Disclaimer: I do not own Familiar of Zero/Zero no Tsukaima.

Chapter I - Intoxication and Lust

A thunderous roar tore apart the peaceful later afternoon air, and a plume of dark smoke billowed towards the sky, only to be blown aside by a warm afternoon breeze.

Louise should have been ecstatic; she had done it, she had managed to summon a familiar! For the first time in her life she had successfully performed magic. However, instead of the joy that she should be feeling, she felt nervous, and hollow. Her lips and throat were dry, making it difficult to swallow, and her lungs did not seem to want to draw breath. She could feel the beads of sweat beginning to form on the back of her neck, and knew it was not due to the warm weather. Her stomach began to twist and turn, wrapping itself into knots, and she felt like she might be sick.

She stood rooted to the spot, her mind in a whirl of confusion, unable to hold on to a single thought, and her body refusing to move. She knew there was something she was supposed to do next, but she could not remember what, and for some reason that vague notion filled her with dread. So instead she simply stood there, staring at the result of her successful summoning.

A voice at the back of her mind was wondering whether she was cursed, if even when she technically succeeded, something had to go wrong.

It began as a low murmur, as the crowd of students gathered around her began to recover from their shock at the sudden explosion. Then it grew and grew, and became the uproar of at least thirty people all trying to talk over each other. Some of the other students began to throw jeers and heckles at her but they fell on deaf ears, others laughed, but these too went unheard. Memories of the last two weeks began to force their way into her head, bringing with them an unpleasant mix of emotions she did not want to examine too deeply.

The only student who was not openly mocking Louise, was a young blonde girl standing near the front. Instead her eyes where fixed upon the newly summoned familiar, and she watched the scene unfolding before her with no small amount of trepidation. She too remember the events of the previous two weeks, and feared what might happen if anyone discovered her part in them.

Louise was not sure how long she stood there, it could only be minutes at most, but it felt like an eternity.

Eventually an older, balding gentleman step forth and cleared his throat loudly. The expression on his face was unreadable.

"Very well done, Miss Valliére," he said. "After three attempts you have finally succeeded in summoning a familiar. "Now, please proceed with the second part of the ceremony."

At his prompting she remembered what she was supposed to do. Louise felt the blood drain from her face and she swallowed hard, desperately trying ease the dryness in her throat enough to speak. Somehow, she managed to force the words out of her mouth.

"I – Professor surely there has been some sort of mistake? Please, allow me to try again." It was only through supreme force of will that she was able to keep her voice level and avoid sounding like she was pleading. She would not allow any of the desperation she felt to show .

"I'm afraid I can not," he replied, although his face did soften a little. "The Springtime Summoning Ritual is one of our most sacred traditions, as such, once a familiar is summoned I'm afraid it can not be redone. Now please, continue with the ceremony."

With great reluctance, like a woman being led to the gallows, Louise began to walk towards her newly summoned familiar; and she tried very hard not to focus on the memories that threatened too leap to the forefront of her mind.

It had been unreasonably hot for this time of year, and this had put Louise François le blanc de la Valliére in a very foul mood. It was not so much the weather itself, as the fact that it caused her to sweat heavily, causing her clothes to stick to her girlish frame, and her hair to hang matted and lifeless. She was also starting to stink. Ugh, she was definitely going to need a bath once she got back to the castle.

Her mood was not improved by her current preoccupation.

After afternoon classes had finished, she had traveled out to a wooded area near to the school building by herself, in order to practice her magic. The reason for this little excursion was because the ceremony wherein the second-year students summoned their first familiar was only two weeks away; and she must succeed this time, she had to!

It was a phrase she had repeated to herself many times before, but this time it was more true than ever. The ceremony would only be conducted once, you only had one chance to summon a familiar, if she did not manage it this time there would be not be a second.

The very thought terrified her. She was a daughter of the prestigious Valliére family, if she were to fail to summon a familiar… She could already see the disappointment in her mother's eyes, the same disappointment she surely caused her mother every day. The worst part was that Louise could not hold it against her; her mother was a great and powerful mage, how could she be anything but disappointed in a daughter who failed to perform even the simplest of spells.

