Harry Potter

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The Serpent's Lament

By Miracles79

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Chapter 1: The Dark Lord's plan

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Disclaimer: The characters used in this Fan Fic are owned by JK Rowling and Warner Brother Studios (I think?) and are merely used in appreciation of the original author's incredible work.

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She had to get away, no compromises were to be made and no half-hearted appeals for leniency would ever be heard. They were coming. She needed to escape; no it was far more important than that… she had to escape.

Regrettably, desperation amplified the sounds of her flight which were shortly accompanied by the sounds of heavy, almost erratic breathing, and frantic footsteps leading her away from the place she had always dreamed of calling home.

Home…

That was why she was here, within the constricting silence of her surroundings and the grotesquely shaped trees, which swayed from the lashings of the torrid rainstorm overhead, but despite this very fact she preceded forward never looking back for fear of what she might see.

In the past, she had always been a welcome visitor to these grounds and the Mansion that rested upon its summit but now circumstances had changed, and not for the better. But that was not the only thing that had changed; it seemed as if the forest around her had also changed. As if some powerful force had laid claim to these lands, tainting it to such an extent that it was long past salvation.

But despite the loss of familiarity, and the loss of a home which she had no right to call her own, she never gave in to her fear. Despite her exhaustion, the terror which consumed her fragile mind and the blood which dripped from her forehead; her legs carried her onward, towards an unknown destination, her muscles burning from the exertion of her uninterrupted escape.

Brushing past numerous sharp leaves and stumbling over outstretched tree vines, she continued on with freshly made scars and newly formed bruises. However the frequent interruptions and the vines attempts to cage her, or at least impede her progress, confirmed one thing; the forest around her was coming to life and herding her as if she were a stray sheep. This was very old sorcery, and as dark and manipulative as the people who were chasing her.

She heard their voices long before they approached the area where she currently lay hidden, hurriedly concealing herself behind an over turned tree to shield herself from her pursuers. She couldn't use magic because it was far too dangerous, she feared that they would find her if she used even the simplest spell such was their power over her. Their footsteps almost seemed to circle around her but it was becoming increasingly hard to pin point their location, especially since her senses were filled with the sounds of her troubled heart.

"We know you're here. Did you really think you could escape from us child?"

That voice was eerily familiar and could have only have belonged to Gibbon, the famed death eater who showed relentless brutality to the weak and pitiful but fear and trepidation to the more powerful; especially when it came to one Albus Dumbledore.

"Come back with us child, come back to Malfoy Manor and all will be forgiven."

This time Yaxley spoke with a far more chilling tone of voice, the underlying message of his statement cutting through her as she knew the obvious truth behind it. Another death eater circled where she laid, the frightening mask turning around its vicinity for even the smallest sign of its intended prey.

"It doesn't have to be like this Pansy. Be reasonable now, you have nowhere to run and nobody to hide you. Show yourself now and all will be forgiven."

The sickening voice mocked her, the words seeming hopeful and almost charitable but the tone giving off its real intentions.

And here she was, Pansy Parkinson. The willing supporter of he-who-must-not-be-named doing everything in her power to disassociate herself from a group she had once talked of with great reverence.

Taking a moment in the ample silence, Pansy mentally calmed her erratic breathing, hoping the effect would also work in calming her heart. Leaning further into the collapsed tree, Pansy used the momentary seclusion in preparation for another desperate attempt to outrun her powerful pursuers.

But just as she was about to make a break for it, and risk being spotted by the approaching death eaters, a new voice entered the fray… a voice which was startlingly familiar and at one time would have been greatly welcomed whether in her time of need or in her moments of contentment. In Pansy's eyes, she had always considered him as something of a surrogate father even though her real father still lived, and that man's name was Lucius Malfoy.

"Pansy, I must say I am very disappointed in you. You should fell proud, no less honoured to have been chosen. The Dark Lord has offered you a most wonderful gift, return now and all will be forgiven," Lucius stated, no word of a lie slipping from his lips as he carefully surveyed the area for any sign of his son's troublesome fiancé.

For the first time since she had escaped, and listened to the uncaring and untrustworthy voices of his companions, Pansy knew he spoke the truth. Lucius would make sure no harm would come to her but not out of some sense of loyalty or actual care but because of image. After all, it would look very bad for his family if a future member of the Malfoy family was knowingly disobeying his express orders.

", The Dark Lord need not know of your moment of indiscretion. Returns to us, Pansy… you wouldn't want to upset your fiancé now would you?"

