Of Honor....
An entire family is wiped out by the Deatheaters, erasing centuries of a pure-blood line. A Shield Guardian, Defender of the House, fails to provide the protection that could have saved them. Can the Family find justice in the hands of their Guardian when it locates the one man that can lead it to the source? Even when that man is Snape? Honor is found in the most unlikely of places...
Chapter 1
Fallen
*****
Lub...Dub-dub. Lub...Dub-dub. Lub...Dub-dub. "Fida...spes...et honoria...."
The Shield Guardian stirred in centuries old sleep. Something had awakened it.
Lub...Dub-dub. Lub.....Dub...dub. Lub...Dub....dub. "...ibidem..."
A heart beat. Eyes opened staring into darkness. The Shield Guardian reached out with its senses. There was nothing but inky darkness and silence, except for the heartbeat. Strong at first...but now growing steadily weaker.
Lub......dub.....dub. Lub......dub......dub. Lub....dub....dub.
"...nata corpus." the voice whispered. The Guardian stirred again, this time stronger. The Head of the House called. It pushed against the bonds that restrained it. Struggling...it knew this was not right somehow. It pushed harder against its invisible bindings, confusion turning into burning rage.
Lub....dub......dub. Lub....dub......dub. Lub....dub.........dub.
There was a horrid surge of light as the Shield Guardian was thrown forward onto a cold floor with a loud clash of metal striking stone. Whatever force had bound it had been broken suddenly and without warning. Turning its head, it saw a man lying on the floor, the Shield Pendant bearing the house symbol of the Raven clutched in his hand.
Lub......dub........dub. Lub......dub........dub. Lub.......dub.........dub.
It was then that the smell and taste of acrid smoke flooded the Guardian's senses. The air was heavy with it. Wall tapestries began to smolder near-by as the fire consumed them and spread upward towards the vaulted ceilings. Standing quickly, it moved across the room to kneel down beside the one that summoned it. The man was barely conscious. He turned his head to look up at it, the blue eyes struggling to focus.
Lub........dub........dub. Lub.........dub........dub. Lub..........dub.........dub.
"Master..." the voice emanating from the depths of the helm was unearthly and hollow. The man was broken somehow, but the Guardian could not reason why. The man raised his free hand and placed it on the metal helm. "...command me."
Lub............dub............dub. Lub...........dub.............dub. Lub.............dub................dub.
The smoke grew thicker, swirling around the stoic figure and the man that lay dying on the floor. He choked...his eyes rolling back into his head as he struggled for breath. The Guardian reached down and raised him gently up, cradling him against its chest. The hand that was on the helm slid down and suddenly clutched at the blue and black armor.
Lub............dub............dub. Lub...........dub.............dub. Lub.............dub................dub.
He gasped for breath as the smoke thickened. Above them, the Guardian could hear the popping and snapping of the ceiling supports as the fire began to consume them. It waited patiently for the words it needed the man to speak...Res gestai...his dying statement. He looked up at the Guardian and smiled pitifully.
Lub............dub............dub. Lub...........dub.............dub. Lub.............dub................dub.
"The house...fallen...." his breathing quickened as his hand clutched desperately at the Guardian's armor as though trying to draw strength from the silent figure. It continued to kneel there statuesquely, looking down at the man through the decorative helm. He struggled for breath as pieces of burning timber began to fall from above, landing around them on the hard stone floor, shattering. A thousand brilliant, albeit deadly, sparks filled the air like tiny orange stars. "Death.......eaters....."
Lub...............dub.....................dub. Lub......................dub. Lub..................................dub.
The man, Lord Raven, looked up at the Guardian. His eyes were a piercing blue....begging....commanding. Lord Raven stiffened suddenly in pain, a throttled moan rattling from his esophagus, as his hand clutched at the leather straps adorning the Guardian's armor. He exhaled one last time and his hand fell limply to his side. The Guardian pulled Lord Raven to its chest, bending down over him as burning timbers continued to fall, the ceiling collapsing.
Lub..........
"The house...fallen..."