However, despite all the time she had spent working and sweating under the burning sun, she had made absolutely no progress. It did not matter how much time she spent, what element she tried or even how much she concentrated, nothing worked. The only difference lay in the size of the resulting explosion. It almost made her want to cry, but she clamped down on that urge, hard. Crying was a sign of weakness, and she refused to be weak.

She would not give up! She would continue to train hard, and one day she would become a powerful mage that her family could be proud of. She would!

Even in her own head the words sounded hollow, and she was not even sure if she believed them herself.

After catching her breath, she raised her head and gazed around the small clearing where she had been practising. Trees were uprooted, the ground had been torn apart and she was covered in dirt everywhere. All testaments to her failure.

Turning her head towards the sky, she noticed the first orange rays of dusk beginning to appear. Begrudgingly, she struggled back to her feet, and began her trudged back towards the academy. Her willpower was nearly spent anyway, there was no point remaining out here any longer.

Her feet dragged along the ground and her shoulders were slouched, until she caught sight of other students; at which point she forced herself to straighten her back and walk properly. It was not until she reached the sanctuary of her bedroom, that she allowed herself to slump over again.

After allowing herself a moment to rest her sore muscles, she decided that the best course of action would be to have one of the servants prepare her a nice, hot bath. Perhaps with a lass of wine to go with it? Yes that seemed like a good idea.

Montmorency had to suppress the desire to cackle as she stood over her bubbling cauldron, counting down the minutes until it was finished. She had woken before dawn to prepare the ingredients, and had left the concoction to boil while she had attended her classes, stopping in during her breaks to make sure that everything was proceeding smoothly.

Her face would be classically beautiful under regular circumstances, but at that moment it was twisted by an almost mad grin. She had caught Guiche flirting with some floozy first-year girls again yesterday, and the mere sight had made her blood boil. Was her love not enough for him!?

Eventually the potion began to bubble until it was almost overflowing, and she sprinkled in a pinch of powdered newt's tail, then doused the flames. The potion quickly began to settle, first dying down to a simmer, and then becoming perfectly calm. Now all she had to do was wait.

It was a closely guarded secret that the Montmorency family had recipes for their own special love-potions, such things were illegal within the Kingdom of Tristain, after all. Still, she felt no guilt over what she intended to do. It was not as though she was planning to seduce a king, or charm someone into committing crimes for her. She just wanted to ensure that her philandering fiancé remained faithful.

Once the potion had stopped steaming she put on a pair of thick, leather-like clothes and picked up the glass vial she had prepared. It was small, with the glass cut to resemble crystal, it was of the type she usually used for her perfumes.

She scooped up some of the solution in a beaker, and then slowly, carefully began to pour it into the vial. Then she screwed on the cap.

She gazed with pride upon her handiwork, examining it from every angle. It was colourless and odourless, and unless one had reason to suspect otherwise, most would assume it to be nothing but ordinary water.

Montmorency had to suppress another cackle, soon Guiche would never desire the company of any other woman ever again.

Now, how was she to get him to drink it? She could not very well give it to him herself. The two of them had had quite the spectacular argument when she had caught him with that tart, so he would likely be suspicious if she turned up all smiles and sunshine, and with a gift as well. So what if she went to him under the pretence of making amends? No, not pretence, that made it sound like she did not really want him. She did, she just needed him to change a little first.

Perhaps she could have one of the serving staff bring them drinks in the middle of the conversation? That way Guiche would see the drinks being brought to the room, and he would not suspect a servant, right? She would simply need to dose one of the drinks before hand.

It seemed like a good plan to her, she would just need to ensure that the servant knew whose drink was whose; perhaps two different wines, a glass of red and a glass of white?

The maid's name was Siesta, and she stared at the table before her with no small amount of trepidation. There were three glasses of wine sitting atop it, on white, the other two red.