And there was the clincher; none of this had anything to do with her safety but all to do with Draco Malfoy. The man she had willingly grown to love and care for despite the hopelessness of their situation. At one point Pansy had even deluded herself into believing that this feeling could have been mutual but any chance of that had been violently torn apart the moment he, Draco Malfoy, had become a death eater. That was when everything changed.


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Draco had always been cruel by his own very nature, his less than honourable intentions for one Harry Potter and his two far less impressive friends was evidence of this but it never really troubled Pansy because she felt the same way and she was proud to say that she at least shared one small similarity with him, as unromantic as it was.

Pansy absolutely detested the famous trio who were held above everyone else within Hogwarts, and wizarding society at large, not through some act of ability or sacrifice but through affiliation, in Hermione and Ron's case, and luck. Yes, Harry was lucky to have escaped the Dark Lord with nothing more than a scar on his forehead, he performed no miracles that day but merely reaped the benefit of old and forgotten magic which inevitably saved him.

That was right, Pansy was well aware of how Harry Potter actually survived. Despite the various rumours and beliefs to the contrary, Harry had not survived per say but it was more that Lily Potter had sacrificed herself in the name of her son. She performed no spell, no incantation but was merely resolute in her belief that Harry must survive no matter the cost. It was forgotten magic which the Dark Lord only became aware of since very recently, from the mouth of his trusted spy; Severus Snape.

Pansy had only ever met he-who-must-not-be-named on two separate occasions and she never stayed too long, for fear of offending the most powerful wizard to have ever lived. However the same could not be said for her fiancé, Draco Malfoy, who was forced to accompany the Dark Lord in preparation for his final task, his "initiation" as the other had come to call it.

It was during this initiation process when the Draco she had always known and cared for… had been completely extinguished. Many death eaters talked as if his initiation was far crueller than any before him but that was not surprising as he had been tasked with a single and impossible order; to kill Albus Dumbledore. The pressure of such a task, to have been commanded to kill the only man who had fought the Dark Lord in open combat and lived to tell the tale, it utterly consumed him and turned him into someone that Pansy couldn't identify with.

That pressure alone would have crippled any man, no matter how brave or demonic their intentions could be. But that wasn't all Draco had to contend with because he had already been named as Slytherin's newest prefect and was therefore responsible for far more than any young man could contend with.

And with this new source of power Draco took every opportunity to bully those weaker than him or less fortunate whether through physical means or psychologically, with the latter becoming his personal favourite because like he said "There is nothing more satisfying that watching someone lose their will to live."

But Pansy knew that this was just Draco hitting out in anger and frustration, and after the first few incidents he gradually became disinterested in the power he had always sought and the words he spoke in such jest now seemed hollow because this time it was Draco that was losing his will to live.

And in time his methods also became crueller and his patience more so. Often, when he wanted something he would take it by force but now when he couldn't afford to do so or the risk heavily outweighed the object he desired he would use less courteous tactics, and blackmail was something he truly revelled in.

Of course if he had no honest blackmail then he would forge it or create a situation which would work in his favour, after all Pansy wasn't the only one who was willing to do anything for Draco… there were many other girls who would risk public scandal for the chance of 'spending time with him.'

Many claimed that Malfoy was extremely fortunate, with a knowing tone in their voice; because he always seemed to stumble upon 'evidence' which would see his target involved in rather compromising situations with one of these so called fans of his and the pictures were rarely modest. It was better in fact when his target was already in a relationship because then he would have the bastard right where he wanted them.

But while Pansy knew of all these things and ignored all the blatant signs of his unfaithful behaviour, the one thing that hurt her the most was the accusations of his violent tendencies. Many honestly believed that Draco physically assaulted her, and frequently, and this was what upset her most because Draco never actually harmed Slytherin's princess, in fact he had always been quite protective of her.

There had been many times when Pansy had wanted a little bit of what he gave to his helpers or "Draco's whores" as others named them, but every time she attempted to instigate a kiss he would refuse with the most beautiful and yet hurtful words she had ever heard.

"Don't waste your first on me."

His reluctant behaviour, his sexual acts amongst love struck fans and his sporadically caring attitude cut Pansy deeply because she loved him, she really did love him. Despite all his glaringly obvious insecurities and limitations, Draco was the man she loved and she would, through their family's merger, one day proudly be named as Pansy Malfoy but every time she brought up this very fact Draco would become angry and cut all forms of communication with her.

For Pansy it was strange though because Draco, despite his kind attitude and at times warming words, always gave off the impression that she was either unworthy of his family name or that he was completely uninterested in nothing more than their continued friendship, and would often scream at her for even suggesting such a thing as if he saw it as a betrayal of trust.

