog's Head for her trip back home through the fireplace. She clutched the book tightly in her arms as she listened to Onyx's story of what happened. 

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• wearing • THIS • tagged • ASHER JAMES KALE • notes • wrapping up •

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