A little more than half an hour ago she had been called by one of the students to draw a bath for her. After she had done that Miss Valliére had instructed her to prepare a glass of red wine for after she was done bathing. Officially, students were not allowed to order extra food or drink without the permission of a professor; however, as a mere commoner she did not dare defy a noble, and so Siesta had done as she was told.

Then the cook had requested her help for two minutes, and judging that she had plenty of time with Miss Valliére enjoying her soak, she had agreed. Then upon returning to the table she had found herself in her current predicament, for the single glass of wine had been joined by two more.

Now normally this would not be a problem, for they were from the same vineyard, and as far as Siesta was concerned, wine was wine. However, nobles seemed to be able to taste the difference, and Miss Valliére was infamous for being particularly volatile.

She knew that the young noble was drawing closer and closer to the end of her bath, and the tension was building in her nerves. She could not afford to delay any longer.

Finally, she picked on of the red glasses at random, and prayed for the best.

Louise was sitting at her desk in her nightclothes, pouring over the papers that represented the sum total of her research into the summoning of familiars. Her bath had left her feeling quite refreshed, and even if she did not have the energy to practice, she could at least study the theory. Besides, it was better to use her free time productively, rather than sit around doing nothing as she waited for the maid to return with her drink.

As though on cue, there came a light rapping at her chamber door.

"Come in!" Louise called.

The door swung gently open and the maid in question entered, bearing a glass of red wine. Louise took it without a word of thank you, after all there was no need to thank someone for simply doing their job.

Louise took a quick sip before returning to her papers.

The maid took a position behind her, no doubt waiting for her to finish the glass.

Moments later Louise began to feel warm, as though she was being wrapped in a blanket, and she felt a little drowsy. Perhaps her practice that afternoon had tired her out more than she had thought, maybe it would be best to go to bed. She drained the rest of the glass in a single, large gulp, and turned to place it back on the tray the maid was carrying; when she froze.

Hmm? She had not noticed before, but the girl was actually very attractive. Not that she often appreciated the attractiveness of other women of course, but this girl really was very pretty. Her skin was pale and almost flawless, and how did she manage that whilst living a servant's lifestyle? Her hair was shiny and black, such a rare colour in Tristain. Her figure struck just the right balance between thin and curvy, and her breasts were just the right size. In fact, Louise might have been jealous if she had not found them so … enticing. The uniform was very alluring as well, it almost seemed fitted to flatter her figure.

Louise unconsciously licked her lips.

"M – Miss?"

Louise blinked, and suddenly realised that she had drawn closer to the maid; far closer in fact, than was appropriate. Then the smell of soap reached her, so the girl took care of herself, good.

"Miss?" the servant almost whimpered.

"What is your name servant?" Louise asked, her voice becoming low and husky.

"S – Siesta, Miss," she answered. Her eyes were wide like a cornered animal, and her whole body had gone rigid.

Siesta … Siesta," Louise repeated the name, as though tasting it. "I like it," she whispered directly into the maid's ear.

This close she could see the small shudder than ran through the girl, and it sent a spark of excitement down her spine. Louise pushed the serving girl back softly, towards the bed.

"Why don't you take a seat?" she said, giving her another light push.

The edge of the bed came into contact with the back of Siesta's knees, causing them to buckle beneath her, and she fell on to the bed in an undignified heap.

"Now we can get to know each other better," Louise said, climbing on the bed to straddle the maid.

The young noble caught sight of the girl's blush as her eyes roamed across her face, before finally settling on her lips. They were so pink and pretty. Louise leaned over, her own lips parting slightly…

Louise awoke in the morning to the sound of birds singing outside her window, a sound that usually soothed her into wakefulness. This morning however, she felt like a thousand drummers were playing out of rhythm in her head, and so the birds seemed almost as shrill as the voice of her oldest sister. With a pained groan she pulled her pillow over her head, and tried to will the migraine away.

What on earth had she done to give herself such a frightful headache? Had she been more drained of willpower than she had thought?

After a couple of minutes it slowly dawned on her that she had class today, so grudgingly she removed the pillow, and dragged herself from the comfort of her bed.

