Author: Svelte Rose
Rating: PG-13
Title: One Bell, One Sound
Part: Prologue
Characters: Hermione Granger, Lestrange Off-spring
Warnings: Beware of a slight paraphrasing of historical events.
Date: May 17th, 2008
Note: Dedicated to Kris since she's the one who gave me this plot bunny to work with. I hope everyone else enjoys it as well! ; Of course, I do not own Harry Potter and my utmost thanks to the pure win that is my beta- Nicky.
xxxxx
The Viscount Raleigh, occupant of one of the many paintings adorning this particular hall at the Palace of Beauxbatons shuffled restlessly in his sleep. It was already nearing one o'clock in the morning but for the life of him, he could not rest his mind. All around him, soft snores could be heard from neighboring paintings, their occupants obviously having not encountered his particular ailment.
He sighed and glared angrily at the stuffed chair that he had been painted with. While it was created with the richest of colors and seemed luxurious to its viewers, it was down right uncomfortable. He surmised it being the cause of his many back pains and vowed to at least ask someone if they would paint a settee for him come morning. That way, he wouldn't have to sneak off into other paintings for a better sleeping arrangement.
Standing up, he tiptoed to his right and peeked in on the neighbor's painting, belonging to that of the infamous courtesan, Madame LeVieux. Though she was a mediocre opera singer and a squib at that, Madame LeVieux had been wicked with her love potions and captivated the attentions of many a famous men. These actions alone allowed her to catch hold of a reputation respectable enough to garner a place among these walls.
Not to mention she was a wicked gossip.
Checking that the opulent room was completely empty he quickly deposited himself on a fairly plush settee. The good Madame would probably not be back until noon in which case, he would have already gone back to his own painting. True to her character, she was always gallivanting about the night, doing certain unmentionable things off frames.
He rubbed his cheek against the pillow and sighed happily. Sleep was almost immediate upon contact; his eyelids grew heavy and the world slowly faded away.
Then, the pounding of several footsteps could be heard coming down the hall, a brightly lit wand illuminating the dark area. Several light sleepers we roused from their slumber by this and did not shirk back from voicing their displeasure. But for the two boys that caused the noise, they could care less so immersed in their conversation that nary a sentiment of the paintings could or would be heard.
Viscount Raleigh's bloodshot eyes (colored brown with the finest French oils) shot open as he caught the furious speech of the tallest student.
"This is bloody ridiculous. I wouldn't be surprised if it was another midnight meeting with a paramour gone awry." His acerbic tone cut through the silent air as another boy beside him quickened his footsteps to keep up with the first one.
Viscount Raleigh knew immediately who it was…one of the Lestrange twins, Alleyne. There wasn't a single soul (or painting) in the castle that didn't know the problems surrounding the two boys. Despite their elevated status in the Wizarding society, their family history was as dark as their (now deceased) mother's maiden name suggested.
They were a scandal waiting to happen.
"That's a fairly harsh thing to say and you know that," The second boy responded in his soothing tones, "Look, Alleyne…"
"Aidan, not now. Let me just do my duty and be done with it," He bit out as they rounded the corner.
Viscount Raleigh sighed as the appreciative grumbling around him settled into something resembling that of a peaceful buzz. Sleep was resilient with its victims and the paintings in the hallway would not oppose it.
xxxxx
He pushed through the swinging doors of the castle medic-office and was greeted with several solemn faces of his Headmistress and the Medi-Wizard at his school. Still dressed in their pale blue robes with the characteristic Beauxbatons emblem emblazed across their right breasts, he nodded his head in a stiff greeting before ending the 'Lumos' spell on his wand and stepped towards the group.
"Alleyne, Aidan, thank you for coming at such a late hour."
Aidan smiled, a more congenial greeting than his brother's snort.
"Mademoiselle Garnier is still in critical condition," The soothing alto of their Headmistress informed gently as she placed her hands upon her lap, throwing a concerned look at the drawn curtains.
Alleyne and Aidan took the offered seats by the school medi-wizard, Monsieur Leroy and tucked away their wands.
"What happened?" Alleyne was able to finally speak out, his cold blue eyes piercing at the white curtains surrounding the occupant behind it.
Aidan cast an unsure look at his brother and frowned. Despite the austere coldness that his fraternal twin (their births separated only by seven minutes) portrayed to all their acquaintances, he could sense the underlying concern beneath the clipped tones so characteristic of the seventeen year old boy.