But despite all this he never once put a hand on Pansy… But like she said before things changed. And the one thing that did change, when he became a death eater, was Draco's temper when it concerned Pansy Parkinson.

She couldn't quite remember when it happened or why, maybe he was just having a bad day or, what was more likely, he had been embarrassed by the courageous trio yet again but when Pansy attempted to calm Draco's frantic ranting and violent mannerisms that was when he lashed out in a torrent of held back emotion.

That was the day Draco Malfoy engraved his anger upon her body not sexually but with malice forethought the likes of which she never wanted to experience ever again, not only because it hurt, and it really did hurt Pansy terribly, but because her worst nightmare had come to life.

She had been harmed by the person she trusted the most in this world. A man who was supposed to care for her and love her as she had always imagined, like in the books she read as a child away from her parents sceptical eyes. But that last vain of hope had been extinguished, the moment he assaulted her unconscious body. The last person she believed would ever harm her was no more.

After the vicious beating at the hands of the man she loved Pansy continued to maintain the belief that his violent acts were a result of her own insensitive behaviour. The beating she sustained didn't last long and when he was finished and his common sense returned Draco did something she had never seen before; he begged for forgiveness. There he was the great and supposedly uncaring Draco Malfoy, lying crumpled in a corner apologizing unreservedly for what he had done. That night Pansy did not retreat from him, although she had every right to do so, but instead consoled him and held him in her arms as he let out his grief in a torrent of held back tears.

Pansy knew that Draco was often rude, violent and pessimistic about life but those were all symptoms of the real problem, because the truth was; Draco was scared. A role had been forced upon him by his family and now by Lord Voldermort himself, to do something which even he-who-must-not-be –named had failed to do. So much pressure and expectation thrust upon his young and impressionable mind, and the fear of failure which would result in not only his death but that of his family too.

All of that insurmountable pressure changed him into what she had now come to know. Long ago Draco used to be understanding and responsible, he was never sweet and would talk of Harry Potter as if he was the greatest sin of this world but not once did he intentionally mean to harm Pansy but as we all know that all changed when he became a death eater. In time Draco would watch nameless faces being tortured remorselessly in his Manor and often by his own trembling hands.

Despite all this, and the more frequent abuses she suffered at Draco's hands. Pansy, in a sick and twisted way, gradually grew to cherish her time with Draco more and more, when she wasn't being beaten that is. Ever since she was a young girl she had always been within Draco's proximity and had depended on him as he had depended on her and as such a friendship of sorts was formed, not something as strong as the supposed golden trio but it was still there and now that connection had been completely severed not by her hands but by Draco's. The hopes and dreams of a family squashed beyond repair.

And now here she was, Pansy Parkinson on the run from new home; Malfoy Manor but the reasons why she fled had nothing to do with the house or the people that occupied and owned it but because of his plan; of Lord Voldermort's plan.

She had been chosen, no less handpicked by the most powerful wizard of all time. As his diligent supporter Pansy should have felt truly honoured perhaps even feel unworthy to have received such a prize but the implication of it and the plan that he had spoken of with relative glee shook her to the very core.

The Dark Lord couldn't have been serious. It was absurd; it couldn't have been possible because no such magic should have existed and to other mere mortals such as ourselves it didn't but Lord Voldermort was no mere mortal and he never lied when it concerned his prolonged survival. So, with this ungodly power, the Dark Lord had chosen Pansy Parkinson; not because of any outstanding feature, not even because she was particularly talented or adaptable it all had to do with proximity.

Was she truly valued by the Dark Lord?

Had she ever been truly valued by anyone?

Pansy's parents had raised her in their cold image but they never nurtured her, never comforted her when she cried or when she had been approached by that hideous Fenrir Greyback who often snuck into her room at the dead of night with despicable and vile intentions.

Instead of feeling protective of their child they felt nothing but ashamed as they were mocked by the other members of the group for raising such a "mud-blood" and as a result their teachings became far more forced and cruel. Pansy's innocence and individuality stripped until she was nothing more than the mirror image of her raving mother. Then the years of forced teachings had been replaced by years of frequent neglect, to the point where one day she almost forgot her mother's name.

And she promised herself, from that day on, that she would never be referred to as a mud-blood again. Pansy knew she was a pure-blood; it ran through her veins clear and clean. She would never be one of them and she hated all of them because they were a reminder of her past and maybe… if she used that word enough to describe a muggle witch or wizard… maybe then that one word wouldn't cause her so much pain but of course it never worked.