As she left the room minutes later, she head the one thing she did not want to hear on any day really, but especially when she had a headache; the voice of Kirche von Zerbst. The red-headed Germanian woman was dark skinned, curvaceous and never missed a chance to flaunt her sexuality.

"Hello Zero," Kirche said, brightly.

Louise grit her teeth, and pressed a hand to her head. She found the Germanian's voice irritating at the best of times, today it would be unbearable. She had heard the boys in her class describe Zerbst voice as "lyrical" and "sweet"; in what way?!

"What do you want Zerbst?"

"Hmm? Is there something wrong with greeting a friend," she replied, casually. "Although, I do have to ask why you are wearing your school uniform on our day off?"

"What are you talking about?" Louise asked.

Even as she asked the question, Louise noticed that instead of the school uniform, the other woman was wearing a dress of questionable taste.

"Oh, I know! You are wearing that for your young maid," Zerbst said, chuckling in a way Louise found deeply disturbing. "You know Valliére, I never would have guessed your tastes ran that way."

"My tastes? What maid? Start making sense!"

"Oh, there's no point playing coy now Valliére," Zerbst replied. "Not after you spent the last week confessing the truth to anyone who asked. Everyone witnessed you attempts at courtship. I must say, you were far more aggressive than I thought you'd be."

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Louise responded.

Oh, but she did. The memories returned to her with startling clarity, striking her like a hammer blow from behind. She remembered the first night, when she had become overpowered by her desire for the maid, Siesta. She had had the girl lying on her bed half naked, and had been straddling her before she had apparently gathered her wits and thrown her off, sprinting out the room at top speed. Oh God, she…she had actually been sucking on her neck and fondling her before the abrupt ending. A shiver ran down her spine at the memory, and it felt like her stomach was made of lead.

She had spent the rest of the week attempting to corner the maid, and succeeding several times, only to be interrupted. She remembered her irritation at the serving staff "ruining the mood", or how her gaze would linger on Siesta's rear as she hurried away. She recalled what she had said in her attempts at seduction and was mortified, she had – she had sounded like an old letch!

She had let the other students know of her obsession as well; oh yes she had… She had not gone out of her way to shout it from the rooftops, but she had made no effort to keep it a secret either. She had flirted with her in public, and even made declarations of love. Then, when the other students had questioned her on it, she had told them exactly what she wanted with the maid.

Oh, she felt like she was going to be sick.

She was brought back to the present by Zerbst's throaty chuckle, and felt her face light up like it was on fire. By this point the whole school already knew about this, and they probably thought she was even more depraved than Zerbst. She felt all the blood drain from her face, as she wondered what would happen if word of this should get back to her mother. Suddenly she felt like crying, she would not be able to bear it if she gave her mother even more reason to be disappointed in her; and if word got back to Eleanor, her life would not be worth living.

Suddenly she saw red, and began to stomp off down the hall. She recognised the symptoms she had been suffering from, even is she could not perform magic, she studied harder than anyone. It was a love potion, it had to be. It was the only way to explain her sudden obsession, and her just as sudden recovery. That serving girl had slipped her a potion, planning to use her to bolster her own reputation no doubt.

Except the further she walked the more her head cooled, and the more she realised her theory did not make sense.

Even in her drug-addled recollections she remembered that the maid had been terrified of her, and if she had been planning it, then she would have expected what happened next. She had also fled the room, which she would not have done had she been planning to seduce her. Not to mention a relationship with Louise would hardly bolster the maid's reputation. If Louise had been a son instead of a daughter it might, but as things were, such a relationship would need to be hidden.

The maid could have planned for her to fall for someone else, to create some sort of scandal; but then she would have left the room as soon as Louise began to drink.

No, the only reasonable conclusion that Louise could draw was that the poor girl had been a puppet, a pawn in someone else's scheme; someone who no doubt wanted to slander the Valliére name.

So caught up was she in her own thoughts, that she did not notice the dark looks the servants gave her as she passed them by.