Monsieur Leroy took a seat at the foot of the bed, taking a folder from the bedside tray and flipped it open. He resituated his spectacles before looking up at the two boys and frowning, "We're not entirely sure. We think that Mademoiselle Garnier was hit in the chest with a spell at the edge of the lake. She received some severe burns, all of which were treatable, thankfully."
"Is that how she fell into the water?" Aidan pushed forward before his brother clamped a tight grip on his shoulder. The boy quickly sat back in his seat and licked his lips nervously as the medi-wizard shot an inscrutable look at them.
"We surmise she may have been standing fairly close to the lake when it happened. Furthermore, she also sustained a vicious knock to the head due to a floating log and she shows signs of a concussion which may have resulted in some damage to her brain, though it is too early to say for sure."
Madame Maxime shook her head fretfully, her jeweled earrings dangling back and forth.
Snapping the folder shut and tucking it under his arm, Monsieur Leroy finished with a rather dire tone underlying his deep voice, "It's a good thing Miss Boucher found her when she did because if we had waited any longer, she would not be here with us right now."
"Merlin bless us," The Headmistress said fretfully as she clasped her large hands to her chest.
"May I see her?" Alleyne asked in a clipped tone.
"Madame Maxime?" Monsieur Leroy deferred the decision to the Headmistress.
She cast a compassionate glance at the Lestrange brothers, "Of course."
Both Alleyne and Aidan stood up.
"Aidan, wait here, I'd like to see her for myself first," Alleyne murmured just loud enough for his twin brother to hear.
The boy nodded and sat back down, watching with understanding eyes as Alleyne disappeared behind the heavy white drapes. A soft murmur could be heard before a dim light encompassed the covered area.
Any other time, a student casting the 'Muffliato' spell anywhere near an unconscious person would have been cause for concern. But in this case, Madame Maxime simply shuffled off with Monsieur Leroy, speaking in hushed tones just under a whisper with the unconscious student's files between them.
It wasn't a neglect of protocol. After all, Aidan thought with a wry grin, the girl was practically family.
Xxxxx
He tucked the slender piece of wood back into the pocket of his night robes before lowering himself down on the bed. Blue eyes softened considerably as they studied her delicate features, taking in the creamy complexion which was incidentally, naturally flawless and the generous fringe of dark lashes that circled what he knew to be big, brown eyes.
As though slightly bothered by his close inspection, she fidgeted in her sleep, mussing up the thick curls splayed out all over the pillow. Red lips parted where her breath entered and exited.
A veritable Sleeping Beauty.
None could deny that the chit, even near-death, was breathtakingly beautiful, even if hauntingly so with her pale countenance.
He clenched his jaw and withdrew a hand he had not even realized was tracing the contours of her heart-shaped face. Once upon a time, he fancied himself in love with her and she with him. It wasn't before long he realized what a consummate actress she was and how many times those seemingly innocent lips had already been spoiled by many others.
Bloody wench. It would be the last time he ever trusted anybody.
He did not realize, so lost in his thoughts, the twitch of a finger or the long-lashes fluttering open. It was only when she cleared her dry throat did he quickly slip behind his mask of cold indifference and pulled his head up to meet her gaze.
She stared at him with sleep-ridden eyes before wetting her lips and speaking in a raspy voice, "Where am I?" Then, confusion entered her eyes as she glanced more closely at the cold, austere boy before her, "Who are you?"
He was startled but years of aristocratic trainings had taught him the best of stoicism and thus, he remained expressionless. Either she had to be lying or…
She fidgeted, attempting to sit up but gave up when a blast of pain shot throughout her body. Feeling somewhat silly for her lame attempt, she simply threw the enigmatic boy a smile which withered upon meeting his icy, blue eyes. He was strangely familiar, even if she knew with clarity that they'd never met before. Speaking was a feat and so she settled for a puzzled look.
There was nothing warm about the smile that made its way upon his features as he answered in a lazy drawl, "You're at the Palace of Beauxbatons. Though, dearest-" A mockery of their relationship, "-Mione, you mustn't wound me so." A nickname he knew she detested.
A characteristic flare of anger flashed in those dark brown eyes before she tilted her head to the side in frank confusion having registered his final words, "I'm afraid I don't understand. I am not familiar with you."
Laud, the woman had a flair for dramatics. A vague thought niggled at his conscience, something or another about possible brain damage which made him even more unable to resist prodding this hateful girl before him. With a grin almost akin to something feral, he responded,
"Why, you're my fiancé of course."
Words could not describe his pleasure at her widening doe-like eyes as she pressed back into the mattress, protests already tumbling from her lips.