Ever since her childhood, Pansy had been taught that mud-bloods were the lesser race and after being compared to one and labelled as such; her hatred towards a certain Hermione Granger had been solidified.


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"Where are you Pansy? We are waiting." Greyback teased, his voice becoming playful as if he was talking to a small child, the same way he had talked to Pansy when she was no smaller then 4… when he threatened to make her like him; a werewolf which an insatiable hunger for human flesh.

The voice, the memories and his nearing proximity was too much for Pansy and the fear it began to invoke within her returned in full force. Without a moment's hesitation Pansy sprinted away from the safety of the oak tree and away from her pursuers who were now fully aware of her presence. The sounds of dogs and footsteps followed Pansy at every turn as she desperately looked around at her surroundings for any path which could lead her away to safety.

She was confused and desperate; she didn't know where to go. This place had always been her home but it was like the trees had been malformed and the scenery had been made hopelessly unrecognizable.

Where could she go? Who would even help her? She was the virgin who had been aptly named "Slytherin's whore." No one would help her and it was no one's fault but her own. Tears began to pierce her eyes as she realised the hopelessness of her situation, but she couldn't go back because the only thing she could go back to was a life that she had never wished for. A life Pansy had no say in, with people who terrified her and mocked her, who wouldn't even care if she were to perish from this world; no one would, not even her mother.

Why did things turn out like this?

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She wanted to be happy but was offered nothing but misery and neglect.

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She wanted to be loved but was abused and tormented by a man who now felt nothing for her.

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She wanted to be valued but never had the ability, looks or even courage to warrant such a thing.

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She wanted a family but Pansy could never find them because she had already disappointed them.

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And she wanted to live but now… she was going to die.

Suddenly, as Pansy sprinted under the cover of the forest, dark smoke began billowing overhead warping their way through the darkening sky, the presence within them becoming apparent due to the sharp downpour of rain and thunder. The sight made Pansy's terror increase tenfold, and in her haste to escape she slipped on the wet surface once again but under far more troubling circumstances.

Descending down the cliff side, Pansy's knees scrapped along the sharp rocks her body tumbling at an increased velocity. In panic Pansy covered her head with her hands, her elbows softening the multiple blows as she was propelled down the edge of the forest.

Pansy's body traversed the endless formation of rocks, momentum accelerating her plight before she rather mercilessly made contact with the muddy ground below. Her body battered, eye slightly swollen and the taste of blood clinging to her mouth and skin were the last things she felt as she gradually began to slip into the unconscious realm.

But before she slipped away completely, Pansy saw one final horrifying sight. The dark smoke was drawing closer from far off in the distance, conforming to human shapes once it had landed within her visible vicinity while their dark cloaks swayed within the torrid rainstorm. The figures drew closer as Pansy's senses finally dulled, her eye lids growing heavy and her breathing becoming shallow as she finally realised that her last desperate attempt had failed.

It was over, Pansy didn't escape from this hell and as a result her life was over before it had even begun.

"Get her up. The Dark Lord will be here soon and we cannot afford to anger him with the knowledge that we couldn't handle one small girl." Bellatrix Lestrange shouted in an attempt to speak over the vicious rain, which would have silenced a kinder and gentler voice.

Without discussion Fenrir moved towards the unconscious body and, rather than treating her like a true gentlemen should, he roughly grabbed her by the strands of her hair and wordlessly dragged her towards the remaining death eaters.

"You idiot, what do you think you're doing?" Bellatrix snapped. Quickly snatching the unconscious girl from Greyback's calloused hands before motioning for him to leave, which he did not acknowledge. The wolf's nostrils flared as the younger girl lay undisturbed and peaceful within his fellow death eater's arms, the anger of being talked down to once again propelling him to speak rather than act.

"Have you grown fond of this one, Bella? Feeling a little soft are we?"

But before Bellatrix could incite another row for such an absurd and ridiculous question, Lucius quickly marched towards the pair and settled the matter "Enough you two, we are wasting valuable time. Bellatrix take her into the mansion and make sure one of the servants gets her washed and clothed before the Dark Lord arrives, we cannot allow him to know of our mistakes."

His air of finality however was not picked up by Bellatrix as she too interjected, "How did she even escape? There were at least 12 of us at the Mansion and not one of us realised she was gone. Not to mention the guards positioned all over the terrace… And now that I think of it, weren't you guarding her door? Surely you should have heard something you filthy dog." Bellatrix stated in her usual accusatory voice as she promptly stepped towards Greyback with an equally questioning look.