Suddenly she heard something that made her stop in her tracks, it sounded like snivelling. Was someone crying? The corridors were empty, no doubt the students were using their day off to have a sleep-in, so a curious Louise followed the noise around the next corner and caught sight of the very person she had been looking for. Siesta was attempting to polish the frame of a large portrait and doing a poor job of it, owing no doubt to the tears clouding her vision. Slowly Louise stepped forward, and if the young woman noticed her approached she made no indication of it.

When she was within arms reach she cleared her throat.

The maid nearly leapt clear from her skin, and spun around to see who was there. Her eyes widened when she saw just who was in the corridor with her, and her gaze shifted from side to side, as though looking for a way out.

Louise felt a twitch of irritation, which quickly evaporated when she noticed the tear tracks on the girl's face and the look of genuine fear in her eyes.

Ser – Siesta, what's wrong," Louise said, wincing as her voice came out harsher than she had intended.

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself with, miss," the maid replied.

"That's for me to decide," Louise stated. The tone of her voice caused Siesta to cringe, so she concentrated on trying to soften it. "Now, please," she added.

"Today… Today is my last day at the school, miss," the maid finally answered. "I've been dismissed."

"I see. May I ask why," Louise replied, although she had a sinking feeling she already knew.

"For… They said I was fraternizing with the students," Siesta said.

Louise felt her stomach drop for the second time since she had awoken, as her fears were confirmed. Siesta was being blamed for her actions over the past two weeks, despite obviously being another victim in whatever scheme had taken place. Apart from the injustice done to the maid, it also meant that the true culprit would likely get away with their crime. A thought that incensed Louise.

"Very well," Louise stated. "I shall speak to the headmaster on your behalf."

"But miss – "

"No buts, now follow me."

With that Louise marched off in the direction of the headmasters office, the maid following obediently along in her wake.

Before she had even gone a dozen steps however, she began to question this course of action. What could she even do or say to convince the headmaster? Anything she said may well be construed as her trying to keep the maid nearby, for immoral purposes.

She shook her head to dismiss such useless thoughts. It did not matter, as a daughter of house Valliére, it was her duty to see justice done.

The two of them walked in silence through the hallways, both lost in their own thoughts, until they came within sight of Miss Longueville, the headmaster's secretary, at her desk outside of the office door.

If she was being honest, Louise was unsure how to proceed from here. It was actually a rare occurrence for a student to call on the headmaster, without an invitation.

"Excuse me," she said, stepping towards the desk.

Miss Longueville looked up quickly, and stared at Louise over the rim of her spectacles. For just a moment Louise thought she saw anger in those eyes, and they rooted her to the spot. Then it disappeared, and they showed only a bored sort of enquiry.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I would like to see the headmaster," Louise replied.

Miss Longueville's gaze drift from Louise to Siesta and back again, she looked extremely unimpressed.

"I am afraid the headmaster is a very busy man, Miss Valliére," she said. "He may not be able to see a student who just drops by on a whim."

"That's fine," Louise replied. "I can wait."

It was the truth, it was her day off after all. Not that she wanted to spend all of it waiting outside of the headmaster's office, but she would if she needed to.

The secretary stared at her for a moment, as though in judgement, before giving a long-suffering sigh.

"Very well," she said. "Please wait here."

Miss Longueville disappeared into the headmaster's office, and reappeared mere seconds later.

"The headmaster will see you," she said. If she was surprised by this fact, her voice betrayed none of it.

"Thank you," Louise said, as she passed her by.

She crossed the threshold into the headmaster's office, and immediately caught sight of the man himself sitting behind his large, ornate desk. He was a man who seemed ancient, not because of his appearance but because of the feeling he gave off. Indeed, some of the students whispered that he was actually over three hundred years old.

"Hello Miss Valliére," he said.

"Thank you for seeing me, Sir Osmund," she replied, with a bow.

A quick glance over her shoulder let her know that Siesta had dropped into a curtsy, and had lowered her head deferentially.

"You're quite welcome," he said. "So, what can I do for you?"