An entire family is wiped out by the Deatheaters, erasing centuries of a pure-blood line. A Shield Guardian, Defender of the House, fails to provide the protection that could have saved them. Can the Family find justice in the hands of their Guardian when it locates the one man that can lead it to the source? Even when that man is Snape? Honor is found in the most unlikely of places...
Chapter 1
Fallen
*****
Lub...Dub-dub. Lub...Dub-dub. Lub...Dub-dub. "Fida...spes...et honoria...."
The Shield Guardian stirred in centuries old sleep. Something had awakened it.
Lub...Dub-dub. Lub.....Dub...dub. Lub...Dub....dub. "...ibidem..."
A heart beat. Eyes opened staring into darkness. The Shield Guardian reached out with its senses. There was nothing but inky darkness and silence, except for the heartbeat. Strong at first...but now growing steadily weaker.
Lub......dub.....dub. Lub......dub......dub. Lub....dub....dub.
"...nata corpus." the voice whispered. The Guardian stirred again, this time stronger. The Head of the House called. It pushed against the bonds that restrained it. Struggling...it knew this was not right somehow. It pushed harder against its invisible bindings, confusion turning into burning rage.
Lub....dub......dub. Lub....dub......dub. Lub....dub.........dub.
There was a horrid surge of light as the Shield Guardian was thrown forward onto a cold floor with a loud clash of metal striking stone. Whatever force had bound it had been broken suddenly and without warning. Turning its head, it saw a man lying on the floor, the Shield Pendant bearing the house symbol of the Raven clutched in his hand.
Lub......dub........dub. Lub......dub........dub. Lub.......dub.........dub.
It was then that the smell and taste of acrid smoke flooded the Guardian's senses. The air was heavy with it. Wall tapestries began to smolder near-by as the fire consumed them and spread upward towards the vaulted ceilings. Standing quickly, it moved across the room to kneel down beside the one that summoned it. The man was barely conscious. He turned his head to look up at it, the blue eyes struggling to focus.
Lub........dub........dub. Lub.........dub........dub. Lub..........dub.........dub.
"Master..." the voice emanating from the depths of the helm was unearthly and hollow. The man was broken somehow, but the Guardian could not reason why. The man raised his free hand and placed it on the metal helm. "...command me."
Lub............dub............dub. Lub...........dub.............dub. Lub.............dub................dub.
The smoke grew thicker, swirling around the stoic figure and the man that lay dying on the floor. He choked...his eyes rolling back into his head as he struggled for breath. The Guardian reached down and raised him gently up, cradling him against its chest. The hand that was on the helm slid down and suddenly clutched at the blue and black armor.
Lub............dub............dub. Lub...........dub.............dub. Lub.............dub................dub.
He gasped for breath as the smoke thickened. Above them, the Guardian could hear the popping and snapping of the ceiling supports as the fire began to consume them. It waited patiently for the words it needed the man to speak...Res gestai...his dying statement. He looked up at the Guardian and smiled pitifully.
Lub............dub............dub. Lub...........dub.............dub. Lub.............dub................dub.
"The house...fallen...." his breathing quickened as his hand clutched desperately at the Guardian's armor as though trying to draw strength from the silent figure. It continued to kneel there statuesquely, looking down at the man through the decorative helm. He struggled for breath as pieces of burning timber began to fall from above, landing around them on the hard stone floor, shattering. A thousand brilliant, albeit deadly, sparks filled the air like tiny orange stars. "Death.......eaters....."
Lub...............dub.....................dub. Lub......................dub. Lub..................................dub.
The man, Lord Raven, looked up at the Guardian. His eyes were a piercing blue....begging....commanding. Lord Raven stiffened suddenly in pain, a throttled moan rattling from his esophagus, as his hand clutched at the leather straps adorning the Guardian's armor. He exhaled one last time and his hand fell limply to his side. The Guardian pulled Lord Raven to its chest, bending down over him as burning timbers continued to fall, the ceiling collapsing.
Lub..........
"The house...fallen..."