"Now listen here, there were no alarming sounds coming from that room and no movement of any kind. How was I supposed to know she had escaped? Even from here I can hear the gossiping amongst your staff Lucius but I assure you all… that not a single footstep could be heard in that room." Greyback shot back looking more and more nervous as the attention of the group shifted towards him, their wands tightening in their hands as they gauged Fenrir's reaction.

"That is enough. You continue to underestimate her; Pansy is a lot smarter than you give her credit for. I wouldn't have allowed my son to marry her if she was anything less than exceptional. She wouldn't have been chosen by the Dark Lord himself if she was merely average," Lucius stated looking at the group in exasperation as he had warned them again and again that she might try something like this; but back then he had been ignored.

", She is the 8th and far more valuable than the rest of you. I don't know how she did it and I don't care; Get her to the Mansion now!"

With little room for questions Lucius promptly turned around and apparated to Malfoy Manor, the group looked at one another in question before begrudgingly following suit; they did not like being told what to do but Lucius did have a point, the Dark Lord would be here in any moment and Pansy needed to be cleaned, treated and properly dressed for his arrival.

Once Bellatrix had arrived at the Mansion she thrust the unconscious body into one of Lucius' many servants, rubbing her hands as if the simple touch was infectious, and watched as Pansy was led towards the private showers which only she and Draco were permitted to use.

It was almost time, the Dark Lord's plan had almost begun and it would all start and hinge on one person; Pansy Parkinson.


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Author's Notes:

Hello to old visitors and new, I have decided to make some changes to the original story and include a new dynamic which I hope will interest new readers.

This will be a plot and character driven story concerning three important characters and they are; Pansy Parkinson, Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley. Old favourites like Harry, Ron etc will all be making an appearance, some more than others, but the story is predominantly about the earlier 3.

Now I will give you a little information about my plan's for this story, no spoilers etc so please don't worry about that…

The story will recommence at the end of the war, when the Dark lord has been defeated. The story will take place, at the beginning of the New Year, within the revitalized wizarding school we all know and love; Hogwarts. The older students, who were unable to begin their exams due to the School's demolished appearance, will be returning for their final year.

The story will also focus primarily on the relationship between Ginny, Hermione and Pansy (As well as other female cast members such as Luna, Daphne etc etc) and we will see some of them grow closer together as time passes and most importantly heals old wounds. Of course other characters will have their moments to and there will be frequent interactions between the usual cast but with the focus remaining on the relationship, trial and tribulations of Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley and Pansy Parkinson.

There will be fem slash so be warned, there will also be no straight relationships described in this story but merely mentioned in passing or highlighted at points. This will be a very romantic and intimate story for all concerned. This is after all a story about two or more teenage girls who previously felt nothing but animosity towards one another gradually beginning to to fall for one another.

And there will also be a growing love situation between various characters with the direction placed solely upon one person who will not be named (By the way that is not a hint that the person is Lord Voldermort as he is evidently dead, and it would just be creepy, so don't worry :P)

I will also try to lessen the angst a bit, which is my forte, because I want this story to be not only cheerful but to also be about redemption; in many forms and from many people. I want to explore the characters thoroughly and show you how they are growing as people and helping to form a new sustainable community where prejudices are nothing but a thing of the past.

I must warn you there will be hardships especially for Pansy who will face pain beyond her wildest imaginations but I will say no more on this but I left a huge hint as to why she is in pain.

Oh and for fans of Ronald Weasley don't worry this story is not going to be an endless bashing of his character, I will attempt to stick to his character as close as possible but like I said this story is about redemption but it also about letting go and moving on. Although if he does such a thing willingly I won't tell you :P

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will offer your opinions and insight; I like to interact with reviewers and get their thoughts and ideas on certain situations. After all two pairs of eyes are better than one. The next update won't be for a while and this story will unfortunately be updated fairly leisurely, depending on interest, when I'm not writing Empty Places or Forever Drifting but I am very keen on this story and I will write it to completion, so don't worry.

All the Best :D

P.S. This story was brought about by something I heard in Sherlock Holmes, one of my favourite quotes which is the basis for this story. And this is the quote in all its magnificence "All lives end, all hearts are broken. Caring is not an advantage"

P.S. 2, I would be grateful if anyone who has good grammar skills, as well as overall brilliance :D, would consider beta reading this particular story. I lack certain requirements that make a competent writer and feel that an outside perspective would really help me, I have deluded dreams of writing original stories so any help you could offer would be most kind.