She hesitated before responding, the whole situation suddenly felt so very surreal to her. When she thought about what she would need to say, she had to clear her throat before she could speak.

"I…" she faltered. "I would like to ask that you reconsider your decision to dismiss Siesta." As she spoke she looked over to the maid, and found that her head was still lowered.

The way the headmaster sucked in a breath at her request, did not fill her with confidence.

"I'm afraid that is quiet impossible," he replied. "The decision has already been made."

"But it's not right."

"Oh?" he responded, raising an eyebrow. "The rules are quite clear, there is to be no fraternization between the students and the staff, and that includes the serving staff. Unless you have some evidence to alleviate her guilt, I have no choice."

It was on the tip of her tongue to mention her theory about the love potion, but that would be a serious accusation to make and she had no proof. She did not even have any suspects.

"Is that all, Miss Valliére?" Sir Osmund asked.

"Wait!" she exclaimed. "Please wait. Siesta shouldn't be punished because … because it was my fault. I was the one who pursued her, I was the one who attempted to seduce her, I'm the one to blame. So … so punish me instead."

Yes, this was the right thing to do, she was sure of it. Whether she was under the influence of a love potion or not, her actions were her own and she had to take responsibility for them. She was the one who had attempted to "fraternize" with Siesta, whilst the maid had done everything she could to avoid the situation. The punishment should be hers.

"To be clear," the headmaster said. "You are willing to assume full responsibility for the events of the past week?"

The way he said it sent a chill through her, but she nodded her head firmly.

"Yes," she answered.

The headmaster sighed.

"A noble sentiment Miss Valliére , but unfortunately, that will not be possible either," he said.

"What? Why not?"

"This was not solely my decision," he answered. "Several members of the faculty were involved in making it, and thus it can not be overturned so easily."

For a very brief moment she considered threatening to right to her mother, Lady Karin Valliére would put fear even into a man like Sir Osmund, she was sure of it. However, she dismissed that idea almost immediately, it would be an empty threat and Sir Osmund would know it. Writing to her mother for help would mean explaining her guilt to her, and she did not think she could bring herself to do that.

"I am sorry, Miss Valliére," Sir Osmund said, and he actually sounded sincere. "But if there is nothing else, I must ask you to leave. I have other matters to attend to."

And so less than five minutes after arriving the two were once again standing outside the headmaster's door, looking thoroughly deflated.

"Thank you for trying anyway, Miss." The maid said, before curtseying and beginning to walk away. The young noble froze, that was the first time anyone had ever genuinely thanked her for anything, usually it was a case of habit and manners, or an attempt at mockery.

"Ah, wait…" Louise began before trailing off, the other girl stopped and turned to face her. Why had she done that? She had failed to save her job, there was nothing she could do now was there? Well, except for maybe… Struck by sudden inspiration she opened her mouth again:

"You are in need of new employment now, correct? Then how about I employ you as my personal maid?" she asked.

The look on the maids face was caught somewhere between relief and trepidation, it would have been amusing if Louise hadn't known just why she was so torn.

"I give my word not to harass or molest you," she added, pushing down the anger and shame she felt at needing to make such an oath.

Siesta still seemed hesitant, and shuffled her feet as she stood there in the hallway. Until at length she replied:

"Very well, then I accept."

Louise crouch down next to her maid, who who was lying flat on her back in the middle of the academy grounds. The girl looked up at her with eyes that were wide and fearful.

"Just relax, it will be over in a moment." Louise whispered.

Slowly she leaned in and placed a soft kiss against Siesta's lips. Everything was still for a moment, then Siesta screamed in agony and grasped at her right hand. Louise knelt there frozen, not knowing what to do. A part of her wanted to pull the girl into a hug, but another part insisted that such an act would not be proper. Before she could make a decision however, the screams died down, and Siesta slumped to the ground.

For a moment everything was still.

Then someone in the crowd of students wolf-whistled. Louise's wand was out in a flash and pointed in their direction. Her nerves that had been strained more and more over the last two weeks finally snapped, and the spring air was once again rent apart by a small explosion.